July 19 -- "Call Your First Witness"

 Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 19 & 20

"Call Your First Witness"

God’s laws are true and so practical and real-world.  Here Moses gives God’s laws regarding witnesses. Of primary importance under these laws is that nothing shall be decided upon the testimony of a single witness.  The purpose of this law was to protect people from false accusations.  If you had an antagonist who accused you of a sin or a crime, their accusation would not stand unless others (two or three) corroborated their testimony as eyewitnesses. 

In chapter 5 of John’s Gospel, Jesus was accused of giving false testimony about Himself because He did not have the required two-or-three others to support His claims.  He “was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God” (John 5:18).

Jesus confirmed God’s law regarding witnesses when He said “If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.” (John 5:31)  But then He went on to invoke not two, not three – but four – witnesses to support His claims:   John the Baptist, the works/miracles He performed, God the Father, and their own Scriptures.

Call your first witness: John the Baptist.  John said that Jesus was greater than himself and that he was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. John corroborated Jesus’ claims, but the religious leaders refused to listen.

Witness number two: The powerful works of Jesus.  He had demonstrated His Divine power right in front of their eyes when He went around doing good, casting out demons, and healing all kinds of diseases and infirmities. But the religious leaders refused to see.

Witness number three:  God Himself.  “And the Father who sent me has Himself borne witness about me.”  Here, Jesus is referring to that time a voice came out of the heavens and said, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” (Mark 1:11)  But the religious leaders refused to hear.

Witness number four: The Scriptures.  Jesus said to the religious leaders, “you search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” (John 5:39)  Jesus tells these religious leaders to “read your own Bibles!”  In the pages of the Scriptures you will discover the truth about who I am.  Tragically, these religious leaders failed to see the clear truth in their very own Bibles proving that if someone’s heart is so hardened by sin and pride, the volume of witnesses will not matter. 

Jesus was, indeed, the very Son of God he claimed to be.  Just ask the witnesses.