The Gospel of John begins by talking about the Word (logos) as being with God; that is, being with God the Father (John 1:1). When the Word became flesh, the Spirit testified about Jesus by resting on Him at His baptism (John 1:32–34). But the Father also testifies about Jesus during His earthly ministry.
Read John 5:36–38. What does Jesus say here about the Father?
Jesus links the Father to the works and miracles that He had performed. He is very clear that the Father had sent Him and also had testified about Him.
Read Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, Mark 1:11, and Luke 3:22 (see also 2 Pet. 1:17, 18). What does the Father say about Jesus?
At the baptism of Jesus, the Father and the Spirit joined the Son in marking this important occasion: the commencement of Jesus’ ministry. The Father states that Jesus is His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. But, at a crucial time in Christ’s ministry, the Father speaks yet again, this time as recorded in the Gospel of John.
Things were reaching a climax in the final days of that ministry. The religious leaders, unable to stop Him (see John 12:19), wanted Him dead, now more than ever. The crowds were exuberant over Him, especially as more and more people, hearing the testimony of those who saw Him raise Lazarus from the dead (John 12:17, 18), were starting to follow Jesus. Even Greeks, there for the festival, wanted to see Jesus.
At this point, in response to Jesus’ words in John 12:28, “ ‘Father, glorify Your name’ ” (NKJV), the Father again speaks from heaven, “ ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again’ ” (John 12:28, ESV).
As we have already seen, Jesus’ hour of glory is the cross. Thus, the Father’s testimony about Jesus points to the great sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world. It is the culmination of His earthly ministry. His death in our behalf paid the full penalty for all our sins, and in Him, by faith, we never have to face that penalty ourselves.
Supplemental EGW Notes
The world for Christ was not a place of ease and self-aggrandizement. He was not watching for an opportunity to seize its power and its glory. It held out no such prize for Him. It was the place into which His Father had sent Him. He had been given for the life of the world, to work out the great plan of redemption. He was accomplishing His work for the fallen race. But He was not to be presumptuous, not to rush into danger, not to hasten a crisis. Each event in His work had its appointed hour. He must wait patiently. He knew that He was to receive the world’s hatred; He knew that His work would result in His death; but to prematurely expose Himself would not be the will of His Father.—The Desire of Ages, p. 451.
What was the work of the God-given messenger to our world? The only-begotten Son of God clothed His divinity with humanity, and came to our world as a teacher, an instructor, to reveal truth in contrast with error. Truth, saving truth, never languished on His tongue, never suffered in His hands, but was made to stand out plainly and clearly defined amid the moral darkness prevailing in our world. For this work He left the heavenly courts. He said of Himself, “For this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” The truth came from His lips with freshness and power, as a new revelation. He was the way, the truth, and the life. His life, given for this sinful world, was full of earnestness and momentous results; for His work was to save perishing souls.
He came forth to be the True Light, shining amid the moral darkness of superstition and error, and was announced by a voice from heaven, proclaiming, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And at His transfiguration this voice from heaven was again heard, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.”—Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 405.
The [Savior] took away the sins of the paralytic and then presented him to God as pardoned. And He gave him also physical healing. God had given His Son power to lay hold of the eternal throne. While Christ stood forth in His own personality, He reflected the luster of the position of honor that He had held within the enriching light of the eternal throne.
On another occasion Christ made the request: “Father, glorify Thy name.” And in answer there came “a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” John 12:28.
If this voice did not move the impenitent, if the power that Christ manifested in His mighty miracles did not cause the Jews to believe, we should not be greatly surprised to find that men and women today are in danger . . . of manifesting the same unbelief that the Jews manifested, and of developing the same perverted understanding.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 202.
The above quotations are taken from Ellen G. White Notes for the Sabbath School Lessons, published by Pacific Press Publishing Association. Used by permission.