John 5:34

“Listen, I do not need human testimony to validate my claims? No! My Father’s witness is sufficient.  But I add human witness so you will have sufficient testimony on which to base your decision to be saved.” John 5:34 EFP

Jesus certainly does not need to call upon human witnesses to validate his claims, does he? I would suppose he would be the only person in history who can make such a claim and make it stand. Yet I can remember times in my life when I spouted the phrase, “I don’t care what people think. It’s between God and me.” Sound noble, doesn’t it?

It’s ironic—Jesus, who alone could validate that his own word and that of his father in heaven were sufficient to validate his authenticity, understood the value of human testimony. Anyone can claim God’s approval. I can justify my religious behavior on the basis of the Bible. People rationalize all sorts of things on the basis of their reading of Scripture! That is the shortcoming of that specific claim. But what do people say of me? What do my children answer when asked who I am and what I am like? Do they add to my witness or negate it? My witness may hinge on the testimony of other humans like me. My boss. My colleagues. My wife. My neighbor. I f Jesus understands the value of the human element of witness, then maybe I need to as well. My salvation depends on what God thinks of me. My testimony depends on what others think of me. Sobering, isn’t it?