Believe

March 28 Believe John 12:37-50

“We must remember that the prophet is speaking to unbelievers, who had already rejected the grace of God. It is certain that all would continue to be so by nature, did not the Lord form to obedience to Himself those whom He has elected. At first, then, the state of men is equal and the same. But when reprobate men have of their own accord and by their own malice rebelled against God, they make room for this vengeance that they may be given over to a reprobate mind and rush ever more and more to their own destruction.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 5:47

Despite having witnessed Jesus’ miracles, having heard the testimony of the man born blind, and having seen Lazarus, now raised from the dead, some of the Jews continued to reject Jesus. They stubbornly refused to believe. In this, they fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy in their rejection of the Servant of the Lord. Although the passages quoted had originally referred to the role of Israel among the nations, they had also come to be understood as prophesying the treatment that would be meted out to Israel’s Messiah. Just as the Gentiles refused to acknowledge Israel, so Israel herself would refuse to acknowledge the Messiah. God would harden their hearts.

This is not an easy passage for us. It seems to imply that God is responsible for the behavior of the Jews. They are condemned for their response to Christ, and yet that very response is to be understood as initiated by God. How can a person be condemned when their actions have been determined by God? We need to be careful not to read too much into a literary form that is very different to ours. Hebrew and Semitic expressions often seem strange to us, just as ours will seem odd to those who attempt to understand our vernacular phrases after two thousand years. John cannot simply mean that the Jews had no part to play, whatsoever, in whether or not they believed. That interpretation is contradicted by verse 43, in which human agency is assumed. God is not a tyrant. John merely quotes Isaiah to point out that the prophets had already predicted that many would reject the Messiah, when He came.

Nevertheless, some Jews did follow Jesus. Among them were probably Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, both of whom played important parts in the Gospel narrative. Nicodemus came to Jesus at the dead of night; Joseph took Jesus’ body when supernatural night had descended upon the land. Both had to learn the necessity of making a public confession in order to bear witness to Christ. It may be easier, sometimes, to keep quiet about our faith, but it is not right.

Seven times, in this brief passage, John uses the word “believe.” Clearly, he wanted his readers to put their trust in Jesus. To do so, was to discover that Jesus was far more than a human leader. To believe in Jesus was to believe in the One who had sent Him. To see Jesus was to see God. This is another clear indication of the deity of Christ. He had come as a light to dispel the darkness, not to deepen it. His purpose was not to condemn, but to save.

One day we shall all stand before the throne of judgment. In as much as we have turned from the deceptions of this world, repented of our sins, and chosen to live by faith in Christ, we shall know the joy of eternal life. If, on the other hand, we have rejected Jesus and refused to accept His words, we shall have condemned ourselves. This is Jesus’ last public appeal, presumably made as He taught in the Temple courts. From this point on, He would concentrate His teaching upon those to whom the mantle of leadership would soon be passed.

For further reading: Psalm 119: 89-104