The works I do

(John 5:36-38)

The back end of John 5 is one of those passages which can. become a bit of a blur to a reader who is less than awake, alert and eager, just because of the repeated and rearranged words and ideas. But here are just two sentences (three verses) which spoke to me.

ἐγὼ δὲ ἔχω τὴν μαρτυρίαν μείζω τοῦ Ἰωάννου, τὰ γὰρ ἔργα ἃ δέδωκέν μοι ὁ πατὴρ ἵνα τελειώσω αὐτά, αὐτὰ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιῶ, μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ ὅτι ὁ πατήρ με ἀπέσταλκεν, καὶ ὁ πέμψας με πατὴρ ἐκεῖνος μεμαρτύρηκεν περὶ ἐμοῦ. οὔτε φωνὴν αὐτοῦ πώποτε ἀκηκόατε οὔτε εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκατε, καὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔχετε ἐν ὑμῖν μένοντα, ὅτι ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος τούτῳ ὑμεῖς οὐ πιστεύετε.

(John 5:36-38, SBL Greek Testament)

“I have bigger testimony than that of John, for the works which My Father gave me in order that I might finish them, these works which I do, they witness concerning me that the Father has sent me; and the Father who sent me, this one witnesses concerning me. You’ve never heard His voice, nor ever seen His form, and you do not have His word remaining in you, because this one whom He sent, in Him you don’t believe.”

(My very literal rendering)

What struck me once again is just how much this is about a) relationship and b) deeds, rather than words. In fact Jesus is saying, in effect, that “if you listened to the testimony of the deeds, and had a relationship with me (by trusting me), the words would fall into place for you.”

And of course in the passage immediately following, Jesus points out that they are such busy beavers, searching the Scriptures because they are sure that “in them they have eternal life” – but they miss the whole point: the Scriptures point directly to Jesus, and yet they won’t come to Him to have life.

So that is the central thought – faith in Jesus is not a propositional thing, it is about His deeds and about our response to them, and to Him.

The interesting extension of this thought would be that you and I have also been “given works to do, in order that we should finish them”. (If you doubt this, step back, watch Jesus and listen to how He trains His guys, and then commissions them; they have an overarching assignment, as do we, but follow the story through Acts and you will see each had his own assignment; as do we…)

If you see and receive the Kingdom, and understand how good God is, and how much He has equipped you with (“Everything!” says Peter in 2 Peter 1:3), then you can also expect that, as you engage with the works God has given you to do, those works you do will testify about who you are, and about the One who commissioned and sent you.

Which is a very exciting thought.