Background
My article, The Case for Christ, was condensed from my original research for readability, but the additional information is important. Therefore, I created several pieces so that I could share the extra content with readers. This is one of those articles. Click the link above to see the original post on The Case for Christ.
Note: The following information fills out the content from the various sections in the original paper to give a more complete case. I have not repeated the content, except in limited amounts, unless it was necessary for understanding.
Introduction
This paper gives one more set of witnesses to consider concerning Jesus.
Fourfold Witness
The fourfold witness of Scripture refers to four distinct lines of evidence that support the truth of Jesus as the Messiah, as given in the gospel of John, chapter 5. A witness1 is ‘someone who gives evidence or attestation to an event or fact.’ In the Jewish culture, and throughout the Bible, two or three witnesses were needed to confirm the facts of a matter. Therefore it is significant that Jesus has four witnesses bearing witness of Him in the Scriptures. Jesus is recorded speaking of this in John 5:31-39. The four witnesses are: 1) John the Baptist (vv. 33-35); 2) the works of Jesus (v. 36); 3) God the Father (vv. 37-38); and, 4) the Scriptures (v. 39).
Jesus starts by explaining in verses 31 and 32, saying, “If I alone bear witness of Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the testimony which He bears of Me is true.”
Witness #1: John
First, Jesus speaks of John the Baptizer in the gospel of John, chapter 5, verses 33 to 35. Jesus says, “You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. But the witness which I receive is not from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.”
John the Baptizer was sent to prepare the people for the coming Messiah. Just before Jesus started His public ministry, John baptized many preaching repentance. God gave John insight about the Messiah, and in the gospel of John 1:15, the Scripture says, “John bore witness of Him [Jesus], and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ” ” Also, in John 1:29, it says, “The next day he [John] saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” ”
God also gave John a sign so that he would be able to recognize the Messiah. In the gospel of John, 1:32-34, the writer says about John the Baptist, “And John bore witness saying, “I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” ”
Witness #2: Jesus Works
John 5:36 “But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
The works of Jesus were given as an authenticating sign so that He would be recognized by the people as being sent from God. When questioned whether He was the Messiah or not, Jesus answered by describing some of His works. He said,
“the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Matthew 11:5)
The gospel accounts are full of the numerous works Jesus performed. The Jewish leaders recognized this too, as Nicodemus says in John 3:2,
“Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Witness #3: God the Father
John 5:37 “And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.”
In this passage, Jesus is answering the Jews who were persecuting Him and seeking to kill Him. Because they did not believe that He was the Messiah, they were not able to hear the voice of the Father as He says in verse 37. However, the audible voice of the Father was heard at least three times bearing witness of Jesus:
- At His baptism – Mark 1:9-11
- At the Mount of Transfiguration – Matthew 17:5
- John 12:28 – a voice from heaven declaring that He had glorified His name as Jesus requested.
The voice heard in this last reference was thought to be thunder by the multitude who heard it. Jesus responds to them, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.”
Witness #4: The Scriptures
John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me.”
Through the Old Testament (OT) prophets, God bore witness of the Christ. To give an example of this being applied by Jesus, we will refer to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
Just after Jesus rose from the dead, Luke 24:13-27 tells us that Jesus appeared to two of the disciples while they traveled to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. They did not recognize Jesus, thinking that He was just another traveler. One of the disciples, named Cleopus, said that they had heard the report that Jesus had risen from the dead, but they didn’t know what to think, nor did they believe it.
Verse 27 of Luke 24, tells us of the conversation between Jesus and the men. It says, “And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He [Jesus] explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”
Using the Scriptures as a witness of Himself, Jesus expounded the evidence given throughout the OT prophesies to Cleopas and the other disciple.
Conclusion
“In Jewish culture, only two witnesses were required to provide adequate testimony during a trial. Jesus provided four witnesses for Himself—double the required amount. Further, His witnesses included God the Father and the Word of God, the two highest forms of authority possible. The powerful testimony concerning Jesus clearly showed His true identity, despite the fact that He was rejected by the Jewish leaders.”2
In this paper we looked at the fourfold witness concerning Jesus. 1) John the Baptist, 2) the works of Jesus while He was on Earth, 3) the testimony of God the Father, and 4) the Scriptures. These witnesses meet the divine requirement as well as the legal requirement, and point to Jesus as the Messiah.
1 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witness 2/9/21
2 https://www.gotquestions.org/fourfold-witness.html 1/25/2021