13 The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."
14 Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.
Ever ready to find fault and raise objections to Jesus’ Words, these Pharisees challenged our Lord according to the Mosaic Law as to the validity of His own testimony. Here their spiritual ignorance shines forth as they invalidate as worthless the witness of the “fullness of the Godhead in bodily form” as well as conveniently forgetting the past testimonies of all the other prior witnesses. Certainly they were aware that the Father Himself bore testimony to His Son as well as John the Baptist - just to name a few - were they needful of more proof than this? Scripture tells us:
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Matt 3:16-17 (NIV)
Yet John the Baptist tells us that these rulers knew Him not:
26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' John 1:26-30 (NIV)
They were decidedly zealous over their negative summation of our Lord and sadly, His Words neither changed their opinion nor altered their course. My Mom used to say: “He who is convinced against his will is of the same opinion still” – Jesus simply did not fit their description of a Savior. It seems we can fall into this same pattern in our day and age. Our Biblical illiteracy can cause us to have a certain mindset regarding Jesus and if the Truth is different we find ourselves stopping up our ears and stomping our feet. Some have contrived ideas making Him into a giant Santa Claus in the sky, always wanting our life to be carefree and happy, and indulging our every whim. Others, with a legal bent, see Him perhaps as a taskmaster - ruler in hand - desirous of our walking the straight and narrow – ready to whack us coo-coo when we but step out of line. It is never good to have the false assumption that we know everything there is to know about God (to say the least). He will not stay in our boxes. His ways are vastly higher than our ways and His paths beyond finding out. This serves as an acute reminder that the ideas of the best of men are ideas of men at best. God tells us through the prophet Isaiah:
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
Yet, all the while, God is a Revealer of Himself through His Word. As we diligently study and apply the Scriptures we are able to discern more and more of His ways – disengaging us from the thoughts and ways that have unwittingly taken us captive. He tells us through the pen of Jeremiah:
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. Jer 29:13-14 (NIV)
Jesus responds perfectly (no surprise) to these impertinent Pharisees stating the validity of His Words. Jesus knew with certainty who He was. He was fully aware He was the Divine Messiah coming from the Father on a mission with a message to a lost world. He had to prove His Deity to no one. Indeed, He stripped off the glory and stooped to serve. I am reminded of the incident where He washes His disciple’s feet:
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:3-5 (NIV)
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords has nothing to prove and as our Leader sets the supreme example of servant hood for His servants to follow. Paul’s beautiful description regarding Jesus’ act of mercy towards mankind found in Philippians serves as both inspiration and impetus regarding our own behavior as well:
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2:5-11 (NIV)