Belief Vs Unbelief John 12:37-50
We’ve spent the past few weeks looking at the death and resurrection of Lazarus. Now we’re moving past it. Our reading today takes place after Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time, and it’s now a day or two before his arrest. It is now, as John is about to write about the end of Jesus ministry that he writes about belief and unbelief in Jesus the Messiah. Verse 37, “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.”
Jesus has done a lot, raised people from the dead, restored sight to the blind, fed thousands from a few fish and loaves of bread; and he didn’t do all these things in secret, he did them out in the open and with multiple witnesses. So why? Why with all these signs and all the prophetic scriptures at their disposal, did the Jewish nation not recognize the savior of the world? Fortunately, we do not have to wonder about it, John tells us plainly why; verse 38, “This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet.”
Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by mankind…” Because God was talking through Isaiah, God had a hand in Israel’s disbelief and rejection of Jesus. Verse 40, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they could neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts…”
These are God’s chosen people, why prevent them from seeing and understanding? Genesis 12, verse 2-3; God is talking to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” God chose Israel to bring him to the world, not because they were a great nation, but because they were a small nation. This is the pattern God uses throughout history. Jesus didn’t stay on earth to introduce God to each generation, God uses ordinary people to do that. And many times, it’s the most broken who do the most work for God’s kingdom.
Israel was God’s chosen, but they were fallible humans. Instead of expanding the kingdom, they secluded themselves from the ones God wanted them to reach, so God hardened them to Jesus in able to bring his glory forward. Romans 11:25-26, “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery…Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in, and in this way, all Israel will be saved.”
And as to this hardening of Israel to advance God’s kingdom; this New Testament event has a foreshadow in the Old Testament. Exodus 9:12, “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron…”
God hardened Pharaoh’s heart during the plagues to demonstrate his power and sovereignty, and as an illustration of his grace and mercy. God hardened Israel’s heart to demonstrate his power and sovereignty, his grace and mercy to the world. And this was his plan from the days of creation. Ephesians 3:6, “This mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body…” And even this is foreshadowed in the Old Testament; Isaiah 56: 6-7, “Also, the sons of the foreigner, who join themselves to the Lord…Even them I will bring to my holy mountain.”
Moving on, verses 42and 43, “Yet at the same time, many, even among the leaders, believed in him. But…would not openly acknowledge their faith…for they loved human praise more than praise from God.”
I want you to think of a hypothetical person, they go to church, profess to accept Jesus, then when asked at work if they’re Christian, they joke, dismiss, and never steadfastly say yes. Do you think that person is really a Christian and redeemed? Luke 12:9, “Whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.” I cannot be a faithful husband if I meet someone behind my wife’s back. You cannot be a saved Christian if you deny Jesus in front of others. What if someone says they’re Christian but continue to live a life governed by Satan? You cannot be a saved Christian if it is in word only.
Verses 44 and 45 tell us a lot about the priorities and mindset of Jesus, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.” Jesus’ whole being, everything he thinks, everything he does, everything he says, is to illuminate the Father. This is an example of one of the actions Jesus does in life that we should look to in our life and emulate. As we go through our day, all our motivation, everything we do, everything we say, should bring Christ into clear focus. Everything we say and do should be for God, they should be to glorify Christ.
Verse 46, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” Christ is the light, but as his followers, we carry that light, and we should always use it to try and lead others out of the darkness.
Verses 47 and 48, “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me…” These verses go along with John 3:17, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus cannot be the savior of the world and condemn it at the same time. So who condemns; God.
Romans 9:18, “Therefore, God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and hardens whom he wants to harden.” The Calvinistic interpretation is God decides who he will save and who he will condemn and you can do nothing to change your position. If this is absolute truth, then there is no reason for Jesus and the cross. I think Calvin got it partially correct. God will save who he wants to save, and who he wants to save are those who accept Christ. God will condemn who he wants to condemn, and who he wants to condemn are those who reject Jesus. I admit this may be an oversimplification as Romans 9:18 is one of the most looked at and debated scriptures. Someday it would do us good to look at it in depth.
Our reading ends with Jesus in verses 49 and 50. And again Jesus tells his audience, he tells mankind throughout the ages, he isn’t just saying these things of his own accord, He’s not saying these things to gain praise for himself. Verse 50, “So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” Again, all direction is toward God the Father. Jesus never wants us to forget that all we do, all we say, should be directed at God the Father.
Today’s reading comes just before Jesus is arrested and crucified. And Jesus earned the right to be a little self-absorbed. But instead, he still teaches. Today he teaches us that God the Father prevented Israel from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah to fulfill his plan of bringing salvation to the Gentiles in the whole world. We see that God uses us and our weaknesses to bring him into the world and to demonstrate his greatness. We see that God is sovereign, and everything we say and do should point to him. And Jesus tells mankind you must be all in. If we deny Christ on earth he will deny us in heaven.
May you all be blessed.
Amen.