One of the biggest challenges for the early Christian leaders was how many Jews were rejecting Jesus. The first two things Jesus’ disciples say about him in the Gospel of John are “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). And, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45). Despite the Disciples’ opinions, very few other Jews believed Jesus was the Savior. This is seemingly catastrophic for the Christian movement. If Jesus is the Messiah as the Bible predicted, then why didn’t more of His people embrace Him as the Savior?
Public vs Private
We arrive at a special place in the Gospel of John. The public ministry of Jesus is largely over when you arrive at John 12:50. Now, John will focus his camera lens on the private ministry of Jesus going forward. Again, the private ministry of Jesus Christ is about to begin. If you want to look ahead at chapters 13 - 17, you’ll notice that the crowd is shut out. So, it becomes personal, and it is intimate. As soon as this more private section between Jesus and the Disciples is over, you encounter the cross and the resurrection.
Today’s Scripture
“Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
“He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
lest they see with their eyes,
and understand with their heart, and turn,
and I would heal them.”
Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me” (John 12:37-50).
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Jesus says…
1. You Need My Power to Believe
2. You Need My Light to See1
3. I Am Your Hope to Proceed
1. You Need My Power to Believe
“Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him” (John 12:37).
Jesus says, “You need my power to believe.”
1.1 It Wasn’t for a Lack of Evidence
John wraps up an incredible sermon that Jesus likely delivers on Palm Sunday. Then John faces a problem head-on, and it states it so succinctly in verse 37: He then asks the question, “For all the signs Jesus did, why don’t more Jews believe He is the long-awaited Messiah?” After all, He healed the sick, made the blind see, raised the dead, taught the multitudes, and had compassion on the masses. But Jesus isn’t having an impact on so many of His own people. After rehearsing all that Jesus did and said for more than eleven chapters, John tells us all, “It’s not for a lack of evidence.”
1.2 Thirty-Four Miracles
If you were to count up Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John, you would discover 34 such miraculous signs occur in the gospels where Jesus demonstrated His power over nature, he demonstrated his power over disease, over demons, and over death itself. Now, just so you know, when we say miracle, we mean a REAL miracle. I don’t mean the kind of miracles that people say, “Oh, the sun rose this morning. Wasn’t that beautiful? That’s a miracle.”2 No, these are miracles that break the laws of nature. Jesus turned water into wine. He walked on the water. He even took a few loaves and fish, blessed them, broke them, and fed thousands of people with them. Can you imagine hearing Jesus’ matchless words, seeing Jesus’ beautiful life, watching Jesus perform astonishing miracles, and still NOT believing?
Again, it wasn’t for a lack of evidence that they did not believe in Jesus. Why did Jewish people in particular persist in their unbelief? John says, “Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them” (John 12:39-40).
1.3 Jews Rejected Their Messiah
How can you explain the Jews’ large-scale catastrophic unbelief in the Jewish Messiah? The Apostle Paul gives us the most in-depth theological answer to this question in Romans 9-11. But surely people will question if Jesus is the legitimate Messiah if Jews, by and large, reject Him as the Messiah. This would have been the argument against Christianity while Jesus walked the face of the earth, as well as what many of our Jewish friends would say to us today. How can we legitimately say Jesus is the Messiah when so many Jews reject Him?
Keep in mind, this is not an academic question for John, the author of the Gospel of John. John was Jewish, and his precious uncles, aunts, grandparents, and parents were all Jewish. This was deeply personal to John and the writers of the New Testament. They loved their families like you love yours. They agonized over the Jewish rejection of Jesus.
1.4 Why Did They Reject the Messiah?
So why did the chosen people reject God’s chosen Messiah?
1.4.1 It was God’s Plan
John says Jesus is having the same experience that the prophet Isaiah did in verses 39 and 40. In verse 39, the reason the Jewish people “could not believe” (to use the language of verse 39) is because of what the prophet Isaiah predicted. Isaiah predicted, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them” (John 12:40). John splices together Isaiah 53:1 in verses 37-38 and Isaiah 6:10 in verses 39-40.
John doesn’t blink when he says the ultimate reason the Jewish people don’t believe is because of God. What you are seeing in Jesus’ ministry is the same that Isaiah saw in his ministry. God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. God did what? The Bible says God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. God did what? He blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. Some of you are thinking to yourselves, “That’s not fair!” Before you ask, I struggle with this too. There is a mystery here that no one but God alone can fully explain.
1.4.2 It Was Their Fault
No sooner does Jesus say God was behind this than he adds, “Oh, by the way, they are responsible too.” Look at verses 43 with me: “for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:42-43). These people preferred human praise and were fearful of a loss of status before others. They were responsible for their rejection of Jesus. You’re saying, “Didn’t the Bible just say God blinded and hardened? How can the Bible blame them for rejecting Jesus when God did this? Which is it?” The Bible says, “God blinded and hardened,” and “the people were responsible.”
1.4.3 Peter’s Sermon in Acts 2
In Acts 2, the very first sermon after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter says that “Jesus Christ died on the cross because God destined Jesus Christ to die on that cross. God ordained that Jesus Christ would die on that cross. God absolutely planned for Jesus Christ to die on that cross. He had to die on that cross or we wouldn’t be saved. And then Peter turned around and said You betrayed Him and killed Him. You are guilty of what you’ve done. “Which is it?” we ask. Did God do it, or did they do it? And the answer is “yes.” The Bible teaches that God is absolutely in control of everything that happens. Every one of your choices is part of God’s plan. Everything you and I do is something that He’s decreed will happen, and there is no deviation from the plan. And yet at the same time, when you make that choice, none of you are ever coerced by Him. We’re freely choosing them, each of our choices just as the people freely chose to crucify Jesus.3 If you’re scratching your head and wondering if you just entered philosophy class, let me bring us down to real life for a moment.
1.4.4 Living Life with Anxiety
Think about it for a moment: If you truly believed that everything depended on you, you wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning. You’d be filled with anxiety all the time. But here’s one thing John is doing.
1.4.5 Living Securely
Joseph is Exhibit A for living life securely in the hands of a loving God who controls everything. If you live your life like Joseph in the book of Genesis, you’ll have a very different perspective. Joseph made some wrong moves, and his brothers sold him into slavery because of their jealousy. Joseph suffered because of the stupid and foolish choices both he and his brothers made. They not only hurt themselves, but they also hurt people around them. But God used every single one of their stupid decisions as part of His plan. Now, if you believe that is how God works, let me ask you this question: Can you really mess up your life? You know what the answer is? Yes, I can mess up my life, but ultimately, no. The answer is NOT yes, and not just no! The answer is “Yes, but ultimately, no.4 Living life knowing God is ultimately in control frees me from anxiety.
1.4.6 Part of God’s Plan
Now, circle back to the problem of so many Jews rejecting Jesus with me. John says in effect, “God Himself anticipated this; He even planned for it.” “Don’t be alarmed, this is part of God’s plan.” “Why would God plan such a thing?” Paul helps us here when he writes, “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:15). I don’t have time to develop, and I don’t understand it, but the Bible says God’s forever plan has included “a partial hardening” of the Jewish people in order for the gospel to be presented fully to everyone else. If this perplexes you, you’re in good company. Paul teaches us that God partially hardens (not fully hardens every Jew) for the purpose of everyone else of every other nationality to embrace Christ. You say, “Why can’t both races come to Christ? Why must the door to Jews be partially closed in order for the door to all other races to be fully open?” God’s wisdom and His ability to plan sits on a much different level than human understanding can comprehend. But John tells us not to be alarmed that so many Jewish people are rejecting Jesus. God has a plan.
1. You Need My Power to Believe
2. You Need My Light to See
“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” (John 12:46). Jesus says, “Not only do you need my power to believe, but you need my light to see.”
2.1 Darkness is Evil
The Bible says this world is evil. Need evidence of this?
2.1.1 The World is Evil
How about big pharma and the opioid crisis? How about the genocide of the Holocaust? How about terrorism, such as 9/11 or the ISIS executions? Not to mention the torture and abuse that happens with human trafficking and child abuse right here at home. Experts tell us that there is a growing global hunger problem. You have child soldiers being forced to wage war in Africa. The Bible says our world is full of evil.
2.1.2 I am Evil
And it’s not just evil out there; it’s all of us. If you look closely at yourselves, you’ll know this is true. The Apostle Paul said of himself, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15).
A Harvard University professor was stripped of her tenure and fired because she tampered with the data about her research into why people cheat. Yes, you heard me correctly. A Harvard University professor was fired this year because she engaged in multiple instances where she falsified data in her findings on honesty.6
Again, Jesus says, “Not only do you need my power to believe, but you need my light to see.”
2.2 Jesus is the Source of Light
Jesus is saying here that the world is a dark place, and it cannot ignite its own light.7
“So Jesus said to them, ‘The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light’” (John 12:35-36).
Jesus is saying, without me, you also have no solution for the problem of evil. Turn to Jesus by turning away from your personal inner darkness and turning to Christ.
1. You Need My Power to Believe
2. You Need My Light to See
3. I Am Your Hope to Proceed
“The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day” (John 12:48). At the end of time, Jesus says He will judge every single living human being.
3.1 An Imaginary Digital Recorder
Imagine, as it were, that God put a little invisible tape recorder around your neck on the day of your birth. In Romans 2, God essentially says that there is a little invisible tape recorder around your neck. Imagine if that tape recorder only clicks on whenever you tell somebody else how they "ought" to be. Whenever you tell someone else, “This is how it ought to be, this is how you ought to be, this is how people ought to be,” it clicks on automatically. At the end of time on Judgment Day, God will come up to you and say, “Excuse me, let me get that tape recorder off,” and you’ll say, “Oh, what? I didn't even see that there.” God will say, “Well, listen, I want you to know I’m going to be very fair. So fair, in fact, that I am not going to judge you by the Word of God.” Especially if the person has never heard of the Word of God. Right? Somebody who never heard of the Bible, or never read it, or never had a chance to. He says, “I’m going to take that off, and all I’m going to do is judge you by your own standards. All I’m going to do is see if you were the person, you demanded other people be.”8
3.2 Don’t Judge Me
For many people, we say, “Don’t judge me.”
Or, I don’t judge anyone. Do you have any idea how silly that is? We are judged by our looks when we walk in the door. People judge us by our waistline. And we are judged by how much money is in our bank accounts. We judge by the size of your house and the kind of car you drive. We live our entire lives judging other and being judged.9
3.3 Jesus Stands in Our Place
Jesus says, “Not only do you need my power to believe, and my light to see, but I am your hope to proceed to the next life.” Jesus stands in our place when we become children of God. Jesus takes our Judgment Day. Then, Judgment Day is a day when your every sin is already paid for. When you believe in Jesus Christ, He pays for it, and that means your Judgment Day is already over. You believe in Jesus Christ, the day you believe in Him, the moment you believe in Him, your Judgment Day is in the past. You don’t have to worry about the verdict because the verdict is in. God says of you, “This is my beloved child and in whom I’m well pleased” In Jesus Christ, you are perfect, you are loved, you are beautiful, you are clean in the eyes of the Father!
The Scripture is Fulfilled
Watch how John argues; look at his logic. If you were told you had only 21 chapters, 879 verses, and just over 19,000 words. If you were telling the greatest story ever about the greatest person ever, would you stop dozens of times to tell your readers that the Old Testament has been fulfilled?10 John keeps on repeating this little phrase, “so that the word spoken by the prophet[s] might be fulfilled” (John 12:38). Jesus drives the money changers out of the temple “so that the word spoken by the prophet[s] might be fulfilled” (John 2:14-16). Judas betrayed Jesus, “so that the word spoken by the prophet[s] might be fulfilled” (John 13:18). John tells us that Judas was destined to be lost “so that the word spoken by the prophet[s] might be fulfilled” (John 17:12). Jesus rides into town on the back of a donkey to the cheers of the crowd, “so that the word spoken by the prophet[s] might be fulfilled” (John 12:12-15). And Jesus says, “I thirst,” “so that the word spoken by the prophet[s] might be fulfilled (John 19:28). It’s imperative and central to the message for John to tell you that every promise of God will come true. Every syllable of Scripture will come true. Jesus says, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18). The Scripture is perfectly true.
EndNotes
1 The wording of these points comes from Tim Keller. Timothy J. Keller, “Sent to Bear Witness,” The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2016–2017 (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2019).
2 Skip Heitzig, “Believe It or Not!,” Skip Heitzig Sermon Archive (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife Corporation, 2018).
3 The following was omitted in the interest of time: 1.4. Cast Out of the Synagogue You say, “What’s the big deal about being put out of the synagogue?” Your family would disown you. The family would gather for holidays like our Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Thanksgiving, and if you were a believing Jew, you were not welcome to come. Your Jewish business partners wouldn’t do business with you. The early Jewish people paid a severance price for following Jesus. You think your mother is disappointed in you because you didn’t become a lawyer? If you hear your dad, tell his friends one more time how you could have married anybody? Imagine how John felt, or Paul felt, when they were met by their mothers’ and fathers’ disowning them all because they were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah.
4 Timothy J. Keller, “Sent to Bear Witness,” The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2016–2017. (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2019).
5 The following was omitted in the interest of time: Keep in mind, some Greeks had just come looking for Jesus back in verse 20. John and the other disciples are wrestling with the question, “How are these other nationalities coming to embrace Jesus, but our Jewish kinfolk and family rejecting Him?”
6 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/harvard-revokes-tenure-professor-famous-ethics-studies-first-time-80-y-rcna209108; accessed June 29, 2025.
7 Timothy J. Keller, “Sent to Bear Witness,” The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2016–2017. (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2019).
8 Francis Schaeffer, The Church at the End of the Twentieth Century, 2d ed (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1985), 49-50.
9 Timothy J. Keller, “Sent to Bear Witness,” The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2016–2017. (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2019).
10 Of the ten passages John quotes in his fulfillment scenes, only four come from the prophets; five are from the Psalms and one from the Torah. https://www.lutterworth.com/wp-content/uploads/extracts/helping-jesus-fulfill-prophecy-ch11.pdf; accessed June 24, 2025.
