This chapter contains another miraculous healing, Jesus testifying that He is divine and has all authority / judgement from the Father, and a whole monologue from Jesus about bearing witness.
” ‘I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true… I say these things so that you may be saved… For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me…’ ” (v30-32, 34, 36-37 abr)
Essentially, Jesus is the Son of God, God in the flesh, and His verification of this fact is based on the testimony of mankind, and more importantly, God’s testimony (often spoken through mankind). Of course Jesus performed many miracles which didn’t hurt His God-incarnate testimony, but that was not the primary proof of His divinity. God is who He says He is, and He alone can testify about Himself, because only He fully knows Himself, and only He has been around since before the beginning of time – not even the angels / demons have been around since before time began.
We bear similar witness today. We are Jesus’ advocates, His witnesses, His ambassadors. We testify of the works He done in our lives and our relationship with Him. Jesus also bears witness about us to the Father – He testifies on our behalf, that we have been redeemed by Him, and therefore are granted eternal life in heaven. God also testifies about us – we are made in His image. It’s a similar cycle of testimony. Let’s embrace the fact we are both testifying of, and and testified by, God Himself.
Father God, our Glorious Witness and Everlasting Lord, You alone are the authority of this universe You created. Your authority extends to Your Son, who bears witness for us in Your presence, who has written our names in the book of life. May we in turn bear witness of His salvation and Your glory to all we encounter, so Your Spirit may transform and renew them into more ambassador for Jesus. To You alone be all honor, glory, praise, and worship, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training