From: John 5:31-47
Christ Defends His Action (Continuation)
[Jesus said to the Jews,] [31] “If I bear witness to Myself, My testimony is not
true; [32] there is another who bears witness to Me, and I know that the testimo-
ny which he bears to Me is true. [33] You sent to John, and he has borne witness
to the truth. [34] Not that the testimony which I receive is from man; but I say this
that you may be saved.[35] He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were wil-
ling to rejoice for a while in his light. [36] But the testimony which I have is greater
than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted Me to accomplish,
these very works which I am doing, bear Me witness that the Father has sent Me.
[37] And the Father who sent He has Himself borne witness to Me. His voice you
have never heard, His form you have never seen; [38] and you do not have His word
abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He has sent. [39] You search the
Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that
bear witness to Me; [40] yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life. [41]
I do not receive glory from men. [42] But I know that you have not the love of God
within you. [43] I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if
another comes in his own name, him you will receive. [44] How can you believe,
who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the
only God? [45] Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; it is Moses who
accuses you, on whom you set your hope. [4] If you believed Moses, you would
believe Me, for he wrote of Me. [47] But if you do not believe his writings, how will
you believe My words?”
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Commentary:
31-40. Because Jesus is Son of God, His own word is self-sufficient, it needs
no corroboration (cf. 8:18); but, as on other occasions, He accommodates Him-
self to human customs and to the mental outlook of His hearers: He anticipates
a possible objection from the Jews to the effect that it is not enough for a person
to testify in his own cause (cf. Deuteronomy 19:15) and He explains that what
He is saying is endorsed by four witnesses—John the Baptist, His own miracles,
the Father, and the Sacred Scriptures of the Old Testament.
John the Baptist bore witness that Jesus was the Son of God (1:34). Although
Jesus had no need to have recourse to any man’s testimony, not even that of a
great prophet, John’s testimony was given for the sake of the Jews, that they
might recognize the Messiah. Jesus can also point to another testimony, better
than that of the Baptist—the miracles He has worked, which are, for anyone who
examines them honestly, unmistakable signs of His divine power, which comes
from the Father; Jesus’ miracles, then, are a form of witness the Father bears
concerning His Son, whom He has sent into the world. The Father manifests the
divinity of Jesus on other occasions—at His Baptism (cf. 1:31-34); at the Transfi-
guration (cf. Matthew 17:1-8), and later, in the presence of the whole crowd (cf.
John 12:28-30).
Jesus speaks to another divine testimony—that of the Sacred Scriptures. These
speak of Him, but the Jews fail to grasp the Scriptures’ true meaning, because
they read them without letting themselves be enlightened by Him whom God has
sent and in whom all the prophecies are fulfilled: “The economy of the Old Testa-
ment was deliberately so orientated that it should prepare for and declare in pro-
phecy the coming of Christ, Redeemer of all men, and of the Messianic Kingdom
(cf. Luke 24:44; John 5:39, 1 Peter 1:10), and should indicate it by means of dif-
ferent types (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:11). [...] Christians should accept with venera-
tion these writings which give expression to a lively sense of God, which are a
storehouse of sublime teaching on God and of sound wisdom on human life, as
well as a wonderful treasury of prayers; in them, too, the mystery of our salvation
is present in a hidden way” (Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 15).
41-47. Jesus identifies three obstacles preventing His hearers from recognizing
that He is the Messiah and Son of God—their lack of love of God, their striving
after human glory and their prejudiced interpretation of sacred texts. His defense
of His own actions and of His relationship with the Father might lead His adver-
saries to think that He was looking for human glory. But the testimonies He has
adduced (the Baptist, the miracles, the Father and the Scriptures) show clearly
that it is not He who is seeking His glory, and that the Jews oppose Him not out
of love of God or in defense of God’s honor, but for unworthy reasons or because
of their merely human outlook.
The Old Testament, therefore, leads a person towards recognizing who Jesus
Christ is (cf. John 1:45; 2:17, 22; 5:39, 46; 12:16, 41); yet the Jews remain un-
believers because their attitude is wrong: they have reduced the Messianic pro-
mises in the sacred books to the level of mere nationalistic aspirations: this out-
look, which is in no way supernatural, closes their soul to Jesus’ words and ac-
tions and prevents them from seeing that the ancient prophecies are come true
in Him (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14-16).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Violet.
| First reading |
Exodus 32:7-14 © |
The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. “Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.’
But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘why should your wrath blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand? Why let the Egyptians say, “Ah, it was in treachery that he brought them out, to do them to death in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth”? Leave your burning wrath; relent and do not bring this disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage for ever.’
So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
| Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 105:19-23 © |
O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
They fashioned a calf at Horeb
and worshipped an image of metal,
exchanging the God who was their glory
for the image of a bull that eats grass.
O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
They forgot the God who was their saviour,
who had done such great things in Egypt,
such portents in the land of Ham,
such marvels at the Red Sea.
O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
For this he said he would destroy them,
but Moses, the man he had chosen,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn back his anger from destruction.
O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
| Gospel Acclamation |
cf.Jn6:63,68 |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Jesus said to the Jews:
‘Were I to testify on my own behalf,
my testimony would not be valid;
but there is another witness who can speak on my behalf,
and I know that his testimony is valid.
You sent messengers to John,
and he gave his testimony to the truth:
not that I depend on human testimony;
no, it is for your salvation that I speak of this.
John was a lamp alight and shining
and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.
But my testimony is greater than John’s:
the works my Father has given me to carry out,
these same works of mine testify
that the Father has sent me.
Besides, the Father who sent me
bears witness to me himself.
You have never heard his voice,
you have never seen his shape,
and his word finds no home in you
because you do not believe in the one he has sent.
‘You study the scriptures,
believing that in them you have eternal life;
now these same scriptures testify to me,
and yet you refuse to come to me for life!
As for human approval, this means nothing to me.
Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you.
I have come in the name of my Father
and you refuse to accept me;
if someone else comes in his own name
you will accept him.
How can you believe,
since you look to one another for approval
and are not concerned
with the approval that comes from the one God?
Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father:
you place your hopes on Moses,
and Moses will be your accuser.
If you really believed him
you would believe me too,
since it was I that he was writing about;
but if you refuse to believe what he wrote,
how can you believe what I say?’