--- title: "The Witness of Scripture" description: "A sharp look at why leaders are obsessing over ancient texts while ignoring the very person those texts were meant to reveal." image: "" book: "John" bookId: "JHN" testament: "new" startChapter: 5 startVerse: 39 endChapter: 5 endVerse: 47 coversChapters: [5] aiTitle: "The Missing Connection: Why Religious Experts are Missing the Point" aiDescription: "A sharp look at why leaders are obsessing over ancient texts while ignoring the very person those texts were meant to reveal." hasAiStory: true location: "Pool of Bethesda" persons: ["God","Moses"] hashtags: ["faith","judgment","redemption","truth"] genre: "gospel" readingTime: 1 type: "adaptive" slug: "JHN/the-witness-of-scripture" canonicalId: "JHN.5.39-5.47" chronologicalOrder: 1331 relatedSlugs: ["DEU/the-prophet-like-moses","LUK/the-road-to-emmaus","ACT/paul-before-agrippa","ROM/unrighteous-israel","JHN/the-calling-of-disciples","LUK/lovers-of-money","JHN/jesus-arrives-in-jerusalem","NUM/balaam-blesses-israel","GEN/jacob-blesses-his-sons","LUK/jesus-appears-to-the-disciples-the-ascension","JHN/jesus-the-bread-of-life","2PE/peters-final-challenge","GAL/christ-has-redeemed-us","1PE/a-greeting-from-peter-a-living-hope","PSA/psalm-119-your-word-is-a-lamp-to-my-feet-part-5","GEN/abraham","NUM/the-bronze-serpent","PRO/the-excellence-of-wisdom","MAT/the-sadducees-and-the-resurrection-the-greatest-commandment","2TI/warning-of-difficulties-ahead","ACT/the-character-of-the-bereans","GEN/the-call-of-abram","ISA/conclusion-of-judgments-and-hope","MAT/jesus-questions-the-pharisees","ACT/in-pisidian-antioch","JER/the-temple-sermon-part-2","ROM/walking-by-the-spirit","ROM/israel-in-the-present","MAT/the-olivet-discourse","HEB/a-priest-in-the-order-of-melchizedek","GAL/sons-through-faith-in-christ","MRK/chief-priests-and-scribes-question-jesus","HEB/follow-great-models-of-faith","GAL/the-purpose-of-the-law","PHP/following-jesus-example","PSA/psalm-36-the-transgression-of-the-wicked","REV/the-marriage-of-the-lamb"] prevSlug: "JHN/testimonies-about-jesus" nextSlug: "JHN/the-feeding-of-the-five-thousand-jesus-walks-on-water" --- It is a strange situation unfolding today. A group of highly respected religious experts is spending every waking hour pouring over their ancient scriptures, convinced that their deep study is the golden ticket to an eternal life. Yet, despite their intense dedication to the material, they are missing the main character. The person at the center of this controversy is pointing out a fundamental flaw in their logic. He is arguing that they have become so fixated on the words on the page that they have failed to see the reality standing right in front of them. He suggests that if they truly understood the writings of [Moses](/persons/moses), they would naturally recognize Him, because those writings were essentially a roadmap leading directly to His arrival. The frustration is palpable. The teachers are constantly looking for approval from each other, chasing social status and prestige within their own circles. This hunger for human validation, he claims, is what blinds them. How can a person truly believe when they are more worried about what their peers think than what the only true [God](/persons/god) thinks? Perhaps the most biting part of this exchange is the realization that their own hero, Moses—the man they claim to follow above all else—has become their accuser. By failing to trust what Moses actually wrote, they have disqualified themselves from believing in anything else. They are stuck in a loop of study without connection, clinging to the map while ignoring the destination. You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life. I do not accept glory from men, but I know you, that you do not have the love of [God](/persons/god) within you. I have come in My Father’s name, and you have not received Me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe if you accept glory from one another, yet do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is [Moses](/persons/moses), in whom you have put your hope. If you had believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”

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