October 25, 2020
John 12:37-50
“Believe THEN Be Freed”
Service Orientation: The idea that “seeing is believing” just isn’t true. People see things all the time and still refuse to believe the truth. In order for seeing to become believing, the eyes of the heart must first be opened.
Memory Verse for the Week: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Background Information:
- The hardening of Isaiah’s audience followed repeated appeals to them to amend their ways. God had labored among His people to plant a vineyard and enjoy its fruit, but His labors had been in vain and His word had been despised (see Isaiah 5:1-7; 24-25). Their hardening (Isa. 6:9- 10) would seal them in their rebellion and would ensure the appropriate punishment for their behavior. Likewise, in Jesus’ ministry, rejection of Jesus flowed out of an earlier rejection of God. Had Israel been willing to learn from the Father, she would have been drawn to the Son. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 160)
- Concerning the unity of the Father and the Son, we must be content to believe reverently, what we cannot grasp mentally or explain distinctly. Let it suffice us to know that our Savior was not like the prophets and patriarchs, a man sent by God the Father, a friend of God, and a witness for God. He was something far higher and greater than this. He was in His Divine nature essentially one with the Father–and in seeing Him, men saw the Father who sent Him. This is a great mystery; but a truth of vast importance to our souls. He that casts His sins on Jesus Christ by faith is building on a rock. Believing on Christ, he believes not merely on Him, but on Him that sent Him. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 270)
- There had been enough fulfillment of Scripture in the life and ministry of Jesus, enough likeness to the prophetic blueprint of the Messianic character, enough evidence of divine origin, to answer their question, “Who is this, the Son of man?” Theirs was not the sincere questioning of the seeking soul, the inquiring of hearts ready to believe, but rather the caviling of determined unbelief. Therefore, our Lord, instead of answering their questions, pronounced a last warning and extended a last gracious invitation as the last act of His public ministry. (J.C. Macaulay, Expository Commentary on John, 155)
- Not only did prophecy describe unbelief, it also explained it. Why should not the hearers of Jesus believe in him when the signs so unmistakably accredited his claims? (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 133)
The question to be answered is . . .
What should Jesus’ followers understand about belief and unbelief from this text?
Answer…
Seeing never ultimately leads to believing if the heart is fundamentally closed. And belief only reaches its potential in proportion to the degree by which fear is overcome.
The word of the day is… believe
What is vital for us to realize about belief and fear?
- If people will not believe, they cannot believe. God’s love toward people requires the ability to exercise freedom. (Prov. 1:22-33; Is. 55:6-7; John 7:17; Rom. 1;18-25; 1 Cor. 10:13; Jam. 1:13-16; Rev. 3:20)
The cumulative effect of unbelief is a hardened attitude that becomes more impenetrable as time progresses. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 133)
God has provided enough evidence in this life to convince anyone willing to believe, yet he has also left some ambiguity so as not to compel the unwilling. (Norman L. Geisler & Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Fatih to be an Atheist, 31)
- 2. Never underestimate the power fear has when it comes to influencing belief. (Prov. 29:25; Is. 2:22; 51:12; Mat. 10:28; Luk. 12:4; Gal. 1:10; Heb. 13:6)
As with other forms of false faith (cf. 2:25), the problem goes back to the condition of their hearts, for they loved praise from men more than praise from God (v. 43). The word translated praise is the same word translated glory in verse 41. Isaiah saw God’s glory and proclaimed it despite its scandalous nature, but these would-be believers prefer human glory for God’s glory. The issue is a matter of the heart, for the problem is in their love. They have received the revelation of the Son but are not willing to live in the light of the truth they have seen (cf. 12:47). (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 323)
Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us. (Elisabeth Elliot, The Music of His Promises, 63)
Conclusion… how can we be challenged to live in light of this?
A. Never fail to do your part, but never forget who does the saving. Look to Jesus! (Mat. 28:18; John 3:16; 14:6; Acts 4:12; 10:43; Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 2:8-9)
Faith involves certain beliefs. Faith involves an attitude of hope and confidence. But at its core, faith is trusting a person. (John Ortberg, Faith and Doubt, 51)
Let no one dare to defend the freedom of the will in any such way as to attempt depriving us of the prayer that says, ‘Lead us not into temptation’; and, on the other hand, let no one deny the freedom of the will, and so venture to find an excuse for sin. But let us give heed to the Lord, both in commanding and in offering His aid; in both telling us our duty, and assisting us to discharge it. (Augustine, Commentary on John, Tractate 53.8).
John never allows his readers to avoid the decision about what to do with Jesus Christ. For those ready to respond, no obstacle will keep them from belief. For those whose hearts are hardened, even the most compelling reasons for faith become obstacles. John soberly reminds us that many of those who believe in Jesus still allow the pressures and fears of people to hinder their faith. Hidden faith may avoid a confrontation with others, but it seldom pleases God. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 259-260)
B. In order to overpower fear in living out your faith, exercise trust. Look to Jesus! (Ps. 27:1; 34:4; 56:3-4; Prov. 3:5; Is. 41:40; Rom. 8:15; 10:9; Phil. 4:6; 2 Tim. 1:7; 1 John 4:18)
Unbelief puts circumstances between itself and Christ, so as to not see Him. (F.B. Meyer, The Shepherd Psalm, 20)
Unbelief is refusal to trust. It is not uncertainty in the intellect; it is a settled decision of the will. (John Ortberg, Faith and Doubt, 130)
Walking by sight is just this: “I believe in myself.” Whereas walking by faith is: “I believe in God.” (Charles Spurgeon, “Faith Versus Sight” sermon, c.1866)
C. When human praise becomes a temptation, look to Jesus! (Deut. 31:6; Ps. 118:8; Prov. 29:25; 1 Cor. 10:13; Gal. 1:10; Col. 3:23; Ja.1:12)
A faith which does not confess Christ is not a saving faith. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 691)
It is all right when God sends us the approval of our fellow men; however, we must never make that approval a motive in our life. (A.B. Simpson, Days of Heaven Upon Earth, 80)
All too often we remain silent at the very times we ought to be confessing our faith in Christ. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 262)
Worship Point…
Worship happens when Jesus’ people live courageously in the face of a broken and unbelieving world. (Deut. 31:6; Jos. 1:9; Ps. 56:3-4; Prov. 28:1; Is. 41:10; John 14:27; 16:33; 1 Cor. 16:13; Phil. 1:27-30; 2 Tim. 1:7)
You are called not to be successful or to meet any of the other counterfeit standards of this world, but to be faithful and to be expended in the cause of serving the risen and returning Christ. (Charles Colson, Faith on the Line, 54)
Gospel Application…
Jesus came to rescue the broken. But rescue can only happen when the need for rescue is realized. (Luke 19:10; John 3:16, 36; Acts 2:38; Rom. 3:23; 5:8; 6:23; 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 John 1:9)
The most dangerous thing in the world is to hear the Gospel and then turn your back on it. If you just go on listening and listening and do not accept it and act upon it, there comes the time when you cannot hear and you cannot see. God is God and it is He who has the final word. (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 221)
Judgment on unbelief is not arbitrary but inevitable. The message of Christ when refused will become the condemnation of man in the last days since nobody who refused it can plead ignorance. The emphasis, however, is positive. Jesus’ mission was intended to evoke belief and to rescue men from darkness. The Father’s sovereign purpose is to lift men out of helplessness and death and give them eternal life. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 134)
Every time a man says “no” to the call of faith he cripples his ability to believe, till at last he is of the number of whom it is written, “they could not believe”. (J.C. Macaulay, Expository Commentary on John, 157)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- What four things does Jesus say about light in John 12:35-50? What does Jesus say people need to do to not be in darkness?
- Have you ever found yourself in a conversation with someone “willfully blind”? What are some good indications that it’s probably ok to “walk away” from that conversation for a while?
- Do you ever find yourself embarrassed or afraid to talk about what you believe with others? Why or why not? What might help you in overcoming those fears?
- Who might the Lord be placing on your heart to be praying for regarding their belief in Him?
Quotes to note…
We err greatly if we suppose that seeing wonderful miraculous things will ever convert souls. Thousands live and die in this delusion. They fancy if they saw some miraculous sight, or witnessed some supernatural exercise of Divine grace, they would lay aside their doubts, and at once become decided Christians. It is a total mistake. Nothing short of a new heart and a new nature implanted in us by the Holy Spirit, will ever make us real disciples of Christ. Without this, a miracle might raise within us a little temporary excitement; but, the novelty once gone, we would find ourselves just as cold and unbelieving as the Jews. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 261)
Jesus had performed many miracles, but most people still didn’t believe in him. Likewise, many today won’t believe despite all God does. Don’t be discouraged if your witness for Christ doesn’t turn as many to him as you’d like. Your job is to continue as a faithful witness. You are responsible to reach out to others, but they are responsible for their own decisions. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 261)
Unbelief has a terrible power to rob a man of the very faculty of faith. It is a law of nature that unused powers atrophy. It is so in the physical realm … every time a man says “no” to the call of faith he cripples his ability to believe, till at last he is of the number of whom it is written, “they could not believe” (John 12:36). (J.C. Macaulay, Expository Commentary on John, 157)
Regardless of what we say, it’s what we do that reveals what we as a church or individual actually believe about God and His will for us. (Henry Blackaby, What the Spirit Is Saying to the Churches, 83)
I believe in Christianity as I believe the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. (C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, 140)
Our beliefs are not just estimates of probabilities. They are also the instruments that guide our actions. (John Ortberg, Faith and Doubt, 31)
Unbelief is judged by Jesus not as an intellectual error but as a hostile act of prejudice against God Himself. (R.C. Sproul, Who Is Jesus?, 5)
In the dark and troubled heart of unbelief, God does what he did in the dark and unformed creation at the beginning of our world. He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. So he says to the blind and dark heart, “Let there be light,” and there is light in the heart of the sinner. In this light we see the glory of God in the face of Christ. (John Piper, God is the Gospel, 61)
A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. (Tim Keller, The Reason for God, xvii)
FURTHER QUOTES & RESEARCH:
It’s virtually impossible to know everything about a particular topic, and it’s certainly impossible when that topic is an infinite God. So there has to come a point where you realize you have enough information to come to a conclusion, even if unanswered questions remain. (Norman L. Geisler & Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Fatih to be an Atheist, 25)
Sometimes in order to see what you’ve never seen before, you have to forget whatever you’ve heard before. (Doug Newton, Fresh Eyes on Jesus’ Miracles, 47)
No promise of the covenant of grace belongs to any man, until he has first believed in Christ. (Jonathan Edwards, A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, c. 1750, p.122)
No person in history has provoked as much study, criticism, prejudice, or devotion as Jesus of Nazareth. The titanic influence of this man makes Him a chief target of the arrows of criticism and a prime object of revision according to the interpreter’s prejudice. (Sproul, R.C.. Who Is Jesus? (Crucial Questions Series Book 1) (p. 2). Reformation Trust Publishing. Kindle Edition.)
G K Chesterton wrote, if people cease to believe in God, they do not believe in nothing but in anything 1
We modern people think of miracles as the suspension of the natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. The Bible tells us that God did not originally make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. Jesus has come to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world where it is broken. His miracles are not just proofs that he has power but also wonderful foretastes of what he is going to do with that power. Jesus’s miracles are not just a challenge to our minds, but a promise to our hearts, that the world we all want is coming. (Tim Keller, The Reason for God, 99)
Unbelief was rapidly approaching the climax attained in the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus. John connected this with the prophecy of Isaiah, thus plainly affirming that Jesus was the subject of the passage on the Suffering Servant (Isa 52:13-53:12). (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 133)
Not only did prophecy describe unbelief, it also explained it. Why should not the hearers of Jesus believe in him when the signs so unmistakably accredited his claims? (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 133)
The Father and the Son are inseparable; though they are two personalities, they work as one being. Jesus spoke of the Father as the one who had sent him, and he claimed to be the light that illumines the darkness of those who are without God. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 134)
“The prevalence of unbelief and indifference in the present day ought not to surprise us. It is just one of the evidences of that mighty foundation-doctrine, the total corruption and fall of man. How feebly we grasp and realize that doctrine is proved by our surprise at human incredulity. We only half believe the heart’s deceitfulness. Let us read our Bibles more attentively, and search their contents more carefully. Even when Christ wrought miracles and preached sermons there were numbers of His hearers who remained utterly unmoved. What right have we to wonder if the hearers of modern sermons in countless instances remain unbelieving? ‘The disciple is not greater than his Master.’ If even the hearers of Christ did not believe, how much more should we expect to find unbelief among the hearers of His ministers? Let the truth be spoken and confessed: man’s obstinate unbelief is one among many of the indirect proofs that the Bible is true” (Bishop Ryle). (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 688)
In consequence of their rejection of Christ, the nation as a whole was judicially blinded of God, that is, they were left to the darkness and hardness of their own evil hearts. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 689)
40). This was God’s response to the wicked treatment which Israel had meted out to His beloved Son. They had refused the light, now darkness shall be their dreadful portion. They had rejected the truth, now a heart which loved error should be the terrible harvest. Blinded eyes and a hardened heart have belonged to Israel ever since; only thus can we account for their continued unbelief all through these nineteen centuries; only thus can we explain Israel’s attitude toward Christ today. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 689)
Just as in the days of Nimrod God “gave up” the entire Gentile world because they despised and rejected the revelation which He had given them (Rom. 1); just as He abandoned Israel to their unbelief, through the rejection of His Son; so in a soon-coming day He will cause unfaithful Christendom to receive the Antichrist because “they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10). (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 690)
47). Here the Evangelist calls attention to another truth which had held a prominent place in our Lord’s teachings. It respected His repeated announcement concerning the character and design of His mission and ministry. It tells of the lowly place which He had taken, and of the patient grace which marked Him during the time that He tabernacled among men. It brings into sharp contrast the purpose and nature of His two advents. When He returns to this earth it will be in another character and with a different object from what was true of Him when He was here the first time. Before, He was here as a lowly servant; then, He shall appear as the exalted Sovereign. Before, He came to woo and win men; then, He shall rule over them with a rod of iron. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 694)
The Lord Jesus says to us all, “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you. While you have light believe in the light.” Let us not think that these things were only spoken for the sake of the Jews. They were written for us also, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 260)
The prevalence of unbelief and indifference in the present day ought not to surprise us. It is just one of the evidences of that mighty foundation-doctrine, the total corruption and fall of man. How feebly we grasp and realize that doctrine is proved by our surprise at human incredulity. We only half believe the heart’s deceitfulness. Let us read our Bibles more attentively, and search their contents more carefully. Even when Christ wrought miracles and preached sermons, there were numbers of His hearers who remained utterly unmoved. What right have we to wonder if the hearers of modern sermons in countless instances remain unbelieving? (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 262)
Forever let us make much of Christ in all our religion. We can never trust Him too much, follow Him too closely, or commune with Him too unreservedly. He has all power in heaven and earth. He is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 271)
Jesus insists that His mission is not essentially one of judgment, but He acknowledges that His word will stand to judge “on the last day.” He is careful to insist that His principal assignment is to bring light, but the rejection of His redemptive message in the end means darkness remains upon them. (Samuel Young, Beacon Bible Expositions, 103)
as this very circumstance might lead many persons to anxious and perplexing inquiry how the Jews came to be so stupid, that the power of God, though visible, produced no effect upon them, John proceeds further, and shows that faith does not proceed from the ordinary faculties of men, but is an uncommon and extraordinary gift of God, and that this was anciently predicted concerning Christ, that very few would believe the Gospel. (John Calvin, Commentary on John Vol. 2, 28)
What tragic words! John has witnessed Jesus facing the stubborn misunderstanding and angry rejection of the very ones who should have accepted Him at every turn. All this has been a fulfillment of those words in the prologue, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (1:11). (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 214)
There is no neutral ground when God calls. Once Jesus appears and makes His claim men must decide. Who can fathom, in this moral warfare, the evil that moves men away from the Light? Rejection moves at its own pace from misunderstanding, to ridicule, then to anger, and finally death. Their ears cannot hear and their hearts hardened. (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 215)
Finding God’s strength in one who is crushed is such a reversal of normal thinking that those who hear it can only stand mute in disbelief. Thus, the same pattern is repeated in the ministry of Jesus. God’s strength, his “arm,” has been revealed in ways that defy normal religious sensibilities and has been met with shocked disbelief. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 321)
The scandal of the arm of the Lord revealed in the Suffering Servant corresponds to the scandal of the love of God revealed in Jesus. And as the revelation of the arm of the Lord produced mute disbelief in Isaiah 52:12—53:1, so the glory of the Lord revealed in Jesus has produced disbelief. God’s revelation of his glory has caused the blindness and the hardness (cf. Jn 9:39-41). The same sun that melts wax, hardens clay (Origen On First Principles 3.1.11). The hardness of heart found in these opponents is that which rejects God’s offer of mercy. Specifically, it is his offer of healing that they reject. This offer of healing, which has blinded and hardened, has come from God through Christ. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 322)
From the outset of the Gospel, John has spoken clearly of both divine sovereignty and human responsibility (1:12-13) without trying to explain rationally how both are true. It is one of the antinomies of this Gospel, which are inevitable in dealing with a revelation of reality that goes beyond our common, limited, four-dimensional perceptions. But these two aspects of reality are not opposed to one another; God’s sovereign action is never a violation of our moral responsibility, for such determinism would turn us into robots and preclude love and relationship. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 323)
Because they would not accept Him, there came the day when they could not accept Him. My friend, the most dangerous thing in the world is to hear the Gospel and then turn your back on it. If you just go on listening and listening and do not accept it and act upon it, there comes the time when you cannot hear and you cannot see. God is God and it is He who has the final word. (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 221)
The acclaim of the crowds who surrounded our Lord on His brief journey from Bethany to Jerusalem did not represent the official attitude of the holy city toward Him. Once within the city gates, He quickly found Himself again in an atmosphere of antagonism and unbelief. “Christ crucified [is] unto the Jews a stumbling block” (1 Cor 1:23) , said the apostle Paul years later. It was that from the beginning. As soon as Jesus mentioned the “lifting up” of the Son of Man, the unbelief of the Jews rose to the attack. (J.C. Macaulay, Expository Commentary on John, 155)
Three relationships to the light are here indicated in the words have, believe, and become. It is not what a man has that spells salvation, but what he is. However much knowledge he may have, he sustains no saving relation to the light until he has become a son of light, and the link between having and being is believing. That is what changes the man, and makes him something other than he was. Reduce all this to personal terms, for the light is not something abstract, but a glorious Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. “Ye have the light.” You have had knowledge of Him from infancy, when first you crooned, “Jesus loves me,” at your mother’s knee. All the information that you have accumulated concerning Him over the years will not of itself save you. The way to turn your knowledge into a means of salvation is to act upon it, and commit yourself to the Lord Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. You have; now believe, and you will become. (J.C. Macaulay, Expository Commentary on John, 156)
Unbelief has a terrible power to rob a man of the very faculty of faith. It is a law of nature that unused powers atrophy. It is so in the physical realm… We have seen pictures of “holy” men of India who have held their arms in set positions, uplifted or stretched out, until they have lost all power to use them. We know, too, that if we do not exercise our minds in listening to music or in the reading of poetry, we gradually lose our sense of appreciation of their beauty and harmony. Just so, every time a man says “no” to the call of faith he cripples his ability to believe, till at last he is of the number of whom it is written, “they could not believe” (John 12:36) . (J.C. Macaulay, Expository Commentary on John, 157)
Thank you for all the quotes.