John 5:37-38 37And the Father who sent me, that one has testified about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38and his word you do not have abiding in you, because whom he sent, that one, you do not believe this.
Jesus returns to his form of self-defense and self-disclosure to the Jews who had accused him of breaking the Sabbath. The greatest proof of his identity is the testimony of the Father. How the Father has testified is not mentioned. The reference could be when Jesus was baptized as a voice from heaven was heard (Mark 1:11), though the voice is not mentioned in John’s Gospel. A more specific reference could be to how Father “spoke” through the miracles Jesus did. No one else could do these miracles. Jesus had complete power and authority to heal every form of disease and caste out any demon. He could even beat the worst enemy of death. The Father clearly was working through Jesus for those with the eyes of faith to see. The Word of the Father was speaking right before the Jews but many refused to believe. Jesus came to his own people, but they rejected him while a Samaritan village believed.
The last part of verse 37 and into 38 criticizes the Jews for their lack of faith. Jesus uses four negative statements of what they had not done, with the unstated assumption that he was the opposite. His first assessment of that is that they had not heard God’s voice. Only rarely have people heard God speak, such as Moses at the burning bush or on Mount Sinai. In the Old Testament, God typically spoke through an angel. The prophets spoke God’s word in the form “Thus says the Lord.” To hear God’s voice is often idiomatic for obeying what God has spoken through his prophets. These Jewish leaders had not heard God speak either directly, like with Moses, or obediently. Jesus, however, had direct access to the Father and heard and obeyed him.
Second, the Jews had not ever seen God’s form (eidos) or appearance. They did not know what God looked like. This critique could be another reference to when Moses saw the burning bush Exodus 3 or the fading glory of God in Exodus 34. These Jews did not even come close to Moses, whom they highly admired and tried to be like. However, Jesus as the Son of God had been with God the Father and had the glory of the Father with him (1:14). To see Jesus was to see a reflection of the Father.
Third, they did not have God’s word in them. John records a keyword that will become significant in chapter 15: abide or remain (participle menonta). The sense of the word means to have something deep within our minds and inner person that we think about. It has a strong relational sense when it comes to God and God’s word. To have God’s word abiding within means that people have learned and obeyed it. It has become their guide for life. The Jews thought they knew Scripture and were obeying God’s commandments but had actually missed the most important elements, especially the law of love. Jesus, however, obeyed the Father in all ways. He embodied God’s word and spoke it with authority.
Finally, the reason or cause of why they did not do these three is that they did not believe the Father’s testimony that came through Jesus. The crucial factor was faith in Jesus. The grammar at the end of verse 38 makes it clear that the whole issue was about that one, referring to Jesus. By not believing in Jesus, the Jews were missing out on God’s purpose and will for them. They were being disobedient to God’s word. These verses indicate how crucial it is to believe in Jesus. John has emphasized the point over and over again in multiple ways that believing in Jesus is the only way to have full access to God because Jesus is the embodiment and voice of God. What Jesus speaks is the truth.
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