Chapter 5:33-47 His Witnesses

5:33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.
John came to bear witness of the light; his business was to prepare His way, and direct people to Him: Behold the Lamb of God.
Ye sent unto John - The sanhedrim at Jerusalem made a deputation of priests and Levites to him, to know who he was, whether the Messiah, or Elias, or that prophet.
There are several circumstances in John's character which render his testimony unexceptionable.
1. He is consulted by the very enemies of Christ, as a very holy and extraordinary man.
2. He is perfectly free from all self-interest, having declined making the least advantage by his own reputation.
3. He was so far from being solicited by Christ to give his testimony that he had not even seen Him when he gave it.

5:34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
But I receive not testimony from man - He stood in no need of an human testimony, nor did He rest the truth of His deity and divine sonship thereon: but these things I say, that ye might be saved; that is, He produced this testimony of John, who was a person of so great a character among them, that they might be induced by it to believe in Him as the Messiah;

5:35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.

He was a burning and a shining light - He was not that light, the famous light, the Messiah, the sun of righteousness; yet he was the "phosphorus", the forerunner of that light, and was himself a very great one.
Observe, Though the witness of John was a less cogent and less considerable witness, yet our Lord was pleased to make use of it.

5:36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me.

But I have greater witness than that of John -  The Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions read, "greater than John", and the sense is, that Christ had a greater witness than the witness of John; and His meaning is, that He had no need to insist upon John's testimony; He had other, and greater witnesses to produce:
for the works which the Father hath given me to finish; such as the preaching of the Gospel, the fulfilling of the law, and the redemption of His people;

5:37 And the Father Himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape.
hath borne witness of Me; not only in the writings of Moses, and the prophecies of the Old Testament, but by an audible articulate voice from heaven, at the time of Christ's baptism...ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape; for the voices that were heard, and the forms that were seen under the Old Testament dispensation, from the first of this kind in Eden's garden, to the incarnation of Christ, which are ascribed to God, or to a divine person, were either by the ministry of angels, or they were voices uttered by the Son of God, or forms assumed by Him, who often appeared in an human form, as a prelude of His incarnation; ....a sufficient and valid testimony.

5:38 And ye have not His word abiding in you: for whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not.
Ye have not His word abiding in you - Though ye believe the Scriptures to be of God, yet ye do not let them take hold of your hearts.

5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.

Search the Scriptures - A plain command to all men. .... The writings of Moses, and the prophets, which were of divine inspiration and authority, and are often appealed unto by Christ, and His apostles, for the truth of what they delivered; and were the standard of faith, and the test of doctrines; and therefore to be searched diligently into, for finding divine knowledge and improvement in it.

5:40 And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.
Yet ye will not come unto Me - As they direct you.

5:41 I receive not honor from men.

I receive not honor from men - I do not stand in need of you or your testimony.

5:42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

Note, The reason why people slight Christ is because they do not love God; for, if we did indeed love God, we should love Him who is His express image, and hasten to Him by whom only we may be restored to the favor of God.
Some men find it difficult to believe in Christ because they are always seeking honor for themselves; desire for the praise of men often blinds the mind and prejudices the spirit. How boldly our great Master speaks! There is no flattery on His lips.

5:43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

If another shall come - Any false Christ.

5:44 How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?

How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another?.... As the Scribes and Pharisees did, who were ambitious of honor and respect from one another, as well as from the common people; doing all they did to be seen of men, and to gain applause among them: and seek not the honor that cometh from God only; or "from the only God".

5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.

**there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust; by whom is meant, either the writings of Moses, as in Luke 16:29; or the doctrine of Moses; or rather the law of Moses.

5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me.

He wrote of Me - Moses did particularly prophesy of Christ, as the Seed of the woman, the Seed of Abraham, the Shiloh, the great Prophet; the ceremonies of the law of Moses were figures of Him that was to come.

5:47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?
But if ye believe not his writings, etc. - If you lay them not to heart - if you draw not those conclusions from them which their very letter, as well as their spirit, authorizes you to draw, how shall ye believe My words, against which ye have taken up the most ungrounded prejudice?