John 5:31–47. Seeking Evidence.
What kind of evidence do you seek?
We live in an age obsessed with evidence.
We want reviews before we buy. We want data before we decide. We want proof before we commit. And when it comes to Christianity, many people say the same thing: “Show me the evidence.”
Often, when people talk about evidence for Christianity, they mean things like archaeology, manuscript reliability, historical sources, and whether the Gospels were really written early and preserved accurately. Those are good and important questions. And in fact, Christianity stands up remarkably well on those fronts. We have strong historical reasons to trust that what we have in the New Testament is what was written, and good reasons to take the basic outline of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection seriously.
But in John 5, Jesus does something even more interesting. He doesn’t just offer academic evidence. He offers God’s own testimony. And he shows us that the real issue is often not whether there is enough evidence, but what kind of approval we are really living for.
Let’s listen to Jesus in John 5:31–47.
1. God gives all the evidence we need (5:31–39, 46)
Jesus begins by acknowledging a basic principle:
“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.” (5:31)
In other words, self-promotion doesn’t count as proof. So Jesus points to a whole chain of witnesses that God himself has provided.
He lists at least five:
1. John the Baptist—a respected prophet who publicly pointed to Jesus (not John the Gospel writer; 5:33–35).
2. Jesus’ works—his miracles and signs, which show the Father is at work in him (5:36).
3. The Father himself—who has testified to the Son (5:37).
4. The Scriptures—which they search diligently, yet which testify about Jesus (5:39).
5. Moses—the very one they claim to follow, who wrote about Jesus (5:45–47).
So Jesus’ point is simple and devastating: if you want evidence for Jesus, look at the evidence.
Christianity is not built on one vague feeling or one private experience. It is rooted in public, historical, cumulative testimony: people, works, Scripture, and the whole storyline of the Old Testament pointing forward.
And Jesus is very clear about the tragedy:
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (5:39–40)
You can have the evidence in front of you and still miss the point. Not because the evidence is unclear, but because you don’t want what it points to.
2. People reject evidence for human approval (5:40–44)
Here is where Jesus really presses the issue. The problem is not intellectual. It is moral and relational.
“I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.” (5:42)
And then comes the key line:
“How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (5:44)
Jesus says we often reject God’s evidence because we are chasing human approval.
We want to be seen as smart.
We want to fit in.
We want to keep our reputation.
We want to stay in control.
So we “accept glory” from human beings. We let other people’s opinions, praise, and approval become the thing that really matters to us.
And Jesus is basically saying: if that’s what you’re living for, you’ll never follow the evidence where it leads. Because the evidence for Jesus doesn’t just inform us. It confronts us. It calls us to repent, to submit, to stop being the centre of our own universe.
If you seek approval above truth, you’ll always find a way to explain the evidence away.
3. Evidence judges us, not vice versa (5:45–47)
We usually imagine ourselves as the judges. We weigh the arguments. We sit in judgment over the evidence. We decide whether it’s good enough. Jesus turns that completely upside down:
“Do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set.” (5:45)
And then:
“If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.” (5:46)
The very Scriptures they appeal to as their authority will one day stand as witnesses against them.
The evidence doesn’t sit in the dock. We do.
If we ignore the evidence God has given, the evidence itself will judge us. This isn’t because it’s harsh. It’s because it’s true.
So, instead of asking, “Is there enough evidence?” we should really be asking, “What am I going to do with the evidence God has already given?”
So how should we respond?
If you’re a Christian
Be super thankful.
Your faith is not a blind leap into the dark. It rests on what God has done in history, in Scripture, and supremely in Jesus.
And don’t be ashamed of the evidence. Point people to Jesus’ works, to the Scriptures, to the whole story that leads to him. Keep coming back to the witnesses God himself has given.
But also be honest: the biggest obstacle is rarely information. It is the heart.
If you’re not a Christian
Don’t just ask whether the evidence is convincing. Ask what you might be protecting.
What would it cost you if Jesus really is who he claims to be? Socially? Morally? Personally?
Jesus’ challenge in John 5 is not only, “Have you seen the evidence?” He asks: “What kind of glory are you living for?”
God isn’t stingy with proof. He is generous. The tragedy isn’t that there’s no proof. The problem is that we don’t like looking at it.
“You refuse to come to me to have life.” (5:40)
So: what kind of evidence do you seek? And what kind of approval are you really living for?
John 5:31–47. Youth Questions.
Pray and Get Going
1. What kinds of evidence do people usually want, to know that Christianity is legit?
Look at John 5:31–47
2. According to these verses, what five pieces of evidence does God give us? How do these pieces of evidence help us see that Christianity is legit?
3. According to verses 40-44, why do people reject evidence?
4. What does it mean to “accept glory from human beings”? How do we do that? Why is it such a big problem?
5. We often think of ourselves as the ones who judge the evidence. How do verses 45-47 challenge this idea?
6. How should a Christian respond to the evidence God gives us for Christianity?
7. How should someone who isn’t a Christian respond to the evidence?
Pray and Give Thanks
Please, God, help us to be honest about the way we sometimes avoid or ignore the evidence you have given us. Help us to stop living for the approval of people, and teach us to seek the glory that comes from you alone. Help us to listen to what you have said about Jesus, to trust your testimony, and to come to him for real life. Please change our hearts so that we don’t just look at the evidence, but follow it. Amen.
Thank you, God, that you have not left us without witness, but have given us clear and generous evidence about your Son. Thank you for speaking through the Scriptures, through Jesus’ works, and through your own testimony. Thank you that our faith is not blind, and that in Jesus we have true life. Thank you that your evidence does not just inform us, but leads us to salvation. Amen.
John 5:31–47. Kids’ Club Questions.
Pray and Get Going
