John 12:49-50 49For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment of what I should say and what I should speak. 50And I know that his commandment is eternal life. Therefore, what I say, I say as the Father has told me.”
The last section of the simple chiastic structure returns to the theme of Jesus’ connection to God, his heavenly Father. The words Jesus spoke had power because they were from the Father. They were truth because of their source. The Jews looked to the laws given by Moses as the source of their truth. Jesus fulfilled the law and all of the Hebrew Scriptures (5:39). The Law, Prophets, and Writings all pointed to him in direct or indirect ways. He merged the Old Testament to the new covenant he inaugurated through his death on the cross.
Verse 49 implies two important ideas. One is Jesus’ perfect obedience to the commands of God. He did not sin, even when he was tempted and experienced suffering. Hebrews 5:8 states that he learned obedience, which is a significant statement about the Incarnation. Jesus was both divine and human, both of which are emphasized in John’s Gospel. The human element as the “Word made flesh” is how he spent time with the Father in prayer, receiving the Father’s directions. The second implication is that he then obeyed what he received from the Father because of his complete faith. He set the perfect pattern for us. To be “Christlike” is to follow Jesus’ example of perfect faith that leads to perfect obedience. We will not reach the “perfect” aspect of this because of the other side of the coin of Jesus’ divinity. However, we are on the path to this goal. We will experience the goal of becoming like him when he comes again (1 John 3:2). This likeness is not in divinity but in the image of God in which we were created but gets marred by sin and the power of encroaching death.
Verse 50 pinpoints the most important command of God: the call to eternal life. All other commands point to the greatest human need: to overcome the power of sin and death. The Father gave Jesus the command of how people can receive eternal life. Jesus embodied God’s Word to humanity. To look at Jesus is to look at God’s purposes for humanity. Jesus was the mouthpiece and physical exemplar of what God created humanity to be. This powerful and significant thought underlies all of Jesus’ extensive teaching thus far in John’s Gospel. As Jesus focused next on those who did believe, namely his disciples, he showed what faith looks like and acts like. John does not record many of the ethical teachings of Jesus up to this point. His goal as an author seems to be to establish clearly Jesus’ identity and authority. Once this is believed, then the behavior believers in him ought to have becomes the topic. Faith in Jesus leads to acting like Jesus.
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