In chapter five of the Gospel of John the author concludes his discussion with the Jewish authorities by offering five witnesses that logically support Jesus’ claims about himself. Thus, if anyone had any legitimate doubts about who Jesus is or what purpose he had in becoming man, one could put his doubts to rest by considering these five witnesses. To be sure, folks could read chapter five of John’s Gospel and come away not believing Jesus; the Jewish authorities listened, and they didn’t believe. The point is, some folks won’t change their minds no matter what Jesus said or did. Nevertheless, if one’s doubts are legitimate, meaning one is willing to understand the truth and receive it for what it is, rather than seeking to suppress it, so one could live as he chooses, then chapter five is sufficient to enlighten that one’s heart and clear away all doubts one may have about Jesus, and why he came into the world.
We’ve already examined the Witness of John the Baptizer in my previous study, and we could say of Jesus that all of what John said about him was true (John 10:41). However, in this study we’ll also examine the intended effect of Jesus’ works, because he claimed they were a “…greater witness than that of John,” greater, because they prove that the claims Jesus made about himself are true. The works, to which Jesus referred, were given him by the Father to fulfill, and in fulfilling them, they witness both to Jesus’ identity, and that he had come from God (John 5:36; cp. 3:2).
The works that were given Jesus were certainly miracles that no man could do (cp. John 15:24), and to believe the works is to believe Jesus was sent by God (John 10:37-38; 14:11; cp. 3:2). How could anyone believe Jesus did miracles but say he wasn’t from God? However, these weren’t all the works. Some were passive miracles and works in which he took no premeditated part, but he did them. For example, Jesus’ birth was a miracle, in that a virgin would both conceive and give birth (Isaiah 7:14). While it is possible that a virgin could conceive a child the very first time she and her husband made love, it is impossible for a virgin to give birth to a child, for in making love, even once, she is no longer a virgin. To give birth demands the assistance of man, but Jesus came into the world without any assistance from a human male.!
That a form of virgin birth was understood by first century Jews to accompany the work of the Messiah is understood from Josephus’ account of the decree of Augustus that the whole world swear allegiance to him in honor of his silver jubilee (cir. 2 BC; cp. Luke 2:1). Josephus tells us that about six thousand Pharisees had refused to swear their allegiance, and Herod slew their leaders. Moreover, the account mentions a eunuch named Bagoas, who naturally couldn’t have children. However, according to Josephus’ record of events surrounding the census in Judea, the coming Messiah (the king in the text) would heal him, and the Messiah would come from the eunuch![1] Thus, a kind of virgin birth was expected, but reasoning done by the Pharisees who made the prediction shows no one knew how this would work out in reality (cp. 1Corinthians 2:9).
Additionally, Mary lived in Nazareth, and for all intents and purposes, her child would have been born there. However, Herod demanded that the descendants of David come to Bethlehem to be registered, during the time the world was commanded to swear allegiance to Caesar. Thus, Jesus was born in Bethlehem to fulfill the scriptures (Micah 5:2) instead of Nazareth, where his birthplace would have been had it not been for the decree of Augustus Caesar (Luke 2:1) and Herod’s desire to keep an eye on the descendants of David. Thus, we see that God works in the affairs of men to accomplish those things he said must occur (Daniel 4:35).
Finally, the fact that Herod sought Jesus’ life, and Jesus’ parents took him to Egypt, until the threat was over, also fulfilled the word of God (Matthew 2:15; cp. Hosea 11:1), showing that those things that occurred to Israel in their own history needed to also occur in the life of Christ. Thus, although some might say anyone could do some of the things that needed to be fulfilled, or that Jesus deliberately caused some things to be fulfilled, all things couldn’t have been fulfilled by anyone, nor could Jesus, of and by himself, deliberately set out to fulfill all the things needed to be done, because some of the works that needed to be fulfilled in Jesus’ life were done when he was a babe and unable to guide the outcome of those works. Thus, we see the witness of an unseen hand behind it all, causing events in Jesus’ life to fulfill the works the Father gave him to do.
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[1] See JOSEPHUS: Antiquities of the Jews: Book 17; Chapter 2; Paragraph 4 [41-45].
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