John 12

Written on 05/10/2024

Verses 1-8

  • See teaching on Matthew 26 for commentary.

  • John here recounts the actions of Mary, who performed a work for Jesus similar to the one performed by a different woman, whose story is told in Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 7. However, the point from Mary's action are the same as the point form the actions of the other woman.

 

Verses 9-11

  • The friends of Jesus are as much enemies of the world as Jesus Himself. Know this and do not be surprised that the world hates you. 

 

Verses 12-19

  • See teaching on Matthew 21 and Mark 11 for commentary.

 

Verses 20-26

  • When some Greeks came seeking to see Jesus, Jesus replied that His answer to them, and to us all, would be His death on the cross.

  • Jesus' death is like the sowing of a seed. Until a seed is sown into the ground, and it's entire life divested into the plant it becomes, it will be all alone. But when it is sown, and it grows, it become a fruit-and-seed-bearing plant with a destiny to populate the world.

    • Jesus' death was an act of multiplying Himself, in that we all become sons of God through the death and resurrection of the one Son of God. If Jesus had not died, we would not be saved. But because He died, we can be in the kingdom of God with Him.

  • And now that Jesus has died to bring us to salvation, we must die in order to follow Him.

    • Live every day giving up whatever is necessary to obey the Word. Die to self in this manner. Serve Christ by following His ways, and then you will have honor from God.

 

Verse 27

  • Even though Jesus was in turmoil over His imminent suffering, He accepted it because He knew that His purpose was to suffer for our salvation. 

  • His one desire was that the name of God would be glorified. And because that was His one desire, He was willing to endure anything that was needed to accomplish that task.

    • His mind was this: “I want God to be glorified far more than I want to be comfortable, so I will accept any suffering that is required to glorify God.”

  • If you want to glorify God, do not be concerned for your own, and accept suffering. “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29).

 

Verses 28-33

  • In what most of us would consider an astounding event, the audible voice of the Father, who sounds like thunder, was heard from heaven!

    • However, Jesus did not need to hear these words because He already knew that God would be glorified. The people standing around Jesus were the ones that needed to be reminded that God would be glorified.

    • Like Jesus, be confident in yourself that God will be glorified, and don't demand or expect miraculous signs in order to give you confidence.

  • Verses 31-33. In Jesus' death, being lifted off the earth by hanging on a cross, He was accomplishing three things:

    • Now is the judgment of this world: 

      • 1. Jesus was taking on Himself God's judgment for the sins of the world, as to spare those who would believe in Him.

      • 2. The unbelievers of the world would have to bear God's judgment for their sins if they rejected Christ. For whether you are spared from God's wrath, or whether it abides upon you still, all hinges on your relationship to Jesus Christ (John 3:36). Have you rejected or received Him?

    • Now the ruler of this world will be cast out: Jesus defeated the devil in His death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Satan is removed from his place of dominance in the life of anyone who is saved by faith in Christ. He who belongs to Christ is delivered from the power of Satan (Colossians 1:13, Acts 26:18).

    • I will draw all peoples to Myself: Through Jesus' death and resurrection, all kinds of people are drawn to salvation. Now no one is disqualified from the opportunity to be saved.

  • Use John 12:31-33 to understand and teach what Jesus' death accomplished.

 

Verses 34-36

  • These people still questioned whether they should believe in Jesus or not, but Jesus reminded them that they would not have Him with them much longer.

  • Even for the world today, people have a limited amount of time to choose to believe in Jesus and to follow Him.

    • Learn the Word of God and obey it while you can, because the time of death is coming!

    • “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).

 

Verses 37-41

  • Many of the Jews chose stubbornness, and so they were blinded and hardened by God as an act of His judgment. 

  • Verse 39. As such, they came to a point where they couldn't believe. 

    • This reminds us that people can be hardened to the point that they can no longer be saved, as God must harden them further. 

    • This also reminds us that we only have the capacity to believe in Jesus because of the grace of God.

  • Be thankful for the grace of God in giving you the power to believe the gospel, and encourage unbelievers to repent, while they still can, as this will help to prevent some from having to be hardened by God.

 

Verses 42-43

  • People can believe in Jesus but be too afraid to be public about it because they crave the approval of others. This kind of faith is weak and senseless. 

    • A person cannot be saved by this kind of faith because it is faith without repentance.

    • Know that the fear of man can prevent a person from being saved. Understand and teach that people must believe and repent from the fear of man if they will be able to receive salvation (Luke 9:26).

 

Verses 44-45

  • To see and to believe in Jesus is to see and believe in God. This is another passage that supports Jesus' deity—that He is God.

 

Verse 46

  • Jesus came so that by believing in Him we would no longer live in sin. Sin is darkness, and darkness is sin (Ephesians 5:11).

    • Always be turning away from sin, and you will be living in Christ's light.

 

Verses 47-50

  • Truly, Jesus did not come to judge the world, but to save it. And right now, anyone who rejects Jesus is not punished for it immediately.

    • However, because Jesus' words came from God, those who reject Christ are rejecting God, and they will be punished for it when they die. 

    • And when Christ returns to earth, His word will judge the world with great destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, Revelation 19:11-16).

  • Understand that Jesus is not all-benevolent. He came the first time to forgive and to save, but He comes a second time for judgment.

    • When you tell people about Jesus, don't only talk about His grace. Talk about His judgment also—that now is the opportunity to be saved, but if that opportunity is ignored, there will be wrath.