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In fact, so many signs having been done by him in front of them, they were not believing into him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who believed our report, and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed?” (John’s first century eyewitness biography of Jesus: Chapter 12: 37-50) |
This extract occurred in Jesus’ final week, the day before he was crucified. The “him” in the above extract is Jesus, who is about to “cry out” his last words (see below) to the Jerusalem crowds. He has “done so many signs in front of them” but “they” were unmoved. Why?
Through this, they were not able to believe, because, again, Isaiah said, “He blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they may not see with the eyes, and understand with the heart, and be turned, and I will heal them.”
They had decided to be unmoved. Therefore, in accordance with the writings of Isaiah (c. BC 700), set out in their national archive of Scriptures, their eyes were "blinded" and they were no longer able to see. Had they not been "blinded and hardened", Jesus "would heal them."
Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke about him.
John the biographer affirms the fact that Isaiah had seen Jesus’ “glory”. Around BC 700 Isaiah had also written “The punishment of our sin was laid upon him.”
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Nevertheless, truly indeed, even among the authorities, many believed into him, but, through the Pharisees, they were not confessing, so that they might not become de-synagogued - because they loved the glory of human beings more than the glory of God.
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There were some secret believers into Jesus.
In fact, Jesus cried out and said, “The one believing into me, believes not into me but into the one who sent me. And the one seeing me sees the one who sent me. I myself – light - have come into the world so that the individual one believing into me does not remain in the darkness.”
Jesus and the one who sent him were together in Jesus’ life and crucifixion. A person who sees Jesus sees the one who sent him and sees “light” and "does not remain in the darkness."
“And if anyone does hear my words and does not preserve them, I myself do not judge him because I did not come in order that I might judge the world but in order that I might save the world.”
If you are included in this statement of Jesus, right at the end of his public life before his crucifixion, it may be helpful for you also to know that his intentions towards you remain for good and not for harm – “I did not come in order that I might judge the world but in order that I might save the world.”
“The one doing away with me and not laying hold of my messages has, himself, a judge; the word which I my own self spoke will judge him on the last day because I did not speak from my own self, but the Father who sent me himself gave me a commandment—what I may say and what I may speak.”
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All the signs Jesus did, all his teaching and words and statements, all his actions towards others, all his death and crucifixion were (and are) messages by commandment from the Father.
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“And I know that his commandment, eternal life, is what therefore I myself speak. According as the Father said to me, that I speak.”
All of Jesus’ messages – spoken by commandment from the Father - are “eternal life”. That is the sole reason for all of Jesus' teaching, words, statements, actions towards others, death and crucifixion. “Eternal life.”
That’s why he died and rose again. “Eternal life” for human beings.
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