John 12:37-41
Sunday Morning Bible Study
May 19, 1996
Introduction
It's the last Sunday before Jesus is to die, the day known as Palm Sunday.
We saw Jesus enter triumphantly into Jerusalem, being hailed as king.
In fact, we saw that one of the reasons for the big crowds was because of Jesus' great miracles, the most recent being the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
:37-41 Reasons for unbelief
37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
so many - tosoutos - of quantity: so great, so many
before them - emprosthen - in front, before; in the presence of, in the sight of
Jesus had done a LOT of miracles, right in front of the people.
When you read the gospel of John, you only read of 7 or 8 miracles, but John tells us at the end that he only picked a few of the many miracles that Jesus did.
»Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
One of the reasons Jesus did many miracles was because the Jews were kind of like some of us, and they wanted to see a sign or a miracle:
»1Co 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
There are plenty of people who will ask you for some kind of miracle before they believe.
But miracles don't guarantee belief.
Even though Jesus had done MANY miracles, yet there were still quite a lot of people who did not believe in Jesus.
Warning to the miracle seekers:
God's desire is that you believe without the miracles.
Don't get me wrong!
God can and still does miracles today.
But our trust in Him shouldn't be dependant on them.
After the resurrection, Thomas wouldn't believe until Jesus appeared to him as well.
»Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Jesus wants you to follow Him for Who He is, not What He does.
38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
This unbelief of the people was actually prophesied by Isaiah:
»Isaiah 53:1-3 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
This is a well known chapter prophesying about the coming Messiah, and that He would be despised and rejected.
Note:
Isaiah says that part of the reason they didn't believe was because of His outward appearance.
Jesus was not one of the "beautiful" people.
Jesus knows what it's like to be rejected for physical appearance.
Lesson:
Jesus understands rejection.
He knows what it's like to be rejected because of looks.
As a nation, we are obsessed with our looks:
Illustration:
In the United States each year, we collectively buy 1,484 tubes of lipstick (at a cost of $4,566), 913 bottles of nail polish ($2,055), 1,324 mascaras, eyeshadows, and eyeliners ($6,849), and 2,055 jars of skin care products ($12,785) every minute. That's $1,581,300 an hour, folks.
While I agree with the old saying, "If the old barn needs a little paint, paint it", we can sure get the wrong idea about acceptance from one another, thinking it should be based on looks.
In fact, I'm not sure I know of a single person who feels happy about their own physical looks.
For those of you who struggle with this , Jesus understands what it is to be rejected for those reasons.
»Hebrews 4:15-16 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
He understands.
Now ... Paul also quotes this same passage from Isaiah:
»Ro 10:12-17 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Paul's point:
Salvation comes when people call on the Lord.
But they can't call on Him unless they hear about Him.
And they can't hear about Him unless someone tells them.
Yet if someone hears the gospel, it doesn't guarantee belief.
But they'll never get the chance unless you tell them.
Lesson:
Just because all don't believe doesn't mean you don't preach!
I'm the kind of guy that can get awfully discouraged when a person doesn't respond to the Gospel.
It makes me not want to bother to tell others about Jesus.
"Why bother? They aren't going to believe anyway!"
But the truth is, they'll not be able to believe if they don't hear the message!
Illustration:
A woman named Rose Crawford had been blind for 50 years. "I just can't believe it!" she gasped as the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes after her recovery from delicate surgery in an Ontario hospital. She wept for joy when for the first time in her life a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color greeted eyes that now were able to see. The amazing thing about the story, however, is that 20 years of her blindness had been unnecessary. She didn't know that surgical techniques had been developed, and that an operation could have restored her vision at the age of 30. The doctor said, "She just figured there was nothing that could be done about her condition. Much of her life could have been different."
We have the cure for spiritual blindness.
Are there people who would take the cure if only we told them?
39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Another prophecy is fulfilled in the unbelief of the people.
If you're not careful, you can kind of get the wrong idea about this passage.
It kind of looks like God doesn't want people to come to believe in Jesus.
Maybe God doesn't want to save anybody?
Maybe He's just hoping everyone will disbelieve, and then He can wipe them out!
Keep in mind:
»2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (AV)
»2Timothy 2:3-4 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (NIV)
John is quoting from:
»Isaiah 6:9-10 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
(This is a passage that's quoted a lot in the New Testament: Mt 13:14-15; Mr 4:12; Lu 8:10; Ac 28:26-27)
What's this passage talking about?
These are a people who don't want to see the truth.
So God helps them with their wish.
Quote: "God's law is that those who "will" not see, "shall" not see."
Illustration:
When Moses asked Pharaoh to let Israel go, we read that Pharaoh "hardened" his heart.
Moses keeps coming back over and over again, asking for Israel's release, and Pharaoh keeps hardening his heart until there gets to a point where it's no longer Pharaoh hardening his heart, but God hardens it for him.
»Ex 7:13 Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said. (NIVUS)
»Ex 9:12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses. (NIVUS)
It's possible to harden your heart to the point where it's not that you "won't" believe, but you "can't" believe.
»Jer 14:10-12 Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. 11 Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. 12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
This is why the great majority of people who come to the Lord make a decision to follow Jesus early in their lives.
It's kind of a miracle when someone over the age of 41 commits their life to Jesus, because they have so often hardened their heart to the gospel.
It's difficult, but not impossible.
Lesson:
Don't harden your heart!
"Hardening of the heart is more serious than hardening of the arteries."
Illustration:
Every time that you hear the truth about Jesus and reject it, it's like a little coating of shellac is sprayed over your heart.
And after a few times, there gets to be quite a hard shell over your heart.
There may be a day when you don't care anymore about the things of God.
Make your decision to follow Jesus today!
41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
Whose glory did Isaiah see?
Isn't it pretty clear here that John is speaking of Jesus' glory?
»Joh 12:41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him. (NIVUS)
Now look at the Old Testament passage that John is describing, where Isaiah supposedly sees the glory of Jesus.
Remember that John has just quoted from Isaiah 6:9-10
Go back to the passage prior to Isaiah 6:9 and see if Isaiah sees somebody's glory:
»Isaiah 6:1-8 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 ¶ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah has a vision.
vs.1 says it is "the Lord" (adonai)
vs.3,5 describe the person as "the LORD" of hosts (yahweh)
This is the name of God, often referred to mistakenly as "Jehovah".
When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, He told Moses that His name was "yahweh", or "I AM".
And now John goes back to Isaiah's vision of Yahweh on His throne, and says that it was Jesus!
The Point:
Jesus is Yahweh!
An old Daniel Amos song, "Jesus is Jehovah to me"
The Jehovah's Witnesses won't admit this, but it's TRUE!
Note:
Look at the contrast in the quotes from Isaiah.
They're both talking about Jesus.
They're both talking about unbelief.
Isaiah 53 talks about how they did not believe because Jesus took a form of humility.
Isaiah 6 talks about how their hearts are hard, but in the context of Jesus being in all His glory.
I think John is presenting a kind of progression.
First comes the unbelief in the midst of humility.
Then comes hardness in the midst of glory.
Lesson:
Don't miss out on what God is doing in the little things!
God very often likes to use small, humble things to bring about a great work.
If you can't believe in God's working in the humble things, how are you going to believe when it comes to the glorious things?
Jesus Himself, though He had great glory, laid it aside, and took the humble form of a servant.
If they were looking for a great spectacular king, they were going to miss Him!
And yet by humbling Himself to the point of death, Jesus accomplished the greatest thing that could happen for us, by paying for our sins!
The disciples had their eyes on being great and famous:
»Mark 9:33-37 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
But Jesus told them to be servants instead, even ministering to kids!
In today's Bible reading, God told Israel that He wanted the Amalekites wiped out because:
»Deut. 25:18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.
Illustration:
In May 1855, an eighteen-year-old boy went to the deacons of a church in Boston. He had been raised in a Unitarian church, in almost total ignorance of the gospel, but when he had moved to Boston to make his fortune, he began to attend a Bible-preaching church. Then, in April of 1855, his Sunday school teacher had come into the store where he was working and simply and persuasively shared the gospel and urged the young man to trust in the Lord Jesus. He had, and now he was applying to join the church. Years later his Sunday school teacher said of him:
"I can truly say that I have seen few persons whose minds were spiritually darker than was his when he came into my Sunday school class and I think the committee of the church seldom met an applicant for membership who seemed more unlikely ever to become a Christian of clear and decided views of Gospel truth, still less to fill any space of public or extended usefulness."
Who was that boy? Why none other than D.L. Moody. By God's grace he was transformed into one of the most effective servants of God.
Illustration:
A Sunday School teacher, a Mr. Kimball, in 1855, led a Boston shoe clerk to give his life to Christ.
The clerk, Dwight L. Moody, became an evangelist. In England in 1879, he awakened evangelistic zeal in the heart of Fredrick B. Meyer, pastor of a small church.
F. B. Meyer, preaching to an American college campus, brought to Christ a student named J. Wilbur Chapman.
Chapman, engaged in YMCA work, employed a former baseball player, Billy Sunday, to do evangelistic work.
Billy Sunday held a revival in Charlotte, N.C. A group of local men were so enthusiastic afterward that they planned another evangelistic campaign, bringing Mordecai Hamm to town to preach.
During Hamm's revival, a young man named Billy Graham heard the gospel and yielded his life to Christ.
Only eternity will reveal the tremendous impact of that one Sunday School teacher, Mr. Kimball, who invested his life in the lives of others.
Moody himself understood this:
Illustration:
The story is told by a minister of a church Moody visited years before. The fame of Moody was far and wide and when it was announced that the well-known evangelist was coming, thousands came to hear. One evening a little boy came alone to the door of the large church. The usher at the door stopped the small dirty ragged boy and told him that he should go home and be in bed. When the boy explained that he wanted to see Mr. Moody the usher refused to let him come in. The little boy, downcast and disappointed, walked to the side of the building and began to weep. Just then a carriage came to the church entrance and Moody moved toward the door. He heard the crying and saw the little boy leaning against the wall. Moody walked over to him and asked his trouble. The boy looked up and explained how he wanted to hear Mr. Moody but wasn't allowed inside. Moody smiled and said, "Do you really want to hear Mr. Moody?" "Yes, Sir!" was the reply. "Well, I know how to get you in, but you have to do exactly what I tell you to." The little boy said, "I will." So, putting his coattails in the hands of the boy, Moody told him to hold on to them and not let loose until he told him to. Moody entered the building and walked to the platform. Reaching the pulpit, he said, "Well done. I told you that if you would only hold on you would get in. Now, my boy, you sit there." Moody put him on the chair reserved for himself and for the evening the boy listened to the great preacher. The minister who told the story said, "I know the story is true for it happened in my church. Yes, I know it's true because I was that little boy. I heard the great D. L. Moody preach, but little did I know when I clung to his coattails that someday I would become the minister of that same church."
Quote:
"The beginning of greatness is to be little, the increase of greatness to be less, and the perfection of greatness is to be nothing."
- D.L. Moody
Don't be missing out on the "little things" that God may be wanting to do in your life!
»Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place], with him also [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. (AV)