John 12:36b-41 36Jesus said these things, and after he departed, he hid himself from them. 37Even though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38in order 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?” 39On account of this, they were unable to believe because again, Isaiah said, 40“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.” 41Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke about him.
John, as the narrator, offers several comments about the situation. His main theme about the need to believe in Jesus stands behind these verses. Jesus once again hid himself from the crowd (8:59). The rest of John’s Gospel focuses on Jesus’ interaction with his disciples. The reason is given in verse 37: the people refused to believe in him. Even after all the miracles he had done and all the truth he had spoken, they would not accept the clear evidence. John reflects on several reasons for this unbelief. The first reason is given in these verses, and the second comes in verses 42-43.
First, the Jews were following the pattern of their ancestors who refused to listen to Moses and the prophets. These Jews were fulfilling the words of Isaiah 53:1. They had received the greatest revelation of all time. The evidence and “signs” were right before them, but they refused to believe because of their sin and hardened hearts. John implies with the purpose clause in verse 38 (hina) that their refusal to believe was necessary and, thus, part of God’s plan. Paul also reflected on this dilemma in Romans 9-11.
Every individual had the opportunity to believe, but the unbelief of the majority led to the outcome of the cross. Behind this passage lies the problem of human nature. The ancient Jews and the Jews of the first century illustrate the problem of original sin inherited from Adam and Eve that is woven throughout the Bible. We all are bound by this sin, and unless we respond to the light God gives, this sin will harden our hearts and severe our consciences until we no longer see it. We become deceived and distorted in our thinking.
John quotes another passage, from Isaiah 6:10. Jesus quoted this verse also in Mark 4:12 in reference to people refusing to accept and, thus, understand the message of his parables. When God called Isaiah through the vision recorded earlier in Isaiah 6, God also warned Isaiah that the people would not listen to him. Jesus experienced the same rejection. The challenging part of this verse is how God is the actor. God did not initiate the blindness and hardness of heart but confirmed the decision the people of Israel made. The same was true for Jesus. Jesus had preached the good news clearly and given the crowds and Jewish leaders the opportunity to believe, but they refused, ignored, and rejected him. When a person hardens his or her heart against God’s Spirit, God lets that person go his or her own way. Paul the Apostle reflected on a similar situation in Romans 1:18-32. God does not violate human free will but condemns those who use this free will to reject his grace.
In verse 41, John reflects on how the words from Isaiah were fulfilled in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus experienced the same type of rejection as Isaiah. This verse is interesting and significant. In Isaiah 6:1-7, Isaiah had a vision of God’s glory. John connects this glory with Jesus. When Isaiah saw God’s throne and the overwhelming glory that it has, his vision was of the glorious Son. John writes about a similar vision in Revelation 4-5, with the Lamb on throne. Isaiah wrote about the coming Son of God without knowing all the details that John experienced and recounted to his readers. The readers of this Gospel must accept by faith the crucial connections between Old Testament prophecy and its fulfillment in Jesus. These verses also warn us not to be like Israel or the crowds who rejected Jesus. The sad part about these verses is that Jesus hid himself from these people. This may have been more than for his personal safety and more because of their refusal to accept him. They would no longer receive any revelation because of their hardened hearts.
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