John - Chapter 12, Part 4
REJECTION BY THE OT COMMUNITY WHICH ARE THE JEWS
JOHN 12:37-50
Now we are allowed to see the change of scene that brings us to the end of the public ministry of Jesus Christ. John takes us into the sacred circle of the disciples and the conversations as Jesus prepares to leave them.
This closing section of John 12 summarizes His ministry and explains it in four strong truths:
His appeal to His Father who had sent Him (44-45-49)
Himself being the light of the world (46)
The danger of unbelief (47-8-49)
The end of faith (50)
The Holy Spirit moved John to teach that the guilt of all the unbelief rested squarely upon the shoulders of Israel, without excuse. In order to tie together the OT and the NT in a seamless narration John reverts back to the words of the prophet Isaiah to complete the circle for it was here that these things were predicted.
Isaiah 53 teaches that He would be despised and rejected of men. Next Isaiah 6 is quoted to show how God blinds His people because of their unbelief.
The Lord had performed signs of His divine authority and power of almost every kind. He healed the sick, removed demons, controlled the wind and waves, walked on the sea, converted water to wine, revealed to men & women their inner thoughts, and raised the dead. His miracles were done in the light of day in front of many witnesses, including at times the temple leaders. In spite of all these signs, they did not believe on Him. (37)
Is there a lesson here for our own day? If even the hearers of Jesus Christ and those who had seen His power did not believe, are we surprised that there is so much unbelief in our own time? The Jews did indeed fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah but did so in ignorance. BECAUSE they did not believe, the prophecy was made true. BECAUSE the nation rejected Jesus as the Messiah, the people as a whole were judged as blind by God and left to their darkness and the hardening of their hearts.
Just as Isaiah had predicted, “He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart...” so that now because they WOULD not see, now they CANNOT see.
By refusing the light they would now live in darkness.
What God did to His chosen ones He will surely do or has already done to those of our modern time of unbelief. This may be a strong clue as to the approach of the end of His patience just as Paul taught in his end times sermon in 2 Thess 2:11-12:
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness”.
We should also recall the teaching of Heb 2:3:
“How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”
Remember that these Jews were in fear of the consequence of belief, which was viewed by the temple leaders as heresy. Remember that the man who was given his sight by Jesus was expelled from the temple, and his own parents were in fear of the same. This fact is not overlooked in the end of all things as we are taught in Rev 21:8 that the very first of the eight classes of those who are to be cast into the lake of fire are the fearful.
Jesus teaches in verse 43 that these loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. He places a truthful accusation against those who did not receive Him.
In verses 44-50 Jesus directs His voice loudly (He cried) against these and makes sure they fully understand that their rejection of Him is a rejection of the Father who sent Him. It will be the WORD who is one with the Father who will pass judgment.
Many have judged the Word to be unworthy of their heart or spirit but in that last day it will be their hearts and spirits that will be found unworthy of the Word.
