Summary of passage: Many Jews still did not believe in Jesus. God had blinded them and deadened their hearts. Still, many believed in Jesus but were too afraid to say anything out of fear. Jesus says those who see him see God and he is the light of the world. Jesus speaks what God has commanded him to. He has come to save the world.
Questions:
11) Many Jews still did not believe in Jesus. God had blinded them and deadened their hearts.
12a) Well, John quoted verse 10. Some will never be able to believe in Jesus/God because they have been blinded and their hearts hardened.
b) Personal Question. My answer: Honestly, none. I’ve never been one to care what people think of me. It’s what you see is what you get. I’m pretty authentic.
Conclusions: I have no comments on this. Either you got something out of this or you didn’t.
End Notes: The Old Testament prophets predicted many would not believe in Jesus. Today, this is the norm, especially among Jews. But back then everyone believed in God so why not in Jesus? It was man’s choice to believe or not. Those who did not would be strengthened in their hardening hearts as judgement.
Isaiah, in seeing God, saw Jesus as well. He understood they were one and the same.
Isaiah spoke primarily of the glory of God. John speaks primarily of the glory of Jesus, making no distinction between the two. Glory here is majesty and Jesus’ death on the cross, resurrection, and exaltation. Both portray suffering and healing, rejection and triumph, humiliation and glory.
Fun Fact: These are the last words in John’s gospel from Jesus to the public. He emphasizes the culmination of all his previous teaching in John, including a challenge to decide, a warning to those who decide, against Him and a promise to those who decide for Him. Scholars are unsure when Jesus spoke these words.
Jesus stresses his closeness and oneness with God, the need of man, the need of man to be saved, and his submission to God.
In John’s Gospel, the theme is: Jesus came in love, but his coming is a judgement. Judgement is the other side of salvation. Rejecting Jesus is rejecting God since Jesus is doing God’s will.
