John 12

David Lipscomb Commentary On John Chapter Twelve HIS ARRIVAL AND TO THE Joh_12:1-50 HE IS AT A SUPPER IN BETHANYJoh_12:1-8 1 Jesus therefore six days before the passover came to Beth-any, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead.—The Passover began on the fourteenth day of the month of Abib or Nisan, the first month of the Jewish year. Six days before would be on the eighth day of the month. The most marked thing that had occurred at Bethany so far is that he raised Lazarus from the grave. The raising of Laza¬rus made him the most distinguished person in the village. [Bethany was the scene of the resurrection of Lazarus (11: 44) and of Christ’ s own ascension (Luke 24:50). These two great events gave the village its notoriety.] 2 So they made him a supper there: and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with him.—The supper was made on what we would call Saturday evening; but, according to their division of time, the beginning of the first day of the week, Saturday night, after six o’ clock. It is not said that this supper was served at the house of Lazarus. Matthew (26: 6, 7) says that a feast was made for him at Bethany in the house of Simon the Leper, and that a woman poured on him an alabaster box of ointment. There has been diversity of opinion as to whether there were two occurrences of this kind at Bethany the last week of his life. There is no means of definitely determining this question. There is no in¬compatibility in the idea that Martha with her talent for serv¬ing would serve at a feast at a neighbor’ s house, or that Mary with her tender and earnest devotion should anoint his head, or that Lazarus should be a guest of honor at the table with Jesus who had raised him from the dead. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious,—The ointment was pure, costly, and of exquisite odor. [It was the most expensive anointing oil of that date.] and anointed the feet of Jesus,—Matthew (Matthew 26:7) and Mark (Mark 14:3) say that it was poured upon his head. Both head and feet and the exposed parts of the body were all anointed. To anoint him for his burial would suggest this. and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.—John who alone tells who did the anointing says that the loving humility of Mary led her to anoint the feet and to wipe them with the hair of her head. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples,—Judas was a lover of money, carried the purse kept by Jesus and his apostles, and, as with other men, it required evil surroundings to call the evil disposition into activity. His love of money now caused him to grumble at the wasteful expenditure of Mary. that should betray him, saith,—When the prospects of Jesus grew darker still, and the evil passions were aroused, this evil spirit led him to betray his Lord. 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred shillings, and given to the poor?—Evil desires in men often clothe themselves under pretense of good. It is possible that Judas persuaded himself that he cared for the poor; but John, after seeing the full manifestation of his course, saw that he did not. It was selfish greed. [Judas, through his selfish motive, gives us an insight as to the worth of the ointment used by Mary in anointing Jesus. It was worth, according to his statement, around three hundred dollars. He was so narrow and covetous that he could see nothing in the gift but a “ waste.” He cared nothing for the poor. His plea was only a greedy pretext. It is a well-known fact to close observers that those who love Jesus most will do most for the poor.] 6 Now this he said, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the bag took away what was put therein.—He wished to get possession of the money and keep control of it. [Jesus and his disciples had a common treasury from which they drew money to defray their ex¬penses. Judas was treasurer. He carried the money around with them in a “ bag”— purse. Being a thief, he desired the oint¬ment to be sold and the money turned into the treasury so that he could steal it. The fact that a few days later he sold his Lord and Master for about seventeen dollars shows his greed for money. But the Judases are not all dead.

He is a good type of all those treasurers, cashiers, and managers of business institutions who steal trust funds and money en¬trusted to them. He will have plenty of company at the res¬urrection and beyond the judgment, many like himself claim¬ing to be very religious and friends of the poor.] 7 Jesus therefore said, Suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying.—Jesus reproved his complaint at her and told him that this was anointing him for his burial. Not that he ex¬pected to die then and be buried, but he knowing his end was near said it could serve as the anointing for his burial. [Judas virtually accused Mary of robbing the poor. So Jesus came forward in her defense and complimented her, saying she has anointed my body before death and prepared it for burial. This was the only anointing the body of Jesus received from the hands of his female friends since he arose from the grave before they reached the sepulchre with their spices. Mary did not know the full import of her act of love at the time she be¬stowed it.] 8 For the poor ye have always with you; but me ye have not always.—Jesus knew that it was not care for the poor that moved Judas, so he told him that he could at all times help the poor, but these acts of kindness could not be always ex¬tended to him [for the reason he would shortly return to his Father, and what is done to my fleshly body must be done now]. ABOUT LAZARUS AND ITS EFFECTSJoh_12:9-11 9 The common people therefore of the Jews learned that he was there:—Jews here refer to the inhabitants of Judea as distinguished from the Galileans. The twelve apostles were all Galileans save probably Judas. The Jews in a self-righteous way held aloof from Jesus, but he now by the miracles he had done wrought up the idea of making him their king and hence gave him that royal reception of a king. and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.—His most noted miracle was raising Lazarus from the dead. He, as one who had been in the grave until the fourth day, was an object of curiosity to all. 10 But the chief priests took counsel that they might put Lazarus also to death;—The presence of Lazarus alive was a continual reminder of the power of Jesus over death and the grave, and the chief priests, seeing this, felt the necessity of putting him out of the way. It is singular that they did not see that if Jesus had restored him to life once he could easily do it again, and their madness gives added testimony to the claims of Jesus to be the Christ the Son of God. 11 because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.—The sight of Lazarus alive after he had been four days in the grave was a striking proof of the claims of Jesus as the sent of God. HIS PUBLIC WELCOME BY THE PEOPLEJoh_12:12-19 12 On the morrow a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,—[Josephus tells us that from two to three millions attended a passover. All four of the divine writers of the gospel give an account of his entry into Jerusalem. (See Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44.)] 13 took the branches of the palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried out, Hosanna: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.—It had been the expectation of the Jews that a king would arise to deliver them from their bondage to the Roman Empire. The miracles and wonders wrought by Jesus drew their minds to him as the deliverer, so they work themselves into a state of enthusiasm over him as their king. They came out to Bethany to meet him, and they treated him as their coming king. They cast their garments in the way and when these did not suffice they cut the branches off the palm trees and cast them in the way that the king and even the ass on which he rode might not be defiled by walking upon the earth. [They literally carpeted the Master’ s pathway with leaves of the palm trees. He is not seeking privacy now. He is now publicly forcing the issue.] 14 And Jesus, having found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,—It had been foretold that the king would come as here described. He came in fulfillment of these promises and was the King, but they misunderstood the nature of his kingdom, and when a few days later, the prospects of an earthly kingdom having vanished, it is likely that many of those who honored him as a King, joined them in the cry, “ Crucify him, crucify him.’’ 15 Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’ s colt.—He found the young ass, as related by Matthew (Matthew 21:1-11) and Mark (Mark 11:1-9) and rode upon this ass to the city of Jerusalem as foretold by the prophet: “ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem : behold, thy king cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9.) 16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.—His disciples did not at this time understand that these things had been foretold of the Messiah by the prophets, but after he ascended to his Father, they remembered these things had been written concerning Christ and that they had been done as foretold. 17 The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, bare witness.—The raising of Lazarus and the fact that he was present in their midst kept it fresh in their minds, and many who were present and saw him come forth from the grave were now in Jerusalem and testified to the facts and so caused added honor to be bestowed on Jesus. [The miracle, raising Lazarus to life, had its effects on this great demonstration.] 18 For this cause also the multitude went and met him, for that they heard that he had done this sign.—On account of these witnesses, the interest of the people in Jesus was greatly increased. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Behold how ye prevail nothing; lo, the world is gone after him.—These Pharisees were determined not to believe, and to such then as now added testimony excited wrath and bitterness rather than produced faith and repentance toward God. So in wrath they say the world is going after him. But they persist in a course that would have done them honor if they had been in a good cause. [These opposers had joined the Sanhedrin to put Jesus to death, and were astounded when they thought that practically the whole nation had gone over to him and demonstrated his popularity.] A REQUEST OF CERTAIN GREEKSJoh_12:20-26 20 Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast:—It has been a question of doubt as to who these Greeks were. The Jews dwelling in Greece were called Grecians. All the texts call them Greeks. They were proselyte Greeks most likely. As strangers they desired to see Jesus and came to Philip. 21 these therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.—As strangers, and since isolated by their nationality, they desired to see Jesus, and sought the interview through Philip himself, a Grecian Jew, as his name indicates. He doubtless understood their language and was approachable on this ground. [“ See” is used in the sense we desire a conversation with him. Surely they could see Jesus with the natural eye without any intervention with Philip.] 22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: Andrew cometh, and Philip, and they tell Jesus.—[Andrew takes the lead. The request of these Greeks evidently assumed importance, for it is the occasion of a remarkable discourse. These men represented the Gentile world in its unrest, its hopelessness, its deep yearning for some divine Redeemer, to lift the helpless race out of its imbecility and despair, and guide it into nobler life.] 23 And Jesus answereth them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.—Jesus tells them that the time of his glorification is now at hand. He calls himself usually the Son of man, leaving it to his teachings and works to declare him the Son of God. In a few instances when they were disposed to doubt, he called himself the Son of God. [The disciples had always had inadequate ideas of what his kingdom was to be, and the pathway through which it was to be reached. Doubtless their faces at once lit up with the radiance of expectation, that the time was close at hand for the high places of the kingdom to be distributed. But Jesus has a lesson for them they little expect. Glory is coming, through a pathway of which they would never have dreamed, a pathway of tears, and sorrow, and pain and death.] 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit.—Preceding his glorification, his humiliation, his sufferings, his death, and his burial must come. Naturally must the humiliation precede the glorification, but his death and resurrection would result in bringing many into his service and so to eternal life. He compares himself to a grain of wheat. If the grain is not planted and does not die, it will remain alone. But if it die in the ground, it gives its life to the production of many seeds. So if he preserved his life, his disciples would not multiply; but if he died, out of his death would come a multitude of disciples. [A grain of wheat might lie on a hard, smooth, dry surface a long time and never be anything but a grain of wheat with large possibilities of fruitfulness within it; they would never be developed into realities.

Falling into the ground, covered over, exposed to soil, and warmth, and moisture, the grain dies and decays; the germ within is released; it feeds upon the very decay of the enveloping grain, and lo, the plant; and not another grain, but thirty, sixty, a hundredfold. Life comes out of death and more abundantly. It is almost certain that even yet the disciples did not understand him, but it is equally evident, in the light of after events, that he meant to tell them that his glorification was to come through his death. From this the coming of the Greeks could not save him, but was valuable as a symbolic indication of how, in the end, he would draw all men unto him.] 25 He that loveth his life loseth it;—If Jesus had so loved this present life that he had refused to give it up, he would have gained no future life for others. He gives as a general truth of all beings that love this life so as not to sacrifice it to honor God and bless men could not gain the life that is eternal. [Indicating thus the joyousness with which he went forth to sacrifice in view of its results, he now proceeds to give the principle a general application to his disciples. A selfish love of life that keeps a man from duty only entails its ultimate loss.] and he that hateth his life in this world—To hate this life is to be willing to surrender it, or to hold it in less esteem than the spiritual life in the future. [“ Hates” it, only as its careful preservation interferes with duty; “ hates” it, in this sense, that he will ever make it subordinate to high and holy aims, to generous devotion to the glory of God and the good of men.] shall keep it unto life eternal.— [What seems to be its loss is only apparent. It never can be lost in that way.] 26 If any man serve me, let him follow me;—To follow Jesus is to do his will, to be actuated by the same principles that moved him. In living like him, we will be made like him in character and so will be fitted to dwell with him. [Follow me in the pathway of self-abnegation and self-sacrifice to which I have already alluded.] and where I am,—[The present tense used for the future. He would be with his Father in heaven.] there shall also my servant be:— [Having followed me in self-sacrifice, he shall be with me in glory.] if any man serve me, him will the Father honor.— As God honored his Son so will he honor all who serve his Son. [How little does modern Christendom realize the lesson of this passage! On what miserable foundations of self-indulgence and self-saving are men building hope of glory and honor at God’ s right hand, which can find a solid foundation only on self-denial and self-sacrifice.] THE HOUR OF HIS TROUBLE John 12:27-30 27 Now is my soul troubled;—[The full shadow of the awful experience through which he is so soon to pass falls across his pathway and overwhelms him with its darkness. The humanity shuddered with a horror that only proved its humanity, and brought into clearer relief the grandeur of its final victory over itself.] and what shall I say?—What prayer shall I offer to my Father and with what words shall it be clothed? In anticipa¬tion of the sufferings and death, he in his human feelings shrank back from it, and pondered whether he should ask God to save him from the sufferings that were before him. Father, save me from this hour.—He now thought of his having come into the world to endure the very sufferings from which he now shrank so he did not make the prayer. [A footnote has the interrogative “ hour” ? Some think this to be the only form that can be reconciled with the character of Jesus, and the outcome of the struggle. Passing through the profound trouble of his soul, he soliloquizes in the presence of those surrounding him: “ Oh, what shall I do? Shall I yield to my human shrinking, and ask my Father to save me from this supreme hour which is approaching?” ] But for this cause came I unto this hour.—[All that has preceded, the incarnation, the life, the teachings, the miracles, leading up to this hour, were important because of their rela¬tions to this hour. The atonement is the climax of all that has preceded.] 28 Father, glorify thy name.—Instead of praying for deliv¬erance from that hour, he prayed that God would do that which would promote his glory regardless of the suffering of himself. This was equivalent to the prayer, “ Not my will, but thine be done.” (Luke 22:42.) [The struggle is over. This is the victor’s cry. Glorify thy name! No matter what it costs me, no matter through what pathway it leads me, no matter what self-denial or self-sacrifice it requires, yet glorify thy name through me!] There came therefore a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified it,—[Jesus had ever ascribed his mighty works to God, and, as the Father thus heard and answered his prayer, as so recently in the case of Lazarus, he glorified his own name in these displays of power.] and will glorify it again.—God glorified himself in sending Jesus into the world to die for sinners. He would glorify it again in glorifying Jesus at his right hand as Lord of lords and King of kings. [This was to be accomplished in that wondrous series of events, culminating in the resurrection and ascension, upon whose threshold they now stood. 29 The multitude therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it had thundered: others said, An angel hath spoken to him.—This voice most likely spoke in the Hebrew or Aramaic tongue as the voice to Saul did. The people hearing the sound and not understanding what was said, thus concluded from the temperament of the hearers. [They heard it as well as Jesus, but their ears were not attuned to heavenly speech. Others realized that it was more than a sound, that it was a “ voice,” but were not able to distinguish it from a clap of thunder.] 30 Jesus answered and said, This voice hath not come for my sake, but for your sakes.—This voice came from heaven to convince the people that God was in Jesus and spake through him. It was for the profit of the hearers, not for that of Jesus. [He needed nothing to strengthen and confirm his faith, for the victory was gained before the voice spoke, but they did need much.] JESUS HIS John 12:31-36 31 Now is the judgment of this world:—He warned them that the contest between him and this prince of the world, the evil one, was close at hand. This contest was to take place in the grave. Jesus surrendered himself into the power of the evil one. He was carried down into the grave by the evil one — “him that hath power over death and the grave.” “ Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14.) Jesus in his flesh and blood went down into the grave as a prisoner of the devil. [“ Now” is the vivid presentation of the near future. The world’ s crisis is just at hand. Calvary will inaugurate it, and tremendous consequences flow from it.] now shall the prince of this world be cast out.—In the grave he contended with the devil, overcame him in his own dark domain, and was a victor over him. The prince of this world was overcome, cast out of his authority by the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. In the grave the battle was fought; in the grave the victory was won that freed the world from the domain of the evil one. [His dominion is to cease. And this is to be accomplished through that very death of Jesus which Satan is now scheming to bring about, but which, unwittingly to him, is but the prelude to the resurrection and glorification of Jesus, and the rescue of humanity. Satan, like Samson, pulled his own pillar from under his building.] 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself.—He again refers to the fact that his dying on the cross and his burial would be the means of drawing men to him by his resurrection from the dead. He “ was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holi¬ness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 1:4.) So men were drawn to him by his being lifted up on the cross. [He will draw all kinds of men — men of all nations. The relation of what has preceded, to the coming of the Greeks, comes out in this verse. As one king is dethroned, another and mightier one takes his place who invites all men to him by persuasion of the cross.] 33 But this he said, signifying by what manner of death he should die.—His lifting up referred to his death upon the cross. [This passage in which Jesus, after having shuddered in view of the cross, strengthened himself by tracing in broad outlines the picture of the immense revolution which it will effect, may be compared with that of Paul (Colossians 2:14-15), where he represents Jesus as making a spectacle of the infernal powers, despoiling them of their power, and triumphing over them on the cross.] 34 The multitude therefore answered him, We have heard out of the law that the Christ abideth for ever:—They referred to the language of David: “ Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalms 110:4.) And to such other prophecies as: “ Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his king¬dom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:7.) “ And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14.) All the Old Testament scriptures are classed as the law. It is true that he was to abide forever, but not in the flesh. and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?—[Jesus had frequently applied this term to himself, which they quote also from Daniel 7:13-14. Realizing that he refers to death in the “ lifting up,” they ex¬claim against the incongruity of this with the Jewish idea of a glorified, victorious Messiah.] 35 Jesus therefore said unto them, Yet a little while is the light among you.—Jesus was the light of the world. While he was with them they should listen to his teaching and walk by the light of his wisdom. When he was gone they would have none to give light. This is the same as he told his disciples, “ A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me.” (John 16:16.) Walk while ye have the light,—[Turn your footsteps into the path of faith which it marks out while the light is shining.) that darkness overtake you not:— [Out of the pathway of duty, for it will then be so difficult to find it. The thought is — seek the light and walk in it while you have an opportunity, for the opportunity may soon pass away and you be left in the dark unsaved.] and he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.—[He stumbles over the many obstacles in his path. Since the rejection of Jesus by the Jews, Israel has wandered in the wilderness of this world, as a caravan without a goal and without a guide.] 36 While ye have the light, believe on the light, that ye may become sons of light.—While Jesus was with them, they should believe in him that they may be children of the light— practice the truths taught as constituting the truth. To walk in the light we must appropriate the opportunity as it is offered to us. These things spake Jesus, and he departed and hid himself from them.—[He withdrew from them so they could not find him. He departed from the temple, where he was never seen again. They never saw him again in the city until he was a prisoner in the hands of the Sanhedrin. It is a sad dark day when Jesus departs either from an individual, a city or a nation for the reason destruction is sure to follow. Unbelief closed their spiritual eyes against the truth Jesus presented and was the cause of his departing from them. Unbelief will damn the world today.] JESUS RETIRES AND JOHN ON THE OF THE JEWSJoh_12:37-43 37 But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they believed not on him:—Additional testimony does not produce faith where the heart is wicked and bitter. Jesus said: “ If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:31.) [John only records seven of these miracles, but often refers to a great number of them. (2: 23; 4: 45; 7: 31; 20: 30.) Some of them had a sort of faith in Jesus as a man of God, or as the “ prophet of Galilee,” but they did not confess that faith which believes, trusts, obeys, and devotes one’ s life to his service.] 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?—In view of the fact so few would believe in Jesus, notwithstanding his many miracles, Isaiah asked, “ Lord, who hath believed our re¬port,” and who have recognized the power of God in the miracles performed? [This quotation is found in Isaiah 53:1. The prophet predicted such a condition as we here find existing among the Jews.] 39 For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah said again,—In their condition of heart, no amount or degree of signs could produce faith. [The cause of their failing to be¬lieve is not the fact that God, through Isaiah, said thus and thus, but he simply points out the cause of their unbelief in what he said. The reason why they could not believe was not that God had decreed their unbelief and destroyed their free agency, but that, in the exercise of their free agency, they had made themselves, by the operation of God’ s moral laws, incapable of belief. Then, too, the same means that God uses, the gospel of Christ, to save the world, will soften the heart of one and lead him to heaven and at the same time harden the heart of another and cause him to be banished away from God at the last day. The gospel will either lift a man to heaven or else send him to hell. It all depends upon whether one opens his heart and cooperates with God as to which place he goes.] 40 He hath blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart; lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and should turn, and I should heal them.—Because they loved sin and rebellion, God hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks to lead them on to their ruin. Isaiah foretold that they could not believe so as to be healed or saved by God, but he meant in the disposition of heart they were cultivating they could not do these things. [“ This explains why they could not believe. Whether they were morally responsible for their unbelief depends on how God blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. If he did it by a direct act, regardless of their moral condition, then they were not responsible. If, however, he did it by a law of the universe that whoever turns from the light shall become blind, and whosoever steels his heart against the truth shall find his heart hardened, then they were morally responsible if they had turned from the light and hardened their hearts. It is a physical as well as a moral law that he who turns from the light and seeks to abide in darkness will become blinded until he will ‘ believe a lie and be damned.’ The men who are the champions of unbe¬lief, such men as Voltaire, Paine, and Ingersoll, are unbelievers because they did not wish to believe.

Their moral condition was such that they could not justify their course of life only by refusing to believe on the Christ. They sought the darkness, and as a result finally they became so blinded that they could not believe.

They blinded their own eyes because they brought upon themselves the penalty. God blinded their eyes because their blindness resulted from the action of his universal law. Thus it is said of Pharaoh that ‘ God hardened his heart,’ but it is also said that Pharaoh hardened his heart. He chose, in the exercise of his voluntary agency, to harden his heart, but it is God’ s law that those who harden their hearts shall be hardened, and hence God, by this law, hardened his heart. By reference to Matthew 13:14 the reader will find this passage from Isaiah quoted and applied by the Savior to the Jews. In the application he shows how they were blinded, ‘ Their eyes have they closed.’ The Savior’ s words settle how God blinded their eyes.

It was by the application of his invariable law to their own acts. French says: ‘ The Lord, having constituted as the righteous law of moral government, that sin should produce darkness of heart and moral insensibility, declared that he would allow the law to take its course.’ ”— Johnson.

The means God used to touch and tender the hearts of the children of Israel and cause them to follow Moses, their leader, also hardened the heart of Pharaoh.] 41 These things said Isaiah, because he saw his glory; and he spake of him.—Isaiah foresaw the glory of the works and power of Jesus and foretold of these, and yet how few would believe him. 42 Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed on him;—Notwithstanding the general unbelief and hardness of heart, some of the leading men believed in him, who did not as yet confess him. Among this number were some who for the time seem not to have openly confessed him. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were among these. But these did not love the praise of men more than the praise of God, for they in the darkest hours do confess him and so could not have been of the class to which reference is here made. but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:—The Jews had threatened that any who would confess that he was the Christ should be put out of the synagogue. This must refer to physical or bodily exclusion from attendance in the service of the synagogue. It involved the forfeiture of all rights pertaining to membership in the synagogue. Here faith failed to bring the salvation from God because those who believed had not courage to act on the faith; they did not exercise the faith; faith did not perfect itself in works of obedience. This faith left the man a poor, helpless, self-condemned outcast sinner. A faith that fears man, that loves the praise of men more than the praise of God, engulfs itself in deeper ruin, leaves the soul without excuse in the hands of an insulted, outraged, and angry God, who whets the sword of his wrath to execute ven-geance on those who refuse the gospel of his Son. He who knows his Master’ s will and so believes and yet refuses to do it will be beaten with many stripes. 43 for they loved the glory that is of men more than the glory that is of God.—This class here mentioned must have been of that class of which Jesus spoke when he said: “ He that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God.” (Luke 12:9.) [The fact that these rulers did not confess Christ openly for fear shows their cowardly spirit and only added to their sin. They were dis¬honest and the worst hypocrites. There is no hope for such characters.] OTHER WORDS OF JESUS ABOUT BELIEFJoh_12:44-50 44 And Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, be¬lieveth not on me, but on him that sent me.—He does not be¬lieve in Jesus as the author and founder of the good that he did and taught, but in God who sent him and gave him all powrer and whose will he came to do. 45 And he that beholdeth me beholdeth him that sent me. —He was only the representative of the Father who sent him, and in hearing and seeing him they saw the Father who sent him. 46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in the darkness.—The world as created was enveloped in darkness— physical and spiritual— and Jesus came in his life and teaching to become a moral and spiritual light to the world. [It was the work of Jesus to make all things clear. He illuminates the mysteries of our being and destiny when we grasp them in their fulness. Those who walk in his light will have their doubts solved, mysteries cleared up, and the clouds rolled away from the fue.] 47 And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.—Jesus in person was not to judge or condemn, but to save the world. He spoke the words of God that through these words the world might be saved. [It is not the office of Jesus to judge those who keep not his sayings. While he will sit upon the throne in the day of judgment, yet he will not judge and condemn the world that he came to save. Each individual will be either saved or condemned on his arrival at the judgment. His word that he left in the world will decide the destiny of every one. The work assigned to Jesus in that day is to consign each to the place for which they are prepared.] 48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day.—One who was not saved by the word of God, made known through Christ, would be con¬demned by that word. These words will be the standard by which in the last day all shall be judged. The great trouble with most religious people is that they desire to be religious, they desire to honor God, but they desire to do it in their own way. They have confidence in their ability to invent ways that will please God. This is a fatal mistake. [Christ and his doctrine are inseparable; to receive his doctrine is to receive him; and to reject his doctrine is to reject him. Such rejecters of Christ and the doctrine of the gospel shall not escape the judgment of Christ in the last day. The word is now the rule of living, and it shall be hereafter the rule of judging.] 49 For I spake not from myself; but the Father that sent me, he hath given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.—What Jesus spoke did not originate with him, but came from God. God gave the rule by which the world must be judged. Jesus as the Son of God, sent by him into the world, delivered no message or command of his own, but only the things given him of God. [The Son was the Father’ s agent and he spake through him.] 50 And I know that his commandment is life eternal: the things therefore which I speak, even as the Father hath said unto me, so I speak.—Jesus knew the commandment was from God and that it would give or lead all who followed it to life everlasting. The following teaches the same thing: “ And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life.” (1 John 5:11-12.) The laws that God gave to Jesus grew out of the principles that moved God. Jesus was God in the flesh, showing what the principles and life of God would be in the flesh. For man to receive these principles into his heart and to live them is to make him like God in character and will fit him to live with God forever. [Jesus said, “ My words are spirit and they are life.” There are life-giving principles in the word of God when received in the heart and become the law of life. John here closes his record of the revelation of Jesus to the world.]

Verse 1 Jesus’ public ministry was concluded between the events of the last chapter and the Passover which comes into view in this. A number of important things in the life of Christ took place between John 11:54 and John 11:55. According to Robertson, these were: He started the last journey to Jerusalem, via Samaria and Galilee. healing ten lepers en route (Luke 17:11-37). He gave two parables on prayers, those of the importunate widow and the Pharisee and the publican (Luke 18:1-14). He gave his teaching on divorce (Mark 10:1-12; Matthew 19:1-12). He received little children (Mark 10:13-16, etc.). He spoke with the rich young ruler and gave the parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Mark 10:17-31, and parallel accounts). He gave the third prophecy of his death and resurrection and rebuked ambition of Zebedee’s sons (Mark 10:32-45, etc.). He healed Bartimaeus and a companion at Jericho (Mark 10:46-52, and parallel accounts). He visited Zacchaeus, gave the parable of the pounds, and went on up to Jerusalem (Luke 19:142:8).[1]All the above events were in the Galilean and later Perean ministry, thus accounting for their omission by John, who recorded, for the most part, events in Judaea and Jerusalem. It is not known why John omitted so much of what the synoptics recorded nor why they omitted so much of what John recorded. The speculations of radical critics have shed nothing but darkness on the question by their contradictory and unreasonable hypotheses. For example: Gardner-Smith’s investigations have led him to the startling conclusion that the Fourth Evangelist had not read any of the Synoptic Gospels.[2]Alan Richardson thought the apostle had read all three accounts, in fact, scrambling them in the instance of the anointing mentioned in this chapter! His words are: “St. John has fumbled in making her wipe off the ointment!"[3]The destructive critics are like the Pharisees of the last chapter who denied the miracle of the blind man’s healing, but then quickly admitted it and made it the basis of a slander of Jesus for not preventing the death of Lazarus. The twelfth chapter falls into four divisions: (1) the supper for Jesus and Lazarus (John 12:1-11); (2) the triumphal entry (John 12:12-20); (3) coming of the Greeks, and the voice from heaven (John 12:21-36); and (4) Jesus sums up his claims (John 12:37-50). Jesus therefore six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead. (John 12:1) For purposes of this study, the date here is construed as Friday night, after Robertson, Hovey, and many others. Regarding the questions that inevitably surface with reference to this, and as to the day of the week upon which the Lord suffered, see under John 19:31. [1] A. T. Robertson, Harmony of the Gospels (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1922), pp. 139ff. [2] W. F. Howard, Christianity according to St. John (London: Duckworth Press, 1965), p. 17. [3] Alan Richardson, The Gospel according to St. John (London: SCM Press, 1959), p. 147.

Verse 2 So they made him a supper there; and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with him.This is the only New Testament reference to activity on the part of persons raised from the dead by Jesus; and the glimpse of Lazarus’ life is one of normality. As might have been expected, the friends of Jesus and of Lazarus made them a supper, defying the order of the Sanhedrin that they should be informed of Jesus’ whereabouts.

Verse 3 Mary therefore took a pound of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.Pure nard … Spikenard was a perfume highly prized by the ancients, and was produced from Nardostachys jatamansi, a small plant (which is) a native of the Himalaya Mountains.[4] The high cost derived partly from the transportation of it thousands of miles from India to Jerusalem. There were “cut” varieties of it, but this was expensive pure nard itself. Anointed the feet … See below. And the house was filled with the odor … Again the unmistakable mark of an eye-witness appears in John. The possession of a whole pound of so rare a perfume is evidence of the wealth and social position of the Lazarus family. THE TWO It is an unqualified wonder that some scholars view this anointing as the same one recorded in Luke (Luke 7:36-50), an interpretation which is here rejecled out of hand as being illogical and unreasonable. The melding of the two accounts serves no purpose except that of giving the critics an excuse for alleging “contradictions” between Luke and John. Where is any PROOF that both incidents did not occur? Resemblances between the two events are harder to find than differences. Note: IN LUKE IN JOHNIn home of Simon the Pharisee. In home of Simon the leper. Dinner given by a critic of Jesus. Dinner given by friends. Dinner was not in Jesus’ honor. Dinner was in Jesus’ honor. Occurred at least a year before Occurred the last week of the Lord’s death. the Lord’s life. This took place in Galilee. This occurred in Bethany. The woman here was a “sinner.” This woman was noble Mary. The woman wept. Mary did not weep. This woman wiped her tears Mary wiped the excess ointment from Jesus’ feet. from his feet. Here, Simon the Pharisee was In this, Jesus rebuked Judas rebuked. Iscariot. Jesus forgave the woman’s sins The sins of Mary are not in but not Simon’s sins. view at all. This was received as a token of This was received as a the woman’s love. preparation for his burial. Modern commentators should do better than to confuse these two incidents, as there is absolutely no excuse for accepting the superstition to the effect that the sinful woman mentioned by Luke, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Bethany were all the same individual, a confusion referred to by Robertson as “a medley of medieval mysticism."[5][4] New Encyclopedia (New York: Funk and Wagnalls, Inc., 1972), Vol. 22, p. 154. [5] A. T. Robertson, op. cit., p. 60.

Verse 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples that should betray him, saith, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred shillings, and given to the poor?Matthew and Mark record this anointing, in which it seemed to have occurred on Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week, Matthew making it the incident that triggered the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. All the Gospel accounts place it in the last week of the ministry; and while John’s account SEEMS to say it was on Friday, it is not SO STATED. His words are, “They made him a supper THERE (not THEN).” Robertson and most harmonizers place the event in the sequence mentioned by Matthew and Mark, construing John as slightly unchronological here. In Matthew and Mark, it is the “disciples” who complained of the waste of the nard; in John, the center of the objection is revealed as Judas. This is the kind of “contradiction” so delighted in by critics. Judas, of course, had persuaded other disciples to go along with his objection, Matthew himself probably having been one that did; and thus it would have been improper for Matthew to have laid all the blame on Judas for something he participated in. Note too that John did not say that JudasALONE objected. Where, then, is the contradiction? It isn’t. Three hundred shillings … The word in the Greek (shilling) denotes a coin worth about eight pence half-penny, or nearly seventeen cents.[6] The relative value of the coin appears in the fact of its being a day’s wages (Matthew 20:9), making the value of the nard to have been the amount of money a man might have earned for three hundred days of labor. ENDNOTE: [6] Marginal note (English Revised Version (1885)).

Verse 6 Now this he said, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the bag took away what was put therein.Richardson wrote that “St. John adds some disparaging remarks about his (Judas’) character and conduct."[7] Since “disparage” means “to undervalue,” it would have been enlightening if Richardson had told us what higher value he placed upon Judas’ character and conduct than that which is stated here. It is incorrect to believe that John here improperly added to the odium properly belonging to the name of Judas; on the other hand, it is a true statement of the traitor’s conduct and remarks, together with a revelation of what motivated him. ENDNOTE: [7] Alan Richardson, op. cit., p. 148.

Verse 7 Jesus therefore said, Suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying.Suffer her to keep it … Scholars misunderstand this as meaning Mary had not used all the nard, supposing this to mean, “Let her keep what is left.” The cruse had been broken; there was nothing left in it (Mark 14:3). Howard’s statement that John’s record is contrary to “the synoptic statement that the box had been broken”[8] is untrue. Jesus’ perfectly clear meaning is: “Let her do what she has done (kept it against the day of my burying).” Moreover, the peculiar use of the present tense (and we believe prophetic tense), “Suffer her to keep it,” indicates the achievement of a timeless and world-wide memorial to Mary’s name and honor. Christ commanded that the record of this loving deed be preached throughout time until the judgment; and, in such a proclamation, she did in fact truly “keep” the last drop of that precious perfume poured upon Jesus’ feet. Did not Joseph of Arimathea keep his tomb and the lad his basket, after giving them to Jesus?

Did anyone ever give anything to Jesus without at the same time “keeping it”? What is given to the Lord is kept; all else is lost; and can it be any different with this nard? Mary poured all the nard on Jesus; but she “kept it all.” Against the day of his burial? Yes, but also for all time until the judgment! ENDNOTE: [8] W. F. Howard, The Interpreter’s Bible (New York: Abingdon Press, 1962), p. 657.

Verse 8 For the poor ye have always with you; but me ye have not always. The priority of Jesus Christ and his requirements, even above and before the legitimate needs of the poor, appears in a statement such as this. The claims of the poor upon the believer’s bounty are high; but the obligation to Christ is higher. See my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 26:11.

Verse 9 The common people therefore of the Jews learned that he was there: and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.The common people … of the Jews … This construction explains John’s use of “Jews” throughout the Gospel as primarily a designation of the religious hierarchy who opposed Jesus; thus it was necessary to explain the distinction here. “Jews …” was never used by John in a racial or anti-Semitic manner. The common people loved Jesus and believed on him.

Verse 10 But the chief priests took counsel that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.Howard’s condescending remark that “The chief priests were alarmed at this recrudescence of popular fanaticism and added the name of Lazarus to the list of the condemned”[9] is to be deplored for its use of the term “fanaticism,” applied to the popular movement, toward Jesus. Are those who still seek and believe on Jesus also “fanatics”? It is in such off-hand statements as this that one may often determine the existence of hostile thoughts against the Lord and thus be able to explain comments which are otherwise a mystery. ENDNOTE: [9] Ibid.

Verse 12 On the morrow a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches from palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried out, Hosanna: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.THE ENTRYHendriksen noted: the triumphal entry is in all four Gospels declaring that “Although the accounts differ, they do not conflict in any way."[10] For comments on the primary features of this event, see my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 12. Went forth to meet him … The two sources of the great throng of people were: (1) the crowd following from Bethany, and (2) the great crowd who, hearing that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem, went forth from the Holy City to meet him. Branches of palm trees … This was a customary greeting of popular heroes; and the prevalence of many palm trees facilitated this type of demonstration. Hosanna… has the meaning of “O Jehovah, save now!” It had not, at that time, developed into a mere “hurrah!” but had overtones of deep religious feeling. The Old Testament has this: Save now, we beseech thee, O Jehovah: O Jehovah, we beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of Jehovah (Psalms 118:25-26). According to Westcott, this Psalm was written as the dedication Psalm for the second temple,[11] making the quotation both appropriate and significant. The King of Israel … The popular recognition of Jesus, even in this outpouring of demonstration, fell far short of any true appreciation of Jesus’ actual mission and purpose. It would appear to be certain that Jesus permitted such an outpouring, along with this reference to “the King of Israel,” in order to bring about the confrontation with the hierarchy. The Pharisees, having already decided not to kill Jesus during the Passover (Matthew 26:1-5), would be overruled in their strategy of delay; and such a thing as this triumphal entry was exactly calculated to spur them into a change of strategy. [10] William Hendriksen. Exposition of the Gospel according to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1961), II, p. 184. [11] Brooks Foss Westcott, The Gospel according to St. John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971), p. 179.

Verse 14 And Jesus, having found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.Ass’s colt … John did not narrate the manner of this beast’s procurement, as in the synoptics, but did make reference, as did they, to the prophecy (Zechariah 9:9). It is incorrect to make any point of Matthew’s reference to “Son of David,” contrasting with John’s “King of Israel.” The reference by both to the prophecy show exactly who was meant; and, in such a mob welcome as that, these and possibly other titles of Jesus were used in the popular greeting.

Verse 16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.The failure of Jesus’ most intimate and faithful disciples to comprehend the spiritual nature of his kingdom, and the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies concerning him, was evidently due to their also having been so full of the “earthly kingdom” idea which dominated the minds of the Jewish leaders. Not until after the resurrection did the apostles finally get everything into the proper focus and have the full glory of the Saviour’s glorious work finally dawn upon their understanding. We should be thankful for this; because here is the positive and unanswerable proof that the disciples, having the attitude they held, could not possibly have contrived any such thing as stealing Jesus’ body, or any kind of hoax regarding his resurrection. As a matter of truth, they did not even expect his resurrection, having no thought of it whatever, until after it happened.

Verse 17 The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, bare witness.This means that the multitude were shouting his praises and telling to all men the marvel of how Jesus raised a man from the dead who had been dead four days. Only John pointed out the contribution made by the witnesses of the seventh sign to the triumphal entry.

Verse 18 For this cause also the multitude went and met him, for they had heard that he had done this sign.It was the raising of the dead that triggered the appearance of such a large and enthusiastic multitude; and the people who had seen it were telling the story to all whom they met. The popular frenzy at the thought of seeing one who could do such a thing increased as Jesus approached Jerusalem, an immense throng being caught up and swept along by the momentum of such a demonstration.

Verse 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Behold how ye prevail nothing: lo, the world has gone after him.Here again, the Pharisees’ comment, probably inspired by, or even spoken by, Caiaphas, was prophetic without their intending it so. The whole world had indeed gone after Jesus; even the Greeks would shortly afterward make their appearance! Of course, the Pharisaical answer to such popular approval was to murder the Lord judicially, little dreaming that their very act of doing so would accomplish exactly what Jesus came into the world to do.

Verse 20 Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast: these therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.THE COMING OF THE GREEKSAs Knox observed: The “Greeks” were Gentiles - we do not know from where - who had already become proselytes to Judaism or faithful friends of the synagogue (God-fearers) … Notice that it is the desire of the Greeks to see Jesus which alone interests this writer. He does not tell us whether or not these particular Gentiles saw him. Presumably they did; but that does not matter.[12]Throughout John to here, the enemies of Jesus could not harm him because his hour had not yet come; but Jesus saw in the awakened interest of the Gentile world that the time had come. At last, it was his “hour,” and there would be no further providential hindrances of what his enemies planned to do. Many questions of curiosity arise around this incident, such as whether or not the Gentiles went to Philip because he had a Greek name, or if they had come with an offer of sanctuary from Jesus’ enemies, etc. The Spirit-inspired evangelists never catered to human curiosity, relating only the facts which were pertinent to their holy message of salvation. ENDNOTE: [12] John Knox, The Fourth Gospel and the Later Epistles (New York: Abingdon Press, 1945), p. 64.

Verse 22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: Andrew cometh, and Philip, and they tell Jesus.What was it that they told Jesus? Eusebius mentions a tradition (and it is merely that) that these men had been sent by the Syrian King Edessa with a commission to invite Jesus to come to his realm, assuring him a hearty and princely welcome … The coming of these Greeks was prophetic. The leaders of the nation were seeking even then to kill him, but Gentiles came to seek to know him; rejected by his own, the Gentiles would turn to him.[13]Andrew … once more appears in Scripture as the man who brought someone to Jesus, corresponding with what is said of him in the instances of his bringing Peter and the lad with the loaves and fishes. ENDNOTE: [13] Arno C. Gaebelein, The Gospel of John (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1965), p. 227.

Verse 23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.Far from being glad to have an offer of sanctuary (if such a thing was involved), Jesus instantly recognized that the moment of his suffering was at hand. His sufferings, death, and resurrection would be the “glorification” referred to here. He viewed it thus, because in that would be the means of his winning millions of souls.

Verse 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.Three applications of this metaphor are: (1) in nature, the death of seeds is necessary to their production of fruit; (2) Jesus consented to die as a means of winning the world to himself; and (3) for all who would be saved, the process is the same. One must renounce himself, loving not his own life, but losing it, and taking up fully the identity of Jesus in order to be saved. Note here the promise of eternal life. The doctrine of the “last things,” or eschatology, as some like to call it, is alleged by some to be lacking in this Gospel; but, as Howard noted, “That favorite term in the Johannine vocabulary, `eternal life,’ is eschatological in its origin."[14] The reference to final resurrection and judgment (John 5:24-29), and the recurring refrain, “I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:39-40; John 6:44; John 6:54) along with such passages as the one before us, make it clear that John’s Gospel, in this particular, is no different from the others. ENDNOTE: [14] W. F. Howard, op. cit., p. 109.

Verse 26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be: if any man serve me, him will the Father honor.Where I am … is also a reference to last things. Dummelow wrote: “(This means) where I am soon to be, viz., in heaven,"[15] this making Jesus’ promise to be that his true followers shall join him finally in heaven. If any man serve me, him will the Father honor … claims an equality between Jesus and the Father, requiring the deduction that serving Jesus is the same as serving God. ENDNOTE: [15] J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 796.

Verse 27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour.The English Revised Version (1885) margin has “save me from this hour?” interrogatively, which is necessary to sustain the thought. It means that Jesus would thus have prayed if his purpose had been otherwise than that of dying to save men. Is my soul troubled … The events unfolding before Jesus were extremely ugly and tragic, not simply for himself, but also in the profound implications for the chosen people. The total rejection and casting off of Israel loomed ominously in this visit of Gentiles who would accept Jesus, contrasting so tragically with the obduracy of the chosen nation. As Westcott expressed it: The shock has come already … The presence and petition of the Greeks foreshadowed the judgment of the chosen people, and brought forward the means by which it would be accomplished. The prospect of this catastrophe was perhaps the crisis of the Lord’s present conflict.[16]ENDNOTE: [16] B. F. Westcott, op. cit., p. 181.

Verse 28 Father glorify thy name. There came therefore a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.Three times God spoke out of heaven during the ministry of Jesus: here, at the baptism, and at the transfiguration (Mark 1:11; Mark 9:7, and parallels). The Jews are said to have regarded thunder as an echo of the voice of God; but, “In all four Gospels, it is no mere echo of God’s voice that is heard, but the direct speaking of the Father to the Son."[17]Glorify thy name … Offered in the emotional tension arising from Jesus’ consciousness that his “hour” was at hand, this prayer is surprising in that it has no petition for himself, but only for the glory of the Father’s name. I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again …Christ had glorified God by his ministry among the Jews, and he was now to glorify him by his death for all men, and by the gradual spread of the gospel among all nations.[18][17] Alan Richardson, op. cit., p. 153. [18] Alvah Hovey, op. cit., p. 255.

Verse 29 The multitude therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it had thundered: others said, An angel hath spoken to him.That some of the multitude heard the words is obvious. The apostle John heard and understood the words himself, without any need of anyone’s interpreting them to him (for no such thing is mentioned). Thus it may be assumed that they were intelligible words, wanting only attention on the part of hearers to be understood. As Frank L. Cox expressed it: Here we have an illustration of the fact that people often hear things differently according to what they are themselves. Some hear thunder, others an angel’s voice, but Jesus understood.[19]It is one of the mysteries of life that some see and hear the things of God, and others do not see nor hear. Daniel was by the river Hiddekel when he saw the holy vision, but his companions were not aware of it; and Paul’s companions on the Damascus road heard the noise but not the words of the Lord out of heaven. ENDNOTE: [19] Frank L. Cox, according to John (Austin, Texas: Firm Foundation Publishing House, 1948), p. 81.

Verse 30 Jesus answered and said, This voice hath not come for my sake, but for your sakes.Since the voice was given for the multitude’s sake, it follows that they should have understood it. That some did not may be a reflection upon themselves, in that their moral condition did not permit them to hear God’s voice. Jesus did not need such a testimony, but the carnal multitude did need it.

Verse 31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.The crisis of all ages had arrived. Jesus would die on the cross to redeem men from the curse of sin, enabling them to be saved eternally, and to restore the fellowship with God, broken such a long while before by the disaster in Eden. The head of Satan would now be “bruised” in fulfillment of Gen 3:15. This great victory is here called the casting out of the prince of this world. That the cosmic victory over Satan would be won by such a thing as the death of Christ on Calvary is the mystery hidden before times eternal. The victory came through death itself, and that at the very moment when Satan might have thought that he had won (Hebrews 2:15). The words Jesus spoke here were in anticipation of that victory. The prince of this world … refers to Satan, called also the “god of this world,” and “the prince of the powers of the air.” The casting out will be accomplished by the cross, as the next verse shows.

Verse 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself. But this he said, signifying by what manner of death he should die.As Dr. Baxter wrote: It is difficult to realize the tremendous faith which this expression reflects. We hear these words through nineteen centuries of Christian history which followed them; but, when Jesus made the statement here, there was little visible evidence to make anyone believe that these words might literally come true. It must have seemed to those who heard it the most presumptuous statement ever made.[20]Lifted up … See under John 3:14. The primary reference of this is to Jesus’ death by being lifted up upon the cross; but the words suggest other truth also. Christ was lifted up from the grave; he was lifted up into heaven; he has been lifted up in the hearts of men by the preaching of the gospel in all ages since then. Draw all men unto myself … He draws men in that he alone loved men sufficiently to die for them, in that he is the only true revelation of God, in that he is the only perfect soul who ever lived on earth, and in that he alone is the satisfaction of the soul’s deepest desires. The glorious manner in which the daring words of this prophecy have been fulfilled defies explanation. Jesus of Nazareth is the most conspicuous and the mightiest of all the personalities ever to make themselves known on earth; and, in the last decade alone, there have been more beautiful buildings constructed and dedicated to the honor and worship of Jesus Christ throughout the world than have been constructed and dedicated to any one hundred of the greatest kings and rulers who ever lived; and still Jesus marches on! ENDNOTE: [20] Batsell Barrett Baxter, If I Be Lifted Up (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1956), p. 1.

Verse 34 We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?Out of the law … means out of the Old Testament, rather than being restricted in meaning to the Pentateuch. The passages they might have had in mind are Psalms 110:4; Isaiah 9:7; Ezekiel 37:25; and Daniel 7:14. In all of these, the everlasting dominion of the Messiah is implied or stated. The multitude were also present when Jesus spoke of the Son of man (John 12:23), and thus it was no impropriety for them to question “Who is this Son of man?” They had wrongly construed the above prophecies as meaning that Messiah would continue ON EARTH forever as a literal ruler over God’s people; but this is not strange in view of the fact that some still misconstrue them in the same manner. Son of man … was far and away Jesus’ favorite title for himself; and by the use of it he meant everything, and even more, than is conveyed by “Messiah,” “Son of God,” etc. See the article on “Son of man …” under John 1:51.

Verse 35 Jesus therefore said unto them, Yet a little while is the light among you. Walk while ye have the light, that darkness overtake you not: and he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light, believe on the light, that ye may become sons of the light.Though not an answer to their question, this was an answer to the attitude of the people. Jesus had proclaimed himself the Light of the world (see under John 9:5), but they were not willing to walk in it. Yet a little while … is a tragic reference to the fact that the “hour” had come, and that the Saviour would shortly be sacrificed. Israel’s day of grace was fading. The sneering, captious questions of the unregenerated would be endured only a few more days. Their one remaining great opportunity was then and there. If they had believed, it would have conferred upon them the right to become sons of God, but such a blessing would not wait much longer upon them. With these solemn words, the Lord rang down the curtain on the great Judean ministry, except for a few more brief hours during his holy passion.

Verse 36 These things spake Jesus, and he departed and hid himself from them. But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they believed not on him. Upon this verse, Frank L. Cox commented that: The public ministry of Jesus had closed. Two summaries of this ministry are given: one by John, and the other by Jesus and recorded by John. John’s summary is in John 12:37-43, and Jesus’ summary is in John 12:44-50.[21]So many signs before them … For a list of the seven great signs, see the heading of chapter two. There were countless signs besides the one John recorded (John 20:30; John 21:25). They believed not … refers to the majority of Israel, and especially to the leaders; but John at once pointed this out as a fulfillment of prophecy. ENDNOTE: [21] Frank L. Cox, op. cit., p. 83.

Verse 38 That the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?Might be fulfilled … does not mean that the Pharisees disbelieved in order to fulfill prophecy, but that their unbelief had been foretold by Isaiah. The very same unbelief that greeted the words of Isaiah also greeted the message of Jesus. Barnes noted that: Isaiah’s message was despised by the nation, and he himself put to death. And it was also true, by the same causes: by the same nation, that the same gospel message was rejected by Jews in the time of Christ. The same language of the prophet fully expresses both events; and no doubt it was intended by the Holy Spirit to mark both events.[22]Significantly, the prophecy here quoted (Isaiah 53:1) is the same prophecy that foretold the rejection of Jesus and that he would be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. That great chapter also details the crucifixion: “by his stripes we are healed,” “God laid upon him the iniquity of us all,” etc. ENDNOTE: [22] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1954), Luke-John, p. 312.

Verse 39 For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah had said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart; Lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, And should turn, And I should heal them.They could not believe … This accounts for the sad remark of Jesus (John 12:35). It was already too late. The people had closed their eyes, stopped their ears, and hardened their hearts. They had shut their eyes to every sign, greeted every spiritual message with some crass literalization of his words, scorned every revelation of himself as the Shepherd, the Door, the Light, the Bread of Life, etc., and had caviled at his every word. Having so hardened themselves, they inevitably suffered the penalty of God’s judicial hardening, making them no longer capable of believing.

For study of hardening of Israel, see my Commentary on Romans, p. 376; and for comments on the manner of God’s hardening all who do not like to keep God in their hearts, see my Commentary on Romans, pp. 45f. It should ever be borne in mind that God’s judicial hardening always follows, and never exists apart from the act of evil men sinfully hardening themselves. John’s quotation is from Isaiah 6:10. Matthew quoted Jesus as using exactly the same words (Matthew 13:14-15).

Verse 41 These things saith Isaiah, because he saw his glory; and he spake of him.Isaiah did indeed see the glory of the coming Redeemer and was especially effective in the portrayal of Messiah’s dual nature. Christ as God and Christ as man were prophesied and presented throughout Isaiah as the one Messiah. Thus he was hailed as “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), and by the same prophet as “Despised … rejected … put to grief … bruised … chastised … having no beauty … in travail … cut off out of the land of the living,” etc. (Isaiah 53:1 ff). Not the least of Isaiah’s great prophecies of Jesus was that of his rejection by the chosen people.

Verse 42 Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the glory that is of men more than the glory that is of God.These two verses are among the most important in Scripture in regard to their bearing upon the question of whether or not one is justified by FAITH ONLY, making it impossible logically to believe that faith alone can justify. Believed on him … is alleged to have been faith of a KIND from that required for salvation. Hovey called it “a rational conviction … but not a saving trust in Christ."[23] Gaebelein wrote, “But they had no true faith in God."[24] Barnes has, “They were convinced in their understanding that he was the Messiah."[25] Johnson says, “These rulers, not believing with the heart, did not make open confession."[26] Morgan concluded that “The most illuminating sentence concerning this verse came from the pen of Bishop Westcott, who said, `This complete intellectual faith is really the climax of unbelief.’"[27] Yet we have Westcott’s own testimony thus: It is remarkable that St. John uses of this belief the phrase which marks the completeness of belief. The belief only lacked confession, but this defect was fatal. Compare John 2:23, where belief complete in itself is practically imperfect.[28]It is astoundingly clear that many of the rulers had a OF FAITH, Westcott leaving no doubt whatever that the Greek New Testament teaches this. Therefore, the deduction must stand stark and mandatory that something beyond faith (even if one has a faith) is required for salvation. The device of supposing that one kind of faith comes from the heart and another kind from the mind, or intellect, is ridiculous, because the Scriptural HEART is the MIND.

Furthermore, the Bible has absolutely nothing about KINDS of faith, distinctions of so-called varieties of faith deriving from human speculation and not from God’s word. It must be rejected out of hand, therefore, that the faith of the rulers (in this verse) was anywise different from the faith of any man coming to Jesus Christ for eternal salvation. There was only ONE THING wrong with their faith. It was FAITH ALONE! Of course, this stands squarely opposed to the Lutheran heresy of justification by faith only; and this undeniable fact would appear to be the only reason why so many writers have labored to make the faith in this verse to have been some diverse kind or variety of faith. The thing lacking was not faith (they had it all) but obedience (they would not confess).

Millions of men today are in the same category with these rulers. They believe but will not confess and be baptized. John’s entire Gospel is in full harmony with what is taught here. See John 1:12; John 2:23; John 8:31; etc. Lest they should be put out of the synagogue … The social pressures in the community were sufficient to restrain some from acting in harmony with their faith in Christ. The same is true today. They loved the glory, etc … Regardless of the faith that may exist in the heart, it is the love of God which must sustain and activate it if it is to issue in any benefit to the believer. Love is greater than faith, even a complete faith; and the reason for this was announced by our Lord himself who said, “If ye love me ye will keep my commandments,” a statement nowhere made concerning faith (John 14:15). How strange it is that men claim exactly the same thing for faith that Christ claimed for love, making faith the fulfilling of all the commandments.[29] Any theory of justification by faith which omits love and obedience is a false theory. [23] Alvah Hovey, op. cit., p. 262. [24] Arno Gaebelein, op. cit., p. 240. [25] Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 214. [26] B. W. Johnson, The New Testament Commentary (Cincinnati, Ohio: The Christian Publishing Company, 1886), p. 198. [27] G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel according to John (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company), p. 224. [28] B. F. Westcott, op. cit., p. 186. [29] Leslie Duncan, Protestantism (New York: George Braziller, 1962), p. 43.

Verse 44 And Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.Here begins Jesus’ own summary of his teachings, the same being a recapitulation of teachings already recorded in John.

Verse 45 And he that beholdeth me beholdeth him that sent me.See under John 5:23.

Verse 46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in darkness.See under John 9:5, etc.

Verse 47 And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.This priority in our Lord’s purpose appeared earlier. See John 3:17 f.

Verse 48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day.See under John 3:17-18 and under John 5:24-29. The last day … Again the doctrine of the last things comes into prominence in this Gospel. See under John 12:25. Here it is affirmed dogmatically that the basis of the eternal judgment will be the word of Jesus Christ. Matthew quoted Jesus as teaching the same thing (Matthew 7:24-27). The word of Christ, as delivered to men by the apostles, is the final dogmatic authority in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, “whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20) is the burden of the church’s commission, thus making his teachings the constitution and bylaws of the kingdom of God, or the church. The reason underlying the truth enunciated here (that his word shall judge all men) is given in the next verse.

Verse 49 For I spake not from myself; but the Father that sent me, he hath given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life eternal; the things therefore which I speak even as the Father hath said unto me, so I speak.The words of Jesus are eternally important because they are the words of God. Significantly, our Lord never requested men to believe him AS A MAN, but as the TRUE OF GOD. What a difference prevails among human authorities. The rule of thumb for claiming attention on the human level is this: a bishop has spoken; a pope has published an encyclical; the council has made a decision; the head of the church has spoken; an archbishop has said, etc., etc. Not even the holy Christ himself, while on earth as a man, demanded that his words be accepted on the basis of any earthly trust or position that he occupied, his sole claim upon human credibility and acceptance being in this alone, that he delivered the TRUE WORD OF GOD! This is the unique significance and authority of the word of Christ.

Questions by E.M. Zerr For John 12

1. To what place did Jesus come?
2. When was this with reference to the passover?
3. Tell who lived here.
4. What is said of Lazarus?
5. How was Jesus now entertained?
6. What position did Lazarus have on this occasion ?
7. Describe what Mary did.
8. Who complained?
9. Was he sincere?
10. Tell of his character. ,
11. For what occasion was the act of Mary?
12. How did Jesus reason on the matter ?
13. What attracted many Jews here now?
14. State the conspiracy of the chief priests.
15. What was the reason?
16. Into what city did Jesus enter next day?
17. How was he received?
18. What was his means of conveyance ?
19. Was this event to be expected?
20. When did the disciples understand about this ?
21. What people gave their testimony?
22. State the unpleasant observation of Pharisees.
23. Who are said to have come to the feast to worship
24. Was this lawful?
25. To whom did they appeal ?
26. State their request.
27. By whom was it passed on to Jesus ?
28. Repeat the announcement of Jesus.
29. What object was used for an illustration?
30. To what event did he refer?
31. Who will lose, or keep, his life?
32. The servants of Jesus should do what?
33. If they do, what will be their reward?
34. What did Jesus say of his soul?
35. Repeat his request.
36. And the reply.
37. How did this affect the people?
38. State the explanation of Jesus.
39. Who was to be cast out ?
40. How was Jesus to draw men to him?
41. To what did this refer?
42. What misunderstanding did the people have ?
43. State the admonition Jesus gave them.
44. How did his miracles affect the masses ?
45. Who had prophesied this ?
46. What blindness was foretold?
47. State the motive for this perverseness.
48. What did some of the rulers do?
49. And what did they not do ?
50. What was the reason?
51. Tell what love was the cause of this.
52. Belief in Jesus means what other belief?
53. What does he say about light?
54. What will be done to the unbeliever ?
55. Why will Jesus not judge him?
56. What constitutes rejecting Jesus?
57. By what will the guilty be judged ?
58. At what time will he be judged?
59. By what authority did Jesus speak ?
60. From what comes life everlasting?

John 12:1

1 Bethany was about two miles from Jerusalem, and was the scene of some of the most personal experiences of Jesus. The significance of mentioning the case of Lazarus will be seen later in this chapter.

John 12:2

2 According to Matthew 26:6, this supper was in the house of “Simon the leper,” who evidently had been healed by Jesus. Made him a supper denotes that Jesus was the honor guest, but his disciples also were present. Martha served, even as she did in her own house on another occasion (Luke 10:38-40). Lazarus was one of them.. The supper was had in honor of Jesus, but Lazarus was given special mention because of the miracle that had been performed upon him.

John 12:3

3 This anointing should not be confused with the one in Luke 7:37-50. That was done by a woman from the outcast ranks and was known as a “sinner,” but the present case was by the sister of Lazarus, who was one of the personal friends of Jesus.

John 12:4

4 Should betray him is translated, “was about to deliver him up,” by the Englishman’s Greek New Testament. The statement was made to explain the actions of Judas here and elsewhere as they pertained to money.

John 12:5

5 Three hundred pence. Weights and measures, as well as money values, changed from time to time and in different places. But in any way it is estimated, the value Judas placed on this ointment was great, which agrees with the statement of John (verse 3) that it was very costly.

John 12:6

6 No doubt Judas sincerely regretted seeing this valuable product used in this way, but it was not because of his interest in the poor. He was covetous and it hurt him to see that much value bestowed upon another. Had the bag means Judas was the treasurer for the group, and hence he was especially interested in anything that looked like money value. Bare is from BASTAZO, and Thayer defines it at this place, “To bear away, carry off.” The general meaning of the word is to have charge of the money, but the more specific meaning applies to Judas according to Thayer’s definition. In chapter 13:29, 30, the bag was still in the hands of Judas just as he was ready to leave the group. He went out with the bag and was never again with Jesus and the other apostles, so that he truly “carried off” the treasury as the specific definition states, and verifies the charge of John that he was a thief.

John 12:7

7 Against the day of my burying. It was an old custom to anoint the dead and use spices at the time of burial. (See 2 Chronicles 16:14; John 19:40; Luke 23:56.) Mark 14:8 quotes Jesus as saying, “She is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.”

John 12:8

8 Poor always . . . with you. Jesus did not criticize the idea of giving something to the poor, for he regarded that as a good work. He instructed the rich young man (Mat-they 19:21) to give his possessions to the poor. But this statement was about the idea of using present opportunities that are soon to pass. He was soon to leave the world and that would stop all chances of doing him a bodily favor, while they would never cease having opportunities for helping the poor.

John 12:9

9 The presence of Jesus only would have brought the people out to Bethany, but they had a sepcial interest in seeing Lazarus alive, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. This was a visible evidence of the power that Jesus possessed, for the deed had been done in that very place where Lazarus had lived, and there could be no question about his identity.

John 12:10-11

1 It would be difficult to form a just description of minds as wicked as those possessed by the chief priests. We frequently hear of witnesses being slain or otherwise removed to prevent their testifying in an important case. But generally it is done on behalf of a felon who is about to be brought to trial for his crimes. Lazarus was only enjoying his natural right to live after having been restored from the dead by the Lord. And the motive for removing him was to destroy a visible but silent testimony in favor of Jesus, who had incurred the wrath of these priests by exposing their hypocrisy. No wonder such people could find it in their hearts finally to cause the death of the Teacher they hated.

John 12:12

2 Bethany was near Jerusalem, and the movements of Jesus were being made known in the city. The news evidently came back by the ones who had gone out to Bethany, mentioned in verse 9.

John 12:13

3 It was an ancient custom to honor an approaching dignitary by making a carpet of garments and the foliage of trees on which he might proceed. The season of the Passover was at hand, and great numbers of Jews from all over the world were at Jerusalem to attend it. That is why the preceding verse mentions much people. Hosanna is a Greek word and Robinson defines it, “Save now, succor now, be now propitious.” He says further that it is from a Hebrew word that means “a joyful acclamation.” Thayer’s definition agrees with this but is more condensed. The passage denotes an expression of good will to Him who is able to save others because he is coming in the Lord’s name.

John 12:14

4 Found a young ass. The accounts of Mark, Luke and John, leave out all mention of the mother of the colt, and the reader may be somewhat confused over it. The subject is fully discussed in the comments on Matthew’s account (chapter 21:1-7), and I urge him to see that place.

John 12:15

5 The passage cited is in Zechariah 9:9. The prophet not only predicted the triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, but said he would come “having salvation.” It would be useless repetition to say this means “saving himself,” as the margin renders it, for that truth is included in the fact of his riding triumphantly into the city. But Jesus was coming into the capital of the Jewish nation to bring salvation to all people in the world, whether they be Jew or Gentile.

John 12:16

6 The word glorify has several shades of meaning, and the one to apply in any given place must be determined by the context. In verse 23 it is stated that the hour is come (is at hand or very near), when the Son of man was to be glorified. This denotes that as yet He had not been glorified in the sense the word is used in this passage. Furthermore, John 7:39 says the reason the Holy Ghost was .not yet given, was because Jesus was not yet glorified, and John 16:7-13 shows that the Holy Ghost was not to be given until Jesus had gone to his Father. All of these truths give us the meaning of glorified in this verse to be the eternal form of Jesus in Heaven; the form referred to in 1 John 3:2. After that great circumstance of the glorification of Jesus, the disciples recalled the many things He had said to them, and the meaning of them became clear to their understanding.

John 12:17

7 These people related what, they had seen and heard on the occasion of the resurrection of Lazarus. Bare record means they made their statements as eye and ear witnesses of the miracle that had so deeply impressed many in the community.

John 12:18

8 The testimony of the witnesses mentioned in the preceding verse, caused many others to believe on Him, which accounts for their actions described in verse 13.

John 12:19

9 World is from KOSMOS, which means the inhabitants of the earth. The statement of the Pharisees was one of envy and fear. Their complaint was among themselves, as if each one thought the other should “do something about it”

John 12:20

0 The question may arise why these Greeks (who were Gentiles) were permitted to worship at the feast, which was primarily a Jewish affair. In 1 Kings 8:41-43 is a part of Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple. He predicted that “strangers” (people outside the Jewish nation) would come to the temple to pray, which is one act of worship. Solomon asked God to grant the prayer of these people. Then in chapter 9:3 of that book, the Lord told Solomon that his prayer was heard, which means it was to be granted, and that included what was asked on behalf of the prayers of the strangers. It will help the reader to understand this matter if he will consult the note on “worship” at Matthew 2:2. The word has such a wide range of meanings, that it would have been easy for these Greeks to perform some phase of it on the present occasion, without infringing upon any ceremony that was the exclusive right of the Jews.

John 12:21

1 Philip was of Galilee as stated here and in John 1:44. It was natural, therefore, for these Greeks to contact him in their inquiry to see the greatest of Galileans. The fame of Jesus had reached so far that these visitors had heard of it.

John 12:22

2 I have not seen any account of the previous association of Philip with Andrew, but they seem to have been close personal friends. Philip passed on to Andrew the request of the Greeks, and together they reported it to Jesus.

John 12:23

3 We have no information as to what was done about the aforementioned request. However, Jesus stated to Philip and Andrew (perhaps in the hearings of these Greeks), that the hour was at hand when the Son of man was to be glorified. The last word is explained in the comments at verse 16. This glorification was to take place in Heaven, which had to be preceded by His death and resurrection. That brought the conversation to the point where it was necessary to say something about the death of Jesus, which will be the subject in the next verse.

John 12:24

4 The original word for corn is defined “grain” in the lexicon. Jesus used the subject to show why his death was necessary. If a grain could be kept alive, it would never be able to grow into another stock of the species. All that its owner would have would be the single grain; no reproduction. Likewise, if Christ had not died, he would never have produced others to share with him in the glorified state.

John 12:25

5 The meaning of this verse is set forth at some length in the comments on Matthew 10:39, as it pertains to the two kinds of life. As the word hate is used here, it Is defined by Thayer to mean, “To love less, to postpone in love or esteem, to slight.” Robinson defines it, “Not to love, to love less, to slight.”

John 12:26

6 Serve is from a different Greek word from the one that suggests a slave. It means to minister to or wait upon, such as serving one with the necessities of life. No one can render such service to Christ today directly. But that kind of service can be given to his disciples as he taught in Matthew 25:35-40. On the principle that such service is regarded by Jesus as if it were done for him personally, so the Father will honor that servant for his loving ministry as having been done for his Son. But this material ministration should be considered only as one phase of our service to Christ. We should be even more concerned with rendering service to Him in the great Cause for which he died and “fell into the ground.”

John 12:27

7 Troubled means to be agitated, which was the condition of mind that was upon the Saviour. He was beginning to feel the awful emotions that came to him in greater force later in the garden. Save me from this hour was equivalent to his prayer for the removal of the “cup,” mentioned in Matthew 26:39. More will be said on that subject when we come to John 18:11. Jesus asked his Father to save him from this hour (not the cross). When later He prayed “if it be possible” let the cup pass, it meant virtually the same resignation of spirit that is expressed here in the words, for this cause came I unto this Dour. The human nature of Jesus longed for relief from his mental suffering, but his divine knowledge told him that he must endure it.

John 12:28

8 The original word for glorify as used here is defined by Thayer as follows: “To make renowned, render illustrious, i. e., to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged.” God answered the prayer of Jesus in an audible voice but in words the people did not understand. This made the third time God spoke with words that could be heard; at the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:17), and at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), being the other two. That voice was not heard in audible form again that we have any account of, but the Almighty demonstrated his majesty on behalf of his Son more than once afterward, particularly when he raised him from the dead.

John 12:29

9 The voice from heaven was somewhat indistinct so that the people did not understand it, yet sufficiently different from the noise of thunder that some of them knew it was some form of speech addressed to Jesus in answer to his prayer, and they interpreted it to be the voice of an angel.

John 12:30

0 Jesus did not need the voice of his Father to satisfy Him, but some kind of demonstration was necessary as evidence for the crowd.

John 12:31

1 Now denotes that the time was very near when the great test was to be made. Jesus was soon to be slain as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, and thus counteract the work of the prince of this world. Chapter 14:30; 16:11; Luke 4:6; Ephesians 2:2, shows this prince is Satan.

John 12:32

2 This verse is directly connected with the preceding one, showing that Christ was to be lifted up on the cross to accomplish the sacrifice. Draw all men unto me. Jesus never contradicted himself, and since he taught (Matthew 7:13-14) that most people will be lost, he would not here teach that all would come to him. The point is with reference to what person was to be the most important drawing power. Hitherto it had been the influence of Satan and his agents, but the lifting up on the cross of the Son of man would draw men to Him and not Satan.

John 12:33

3 This verse is added to indicate that the lifting up mentioned in the preceding one was to be a literal action upon his body.

John 12:34

4 As usual, the people failed to recognize in Jesus a person who was both human and divine. As a result, they could not understand how he could die bodily, and yet establish a kingdom that would “stand forever.”

John 12:35

5 Jesus did not give the people a direct reply, for he had already given them many lessons about his great work in cooperation with his Father, and they seemed to be overlooked by most of them. But he intimated that his personal instructions would soon be ended, and they should make use of them while they could.

John 12:36

6 Jesus gave them one more parting exhortation to walk in the light that had been offered to them, then he disappeared from the crowd.

John 12:37

7 The hardness of men’s hearts prevents them from taking a fair view of the plainest evidences. The miracles that Jesus performed were so many and under such varied circumstances, that it should have been more difficult to doubt than to believe.

John 12:38

8 God never did force a man to do wrong; but He knows all about the future, and can see the actions of men for centuries before they are born. With such knowledge of the future, God inspired his prophets to write about it. The common phrase “that it might be fulfilled,” means the same as if it said, “and in so doing, it fulfilled,” etc. The prophecy of Esaias (Isaiah) cited is in chapter 53:1 of his book.

John 12:39

9 Could not. The first word is from DUNAMAI, and the definitions of Thayer and Robinson agree, but the latter is clearer and I shall quote it as follows: “To be able, I can.” He then adds the following explanations: “Both in a physical and moral sense, and whether depending on the disposition and faculties of the mind, on the degree of strength or skill, or on the nature and external circumstances of the case.” Upon further consideration, I think it will be helpful to quote Thayer’s definition also: “To be able, have power,” and his comments are, “Whether by virtue of one’s own ability and resources, or a state of mind, or through favorable circumstances.” This information from the lexicons teaches us that these people had deliberately closed their eyes and hardened their hearts against the light of God’s truth. In such a state of mind they could not believe in the sense of the word as explained by the lexicons. Because that Esaias said means that Esaias (Isaiah) said it because God knew it would happen, and caused the prophet to write it. (See comments, preceding verse.)

John 12:40

0 This verse is to be understood in the light of comments on verses 38. 39.

John 12:41

1 The account of this vision is in Isaiah 6:1-10. Saw his glory is described in the first four verses of the passage cited.

John 12:42

2 The significance of being put out of the synagogue is set forth at chapter 9:22, 23. But though it was a great privilege to be admitted to these assemblies, neither that nor any other personal advantage should have been counted above the honor of being a believer in Christ.

John 12:43

3 This verse states the motive of the conduct mentioned in the preceding one. It is hard to understand, but perhaps it is because the favor of God is connected with requirement that one shall sacrifice some of his selfish practices.

John 12:44

4 Jesus means that believing on him did not stop there; it includes belief in God also. The truth is that no man can truthfully say he believes on either the Father or the Son without believing on the other.

John 12:45

5 This verse embraces the same principle as the preceding, but the difference is due to the personalities of the two. In order for man to see Jesus, he had to take on himself the fleshly body. But in spirit and purpose they are the same, so that seeing Jesus was virtually equivalent to seeing God.

John 12:46

6 By coming into the world in human form, Jesus was enabled to bring the light of Heaven within the grasp of man, thereby delivering him from spiritual darkness.

John 12:47

7 The original word for judge has several shades of meaning; one of them is, “to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong.” The world had already been pronounced wrong or “in unbelief” (Romans 11:32) before Jesus came into it, hence he did not come for that purpose. Instead, He came to provide a plan whereby the world might be saved from its bondage of unbelief.

John 12:48

8 If a man rejects the plan offered by Jesus for his salvation, then God will judge him in the last day. When that day arrives, God will bring condemnation upon the disobedient man, finding him guilty under the words that were spoken by his Son, and using him as the acting judge (Acts 17:31).

John 12:49

9 It will be consistent for the Father to judge the unbeliever by the words of Jesus, because He has delivered to mankind the words that his Father gave him.

John 12:50

0 Jesus could speak in this positive manner about the laws of his Father, because he was with Him from the beginning, and had direct and personal knowledge of their eternal character. (See John 1:1; John 1:14.)