John 12:36b-41 - The Glory Isaiah Saw

John 12:36b-41

36b These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them. 37 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?" 39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, 40 “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM. ” 41 These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.

Message: The Glory Isaiah Saw

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."  

What the Lord is Saying: In John 12, the rejection of Jesus has been prominent. At the beginning of the chapter, Judas questioned the use of perfume by Mary. In verse 10, the chief priests were seeking to put Lazarus to death as many Jews were believing in Jesus on account of what Jesus had done for Lazarus. All of this commotion for Jesus was not welcomed by the religious leaders. The Pharisees mention this further in verse 19. And then also in verse 34 is continued wonder about Jesus and why He should be lifted up. And so John concludes now in verse 37, despite the signs that were being performed by Jesus, "they were not believing in Him." 

John then speaks of a quote from Isaiah when he says, "This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet." - That phrase alone is a common phrase recorded in other places in John and Matthew as a means to record that Jesus was in fact a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. And yet what is being fulfilled here is similar to what occurred in Isaiah when Isaiah was rejected for speaking his message, the message of the Gospel. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is the prophecy of Jesus by Isaiah or the Messiah's Atonement prophecy. 

But there is something more here and this is people are not believing what they see. John first quotes from Isaiah 53:1 which says, "Who has believed our message? And to whom (among the Jews) has the arm (or power) of the Lord been revealed?" Let's start by focusing on the idea of the arm or power of the Lord as this has been a recurring message of John in this gospel as he repeatedly has mentioned the calling on Jesus' life being from the Authority of God the Father. John 3:16-17 speaks of Jesus being sent by God out of God's love for the World. Jesus' words to the woman at the well were a gift of God in John 4:10. Jesus equates the work of God with His work in John 5:17. In John 5:19, the Son is only able to work by what the Father is doing. John 5:30 Jesus says he can do nothing on his own initiative. 5:43 speaks of Jesus coming in "My Father's name." John 6:29 we are told to believe in Jesus because God has sent Him. John 6:37, "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me." John 6:40, "Everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life." He mentions in verse 40 that the only way to come to Jesus is if it has been granted by the Father. John 8:18 speaks for the Father bearing witness of Jesus. John 8:42 speaks of God must be our Father and if this happens then we love Jesus.

And so one hand the "Arm of the Lord" or power of God in sending Jesus and that authority that Jesus has from God on the earth is something that people are not believing.  

Beyond that, there is something more. The idea that the Lord is revealed to people and yet I think as a human we prefer the notion that people simply choose not to believe. Why? Because the onus then is on man and his free will. And yet these words from John are saying something different. Previously Jesus said in John 6:44, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him." And now in verse 39, is the statement, "They could not believe." They could not, almost like they were incapable.

Verse 40 - HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM. Now going back to the quoted text in Isaiah 6:9-10 is some different words. It says, "9 He said, “Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ 10 “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.”

Hmm. John has, through the power of the Holy Spirit, I believe put forth a more pronounced word of Isaiah 6:9-10. It is interesting because this message from John is that their eyes have been blinded and their hearts hardened. "So that they would not see...and perceive...and be converted." I mean, the words of Isaiah 6:9-10 are a little different, but I guess the same meaning. It is significant that these words from Isaiah were quoted both by the Christ (Matthew 13:14-15; Mark 4:12), by St. John (John 12:40), and by St. Paul (Acts 28:26-27). So these are words held by distinctive people. 

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) sums up this passage in Isaiah 6:9-10 in a great way:

God sends Isaiah to foretell the ruin of his people. Many hear the sound of God's word, but do not feel the power of it. God sometimes, in righteous judgment, gives men up to blindness of mind, because they will not receive the truth in the love of it. But no humble inquirer after Christ, need to fear this awful doom, which is a spiritual judgment on those who will still hold fast their sins. Let every one pray for the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, that he may perceive how precious are the Divine mercies, by which alone we are secured against this dreadful danger. Yet the Lord would preserve a remnant, like the tenth, holy to him. And blessed be God, he still preserves his church; however professors or visible churches may be lopped off as unfruitful, the holy seed will shoot forth, from whom all the numerous branches of righteousness shall arise.

I love that summary. And again, as I have studied and saw in John 3, it is the Spirit which awakens man to an understanding of Divine mercies. In Romans 1 is the great treatise on men who abandon God and so Paul says He gave them over. And Henry speaks of this here that there "is a spiritual judgment on those who still hold fast their sins." I wonder, is the way the writers of Scripture see it, as they are writing and seeing people reject the complete evidence given. And in the process they are hardened to the work of God, almost refusing to see the truth before them. And the only awakening they have is the Spirit. 

This passage is titled "The Glory Isaiah Saw" by Tabletalk. As one goes back to Isaiah 6, there is potentially a prophecy Isaiah sees of the Glory of Christ, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple." These words have longed thought to ascribe to Christ. And so this message now from these verses is Isaiah seeing the great strength of God ("Arm of the Lord") and Him being revealed (to some) and hardened (to others). As John records in verse 41, "These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him."

Summary: While Jesus previously appeals to the multitude to believe in Him now, John takes us back to Isaiah to show us that some who refuse are hardened toward believing. 

Promise: God used the hard hearts of Jesus' opponents to fulfill his salvific purposes. He can use what others mean for evil for our good. 

Prayer: O Father God, thank you for saving me, first and foremost. You are a gracious God and awoke me to a desire to know you and see you for the answers to life. Continue to awaken hearts, helping people to know You as Savior and Lord. Thank you for these truths, though they are hard at times, they make sense. Give me wisdom about sharing them with others. Give me patience and understanding with others. 

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