Waters of Life

Biblical Studies in Multiple Languages

Search in "English":
Home -- English -- John - 080 (Men harden themselves)
This page in: -- Albanian -- Arabic -- Armenian -- Bengali -- Burmese -- Cebuano -- Chinese -- Dioula? -- ENGLISH -- Farsi? -- French -- Georgian -- Greek -- Hausa -- Hindi -- Igbo -- Indonesian -- Javanese -- Kiswahili -- Kyrgyz -- Malayalam -- Peul -- Portuguese -- Russian -- Serbian -- Somali -- Spanish -- Tamil -- Telugu -- Thai -- Turkish -- Twi -- Urdu -- Uyghur? -- Uzbek -- Vietnamese -- Yiddish -- Yoruba

Previous Lesson -- Next Lesson

JOHN - The Light Shines in the Darkness
A Bible Study Course on the Gospel of Christ according to John
PART 3 - Light Shines in the Circle of the Apostles (John 11:55 - 17:26)
A - Prelude to Holy Week (John 11:55 - 12:50)

5. Men harden themselves towards judgement (John 12:37-50)


JOHN 12:37-41
37 But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, “Lord, who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 For this cause they couldn’t believe, for Isaiah said again, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.

Jesus performed many signs of loving intent in Jerusalem. All who had ready wills became aware of his power and source but the narrow-minded, locked in past views, failed to recognize Jesus, since they measured him by the standards of twisted logic and bigotry.

Many folk are full of their own peculiar thoughts and do not listen to God’s voice. The Holy Spirit speaks gently and calmly and requires the attention of the heart.

But the rebels, opposed to the Holy Spirit who speaks in the gospel, do not merely harden their own souls, but God in his justice and wrath withdraws the ability inborn in them to hear and behold and so hardens them. Consequently they are no longer able to be aware of their need. God is the agent of salvation and judgment.

We notice that some families, tribes and nations seem to live under God’s wrath. He ignores those who depart permanently from him, after his repeated attempts to guide them back to the true path. God hardens those who disobey the voice of his Holy Spirit. All who tread upon his love deliberately and reject the influence of Christ will fall into condemnation. God for the sake of his holiness must gradually harden the disobedient unto perdition.

The concept of God hardening those who oppose him is not a fanciful philosophy, but has to do with his glory. This Isaiah understood when he heard the Lord sending him not to rescue his people but to harden their hearts (Isaiah 6:1-13). Preaching about love is easier than warnings about God’s wrath and judgment. God’s love is mingled with holiness, truth and justice. No evil can stand in his presence, but will flee from the rays of his glory. Since Jesus is holy Love incarnate, his person separates people. John boldly asserts that the One seated on the throne, as seen by Isaiah, is Jesus, because God and His Son are one in holiness and glory.

JOHN 12:42-43
42 Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn’t confess it, so that they wouldn’t be put out of the synagogue, 43 for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise.

John, the evangelist, was known in the high priestly family (John 18:15). He tells us that despite the distancing of the general public from Jesus, some dignitaries believed in him. They realized that God was with him and his words were full of power and truth, but they did not witness openly.

Why did such men agree to the verdict that ran contrary to their consciences? They feared the Pharisees, preferring safety and popularity to the truth. The Pharisees had threatened Jerusalemites with expulsion if any supported Jesus. So these deputies were reluctant to lose their prestige and be exposed to a ban and to persecution. Anyone who was cut off from the nation could not buy or sell, nor marry or pray with others of his people. He is deemed a leper infecting society.

Why did these representatives not confess despite their secret faith? They preferred the praise of man more than the praise of God. But pleasing the holy God was not their aim; they loved themselves more than their Lord.

Woe to him who only believes secretly and acts as if he does not know Jesus. Such a man will deny his Lord at a critical hour. He prefers security and reputation to God’s honor and protection. Confess your Lord and Savior, trusting that he will guide you rightly according to his good pleasure.

JOHN 12:44-45
44 Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. 45 He who sees me sees him who sent me.

Jesus called his people to repent, giving the gist of his teachings in a hard saying, while at the same time simplifying it to the spiritual. At first, this seems a contradiction as if he were saying, "He who believes in me, does not believe in me!" Jesus does not bind a person to him alone, but the Son leads all his followers directly to the Father. He empties himself of special rights, nor does he expect men to trust him alone. The Son does not deprive God of men’s faith; he therefore does not take away from God’s majesty, but reveals and glorifies it constantly.

The contrary is also true: No one comes to the Father but by the Son; there is no true faith in God except in the Son. The Father gifted him all believers to be his peculiar people and adorned him with all divine qualities. So it is that the humble Son can assert without arrogance, "He who sees me has seen Him who sent me." Jesus is the genuine Apostle from God who bears God’s power and glory to absolutely obey. Jesus represents the essence of divine life, light and splendor. We do not know another God, other than the example that Jesus reflected in his life and resurrection. His humility lifted him to the Father’s level. Truly, the One Isaiah saw was Jesus himself, for there is no difference between the Father and the Son.

JOHN 12:46-48
46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness. 47 If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke, the same will judge him in the last day.

A dangerous plague rages in some villages of Africa. People would toss wildly in their jungle huts on account of the fever. The doctor who rushed to the village realized that the germs of this plague would be destroyed if the patient walked in bright sunlight. So he cried, "Come out of your gloomy huts and be healed. These microbes will perish in the sun." Many went out into the light and were cured. Others did not believe the doctor on account of the pain; they stayed indoors and died. The doctor and some other healed folk saw some who were in the throes of death, and asked, "Why did you not go out into the sunshine?" They answered, "Woe is us, we did not trust your words, they seemed too simple. We were sick and exhausted." The doctor replied, "So you died not because of the plague, but because you did not believe my instructions."

This illustration explains Christ’s power. He is the Sun of Righteousness rising over the darkness of sin, the Victor over the sources of evil. He who enters his marvelous light is saved. He has no other object but to save mankind from sin and death. His words can free us from all destructive forces. Whoever hears his words, trusts and believes, comes to him and obeys, lives forever. Death will have no dominion over him.

But whoever hears his words and does not hide them in his heart, will sink in sin and advances into judgment and outer darkness. Thus the Gospel becomes to unbelievers a judge and a factor in his ruin. Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Do you memorize his words and determine to live by them?

JOHN 12:49-50
49 For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50 I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”

Jesus is God’s word. Only what God thinks and wishes is what we hear when Jesus speaks. Christ is God’s direct message to you. The son was obedient, he listened to his Father’s voice and translated it into human tongues. God speaks through him to a guilty world, as if to say, "I am the Eternal One and will be your Father; by grace I will give you eternal life. You may deserve God’s wrath and destruction, but I love you nevertheless; I sacrificed my Holy Son in your place, so that you may be justified, and receive the Holy Spirit. You shall not die. I implore you to receive eternal life at my Messiah’s hand. Whoever does not, will not see Paradise or true life." With these words God offers the world a free salvation. But whoever ignores Christ or rejects him will fall into an abyss, because he has rejected God’s bidding to life.

PRAYER: Father, we thank you for bestowing eternal life on us. We magnify and praise you with joy. You have transported us from death to life, from sin’s dominion to your love. Preserve in us your Son’s words and fix them in our hearts and minds, to bring forth fruit. Revive many through your Gospel. Teach us to convey your message to all, so that they may live and not die.

QUESTION:

  1. What is God’s commandment in Christ to all?

www.Waters-of-Life.net

Page last modified on February 03, 2022, at 06:57 AM | powered by PmWiki (pmwiki-2.3.3)