John 3:31-35 - Lesson #32

In our last lesson we saw John the Baptist respond to his disciples when they questioned him about people coming to Jesus to be baptized. The focus of John's reply was that "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). The passage which follows may be the continued words of John the Baptist, or it may be words written by John the Apostle as a way of further explanation. In early Greek writing there are no quotation marks so we really can't be sure; but we CAN be sure that these are the inspired words of God with a purpose of giving credible and superior authority to the witness of Jesus.

John 3:31-35
"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand."

The first reason why the witness of Christ is superior is that He comes from heaven. All other witnesses - from the prophets to John the Baptist - came from the earth. And though they spoke the words of God, their understanding was in terms of the world and their testimony was flawed by a body of sin. But Jesus came directly from heaven, without sin, and spoke as one with first hand knowledge - an eye-witness of the truth. In ANY court, this testimony is to be preferred. And yet, no one believed Him.

We strive to interpret the Bible in what is called the normal literal sense - literal as understood by the original audience in a normal reading. In this sense, the phrase "no one received" doesn't actually mean "no one." Rather, it is used to signify a relatively small number as compared to those who should have received His testimony. But when anyone does receive, they understand the truth of God and approve His message.

The second reason why His witness is superior is that Jesus was given full authority. Other witnesses received only what was necessary to accomplish God's purpose, but Jesus received ALL - not a measured amount; "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9). Jesus is the complete declaration of God on earth (John 1:18). And full declaration required full gifting. He was given the fullness of the Spirit as well as all else; "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father" (Luke 10:22).

The entire gospel of John was written so we "may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God" (John 20:31). And this message is presented with great clarity in this third chapter. Jesus Christ is the true gospel message - He came from God, speaking the word of God, with the full authority of God. The power of His witness is greater than ALL. Let's be ones who receive His word without reservation. Let's submit to the authority of His truth and believe.