John 3:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.

NIV: He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.

NASB: What He has seen and heard, of this He testifies; and no one accepts His testimony.

CSB: He testifies to what he has seen and heard, and yet no one accepts his testimony.

NLT: He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them!

KJV: And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

NKJV: And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.

Jesus' message is based on His own first-hand knowledge. This is why He is the only valid source of spiritual truth. Only Jesus has come from Heaven (John 3:13). Only those who believe His message can be saved (John 3:18). Those who won't listen to the common, ordinary things Jesus teaches have no hope of understanding the spiritual things (John 3:12). The Greek word translated "testimony" is martureo, which means "to report," or "to affirm," in the same sense that a person's statement in court is called their "testimony." The apostle John uses this term very often, more than 30 times in this gospel, and 40 times overall (John 1:7; John 5:36; John 19:35; John 21:24).

Jesus' claim to personal knowledge is one reason He often uses the phrase, "amen, amen." The word amen has been preserved from translations through Greek, Hebrew, and into English. This is usually translated as "verily, verily," or "I tell you the truth," or "I assure you." Starting a statement with this phrase is a way of claiming personal knowledge—not something learned and repeated, but an original, intimately-known fact.

Sadly, most people will not accept the message of Christ. The end of verse 32 uses a common technique of exaggeration. We do the same in modern speech: when one in one-hundred people accept something, we might say, "no one thinks that's true." In reality, someone does, but the point is clear. Here, in the context of the very next verse, we see what John means. Very few accept the Light (John 1:9–10), because it forces them to confront their sins (John 3:19).

John 3:31–36 describes how Jesus’ ministry is from God, but almost everyone will reject it. Verse 36 is an important footnote to the core gospel message, seen in John 3:16–21. Those who put their faith in Christ will be saved, but those who reject Him will face the wrath of God. This passage emphasizes the exclusivity of the gospel: there is absolutely no other way to obtain heaven, but through Jesus Christ. “Testimony,” and the need to believe it, are also crucial in this text.

John chapter 3 is one of the most important in the entire gospel. Many crucial ideas are explained in this passage, including the role of Jesus as Savior. After the loud, public commotion at the temple, John transitions to a quiet, nighttime discussion. These verses make it clear that Christ—and Christ alone—is the means of salvation for the entire world. This text also states that those who reject Jesus are rejecting God.

The gospel of John is meant to prove that Jesus is God. Chapter 3 contains some of the most direct, most important concepts in Christianity. The ideas of spiritual rebirth, and the need to believe in Christ, are reinforced by the rest of the information in this gospel. John continues to use contrast, moving from the loud and public temple cleansing to the quiet of this conversation. After Jesus injects humility into a powerful leader, chapter 4 will transition again, as Jesus gives dignity to an outcast stranger.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.