What does John 5:34 mean?

Truth is truth, whether people believe it or not. If Jesus had stood on the streets of Jerusalem and said nothing more than the single sentence, "I am God and the Messiah," this would have been true. There are certain things that only He, as God, could know (John 8:14). The truth of those claims does not depend on human approval. Yet because human beings are stubborn and fearful, few people would react well to such a short, blunt approach.

Out of love, mercy, and grace, God chose to show humanity that Jesus is the Promised One in a multitude of ways. Jewish legal procedure required two or three witnesses to establish any critical fact (Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6). For the sake of our souls, and our salvation, Jesus does not appeal to blind faith. Nor does He reject the normal human need for evidence. Rather, He provides what our weak and limited perspective requires.

Jesus is currently explaining the first of three forms of evidence, which is human testimony. The Pharisees had previously interrogated John the Baptist, who pointed to Jesus as the Promised One (John 1:24–28).

In upcoming verses, Jesus will also refer to evidence through observation—His miracles (John 5:36)—and to the written Scriptures (John 5:39–40).