45 Do not think that I [am the One who] will accuse you before the Father. There [already] is one who accuses you: Moses, [the very one] in whom you have placed your hope [for salvation]. 46 For if you believed and relied on [the Scriptures written by] Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me [personally]. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
John 5:45-47 (AMP)
Scripture testimony (continues)
Moses is the most highly regarded personality for the Jews. Why? For one, he led the people out of Egypt to the promised land. Another unique characteristic is that he is the only man “whom the Lord knew face to face,” (Deut 34:10) But I think it’s mostly because Moses is the “giver of the Law” – and the Jews love the law (at least to try to live by it through good works). When the writer of Hebrews elevates Jesus to HIs proper position, he compares Him to Moses (see our previous post). Check this out for more on Moses.
Moses the Accuser?
It may have seemed to the listeners that Jesus was accusing them based on what He’s just spoken. But no, Moses is their accuser. Wait a second, I thought only the Devil is the accuser? This is true. In Rev 12:10, he is identified as, “the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night.” So how can Moses be an accuser? Moses didn’t accuse the Jews per se. What he wrote about accuses them. So, in a manner of speaking, he accuses them.
The accusation
So what, then, is the accusation? They don’t believe that Jesus is who He claims to be, who John the Baptist, Jesus’s works, the Father, Scripture and even Moses testify that He is. These Jews don’t believe. They say they follow Moses and the law (which they do in a “good works manner”) but they don’t really believe what Moses says, the essence of his writings. They’ve made up their own religion based on the scriptures.
<- Reflection ->
- Let’s be careful as we judge these Jews lest we condemn ourselves in the process. The real question is, “Do we believe Jesus and what He says about Himself?” Then, if we believe, do we obey? Ouch!
