A 07 The Personal Testimony of Jesus

CHAPTER 7 - THE PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF JESUS THEREis a general disposition among mankind, to receive as true, that is delivered upon personal testimony, especially if the person testifying is known to be honest, and the fact he relates be in itself credible. Hence, the degree of credit with which we receive the promises and statements of friends. Hence, the confidence reposed in the testimony given by the eyewitnesses of any fact whatever. It is too, upon this principle, that witnesses are allowed to give testimony upon the most important matters in law; and that men are often permitted, in their own behalf to affirm upon oath, certain matters of fact, which it is important for them to establish. Ignorance, fraud, the habit of prevarication, and the absurdity of the thing stated, are the most common causes of disbelief. Now none of these causes operate to invalidate the testimony of Jesus concerning himself. He certainly was not ignorant; for even his enemies were astonished at his wisdom and knowledge. Nor was he influenced by any selfish or base motives. Such was the benevolent and holy character of his life, that a motive like this cannot, with the least degree of probability, be imputed to him. Nor was he in the habit of prevarication; nor was the thing itself incredible. The Jews had long been expecting a Messiah. It was a part of their national faith, to look forward to his appearance. Certainly then, the actual manifestation of the Messiah among them, was not a thing in itself incredible. There is no reason, then, why the testimony of Jesus concerning himself should be rejected. This testimony to his own Messiahship was given by Jesus during the whole of his life; and it was for bearing this testimony that he was condemned to suffer death. In the first place, he never denied that he was the Messiah. There were numerous occasions when he might have done so. He was often placed in circumstances, when it would seem to be his interest, to have done so. But on no occasion whatever, does he at all intimate, that he is not the Messiah. Under the circumstances too, in which he was placed, this very silence of Jesus is testimony to the fact. Men regarded him as the Messiah. They worshipped him as the Son of God. They hailed him as the King of the Jews. All this he received as his due, never once intimating, as John the Baptist had done, that the people were mistaken in his character, and that they were heaping upon him honors which he did not deserve.

Jesus too, as we shall see more fully hereafter, acted the character of the Messiah. In his manners, in his doctrine, in his works, in the tone of authority with which he spake, in every thing, there is such an exercise of the Messianic prerogatives, such an exhibition of more than human pretensions, as to leave no doubt about his own impressions and convictions on this subject. But there is, as recorded in the gospels, an abundance of express personal testimony given by Jesus, to his Messiahship. When the woman of Samaria had said, “I know that Messiah cometh, and that When he is come, he will teach us all things;” the reply of Jesus was, “I that speak unto thee am he.” John 4:26. When John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to inquire of Jesus, whether he was the one about to come, or whether they should look for another; the answer given was, “Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them.” Matthew 6:5. The answer of Jesus is here given in the affirmative; and he appeals to his works as proofs of the fact. When Peter, on another occasion, had expressed it as his belief, and as the belief of his fellow disciples, that his Master was the Christ, the Son of the living God, the reply of Jesus was, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 16:17. When too, Nathanael had said to Jesus, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel;” the answer returned was, “Because I said I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these.” John 1:50.

Such testimony to his Messiahship, Jesus uniformly gave to the Jews, and to the multitudes who thronged his ministry. He delivered it also to Pilate, at his examination, and it was his solemn asseveration upon oath before the Sanhedrim. “And the High Priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us, whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, “Thou hast said;” Matthew 27:64; that is, I am the Christ.

If, then, there be any case, in which a man may be allowed to speak for himself, and if there be any thing in moral virtue to create confidence in human testimony, in short, if there be any thing in the life and character of Jesus, upon which to base his high claims to Messiahship, then is his own testimony to those claims of the very highest character, and worthy of universal belief.