The Gospel of John: Come and See the Witnesses

As we saw two weeks ago, Jesus was addressing the religious system that the Jewish leaders were managing. In our next section, Jesus is going to zero in on a particular motive behind the Jewish leaders religious system: receiving glory from one another and not the glory that comes from God. At the root of legalistic religious systems is the praise of self and the praise of men. Those who follow the law declare their own self-righteousness and rise in the ranks of religious authority. These are the “righteous,” the religious bourgeoisie who judge and manage the religious proletariat. 

Determined to remain in control, the religious leaders ignored the multiple witnesses that affirmed Jesus’ sonship and the eternal life that he offered. They chased after John the Baptist until he challenged their self-righteousness. They ignored the Jesus’ works, the Father’s testimony, and even the sacred Scripture. The very author they leveraged to establish their system, Moses, not only speaks of Jesus but turns against them, accusing them of guilt. 

In mercy, Jesus confronts their selfish zeal to lead them to faith. What mercy!

Join us Sunday as we witness the mercy of God in the teaching of Jesus.