Week 3: Sunday December 11
John 5:30-47
Order in the court!
Vs 36-37, 40
36 But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
Order in the court! The courtroom is filled and bustling with spectators waiting with great anticipation as the witness(es) takes the stand. The court official tells the witness to raise his (or her) right hand and swear on the Bible asking him, “do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? The witness responds with, “I do.”
I don’t know about you but my guilty pleasure is watching tv crime dramas. My husband says I have my “Law and Order” degree.
In this closing argument of sorts, Jesus recounts to the Jewish community (or jurors) the testimony they’ve heard from the various witnesses: John the Baptist, the Son set forth the works that His Father gave him to do, the Father, the Scriptures, and Moses. Now the charge goes to the jury.
We know the jury’s main job is to render a verdict - determine guilt or innocence - or basically decide which side has presented enough credible evidence to support one or the other side of the argument. But on the way to that verdict, what does the jury first have to do? Listen to the evidence presented by the witnesses AND DETERMINE if the evidence presented is TRUE OR NOT.
There is always careful consideration regarding what evidence or witnesses the jury will hear. The attorneys - for both sides - have to know who makes up the jury. So prior to seating the jury, there is a process called “voir dire” in which the attorneys get to know the perspective jury members - their ages, their sexual orientation, racial makeup, educational status, and their religious and political beliefs. The attorneys then select witnesses that they believe will persuade the jury will believe their side.
What verdict is at stake in this “hearing?” Is Jesus the Messiah?
But like any complicated and highly visible trial, the verdict isn’t clear cut. What problem is Jesus encountering with this jury? “You do not have the love of God in you. (Thus,) you do not accept me.” (vs 42-43) Problems with jury selection? I don’t think so. Here we have an introduction to the concept of “free will.” Our ability to choose can be both a gift and a curse.
Here, the jury is made up of the Jewish leaders, but as we ponder who Jesus is, we are the jury. Have you listened to the witnesses and pondered the evidence? In Holy Scripture, the voices of our ancestors, the prophets, the apostles, and the Holy Spirit testify to who Jesus is. Here 2000 years later we have far more evidence to ponder. During this season of Advent as we await the second coming of our Lord and Savior, dive into reading Holy Scripture, pick up an Advent study, or begin a prayer practice so you will have no doubt about this verdict. Regardless of what your background is, the evidence is overwhelming. Unlike that first jury, be filled with the love of God, accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and proclaim to all those undecided jurors the undeniable conclusion that Christ IS Lord and will come again. Amen.