Welcome to Day 2145 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Gospel of John – 12 – Witnesses for the Defense – Daily Wisdom

The Gospel of John – Part 3 Authentication Of The Word – Witnesses for the Defense

Today we continue our Good News series according to John the Apostle. Last we had part one of yet another mock trial. Jesus represented himself as the defense attorney, arguing against the prosecutors with six claims of why He is not only The Lord of the Sabbath, but also equal with God. Today, Jesus calls five character witnesses to take the stand to validate His six claims. “If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true. In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about me was true. Of course, I have no need of human witnesses, but I say these things so you might be saved. John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message. But I have a greater witness than John/—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me. And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—/the one he sent to you. “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life. “Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God. “Yet it isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes. If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. But since you don’t believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?” First, let’s back up just a bit to add some context for today. Civilized cultures have maintained order throughout human history by creating laws and then enforcing those laws through a court system. While these justice systems have varied widely, and some have undoubtedly been more effective than others, their purpose has basically been to discover the truth in any given matter. At least, that is their stated purpose. But, as we have all seen at one time or another, the truth is entirely irrelevant to a judge or jury who refuses to accept facts. While Jesus had not yet been literally hauled into court, He was nonetheless on trial. The temple officials had found a once crippled man breaking their tradition by carrying his mat on the Sabbath. This man, in turn, pointed an accusing finger at Jesus (John 5:11). Then, an initial confrontation only added to their list of alleged crimes; Jesus immediately accepted responsibility for breaking with tradition and then, in addition to that, claimed to be equal with God (5:17–18). John summarizes the dialogue between Jesus and the officials rather than chronologically. The Lord’s interaction...