John 5:46-47

I just wanted to share something that I came across in my homework last week.  Reading through John 5, I found it very interesting.  In fact, it addressed something that I had never seen when I had read John 5 in the past.  So, Jesus heals this guy on the Sabbath and some people were upset with that.  Jesus then talks about the son being granted to have life in him self and authority to execute judgment.  In the last part of this chapter, Jesus talks about those who bear witness and testify on his behalf: John the Baptist, Jesus' works, the Father, the scriptures and Moses.

In the past little while, I have found it interesting to learn that there are some people who accept the words of Jesus in the New Testament and do not accept the rest of the bible.  I always thought it was the other way around.  According to what I had learned about the criticism of the bible, it had been mostly about the New Testament.  However, apparently there are quite a number of people who have difficulty believing in some of the miracles found in the Old Testament.  I guess I can kinda understand, I just didn't realize.

Now, I don't plan on making a full out argument for or against any of this.  However, I am merely pointing to what is written here in John 5 that my eyes were opened to.  In particular, the last two verses of the chapter.

For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

John 5:46-47

For those who cling closely to Jesus' words found in the gospels and perhaps write off the rest of the bible, I find this hard to believe.  In particular, we see Jesus himself describing the importance of believing in the writings of Moses.  Sure, maybe one may doubt the actual authenticity of the Old Testament writings that we have today, but I was under the impression that the authenticity of the Old Testament writings weren't as highly contested as the writings of the New Testament writings.  If that's the case, why would one cling so closely to the gospels (or the words of Jesus found in the New Testament) but deny the Old Testament when the New Testament has more criticism than the Old Testament?  Is it the fact that they are Jesus' words?  Isn't all scripture "God-breathed" according to 2 Timothy 3:16?  Now, to be fair, I haven't done a significant amount of research into the authenticity of scripture.  But, I thought what was revealed in scripture here in John 5 was really cool.