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Jesus’ Controversial Healing and Exclusive Claims
In the previous passage Jesus healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath—a provocative act that sparked intense conflict with the Jewish religious leaders. According to Jewish law, carrying a mat on the Sabbath was considered a violation of the commandment not to work. Jesus' instruction to the man to "pick up your mat and walk" thus triggered a theological dispute. This incident sets the stage for a deeper controversy, as Jesus follows it up with a bold declaration in John 5:24: those who listen to his message and believe in the God who sent him have already passed from death to life and will not face condemnation.
These days many see Jesus as a prophet, a reincarnation, or simply a wise teacher. However, Jesus’ own words reject such reductionist views. He presents himself as more than just a moral guide—he claims to be the very voice of God bringing salvation. This forces a decision: either accept Jesus as the divine agent of eternal life, or reject him and his claims altogether. Jesus affirms that a time has come when even the dead will hear his voice and live, underscoring his divine authority in a linear, purposeful history moving toward final judgment.
Authority to Judge and Raise the Dead
Jesus continues making staggering claims by stating that God the Father has granted him the same life-giving power and the authority to judge all humanity. This includes raising the dead from their graves to face either eternal life or judgment, based on whether they have done good or evil. These statements position Jesus not merely as a messenger of God, but as a divine figure possessing the same power to give life and execute judgment—responsibilities attributed to God alone throughout Scripture. This is a claim of cosmic authority, radically asserting that Jesus' word alone is sufficient to raise the dead.
Doing Good Means Believing in Jesus
A potential theological tension arises when Jesus states that those who have done good will experience eternal life, while those who have done evil will face judgment. This could appear to conflict with other parts of the Gospel that stress salvation by faith rather than by works. In John 6:40, Jesus defines "doing the will of the Father" as believing in the Son. In this context, doing good equates to putting faith in Jesus; conversely, continuing in evil is refusing to believe in the one sent by God.
Jesus then pivots to the legal principle in ancient Jewish culture that self-testimony was invalid without corroboration. He declares that his testimony is not alone—others bear witness to him. The rest of the teaching will examine these four witnesses who validate Jesus' claims. The first is John the Baptist. The Jewish leaders themselves sent a delegation to investigate John, whose fame and influence were so substantial that even secular historians like Josephus documented him. John explicitly denied being the Messiah and pointed instead to Jesus, stepping aside so his own disciples could follow Jesus. His clear testimony about Jesus is significant, especially since the religious leaders had previously respected John’s words.
The First Witness: John the Baptist
John the Baptist's role as a credible and widely accepted prophetic voice makes his witness particularly compelling. His testimony about Jesus—his denial of being the Messiah and his acknowledgment that Jesus was the promised one—should have carried weight with the religious leaders. Though his testimony may not hold as much authority for people today, it held substantial influence at the time. Similarly, modern seekers may not be moved by John’s witness directly, but they might be drawn to investigate Jesus because of a trustworthy person in their life who believes in him.
People are sometimes willing to consider Jesus because they trust a Christian friend or are intrigued by their character or intelligence. This creates an opening for them to engage with Jesus' claims. Jesus’ appeal to John’s testimony serves as a model for why personal witness still matters today.
The Second Witness: Miraculous Works
Jesus then points to a second witness: his own teachings and miracles. His miraculous signs attracted crowds and served as visible confirmation of his divine commission. For the original audience, these miracles were powerful proof. For modern audiences, however, the challenge lies in not having personally witnessed these events. [Personal faith example].
An important miracle is Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus was a real historical figure crucified under Pontius Pilate, as confirmed not only by the Bible but also by external sources like Josephus and Tacitus. This grounds Jesus' death as a historical fact rather than religious legend.
Evidence for the Resurrection: Jesus’ Death and the Empty Tomb
A major fact in the case for Jesus’ resurrection is the empty tomb. If Jesus’ body had remained in the tomb, opponents of the early Christian movement could have easily produced it to refute the resurrection claim. The fact that this never happened is significant. Furthermore, the lack of veneration of Jesus’ tomb stands in contrast to other known tombs of revered Jewish figures, suggesting the site was not preserved because Jesus’ body was no longer there.
Another compelling point is the inclusion of Joseph of Arimathea in the Gospel accounts. He was a member of the Jewish ruling council—a prominent and recognizable figure. In a relatively small city like Jerusalem, it would have been easy to fact-check this detail. The Gospels’ inclusion of Joseph suggests they were not crafting mythological stories but reporting events that could be verified by their contemporaries.
Evidence of the Resurrection: Eyewitness Testimony
Another evidence for the resurrection is the eyewitness testimony of those who claimed to have seen the risen Christ. Paul’s account in 1 Corinthians 15 provides a succinct but rich list of witnesses. He recounts that Jesus appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve, to over 500 believers at once, to James (Jesus’ half-brother), and finally to Paul himself. Each of these appearances played a significant role in transforming individuals and launching the early Christian movement.
The change in Peter is especially notable. Having denied Jesus out of fear, Peter re-emerges weeks later in Acts 2 as a bold preacher in Jerusalem. The other disciples similarly scattered in fear when Jesus was arrested, yet went on to become leaders of the early church. Paul emphasizes that many of these 500 witnesses were still alive at the time of his writing, effectively challenging skeptics to go and verify the claim by interviewing them. James, Jesus’ brother, who originally did not believe in Jesus’ messianic identity, was also transformed—something that would require a truly extraordinary event, such as witnessing his brother raised from the dead. Paul himself, a former persecutor of the church, experienced a total reversal and became a chief apostle. This collection of changed lives serves as compelling evidence for the reality of the resurrection.
Eyewitness testimony is significant. Much of what we know—both in daily life and historical study—is based on the credibility of others’ observations. If we required personal verification of every claim, we’d be incapable of knowing most things, including basic historical facts like Abraham Lincoln’s existence. In courts of law, credible eyewitnesses can determine the outcome of a case—even a life sentence. Therefore, the multiple, independent testimonies about the resurrection should be taken seriously.
Addressing the “Stolen Body” Theory
One popular alternative theory is that the disciples stole Jesus’ body to fabricate the resurrection. The disciples had no rational motive to invent such a story. Their hopes had been crushed when Jesus died, and their lives after the resurrection were marked by poverty, persecution, and even martyrdom. Unlike someone fabricating a lie to gain wealth or power, the disciples gained nothing worldly and lost much—yet they remained unwavering in their claims. Even in the face of death, they refused to recant. Someone with mental illness might be willing to die for a false belief, no one willingly dies for something they know is a lie. The disciples’ resolve suggests deep conviction rather than deception.
[Werewolf example]. The disciples were not acting out a fiction for personal gain.
Philosophical Rejection of the Supernatural
Another objection is that a supernatural resurrection is simply too implausible to believe. Some would argue that nearly any explanation—even aliens abducting Jesus’ body—would be more reasonable. But such objections stem not from historical inquiry, but from philosophical bias against the supernatural. He quotes J. Oswald Sanders, who argues that many rejections of the resurrection are rooted not in an examination of the evidence, but in disbelief in miracles.
If one is willing to believe that a supernatural God exists and created the universe, then it is not hard to believe that this God could raise someone from the dead. In fact, belief in creation already implies belief in the supernatural. Thus, resurrection becomes logically possible within the framework of theism.
Changed Lives as Evidence, and God’s Own Testimony
Referencing scholar N.T. Wright, after Jesus’ death, no one would have continued to proclaim him as Messiah unless something profound had occurred. The resurrection is the only plausible explanation for the bold, sacrificial faith of his followers. Jesus’ death looked like the end of a failed messianic movement, but instead it ignited a world-changing movement, rooted in the belief that God had vindicated him.
Jesus then states in verses 37–38 that the Father himself has testified about him. Some scholars think this refers to the voice heard at Jesus’ baptism, but Jesus clarifies that his audience had not heard God’s voice or seen his form. Therefore, the "testimony of the Father" must refer to something else—namely, the internal work of the Holy Spirit in convicting people of the truth.
The Third Witness: The Spirit’s Conviction
The third witness to Jesus’ identity is the conviction of the Holy Spirit. According to 1 John 5:9–10, believers have an internal sense of certainty about Jesus’ identity because God has personally testified to them. This subjective experience complements the intellectual and historical evidence. The Spirit can internally affirm the truth of the gospel, making God’s communication personal and relational. Call out to God if there is uncertainty—asking him to reveal himself. [Personal example].
The Fourth Witness: The Testimony of Scripture
Finally, Jesus points to the scriptures as the fourth witness. At the time he spoke, the New Testament had not yet been written, so he was referring to the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament). Jesus asserts that the scriptures point directly to him, though his opponents were missing this entirely. Scholars have identified hundreds of Old Testament prophecies that predict details about the coming Messiah—including his origins, suffering, and even the manner of his death. These “predictive prophecies” serve as God’s way of pre-validating Jesus' identity.
Isaiah 42:8–9 reinforces the idea that God declares his intentions in advance so that when they come to pass, people will know it was his doing. The scriptures, then, form the fourth and final pillar of evidence Jesus cites to support his astonishing claims.
God Authenticates His Message Through Predictive Prophecy
In Isaiah 42, God declares his uniqueness and sovereignty: “I will not give my glory to another.” He affirms his ability to predict the future as a distinguishing mark of his identity as the one true God. Predictive prophecy is God’s means of validating his revelation amid many competing religious voices. Unlike other claimants, God alone proclaims future events to authenticate his message.
Professor Meyer is a Jewish scholar and follower of Jesus. Meyer, during his time at Harvard, cautiously tried to introduce his Jewish colleagues to the idea of Jesus, being sensitive to their rejection of the New Testament and aversion to Jesus’ name. To engage them, he asked them to read Old Testament verses—specifically, without revealing the source.
Meyer used Isaiah 53, a profoundly messianic passage, to challenge assumptions. One colleague began reading the verses aloud, describing a suffering figure pierced for transgressions and silent before his accusers. Midway, the reader refused to continue, saying he didn’t believe in Jesus. Meyer then revealed that the passage was not from the New Testament, but from the Old—Isaiah 53:5,7.
Years later, that same colleague called Meyer and confessed that he had never been able to forget that moment. The passage lingered in his mind for over a decade and ultimately contributed to his decision to place his faith in Jesus. Scripture has a profound and lingering impact, particularly when it so clearly and accurately prefigures the person and work of Jesus Christ.
To the skeptical question of whether Christians retroactively inserted these texts into the Old Testament, there is archaeological evidence: the Dead Sea Scrolls. Discovered in 1947, these ancient manuscripts predate Jesus’ life by centuries. Among them was a complete scroll of Isaiah, dating from roughly 335 to 107 BC, which contains the full text of Isaiah 53—verifying that this prophecy was not a later Christian insertion but an authentic Jewish text.
Isaiah 53 was written long before Jesus' life and matches the gospel story in remarkable detail. This predictive power is God’s way of affirming his revelation and setting it apart from all others. God knew people would be skeptical. So he filled the Old Testament with detailed prophecies, hundreds of years in advance, to confirm that Jesus is the Messiah.
God has provided both objective and subjective lines of evidence. Objective evidence includes fulfilled prophecy, archaeological confirmation, and historical testimony. Subjective evidence comes from God’s Spirit, who works in individual hearts.
[Prayer example].
Many people assume that faith is blind and irrational, but the Gospel invites a different kind of belief—reasonable faith. It is not belief without evidence, but belief based on a solid foundation of historical fact, fulfilled prophecy, and personal experience. Christians are not asked to abandon reason but are invited to trust in something deeply supported by evidence.