John 12:37–41

The public ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ closes with the words of the Lord in verse 36... From verse 37 down to verse 43, we can see that the Holy Spirit is commenting on the staggering fact that so few people believed in Him.

"Many miracles," John says; yet he has mentioned distinctly very few. When he wrote "so many miracles," he surely counted on his readers knowing some, if not all three, of the other Gospels. His Gospel has its special place in the New Testament. But it was never meant to replace the use of those written by Matthew, Mark and Luke.

This was the result of the only perfect testimony ever given in this world — the words, the ways, and the signs of the Son of God. And no one here could plead blank ignorance as an excuse. God had done everything possible to prepare the way by prophecy, and to stir up attention by sign, grace and truth, among a people used to divine intervention. But man's unbelief, left to itself and to Satan, can shut out every sight and sound from God.

Miraculous displays appeal to the senses, but they do not reach the conscience. They may terrify, as with the jailer at Philippi, but in themselves they do not produce conviction of sin or lead the soul to God. Their effect is only surface-level and short-lived. "Neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead" is certainly true. The greatest miracle cannot persuade. If it could, then everyone would have accepted the blessed Lord.

All this proves that the natural man — even the religious man — is completely unable in himself to receive the things of God, or to know anything about them. The Jews set themselves up as judges. They said in effect to Jesus, "Show us a sign that we may believe You." But when the sign came, they were as far from believing as ever. It shows that what is needed is not miracles on the outside, but the work of the Holy Spirit within, before we can receive God's testimony.

There seems to be a particular sadness in the words that begin this section of Scripture — a tone of mixed regret and pity running through them... As though everything had been tried, but with no result. He performed miracle after miracle, as undeniable proof that He was the sent One of the Father. At last nothing more remained to be done, and patience had reached its utmost limit. Then a blindness set in as God's judgment, and it left every rejecter of the testimony in utter darkness.

The divine comment is solemn: His many miracles did not persuade them to believe Him personally, as Isaiah 53:1 had prophesied. No doubt many knew this prophecy, but blindly fulfilled it in refusing Him. More solemnly still we are told "they could not believe," because God had blinded their eyes and hardened their heart (vv. 39-40). But we must not suppose that God did this without reason. Just as Pharaoh first hardened his own heart against God before we read of God hardening his heart (Ex. 5:1-2; Ex. 7:3), so when the Jews hardened themselves against the Lord Jesus, then God confirmed their blindness by blinding them in judgment.

First, according to the prophet Isaiah, they had rejected both the "report" of the Lord, and the "arm of the Lord". In the wonderful words of the Lord they had heard the report; in the many signs they had seen the arm of the Lord. They refused outright to accept the report as coming from God, saying that the Lord's words came from the devil (John 8:49, 52). They rejected the arm of the Lord by crediting His works to the power of the devil (John 10:20-21).

"The arm of the Lord" is a divine title. In chapter 51 of the prophecy, Isaiah calls on the arm of the Lord to wake up and deliver the people as in the ancient days… At the Red Sea the arm of the Lord showed such glorious power that even the doubters in Israel's army must have been convinced. But now, where do we see the arm of the Lord? Not in the thunder, the lightning, the earthquake or the fire. Not in the mighty wind that divided the sea, but in a Babe in the manger at Bethlehem.

The arm of the Lord is revealed to souls where there is repentance and faith in the report which God sends. Isa. 53:1; Rom. 10:16. Even the distant islands of the nations are to trust in it — that is, sinners everywhere in creation. Isa. 51:5.

By the Spirit, the prophet foresaw that the nation would refuse the Lord's testimony, and that only a remnant would accept it. Christ is "The Arm of the Lord." He had the divine power that did the great signs: opening the eyes of the man born blind, and raising Lazarus from death and decay. Yet no one knew Him except those whose eyes God in grace had opened.

This was the result of the only perfect testimony ever given in this world: the words, and ways, and signs of the Son of God. And it did not happen where people could plead complete ignorance as an excuse. It happened where God had done all He could to prepare the way by prophecy, and to wake up attention by sign, grace, and truth, among a people used to seeing God step in. But man's unbelief, left to itself and Satan, can shut out every sight and sound from God.

It also helps to note that Scripture always keeps this order. God does not show His sovereignty until man's will sets itself against His. It is when man will not that he cannot.

They refused that testimony. Only then do we read, "Therefore they could not believe." All this proves that the natural man — even the religious man — has no power in himself to receive the things of God, or to know anything about them. The Jews set themselves up as judges and said to Jesus, in effect, "Show us a sign so that we may believe You." But when the sign came, they were as far from believing as ever. It shows that what we need is not miracles outside, but the work of the Holy Spirit inside, before we can receive God's testimony.

The nation still would not believe, though Christ had done so many miracles. Should that unbelief surprise us? It might, if we think only of the Lord's ministry. But not, if we remember the prophetic words of Isaiah 53:1. And John, guided by the Spirit, here takes us back to them. The nation's rejection of Christ was foreseen, and also foretold. Then blindness fell on them as a judgment, just as another word from the same prophet had said (Isaiah 6:9-10).

God shows His sovereignty only when man's will sets itself against His. It is when man will not that he cannot. This Gospel shows it clearly enough… It is plain that they would not believe (John 5:40), though they had ample proof. Then the passage goes on: "Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart"… So we see they could not believe because they would not.

God hardened them in judgment… They had steeled their hearts against His words and closed their eyes to His works of power. So God gave them up to the blindness and hardness that they themselves had chosen.

God never gives poor man up to Satan like this, however wretched and sinful he is, until that man rejects His love and holiness and truth. These are shown above all in the Lord Jesus and in this Gospel. Then He may harden him in judgment, and He does, and the ruin is beyond recovery. But this comes only after the heart has steeled itself against the appeals of His most patient goodness. Still, hardening in judgment is a real thing on God's part. Some argue against it, because they are unwilling to admit openly that God is at work on one side and Satan on the other. The opposite school is no better. It seems to banish from the conscience the solemn fact of responsibility.

The second quotation, though it comes earlier in Isaiah, points to the solemn fact of blindness sent in judgment. God never pronounces that sentence, still less carries it out, until His patience has had its perfect work and man has filled up the measure of his guilt beyond measure. Under such a sentence of hardening they could not believe, no doubt. But the sentence came because their wickedness was complete. They wilfully rejected God and His will and did not believe, despite the fullest appeals to their hearts and consciences.

"Jesus said these things, and departed and hid Himself from them." They were now to lose their privileges… Now the light was hidden from their eyes. One thing remained for them to do: to put out that light in the blood of His cross, as far as human power could do it. What a terrible creature man is!

But this hardening was only national, and it was not apart from mercy. The passage adds at once: "Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him."

Are you proud, and do you reject the truth of God's election of grace? Then beware as you read this. He may give you up too, to blindness and hardness of heart. How long has God held out His hands ready to receive you? And are you still a rejecter, like self-righteous Israel? God may, in righteous judgment, give you up to hardness of heart, and to the darkness that is closing in.

John, however, looks at their conduct at a stage after their wilfulness. They hardened their own hearts, and then their hearts were hardened as a penalty. They would not believe, therefore they could not believe. John's words are emphatic that a judicial punishment from God had fallen on the people.

It is not until man's will actively opposes God's that He shows His sovereignty. It is when man will not that he cannot.

The first citation proves the guilt of rejecting God's testimony. The second, though really earlier, points to the solemn fact of judicial blindness. God never pronounces it, still less carries it out, until His patience has had its perfect work. He waits until man has filled up the measure of his guilt beyond measure. Under such a sentence of hardening they could not believe, no doubt. But the sentence came because of wickedness completed in wilful rejection of God and His will. They did not believe, despite the fullest appeals to their hearts and consciences.

More solemn still is the word that "they could not believe," because God had blinded their eyes and hardened their heart. But we must not suppose that God did this without reason. Pharaoh first hardened his own heart against God, and only after that do we read of God hardening his heart (Ex. 5:1-2; Ex. 7:3). In the same way, the Jews hardened themselves against the Lord Jesus, and then God confirmed their blindness by judicially blinding them. Let men dare to go too far in opposition to God, and this may be the awful result.

But we must remember this. He has blinded them judicially in relation to the things of Christianity, not to the things He promised them in the prophets… It was after they had refused Christ as their Messiah that God closed their eyes to the greater things the Son was bringing to pass… They closed their own eyes to what their prophetic word had clearly set out. So God judicially closed their eyes to what was not obvious, and what came to light in the ministry of our Lord.

Notice that the Fourth Gospel quotes only part of the original prophecy, and leaves out the clause about their hearing. The context shows that the Gospel writer is speaking of the signs of Jesus, not of His teaching (v. 37). His miracles were for the eyes of the people, while His teaching was for their ears. So John brings forward only the clauses about their eyes and heart, which God had blinded and hardened because of their stubborn opposition.

It is Jehovah in the prophecy, Christ in the Gospel; but they are one — as, indeed, Acts 28:25-27 lets us include the Holy Spirit.

The Lord was the Great Physician come to heal them. And He had given repeated proofs of His power and readiness to do it. But they "would not," and so their blind eyes were made more blind.

However, this hardening was only national, and it was not apart from mercy. It is added at once: "Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him."

However, Israel's blindness is not permanent.

"Isaiah said these things because (or when) he saw His glory and spoke of Him." When the prophet saw the King, the Lord of hosts, he saw the glory of the Son of God. This was the Word who would in time become flesh and live here below, full of grace and truth. The light had its effect. The prophet owns that he is a man of unclean lips among a people of unclean lips. But fire from the altar touches him and cleanses him. Then he goes out with the message of blindness in judgment to the people who did not see His glory when it stood before their eyes in divine love.

Isaiah 6 is another proof. Isaiah was in the presence of the thrice holy God… And John says of that very passage that Isaiah "saw His glory and spoke of Him" (12:41). John is referring to the Lord Jesus, the wonderful glory of the Son of God, coequal with God… Isaiah saw the glory of Jehovah, and John tells us this was the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again we have no hesitation in saying that the Jesus of the New Testament is the Jehovah of the Old.

Isaiah 6 records the words of verse 40 in our chapter as "the voice of the Lord." In Acts 28 Paul quotes the same words as what the Holy Spirit said. This casts a helpful light on the unity of the Divine Persons. We may not divide, though we may distinguish.

God never pronounces this blindness, and never carries it out, until His patience has had its perfect work and man has filled up the measure of his guilt. Under such a sentence of hardening they could not believe. But the sentence came because of wickedness brought to its full in the deliberate rejection of God and His will. They did not believe, despite the fullest appeals to their hearts and consciences… It is Jehovah in the prophecy, Christ in the Gospel; but they are one… And the darkness increased as the light shone out.

John 12 sets a dark picture before us. But the Holy Spirit does not only show us Isaiah 6 fulfilled in the unbelief of the people. In His grace He also adds a word or two for our comfort, reminding us of the glory of the One they rejected… Here we have a man in the secret of God. And a man in the secret of God always speaks of the glory of Jesus.

Christ is the perfect standard, and He measures every one of us. It does not matter what I may think of myself, or what others may think about me. The question is this: what am I in the presence of Christ?… Only when the bright light of Christ's moral glory pours around me can I form a right estimate of what I am.

Isaiah "saw His glory, and spoke of Him"… And we need that same sight, by faith. We need the faith of the Son, the faith of Jesus, the faith of His name, the grasp of His person. We need the sense of the glory that lay behind a veil thicker than a seraph's wing — the covering of the lowly, earth-rejected Galilean.