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Evidence ID: HIS-EV34
Evidence: Five Additional Witnesses
Summary: Additional witnesses provide testimony of Jesus being the Son of God. These witnesses include John the Baptist, God the Father, the Holy Spirit, the Old Testament scriptures and Jesus' miracles. This collection of witnesses exceeds the two-to-three witnesses required by Old Testament Law to authenticate Jesus' claims.
Description: Witnesses are crucial to Jesus' claims. Based on Old Testament Law (Deuteronomy 17:6), two-to-three witnesses were required to put a person to death.
Jesus acknowledged that his own testimony was inadmissible based on Old Testament Law (John 5:31-32). So, he substantiated his claims by identifying five other witnesses. Based on Old Testament Law, these five witnesses would have sufficiently authenticated Jesus' claims (John 5:31-47).
The first witness is John the Baptist. John fulfilled that Old Testament prophecies as being Jesus' messenger or forerunner (Malachi 3:1, Isaiah 40:3). These Old Testament prophesies are noted in the Gospel of Mark.
2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
"Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’"
...
7And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
8I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
(Mark 1:2-8)
John the Baptist himself testifies that Jesus is the Son of God.
32And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." (John 1:32-34, John 5:33-35)
The second witness is God the Father. During Jesus' baptism the voice of God is heard (Matthew 3). The audible voice of God the Father attests that Jesus is his Son.
16And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:16-17)
The third witness is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit testifies about the sonship of Jesus during his baptism (Matthew 3:16-17). The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus and remains with him. In effect, the Holy Spirit anoints and authorizes Jesus' ministry. This was a public display for those in attendance to witness, not just for John the Baptist's benefit.
The apostle John reiterates this truth in 1 John 5.
6And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. 7So we have these three witnesses— 8the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree. 9Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. (1 John 5:6-9 NLT)
In this passage we learn that water represents the waters of baptism (forgiveness) and that blood represents the blood that Christ shed at his crucifixion (redemption) (Mark 15:37-39). The facts the Jesus was baptized and crucified are additional proofs that Jesus is the Son of God. These fulfill Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah (Isaiah 53:5-12) .
The fourth witness is the Old Testament scriptures. Jesus declares that the Old Testament prophesies bear witness that Jesus is the Son of God.
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me. (John 5:39)
In Jesus' last days on earth, he explained to the disciples the Old Testament prophecies concerning himself.
25And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)
The fifth and final witness is Jesus authoritative teaching and miracles. Jesus proclaims that his miracles bear witness that Jesus is the Son of God (John 5).
But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. (John 5:36)
The disciples in the Book of Acts echoed the same testimony. To the many who heard this testimony, they were also witnessed the miracles of Jesus.
"People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know." (Acts 2:22)
One of the Pharisees named Nicodemus came to the same conclusion. He acknowledged that the other Pharisees conferred and determined that Jesus was attended by God's power.
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." (John 3:1-2)
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