Witness

God Wants a Group of Witnesses

The basic meaning of witness is to see something and talk about it. But here’s what’s really fascinating. The word and theme of witness can actually become a lens for understanding the entire storyline of Scripture, especially the role of God’s people.

From the very first books of the Bible, we learn that God wants a group of witnesses––people who see and experience him––who then bear witness and represent him to the world. And God typically appoints a chief witness among the people to help them do this.

The Prophets Witness or Warn

The Torah and Moses are chief witnesses to the people, so that the people can be witnesses to the nations. But here’s the thing––the Israelites aren’t very good witnesses. Even before Moses comes down from the mountain, they are worshiping other Gods (Exodus 32)!

So just like God had designated Moses and the Torah as a chief witness to the people, now he raises up prophets as chief witnesses to Israel after they fall short. The prophets see and experience God as the King as Moses does on Mount Sinai (Isaiah 6). Then they bear witness or warn Israel about what will happen if they continue to turn away from Yahweh and his instructions (2 Kings 17:13).

Jesus as the Chief Witness

The New Testament carries forward the idea of a chief witness within the group of those who are supposed to be witnesses. When Jesus comes on the scene, we find him claiming to be that servant and witness spoken of by Isaiah. He claims the title of witness many times (John 8:14, 17-18; 18:37), says he’s a light to the nations (John 8:12), and heals both physical and metaphorical blindness (Luke 4:17-21).

Jesus is the ultimate witness, declaring who he is and that God’s Kingdom is here, right now, through him. Crowds of people witness his words and his works. Many respond to his message, but others refuse to truly believe his testimony and kill him for what they believe to be bearing false witness (Mark 14:55-56; John 5:36-40; Luke 22:67-71).

Jesus’ Followers as Witnesses

Jesus is put to death for faithfully declaring the truth about who he is, but it is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that his followers become witnesses to the rest of the nations, just as God had intended (Luke 24:44-48). They bear witness to what they have seen and experienced: Jesus’ death, resurrection, and offer of new life (Acts 2:32; Acts 4:33; Acts 10:40-41). Many of these earlier followers even died for their witness. In fact, eventually the Greek word for witness (μάρτυς mártus) began to carry the connotation of a martyr.

The message of Jesus as King and rescuer of all humanity is shared all around the world, even to this day. So when we experience the power and love of the risen Jesus and talk about what we’ve seen, we join this long history of God’s people who bear witness.