John 12:1-50
And can it be? In hindsight. Love not the world. The judgement. Walk in the light. Blinded and hardened. Praise from men. Believe = in the light. His commandment is eternal life.
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JOHN 12:1-50
1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 So they prepared a dinner for Jesus there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was among those present at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took three quarters of a pound of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus. She then wiped his feet dry with her hair. (Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.) 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was going to betray him) said, 5 "Why wasn't this oil sold for three hundred silver coins and the money given to the poor?" 6 (Now Judas said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box, he used to steal what was put into it.) 7 So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial. 8 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me!"
9 Now a large crowd of Judeans learned that Jesus was there, and so they came not only because of him but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too, 11 for on account of him many of the Jewish people from Jerusalem were going away and believing in Jesus.
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him. They began to shout, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!" 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 "Do not be afraid, people of Zion; look, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt!" 16 (His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him and that these things had happened to him.)
17 So the crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were continuing to testify about it. 18 Because they had heard that Jesus had performed this miraculous sign, the crowd went out to meet him. 19 Thus the Pharisees said to one another, "You see that you can do nothing. Look, the world has run off after him!"
20 Now some Greeks were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast. 21 So these approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." 22 Philip went and told Andrew, and they both went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, "The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 I tell you the solemn truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. 26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
27 "Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? 'Father, deliver me from this hour'? No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." 29 The crowd that stood there and heard the voice said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to him. 30 Jesus said, "This voice has not come for my benefit but for yours. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." 33 (Now he said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to die.)
34 Then the crowd responded, "We have heard from the law that the Christ will remain forever. How can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" 35 Jesus replied, "The light is with you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light." When Jesus had said these things, he went away and hid himself from them.
37 Although Jesus had performed so many miraculous signs before them, they still refused to believe in him, 38 so that the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled. He said, "Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" 39 For this reason they could not believe, because again Isaiah said,
40 "He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and understand with their heart,
and turn to me, and I would heal them."
41 Isaiah said these things because he saw Christ's glory, and spoke about him. 42 Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.
44 But Jesus shouted out, "The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me, 45 and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day. 49 For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me." (John 12:1-50)
AND CAN IT BE?
3 Then Mary took three quarters of a pound of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus. She then wiped his feet dry with her hair. (John 12:3)
Three quarters of a pound of costly aromatic oil is undeniably expensive. However, Mary chose to use it on Jesus’ feet. Typically, we would praise Mary for her devotion to Jesus, much like how we highlight the prodigal son’s attitude upon returning home.
I have a different perspective on situations like this. There must be something about Jesus, or the father of the prodigal son, that evoked such an outpouring of love towards the object of their affection. Therefore, I’ve borrowed the title of an old hymn for this section. The refrain of the hymn encapsulates it perfectly: “Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me!”
It’s not merely about us loving God, but rather, how can we not respond in kind to such extraordinary love. John articulates it beautifully: “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
IN HINDSIGHT
16 (His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him and that these things had happened to him.) (John 12:16)
We often make the assumption that both Jesus’ disciples and those who interacted with Him comprehended every word He spoke. However, this is not accurate. Verse 16 indicates that it was only in hindsight that they recalled what Jesus had told them. This is especially true for deeper theological truths, which could only be fully understood after God entrusted Paul with the task of explaining them in his epistles.
LOVE NOT THE WORLD
23 Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 I tell you the solemn truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. 26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:23-26)
When discussing the analogy of the “kernel of wheat falling into the ground and dying,” Jesus is referring to His own impending death. Does this serve as a call for believers to emulate Him? Some belief systems also emphasize the value of self-denial among their followers. Many Christians similarly express this concept of self-denial through various practices such as sacrifice, leading a life of simplicity, adhering to specific disciplines, and so forth.
The precious gift of dying to oneself, which the world often seeks, is actually granted to us through Christ, as stated in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” This same truth is echoed in Romans 6:6: “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
Therefore, it’s important to understand that no form of self-denial or discipline can lead to the experience of dying to oneself. This profound transformation can only be attained through faith, as described in the verses from Romans and Galatians, where we receive the gift of dying with Christ.
Without the guidance of Romans and Galatians, how can we grasp the full meaning of what Jesus conveyed in His teachings? Numerous bible teachers endeavor to incorporate the notion of self-denial into their teachings without consulting Paul’s epistles, often resulting in teachings that closely resemble those of various other world religions.
THE JUDGEMENT
30 Jesus said, “This voice has not come for my benefit but for yours. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:30-32)
The term “ruler of this world” undoubtedly refers to Satan, who has held dominion over the world since humanity’s departure from Eden. However, we also understand that the devil will continue to exercise control over the world until the return of Christ. So, how can Jesus declare that he will now be cast out?
Indeed, he will be expelled from the realm of God’s kingdom, where individuals who have responded to Christ’s call are now indwelled by the Holy Spirit. They are akin to a house with a new Master—God (Matthew 12:43-45).
This marks only the commencement of the judgment upon the prince of this world.
WALK IN THE LIGHT
35 Jesus replied, “The light is with you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he went away and hid himself from them. (John 12:35-36)
In an earlier section of chapter 9, Jesus states, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” while subtly implying that His time in the world is limited. Nevertheless, He also assures us that once He departs, another will take His place—the Holy Spirit.
The primary concept here revolves around walking in the light. Yet, now that Jesus has returned to sit at the right hand of God’s throne, our walk is characterized by the influence of the Holy Spirit.
However, for many of us, the notion of walking in the Spirit is often viewed through a highly subjective lens. We tend to associate it with activities that we consider overtly spiritual, and pastimes such as bowling or tennis might not be seen as instances of walking in the Spirit. However, this limited perspective doesn’t offer a complete understanding of what it means to be in the Spirit. It is fundamentally tied to our status as children of God, our faith in Christ Jesus, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit—a guarantee from God ensuring our place in His kingdom.
Moreover, there is one more indicator that can help us discern whether we are truly walking in the Spirit:
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:18)
BLINDED AND HARDENED
37 Although Jesus had performed so many miraculous signs before them, they still refused to believe in him, 38 so that the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled. He said, “Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 For this reason they could not believe, because again Isaiah said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and understand with their heart,
and turn to me, and I would heal them.”
41 Isaiah said these things because he saw Christ’s glory, and spoke about him. (John 12:37-41)
Many individuals remain veiled from the truth due to their long-held beliefs. In the parable of the wineskins, Jesus conveyed a similar sentiment when He said, “No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is good enough’” (Luke 5:39).
So, what symbolizes the “old wine” for the Jews in Jesus’ time? It represents the Old Covenant with its laws and commandments, which they hoped would provide them access to God. The Gospel of John commences with a comparison between Jesus and Moses, signifying the new and the old:
“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
This notion was further reinforced by the Jews when, after a man born blind was healed by Jesus, they derided him and asserted, “You are his disciple! We are disciples of Moses!” (John 9:28).
From this, we can infer that their reliance on the law to attain God’s righteousness blinded them to accepting Jesus as their Savior.
PRAISE FROM MEN
42 Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. (John 12:42-43)
We often place significant importance on an individual’s capacity or willingness to publicly declare their allegiance to Christ, considering it a mark of honor or evidence of their salvation. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to recognize that not all public proclamations, or the absence thereof, arise from the same circumstances.
Verse 43 highlights that some individuals refrain from openly acknowledging Christ because “they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” Conversely, there are others who might be hesitant to profess their faith due to severe consequences that could jeopardize their safety or the well-being of themselves and their loved ones.
BELIEVE = IN THE LIGHT
46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness. (John 12:46)
This verse straightforwardly states that being in the light equates to having faith in Jesus.
HIS COMMANDMENT IS ETERNAL LIFE
50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me.” (John 12:50)
Certainly, God’s commandment can lead to eternal life, but only when applied correctly. It’s akin to the most potent medicine that can be lethal if used improperly.
God has provided us with commandments under both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. It is crucial to understand how to apply these remedies to our sin-afflicted souls.
The Old Covenant commandments, which encompass the Ten Commandments, the extensive Mosaic laws (totaling over 600), along with numerous Pharisaical regulations, and potentially all laws devised by humans since acquiring the knowledge of good and evil, serve the purpose of revealing humanity’s profound depravity and directing them to their Savior, Jesus Christ.
The New Covenant commandment is straightforward and repeatedly emphasized throughout the New Testament, as stated in verse 46 of this chapter: “I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness” (John 12:46).
So, if you desire to obey God’s commandment and carry out His work, here is what you must do:
28So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?” 29Jesus replied, “This is the deed God requires - to believe in the one whom he sent.” (John 6:28-29)
Nghi Nguyen
- Scripture quoted by permission. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: This is my own opinion on the topic, which does not necessarily reflect the church's theology, or beliefs of the individuals in it — Nghi Nguyen
