[annalex]

What Jesus is saying [in John 5:38f] is that the Pharisees think they have eternal life outside of Jesus and He is telling them that the scriptures testify that in Him is eternal life and they cannot see that.

He is not saying that through the scripture and outside of tradition we get eternal life, which was your original, mistaken, point.

[blue-duncan]

"He is not saying that through the scripture and outside of tradition we get eternal life, which was your original, mistaken, point."

He says that it is the scripture that testify of Him, not tradition that the Pharisees were relying on for their works based righteousness. Jesus was telling them it was the scripture that revealed Him as the Way, but they would not believe Him because they were invested in their tradition interpreted scripture.