Summary: When we encounter someone making an extraordinary claim, we might ask others if that person really is who they say they are. On the basis of what others say, we make a decision to accept or deny that person’s claim. Jesus know the importance of witnesses so he points to several that support his claim that he is the Messiah.
Big Idea: You can trust the witnesses that point to Jesus as Saviour.
Ice-breaker question: Describe a time when you saw someone famous. How did you know that it was really them?
Read: John 5:31-47
Observation (What does the passage say?)
Jesus is continuing to make his case with the Jewish leaders. He takes his argument to another level by referring to witnesses who support his claim that he is the Messiah, the Son of God.
- Why is it problematic when a person testifies in their own defence and there are no other witnesses or supporting evidence?
- List the witnesses that Jesus says in this passage testify that he is who he says he is.
- Read John 1:29. What did John the Baptist say about Jesus?
- Read Luke 3:22 and 9:35. What did the Father say about Jesus?
- If you have time, google “Top 40 Most Helpful Messianic Prophecies – Jews for Jesus” What do the Jewish Scriptures (what Christians call the Old Testament) say about Jesus?
- Conservative Bible scholars consider Moses to be the author of the first five books of the Bible. Read Gen. 49:8-12 and Numbers 24:17-19. What does Moses say about Jesus?
Interpretation (What does the passage mean?)
7. Read Galatians 1:10. Why is it a problem when someone seeks glory from other humans instead of from God?
8. How did some of the things that Jesus did support his claim that he was the Son of God?
Application (What does the passage mean to me personally?)
9. People only accept the testimony of a witnesses if they believe that the witness is trustworthy. We live in a time when many people do not believe that the Bible is trustworthy. How does this make it difficult to convince a skeptic that Jesus is their Saviour?
- What witness testimony do you find most convincing? Why?
- Why is your personal testimony perhaps even more important now that it was in times past?
This Bible Study focuses on the same passage as the sermon on Jan 28/18 from Walnut Grove Lutheran Church, Langley BC.
Farewell to Shadowlands 