John included seven witnesses to prove Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; so that readers of his gospel would believe in Jesus and believing, would have eternal life!
Jesus bore witness to Himself.
“If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.” (John 5:31).
Don’t be confused. Jesus is not saying His testimony is not true (certainly if anyone could ever be trusted it is Him!). He is stating the opinion of the Jewish leaders; and He’s right. Read their response to Him a short while later: “So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself. Your testimony is not valid.” (John 8:13; emphasis added).
Jesus responded: “Even if I testify about Myself,” Jesus replied, “My testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I’m going…I am the One who testifies about Myself.” (John 8:14,18a). The Pharisees were not willing to believe His testimony, and this is what He expressed in John 5:31. But in John 8:13, Jesus makes it clear that His testimony is true and should be believed.
Can Jesus be a witness to Himself? Absolutely He can; for two reasons. First, He says so. He states His testimony is reliable and trustworthy. Second, in our court system we allow defendants to take the stand if they desire, and to offer testimony about themselves. True, we often may doubt or wonder about the veracity of their testimony, but this does not change the fact they are allowed to testify for themselves. Our choice of whether to believe Jesus or not, does not change the truth of His testimony. He is God in the flesh, and God does not lie!
Jesus' testimony is valid. He said so. He is a witness to Himself; of who He is, where He came from and where He is going. And He is a witness we can trust.
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