John 5:31
““If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid.”
What does John 5:31 mean?
Jesus is making a point about how evidence works in the real world. Under Jewish law, a person's testimony about themselves wasn't considered reliable in court, so if Jesus only pointed to himself as proof of who he was, it wouldn't hold weight. What makes his statement interesting is that he's actually affirming a reasonable standard of truth, not avoiding it, because he's about to point to other witnesses that do count: John the Baptist, his miracles, the scriptures, and even God the Father himself. It's a humble acknowledgment that truth stands on firmer ground when others can verify it too.