Introduction: In American courts the primary way to
introduce proof is through witnesses. The other important
way to prove something is through documents. Most documents
are not self-proving, so they must also come into evidence
through witnesses. There are several ways to test the truth
of what witnesses say under oath. I recall a 53-day trial in
which the direct testimony was submitted through affidavits,
and almost all the live testimony was my cross-examination
of the witnesses who submitted affidavits. That is very
unusual, but it was done to shorten the trial! Let’s dive
into our study of the Bible to see what witnesses John calls
to testify about Jesus. Because I have some experience in
cross-examination, I’ll share with you the relative strength
of the testimony just as if I were a skeptic, which I’m not.
I. First Witness: John the Baptist
A. Read John 1:19-20. What does this suggest the
Jewish leadership thought of John the Baptist?
(They thought he might be the Messiah.)
1. John denies that he is the Messiah. If you
were to test John’s testimony, what would go
through your mind? (A major ground for cross-
examination is bias in favor of personal
interest. People like to believe they are more
important, not less important. This makes
John’s testimony on this point credible.)
B. Read John 1:21. Recall that Deuteronomy 18:15
records that Moses prophesied that a “prophet”
like him would arise. Would John show he was an
important person by saying he was “Elijah” or the
“Prophet?” (Once again, bias towards self-
importance would support a claim to be either of
those important historical figures. So John is
telling the truth.)
C. Read John 1:23 and Isaiah 40:3. Is John claiming a
different, but still important role? (Yes. But
this still suggests he is being honest. If you are
going to lie, why not go for the lie that the
Jewish leaders are already inclined to accept?)
D. Read John 1:24-25. Now John is challenged by the
agents of the Jewish leadership because he is not
claiming to be one of the important people they
have been asking about. Why would John’s lesser
role making baptism inappropriate? (Albert Barnes
commentary informs us that pagans who converted to
Judaism were baptized. Jews were never baptized.
However, someone who came from heaven could claim
this authority to baptize Jews.)
E. Read John 1:26-27. Does this sound like truthful
testimony? (Absolutely. John states that he is
unworthy.)
F. Read John 1:29-30. John testifies that Jesus is
the Messiah. He ties Jesus to the Jewish
sacrificial service. Is this statement credible?
(John has already established his credibility.
This statement does nothing to undermine it.)
1. Consider again the idea that a reason to
believe testimony is when it runs counter to
the self-interest of the speaker. Does John
have an interest counter to Jesus being the
sacrificial lamb? (Presumably, John, like
everyone else, thought the Messiah would come
to overthrow the Romans. Coming to die is
inconsistent with that hope.)
II. Second Witness: Holy Spirit
A. Read John 1:32-34. Who does John say is
corroborating his testimony? (A Spirit that comes
from heaven. This must be the Holy Spirit.)
1. Let’s discuss hearsay testimony for a moment.
Hearsay is what a witness heard someone else
say. It is generally not admissible testimony
because, among other things, the speaker
cannot be cross-examined. Is this hearsay
testimony? (John is testifying to what he has
seen and heard. He could testify to this in
court. The truth of what the Spirit said
cannot be cross-examined, but most of what the
Spirit said John saw happen.)
2. Notice again John 1:34. To what does John
claim he is testifying? (He has “seen” Jesus
“is the Son of God.”)
III. Third Witness: Andrew
A. Read John 1:35-37. John the Baptist is still doing
the speaking, but look at the reaction of the
disciples. These are whose disciples? (John’s!)
1. Why would they leave John and follow Jesus?
(Because they believed John. Notice that they
have concluded that Jesus is greater than
John.)
B. Read John 1:38-39. Have the two disciples given an
intelligent answer to Jesus’ question? (On the
surface it seems idiotic. Perhaps they are star-
struck, meaning they do not know what to say to
the most important figure in history. Albert
Barnes’ commentary suggests they are just being
polite. They don’t want to interrupt Jesus, but
want to know where they can go to later discuss
becoming His disciples.)
C. Read John 1:40-41. How would you argue the
credibility of Andrew? (While Andrew could be
wrong, he is certainly saying something he
believes. Why? He changed jobs because of what he
heard John say and what he had observed while
following John.)
IV. Fourth and Fifth Witnesses: Philip and Nathanael
A. Read John 1:43-46. Andrew, and presumably Peter,
were pursuing Jesus to see if they could become
disciples. How is it different for Philip? (Jesus
calls him.)
1. Philip testifies that Jesus is the Messiah.
What argument does Philip make to support his
statement? (He says that Jesus fits what Moses
predicted in Deuteronomy 18:15 and what the
Old Testament prophets prophesied.)
a. Has Philip changed his job based on his
belief?
2. On what does Philip base his testimony? (Note
that he does not argue the truth of what he
said with Nathanael. He just points him to the
evidence.)
B. Read John 1:47-49. What does Jesus say about
Nathanael? (He is an honest man.)
1. What is the basis for Nathanael’s testimony
that Jesus is God? (Jesus told Nathanael what
he had been doing.)
a. Does that seem like strong evidence to
you?
C. Read John 1:50-51. Does Jesus consider this
strong evidence? (This suggests that He does not.
Jesus tells him he will see greater evidence.)
1. How would you argue the credibility of
Nathanael? (Nathanael started out with a
belief against Jesus being the Messiah. He has
now been convinced that he was wrong.)
V. Sixth Witness: Nicodemus
A. Read John 3:1-2. Does Nicodemus believe Jesus is
the Messiah? (No. He calls him a “teacher,” and
admits that God must be with Jesus. However, he
meets Jesus at a time when no one will know.)
B. We are going to skip some verses and concentrate
on those that bear on Nicodemus’ view of Jesus.
Read John 3:8-10. Is Jesus showing respect to
Nicodemus? (No. He is insulting him.)
C. Read John 3:11-12. Is this also insulting? (Yes.
Jesus says “you don’t believe Me” on more simple
things, why would I tell you about heavenly
things?)
D. Read John 3:13-15. Would this persuade you that
Jesus is God if you were Nicodemus? (Jesus is not
claiming to be the coming king, He says He is like
a snake “lifted up.” See Numbers 21:8-9.)
E. Read John 19:38-39. Does this record a statement
from Nicodemus about Jesus? (No.)
1. Why would we call Nicodemus a witness? (What a
person does is excellent evidence of what he
believes. Joseph of Arimathea is stated to be
a disciple of Jesus. This record of what
Nicodemus does suggests that he has also made
a decision for Jesus.)
2. Commentaries tell us that Nicodemus has
brought a huge amount of spices to treat
Jesus’ body. Does that say something about
Nicodemus’ view? (It tells us that he is rich,
but it also tells us that he believed that
Jesus is important and worthy of this
offering. It tells us that Nicodemus has sided
with Jesus, rather than the Pharisees.)
3. What does Jesus’ prior discussion in John 3
tell us about the credibility of Nicodemus’
decision? (Normally, we do not appreciate or
support people who insult us. This is
especially true when we hold a position of
importance. Nicodemus had many reasons to
resent and reject Jesus. Nicodemus’ actions
tell us that he has overcome these obstacles
and now honors Jesus.)
F. Friend, will you believe these witnesses? Has your
cross-examination caused you to believe them? If
you have never before stated a belief that Jesus
is God, come down from heaven to take away our
sins, why not confess that right now?
VI. Next week: The Testimony of Samaritans.
Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
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but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
