Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me.
Parallel Translations
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Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me.
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And Iesus cryed and sayde: he that beleveth on me beleveth not on me but on him that sent me.
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And Iesus cryed, and sayd, He that beleeueth in me, beleeueth not in me, but in him that sent me.
Cross-references (10)
Passages linked to John 12:44 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Matthew 10:40 He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.
- John 5:24 “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
- John 13:20 Most certainly I tell you, he who receives whomever I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.”
- Mark 9:37 “Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, doesn’t receive me, but him who sent me.”
- Proverbs 8:1 Doesn’t wisdom cry out? Doesn’t understanding raise her voice?
- John 7:28 Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know me, and know where I am from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you don’t know.
- 1 Peter 1:21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead, and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.
- Isaiah 55:1-3 “Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness. Turn your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul will live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
- John 11:43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
- Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (19 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 44. And Jesus cried. The object of Christ, in…
44. And Jesus cried. The object of Christ, in this statement, is to encourage his followers to a proper and unshaken steadfastness of faith; but it contains also an implied reproof, by which he intended to correct that perverse fear. The cry is expressive of vehemence; for it is not a simple doctrine, but an exhortation intended to excite them more powerfully. The statement amounts to this, that faith in Christ does not rely on any mortal man, but on God; for it finds in Christ nothing but what is divine, or rather, it beholds God in his face. Hence he infers, that it is foolish and unreasonable for faith to be wavering or doubtful; for it is impossible to offer a greater insult to God, than not to rely on his truth. Who is it then that has duly profited by the Gospel? It is he who, relying or this confidence, that he does not believe men but God, quietly and steadily contends against all the machinations of Satan. If, then, we would render to God the honor due to him, we must learn to remain firm in faith, not only though the world were shaken, but even though Satan should disturb and overturn all that is under heaven.
He that believeth on me believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. Believers are said not to believe on Christ, when they do not fix their whole attention on his human countenance. Comparing himself with the Father, he bids us look at the power of God; for the weakness of the flesh has no firmness in
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itself. When we shall, afterwards, find him exhorting the disciples to believe on him, it will be in a different sense; for, in that passage, God is not contrasted with man, but Christ is brought forward with all his gifts and graces which ought to be sufficient for upholding our faith.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain The sum of the Gospel, and therefore of salvation,…
The sum of the Gospel, and therefore of salvation, which Christ witnessed in the midst of Jerusalem, by his crying out, is this: to rest upon Christ through faith, as the only Savior appointed and given us of the Father.
This word Not, doth not take any whit of this from Christ which is here spoken of, but is in way of correction rather, as if he said, He that believeth in me, doth not so much believe in me, as in him that sent me. So is it in Mark 9:37.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on…
44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
Ver. 44. Jesus cried, &c.] As being now to cry his last to them, and is therefore so earnest in his contestation. This was the Conclamatum est proclaimed to this perverse people, his farewell sermon, &c.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The words, at first view, seem to contain a…
The words, at first view, seem to contain a contradiction, and denying the same act as to the same person; as if any man could believe, and yet not believe on Christ; but there is nothing less in them. By the same figurative way of speaking God tells the prophet Samuel, 1Sa 8:7, the people had not rejected Samuel, (that is, not Samuel alone), but they had rejected him. So Mar 9:37, Whosoever receiveth me, receiveth not me, ( that is, not me alone), but him that sent me. So 1Th 4:8. Or else thus, He that believeth on me, doth not believe on a mere man, as I appear at present to the world, but he also believeth on God that sent me. The Jews owned one God the Father, and acknowledged him the object of their faith, Joh 14:1, Ye believe in God; but they were blinded as to Christ, appearing only in the form of a man. So that our Saviour again by these words asserts his Divine nature, his oneness and equality with his Father; so as he was also the object of their faith, as well as his Father.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain In these verses we have our Saviour’s farewell sermon…
In these verses we have our Saviour’s farewell sermon to the Jews, concerning his person, office, and doctrine; as touching his person, he acquaints them with his divine nature, his oneness and equality with the Father; and accordingly challenges not only the assent, but also the obedience and adoration, of their faith. Jesus cried, saying, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. That is, he that believeth on me, doth not believe on a mere man, but on him that is truly and really God, as well as man; and therefore he being true God, one in essence, and equal in power and glory, with the Father, their believing in him was believing in God the Father that sent him.
Observe, 2. The argument which our Saviour uses, to prove that believers in Christ do believe in the Father: He that seeth me, seeth in me him that sent me.
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Learn, 2. That the Father is not to be seen but in the Son; nor can believers know what the Father is, but by seeing what the Son is; and what they see the Son to be, that the Father is in him; For he that seeth me, seeth him that sent me.
Observe, 3. The dreadful judgment which Christ denounces against all unbelievers, and such as reject him, by rejecting of his gospel; for though, at Christ’s first coming, his errand was not to to judge the world, but to save the world, that is, to offer the tenders of salvation to lost sinners; yet at his second coming he would judge them at the last day; when the word preached to them, and rejected by them, will give a judicial testimony against them.
Learn hence, 1. That Christ and his doctrine are inseparable: to receive his doctrine, is to receive him; and to reject his doctrine is to reject him.
2. That such rejecters of Christ and the doctrine of the gospel, shall not escape the judgment of Christ at the great day.
3. That at the great day, were there not other witness against the rejecters of Christ and his gospel, but the word preached, yet that alone will be sufficient both for their conviction and condemnation. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him the last day. The word is now the rule of living, and it shall be hereafter the rule of judging: now it is the rule by which we must live to Christ, then it shall be the rule by which we shall be judged of Christ.
Observe, 4. The argument and reason which our Saviour produces, to prove that the word of God, and the doctrine of the gospel, slighted and rejected, should condemn sinners at the great day; namely, from the divine authority of his doctrine; for albeit his doctrine was his own, as he was true God, yet as man, and as Mediator, it was not his own, but the Father’s which sent him; so that his word and doctrine being divine, and the Father’s as well as his (or he did not speak of himself; that is, of himself and alone without the Father) it despisers of it.
Learn thence, 1. That though the doctrine of the gospel be Christ’s own, as he is truly and really God, yet it was not his own as mere man, exclusive of the Father, who is one God with him, and who gave him a commission and instruction, as Mediator, to preach and publish the glad tidings of the gospel; For, says he, I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me gave me a commandment.
2. That the doctrine which Christ delivered by command from the Father, doth point out the way to eternal life, and will bring lost sinners thereunto, if they sincerely believe it and obey it: I know that his commandment is life everlasting.
3. That therefore sinners who rejected the doctrine of Christ contained in the gospel, do highly dishonour, offend, and affront both the Father and the Son, and bring upon themselves a just and righteous judgment; and expose themselves to unutterable and inevitable condemnation. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain We have here the honour Christ not assumed, but…
We have here the honour Christ not assumed, but asserted, to himself, in the account he gave of his mission and his errand into the world. Probably this discourse was not at the same time with that before (for them he departed, Joh 12:36), but some time after, when he made another public appearance; and, as this evangelist records it, it was Christ's farewell sermon to the Jews, and his last public discourse; all that follows was private with his disciples. Now observe how our Lord Jesus delivered this parting word: he cried and said. Doth not wisdom cry (Pro 8:1), cry without? Pro 1:20. The raising of his voice and crying intimate, 1. His boldness in speaking. Though they had not courage openly to profess faith in his doctrine, he had courage openly to publish it; if they were ashamed of it, he was not, but set his face as a flint, Isa 50:7. 2. His earnestness in speaking. He cried as one that was serious and importunate, and in good earnest in what he said, and was willing to impart to them, not only the gospel of God, but even his own soul. 3. It denotes his desire that all might take notice of it. This being the last time of the publication of his gospel by himself in person, he makes proclamation, "Whoever will hear me, let them come now." Now what is the conclusion of the whole matter, this closing summary of all Christ's discourses? It is much like that of Moses (Deu 30:15): See, I have set before you life and death. So Christ here takes leave of the temple, with a solemn declaration of three things: -
I. The privileges and dignities of those that believe; this gives great encouragement to us to believe in Christ and to profess that faith. It is a thing of such a nature that we need not be shy either of doing it or of owning it; for,
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1. By believing in Christ we are brought into an honourable acquaintance with God (Joh 12:44, Joh 12:45): He that believes on me, and so sees me, believes on him that sent me, and so sees him. He that believes on Christ, (1.) He does not believe in a mere man, such a one as he seemed to be, and was generally taken to be, but he believes in one that is the Son of God and equal in power and glory with the Father. Or rather, (2.) His faith does not terminate in Christ, but through him it is carried out to the Father, that sent him, to whom, as our end, we come by Christ as our way. The doctrine of Christ is believed and received as the truth of God. The rest of a believing soul is in God through Christ as Mediator; for its resignation to Christ is in order to being presented to God. Christianity is made up, not of philosophy nor politics, but pure divinity. This is illustrated, Joh 12:45. He that sees me (which is the same with believing in him, for faith is the eye of the soul) sees him that sent me; in getting an acquaintance with Christ, we come to the knowledge of God. For, [1.] God makes himself known in the face of Christ (Co2 4:6), who is the express image of his person, Heb 1:3. [2.] All that have a believing sight of Christ are led by him to the knowledge of God, whom Christ has revealed to us by his word and Spirit. Christ, as God, was the image of his Father's person; but Christ, as Mediator, was his Father's representative in his relation to man, the divine light, law, and love, being communicated to us in and through him; so that in seeing him (that is, in eying him as our Saviour, Prince, and Lord, in the right of redemption), we see and eye the Father as our owner, ruler, and benefactor, in the right of creation: for God is pleased to deal with fallen man by proxy.
2. We are hereby brought into a comfortable enjoyment of ourselves (Joh 12:46): I am come a light into the world, that whoever believes in me, Jew or Gentile, should not abide in darkness. Observe, (1.) The character of Christ: I am come a light into the world, to be a light to it. This implies that he had a being, and a being as light, before he came into the world, as the sun is before it rises; the prophets and apostles were made lights to the world, but it was Christ only that came a light into this world, having before been a glorious light in the upper world, Joh 3:19. (2.) The comfort of Christians: They do not abide in darkness. [1.] They do not continue in that dark condition in which they were by nature; they are light in the Lord. They are without any true comfort, or joy, or hope, but do not continue in that condition; light is sown for them. [2.] Whatever darkness of affliction, disquietment, or fear, they may afterwards be in, provision is made that they may not long abide in it. [3.] They are delivered from that darkness which is perpetual, and which abideth for ever, that utter darkness where there is not the least gleam of light nor hope of it.
II. The peril and danger of those that believe not, which gives fair warning to take heed of persisting in unbelief (Joh 12:47, Joh 12:48): "If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not, not I only, or not now, lest I should be looked upon as unfair in being judge in my own cause; yet let not infidelity think therefore to go unpunished, though I judge him not, there is one that judgeth him." So that we have here the doom of unbelief. Observe,
1. Who they are whose unbelief is here condemned: those who hear Christ's words and yet believe them not. Those shall not be condemned for their infidelity that never had, nor could have, the gospel; every man shall be judged according to the dispensation of light he was under: Those that have sinned without law shall be judged without law. But those that have heard, or might have heard, and would not, lie open to this doom.
2. What is the constructive malignity of their unbelief: not receiving Christ's word; it is interpreted (Joh 12:48) a rejecting of Christ, ho athetōn eme. It denotes a rejection with scorn and contempt. Where the banner of the gospel is displayed, no neutrality is admitted; every man is either a subject or an enemy.
3. The wonderful patience and forbearance of our Lord Jesus, exercised towards those who slighted him when he was come here upon earth: I judge him not, not now. Note, Christ was not quick or hasty to take advantage against those who refused the first offers of his grace, but continued waiting to be gracious. He did not strike those dumb or dead who contradicted him, never made intercession against Israel, as Elias did; though he had authority to judge, he suspended the execution of it, because he had work of another nature to do first, and that was to save the world. (1.) To save effectually those that were given him before he came to judge the degenerate body of mankind. (2.) To offer salvation to all the world, and thus far to save them that it is their own fault if they be not saved. He was to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Now the executing of the power of a judge was not congruous with that undertaking, Act 8:33. In his humiliation his judgment was taken away, it was suspended for a time.
4. The certain and unavoidable judgment of unbelievers at the great day, the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God: unbelief will certainly be a damning sin. Some think when Christ saith, I judge no man, he means that they are condemned already. There needs no process, they are self-judged; no execution, they are self-ruined; judgment goes against them of course, Heb 2:3. Christ needs not appear against them as their accuser, they are miserable if he do not appear for them as their advocate; however, he tells them plainly when and where they will be reckoned with. (1.) There is one that judgeth them. Nothing is more dreadful than abused patience, and grace trampled on; though for awhile mercy rejoiceth against judgment, yet there will be judgment without mercy. (2.) Their final judgment is reserved to the last day; to that day of judgment Christ here binds over all unbelievers, to answer then for all the contempts they have put upon him. Divine justice has appointed a day, and adjourns the sentence to that day, as Mat 26:64. (3.) The word of Christ will judge them then: The words that I have spoken, how light soever you have made of them, the same shall judge the unbeliever in the last day; as the apostles, the preachers of Christ's word, are said to judge, Luk 22:30. Christ's words will judge unbelievers two ways: - [1.] As the evidence of their crime, they will convict them. Every word Christ spoke, every sermon, every argument, every kind offer, will be produced as a testimony against those who slighted all he said. [2.] As the rule of their doom, they will condemn them; they shall be judged according to the tenour of that covenant which Christ procured and published. That word of Christ, He that believes not shall be damned, will judge all unbelievers to eternal ruin; and there are many such like words.
III. A solemn declaration of the authority Christ had to demand our faith, and require us to receive his doctrine upon pain of damnation, Joh 12:49, Joh 12:50, where observe,
1. The commission which our Lord Jesus received from the Father to deliver his doctrine to the world (Joh 12:49): I have not spoken myself, as a mere man, much less as a common man; but the Father gave me a commandment what I should say. This is the same with what he said Joh 7:16. My doctrine is, (1.) Not mine, for I have not spoken of myself. Christ, as Son of man, did not speak that which was of human contrivance or composure; as Son of God, he did not act separately, or by himself alone, but what he said was the result of the counsels of peace; as Mediator, his coming into the world was voluntary, and with his full consent, but not arbitrary, and of his own head. But, (2.) It was his that sent him. God the Father gave him, [1.] His commission. God sent him as his agent and plenipotentiary, to concert matters between him and man, to set a treaty of peace on foot, and to settle the articles. [2.] His instructions, here called a commandment, for they were like those given to an ambassador, directing him not only what he may say, but what he must say. The messenger of the covenant was entrusted with an errand which he must deliver. Note, Our Lord Jesus learned obedience himself, before he taught it to us, though he was a Son. The Lord God commanded the first Adam, and he by his disobedience ruined us; he commanded the second Adam, and he by his obedience saved us. God commanded him what he should say and what he should speak, two words signifying the same thing, to denote that every word was divine. The Old Testament prophets sometimes spoke of themselves; but Christ spoke by the Spirit at all times. Some make this distinction: He was directed what he should say in his set sermons, and what he should speak in his familiar discourses. Others this: He was directed what he should say in his preaching now, and what he should speak in his judging at the last day; for he had commission and instruction for both.
2. The scope, design, and tendency of this commission: I know that his commandment is life everlasting, Joh 12:50. The commission given to Christ had a reference to the everlasting state of the children of men, and was in order to their everlasting life and happiness in that state: the instructions given to Christ as a prophet were to reveal eternal life (Jo1 5:11); the power, given to Christ as a king was to give eternal life, Joh 17:2. Thus the command given him was life everlasting. This Christ says he knew: "I know it is so," which intimates how cheerfully and with what assurance Christ pursued his undertaking, knowing very well that he went upon a good errand, and that which would bring forth fruit unto life eternal. It intimates likewise how justly those will perish who reject Christ and his word. Those who disobey Christ despise everlasting life, and renounce it; so that not only Christ's words will judge them, but even their own; so shall their doom be, themselves have decided it; and who can except against it?
3. Christ's exact observance of the commission and instructions given him, and his steady acting in pursuance of them: Whatsoever I speak, it is as the Father said unto me. Christ was intimately acquainted with the counsels of God, and was faithful in discovering so much of them to the children of men as it was agreed should be discovered, and kept back nothing that was profitable. As the faithful witness delivers souls, so did he, and spoke the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Note, (1.) This is a great encouragement to faith; the sayings of Christ, rightly understood, are what we may venture our souls upon. (2.) It is a great example of obedience. Christ said as he was bidden, and so must we, communicated what the Father had said to him, and so must we. See Act 4:20. In the midst of all the respect paid to him, this is the honour he values himself upon, that what the Father had said to him that he spoke, and in the manner as he was directed so he spoke. This was his glory, that, as a Son, he was faithful to him that appointed him; and, by an unfeigned belief of every word of Christ, and an entire subjection of soul to it, we must give him the glory due to his name.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And he that seeth me, seeth him that sent…
And he that seeth me, seeth him that sent me. Not with bodily eyes, for there were many that saw Christ, who never saw the Father: they saw Christ as a mere man, and were offended at the meanness of his outward appearance; they saw nothing divine in him, nor the glory of the Father through him; but with the eyes of the understanding, whoever saw or perceived the glory of Christ in his miracles, saw the glory of God in them also, for the Father that dwelt in him did the works, Joh 2:11, and whoever truly sees Christ with an eye of faith, sees his glory, as the glory of the only begotten of the Father, as the brightness of his Father's glory, as having the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him, the same perfections as in the Father; so that he that hath seen the one, hath seen the other also, Joh 14:9.
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John 12:46
joh 12:46
joh 12:46
joh 12:46I am come a light into the world,.... And even as the light of it, being the sun of righteousness, that was to arise, and now was risen, to enlighten men with the light of the living; see Joh 3:19;
that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness; God's elect themselves, whilst in a state of unregeneracy and unbelief, are in darkness; when Christ shines in upon them, and infuses the light of faith into them, they are no longer in darkness; the darkness is past, at least in a great measure, and the true light shines; in which they see light, see glory and grace of Christ, and the invisible realities of another world: nor do they continue in the darkness of sin, ignorance, and unbelief; but walk in the light of truth, faith, and holiness, until the perfect day comes, when all the shadows of remaining darkness will flee away.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Jesus said with a loud voice - This which…
Jesus said with a loud voice - This which follows to the end of the chapter, is with St. John the epilogue of our Lord's public discourses, and a kind of recapitulation of them. Believeth not on me - Not on me alone, but also on him that sent me: because the Father hath sent the Son, and because he and the Father are one.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 44. Jesus cried and said] This is our…
Verse 44. Jesus cried and said] This is our Lord's concluding discourse to this wicked people: probably this and the following verses should be understood as a part of the discourse which was left off at the 36th verse. Joh 12:36
Jesus cried - he spoke these words aloud, and showed his earnest desire for their salvation.
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Believeth not on me, (only,) but on him that sent me.] Here he asserts again his indivisible unity with the Father: - he who believes on the Son believes on the Father: he who hath seen the Son hath seen the Father: he who honours the Son honours the Father. Though it was for asserting this (his oneness with God) that they were going to crucify him, yet he retracts nothing of what he had spoken, but strongly reasserts it, in the very jaws of death!
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Joh 12:44-50. Jesus — On some occasion or other,…
Joh 12:44-50. Jesus — On some occasion or other, soon after this, in order to strengthen the faith of those timid and diffident disciples (if such they could be called) last mentioned, and to inspire them with courage; cried — Or proclaimed, with a loud voice, when, it appears, a considerable number of people were gathered about him; and said, He that believeth on me — Really and cordially; believeth not on me alone, but on him that sent me — And thereby does honour to the Father himself. As if he had said, My doctrine, declarations, and promises are so evidently from God, that he who believeth on me, may more properly be said to believe on God, by whose authority and whose word I preach. And he that seeth me — He that seeth the miracles which I perform, seeth the operation of his power by whom, as man, I act. Or, He that sees me and regards me with a lively faith, seeth him that sent me — As the perfections of the Father are displayed in me: whereas, he that shuts his eyes against me, excludes the only means of being brought to the true knowledge of the Father. I am come a light into the world — I am the Sun of righteousness, whose beams dispel the darkness of ignorance, folly, and sin, in which men are involved, and am come to deliver all who believe on me out of that darkness. And if any man hear my words — Which I am so frequently and continually speaking; and yet believe not, I judge him not — Rather, I condemn him not; for I came not — I am not at present come; to judge (to condemn) the world — Or to perform any work of wrath and terror, whatever ill usage I may meet with in it; but the design of my present appearance is mild, kind, and gracious, and I am come to save the world — And make its inhabitants happy, in time and in eternity, if they will be so wise as to hearken to the proposals I offer. See! Christ came to save even those that finally perish! Even they are a part of that world which he lived and died to save. He that rejecteth me, &c., hath one that judgeth him — But though I shall not now execute judgment upon those who hear my doctrine and do not believe and obey it, nevertheless they shall not pass unpunished. The word that I have spoken shall judge, &c. — For the doctrine which I have preached shall bear witness against them at the day of judgment; and because it has aggravated their sin, it shall heighten their punishment. For I have not spoken of myself — Either on my own motion, or on any precarious conclusions, drawn from principles divinely taught; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment — Gave me ample instructions; what I should say, and what I should speak — Two words signifying the same thing. The Old Testament prophets sometimes spoke of themselves, but Christ spake by the Holy Spirit at all times. God the Father gave him, 1st, His commission; he sent him, as his agent and plenipotentiary, to concert matters between him and man; to set on foot a treaty of peace, and to settle the articles thereof. 2d, His instructions; which are here called a commandment; for they were like those given to an ambassador, directing him not only what he may say, but what he must say. The Messenger of the covenant was intrusted with a message which it was necessary he should deliver. Christ, as Son of man, did not speak that which was of human device or contrivance; and, as Son of God, he did not act separately from, but in perfect union with, his eternal Father. Observe, reader, our Lord Jesus, though he were a Son, learned obedience himself before he taught it us. And I know that his commandment — Understood, believed, and obeyed; is life everlasting — That is, is the way to it, and the beginning of it. Whatsoever I speak, therefore — Whatsoever I declare in my doctrine to those that hear me; even as the Father said unto me, so I speak — I alter nothing in the message which he has sent me to deliver. In other words, because I am sensible that the doctrines and precepts which the Father hath commanded me to declare, are the only conditions of eternal life, and that it depends upon the knowledge and observance of them; therefore I have proposed them with the greatest faithfulness, plainness, and confidence. Hence I am worthy of credit; both in respect of my commission, and in respect of the fidelity with which I have executed it. So that the doctrine which I preach should be received as coming from the Father, and you should consider that by rejecting it you will be guilty of despising his authority. Thus, what is contained in this last paragraph appears to be, with St. John, the epilogue of our Lord’s public discourses, and a kind of recapitulation of them.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Jesus cried and said - John does not say…
Jesus cried and said - John does not say where or when this was; it is probable, however, that it was a continuation of the discourse recorded in Joh 12:30-36. Jesus saw their unbelief, and proceeded to state the consequence of believing on him, and of rejecting him and his message.
Believeth not on me - That is, not on me alone, or his faith does not terminate on me. Compare Mat 10:20; Mar 9:37. It involves, also, belief in him that sent me. Jesus uniformly represents the union between himself and God as so intimate that there could not be faith in him unless there was also faith in God. He did the same works Joh 5:17, Joh 5:20, Joh 5:36; Joh 10:25, Joh 10:37, and taught the very doctrine which God had commissioned him to do, Joh 8:38; Joh 5:30, Joh 5:20-23.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Jesus cried--in a loud tone, and with peculiar solemnity.…
Jesus cried--in a loud tone, and with peculiar solemnity. (Compare Joh 7:37).
and said, He that believeth on me, &c.--This seems to be a supplementary record of some weighty proclamations, for which there had been found no natural place before, and introduced here as a sort of summary and winding up of His whole testimony.
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Next: John Chapter 13
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 44. Believeth not on me—Not on me simply as…
44. Believeth not on me—Not on me simply as man, but as the incarnation of Jehovah, of the Jehovah seen in vision by Isaiah.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 44. cried] Comp. Joh_7:28; Joh_7:37. The expression implies public…
44. cried] Comp. Joh_7:28; Joh_7:37. The expression implies public teaching.
believeth not on me] His belief does not end there; it must include more. This saying does not occur in the previous discourses; but in Joh_5:36 and Joh_8:19 we have a similar thought. Jesus came as His Father’s ambassador, and an ambassador has no meaning apart from the sovereign who sends him. Not only is it impossible to accept the one without the other, but to accept the representative is to accept not him in his own personality but the prince whom he personates. These words are, therefore, to be taken quite literally.
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44–50. The Judgment of Christ
The Evangelist has just summed up the results of Christ’s ministry (37–43). He now corroborates that estimate by Quoting Christ Himself. But as Joh_12:36 seems to give us the close of the ministry, we are probably to understand that what follows was uttered on some occasion or occasions previous to Joh_12:36. Perhaps it is given us as an epitome of what Christ often taught.
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Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (44) The last few verses (Joh_12:37-43) have given us…
(44) The last few verses (Joh_12:37-43) have given us the thoughts of St. John as he looked back on the unbelief of Judaism. He had given our Lord’s closing word in Joh_12:36, and there stated that He hid Himself from them. He now gives other words of our Lord condemning the unbelief of which he had been speaking, and of which the probable explanation is that they are a summary of words previously uttered by our Lord, but grouped together here as specially bearing upon the subject of which he is writing. For the remaining verses of this chapter, the Notes will therefore consist chiefly of reference to earlier passages where the same words have already occurred.
(44) Jesus cried and said.—Comp. Notes on Joh_7:28; Joh_7:37. This forbids our understanding these words of any private discourse addressed to the disciples. The phrase implies public teaching addressed to the multitude, and it may be inferred that there was some such teaching after Joh_12:36.
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The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 44-50. 7. The summation of the supreme conflict…
Vers. 44-50. 7. The summation of the supreme conflict between our Lord and the world. The portion of the chapter which follows is regarded by most commentators, Lucke, Meyer, Godet, Olshausen, and Westcott, as a summary of our Lord"s teaching, as a reiteration by the evangelist of those salient points of the Lord"s ministry which, while they are the life of the world, are nevertheless the grounds on which blinded eyes and hardened hearts rejected him. Vers. 44-46 characterize the believer; vers. 47, 48 emphasize Christ"s relation to the unbeliever; vers. 49, 50 the principle upon which both deliverances turn and will continue to turn. There are those who think that these were special private addresses to the disciples, uttered after our Lord (ekrubh) was hidden, but the word (ekraxe) "cried aloud," would not then have been used, as it was used for the most public expressions of his doctrine, when given once for all. (here Joh_7:28, Joh_7:37, with Luk_18:39) Keim, De Wette, Baur, and Hilgenfeld think that, because there is no fresh departure here, it is proof that all the discourses of Christ in John are similarly put together with no historical basis. But if it be so, this differs strangely from all the rest of our Lord"s discourses recorded by John in that it has no occasion, or persons, or opportunity to which it seems to fit. Certain aorists suggest the idea that John has here given specimens of our Lord"s appeals which had ended in his being rejected by the nation as a whole. Luthardt takes the view of these words being spoken totidem verbis on our Lord"s departure, and with him Hengstenberg also agrees. These critics suppose that they form the closing words of our Lord"s public ministry, delayed by the intercalary remarks of the evangelist, and really belong to the close of the thirty-sixth verse. Though the expressions flint follow are built upon the discourses elsewhere uttered, we admit, with Hengstenberg, that there is no verbal parallel that is at all close, and that therefore the evangelist must not be quoting from what he had already reported, but giving the substance of a threefold class of observations found from one end of the Gospel to the other, and in words that he had heard the Master use.
Vers. 44, 45. Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me; and he that beholdeth me, beholdeth him that sent me. These words do not occur before, but in every form our Lord had exalted "him that sent him." His doctrine or teaching, his purpose in manifestation, the secret food that sustained him, the Divine presence that never left him alone, the entire background of the mission of his human will and life into the world, the object of faith to men as revealed in his humanity, and that which the spiritual eye ought to see, nay if the beholder did but know it does see, constitute an unveiling of the eternal Father who sent him into the world (see Joh_4:34 Joh_5:36 Joh_6:38 Joh_7:17, Joh_7:18, 29 8:28, 42 10:38; cf. also Joh_14:1, Joh_14:9, Joh_14:24). It becomes, then, of high value to grasp the truth. We actually believe in God when believing in him. His mission is lost in the glory of God who appears in him. So far as he is sent, he was necessarily of lower order and rank than he who sent him. His humanity began to be in time; it was generated in the womb of the Virgin; it was sanctified and sent into the world; and yet through it there was the highest revelation of the Father. We cannot attribute so stupendous a thought to the evangelist, and at the same time we admit the portentous singularity and uniqueness of the consciousness which could thus aver identity of nature with God and the completeness of revelation that the Speaker was making in himself of the Father.
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Vers. 44-50. The responsibilities attaching to Jewish unbelief.
The evangelist now takes a retrospective glance at the unbelief of Judaism. What follows is but a summary of our Lord"s past teaching.
I MARK BY CONTRAST THE POSITION OF THE BELIEVER. "He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
1. The believer recognizes Jesus as the Messiah sent by the Father, as the Revelation of the Father"s love and mercy and righteousness. The Jew, therefore, who believed in Christ did not believe in man, but in God.
2. He recognizes the doctrine of Jesus as the clear manifestation of the Fathers mind. "I am come a Light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." Thus the believer becomes a son of light.
II MARK THE POSITION OF THE UNBELIEVER. "And if any man hear my words, and keep them not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
1. The fate of those who reject Christs Word. It is judgment.
2. The Judge is not Christ, though he is to be the final Judge; but he will then only apply the rule of the Word to each life. The Law, in the nature of things, is the accuser.
III MARK THE IMPORTANCE WHICH JESUS ATTACHES TO THE WORD OF JUDGMENT. "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father who sent me has himself commanded me what I should say, and how I should say it.
1. His teaching, as to matter, is from the Father. Its essential principle is "life everlasting.
a. It tells of life;
b. it offers life;
c. it is "spirit and life.
2. His teaching, as to its variety of form, is from the Father. Thus the message of mercy comes to man with every equipment of true wisdom, and bears the very accent of Heaven in its utterance.
The knowledge of the Eternal through Christ.
The world"s great want is to believe in God. Men believe in power, in wealth, in pleasure, in prosperity, in science; that is to say, they believe that such things are desirable and attainable, and worth trying and toiling and suffering for. These are prized, and therefore sought. They are more or less good. Yet they cannot satisfy, they cannot bless, man; for he has a spiritual and imperishable nature, for which all earthly things are not enough, which they cannot meet and satisfy. Yet multitudes of men have found nothing better. Some believe that the good things of this world are man"s highest good, and strive to bring down their souls to this level. Others know that this cannot be, and are most unhappy, because they are strangers to aught that is higher and better; because they are not convinced of their own spirituality and immortality; because they do not feel assured that there is in the universe a Being greater, holier, and more blessed than they are. It is the childish fashion of the day to doubt all save what is often a most doubtful kind of knowledge the knowledge which we have by sense. What men chiefly need is to believe in a Being who is both in and above all things seen and temporal; who administers and governs all; who is ever revealing himself in all things, and to all his intelligent creation; who has purposes, and purposes of wisdom and of love, towards all his children in every place. In a word, what they need is to believe in God. This is faith, and faith is the essence of religion. Faith in a living Person, conscious and moral; not in an impersonal intelligence (whatever that may be) inferior to ourselves; but in a Father in heaven, in whom is every moral excellence which we admire in our fellow-men, only in measure exceeding our imagination and indeed altogether beyond measure. If men live, as millions do, without this faith, they live below the possibilities of their nature and calling. It is this faith that gives to the human heart peace, strength, and hope; and to the human life and lot meaning, stability, and grandeur. Without it, man is not truly man; with it, he is a son of God himself. Yet this faith is not easy to any of us; to multitudes it is, in their state, barely possible, perhaps not possible at all. God knows this, and pities our infirmity. Hence his interposition on our behalf, his revelation of himself to our ignorant, necessitous, and helpless souls. His mercy, his compassion, his Fatherly counsel, have provided for this emergency. The supreme manifestation of himself is not in lifeless matter or in living forms, is not even in the universal reason and conscience of mankind. He has come unto us, and spoken in our hearing, and made himself known to our spirits, in the Person of his Son. In him he appeals to us, summoning and inviting us to faith. No longer is he hidden from our sight, no longer distant from our heart.
I CHRIST"S PRESENCE AMONG MEN IS THE PRESENCE OF GOD. This, indeed, is the meaning of the incarnation of our Lord. God"s works we see on every side, proofs of "his eternal power and Godhead witnesses without which he has never left himself. But God himself no man hath seen at any time. Yet he would have us know him; not only know something about him, but know himself. Hence "the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." He is "the Image of the invisible God," "the Brightness of his glory, and the express Image of his Person." Christ was conscious of this relation, and both assumed and declared it. Nowhere in language more definite and simple than here: "He that seeth me sooth him that sent me." What wants were met in this manifestation! One fancies the exiled Hebrew, panting forth his heart"s deep want, exclaiming in religious fervor, "My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God! When shall I come and appear before God?" Some glimpse of his majesty and his grace the devout psalmist might hope to gain in the temple, which was the scene of his presence, his service, and his praise. But what language would that ardent spirit have found to express its wondering gratitude, could the vision of Immanuel have flashed upon it? One fancies the Athenian philosophers, "seeking the Lord, it haply they might feel after him and find him;" the Athenian poet, by a stretch of imagination and in a rapture of natural piety, rising to the conviction, "We are also his offspring." But what satisfaction, what joy, would have come to such hearts, yearning for the unknown God, had the Divine Man come to them, with the declaration of marvelous simplicity and grace, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father"! But this was a revelation, not only for saints and prophets, for sages and for poets, but for all mankind. When the husbandman hailed the rising sun, and the seaman gazed upon the steadfast pole-star, this question must have arisen Is this the handiwork of God? When the father looked upon the lifeless form of his beloved child, what thought could soothe and temper the bitterness of his bereavement and his woe, except his confidence in the supreme Father"s care and love? And when the old man came to die, what could light up the dark future into which he was hastening, save the uncreated light which comes from the unseen? In their manifold questionings and doubts, sorrows, infirmities, and fears, men have looked above, and we do not say they have not received some tokens of Divine sympathy and love; they have " cued unto God with their voice," and he has heard and succored them. But how dim has been their vision! How faint their faith! How inarticulate the response which has reached them from afar! They would fain have believed; from many a soul went up the eager and intense inquiry, "Who is he, that I might believe?" Nothing did they so deeply desire as to see him, who is the Author of all being and the Arbiter of all destinies; but as they strained their vision, it was as those peering into the scarcely penetrable twilight, with eyes suffused with tears. Who can by searching find out God, or know the Almighty to perfection? Why this want was at once awakened, and allowed to remain so long unsatisfied, we cannot tell. It is one of those mysteries upon which eternity may shed some light; for time has little to yield. It is enough for us that in the fullness of the time God sent forth his Son," that this Son of God is the one Object of human belief, the Center attracting the gaze of all eyes, and the love and reverence of all hearts. In human form, through human life and death, with human voice, God, the unknown, makes himself known to us; God, the unseen, makes himself visible to us. For we can believe on Christ, our Friend, our Brother; we can behold him, the human Immanuel. We greet him as he comes to us from heaven; we listen to him as he speaks to us in earthly language. For us the problem is solved, the chasm is bridged, the impossible is achieved; as Jesus says, "He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that sooth me sooth him that sent me." Some persons have found it hard to believe that "God was manifest in the flesh." But it seems far harder to believe that God was not in Christ, that Christ was not "God with us." It seems hard to imagine how otherwise we could be brought to realize the unspeakable nearness of our heavenly Father, how otherwise we could look into his face, recognize his voice, love him and delight in him. God is in nature; but can it be said, "He that believeth in physical law, that sooth material glory, believes in and beholds the Father above"? He spake by the prophets; but could Moses assert, or Elijah, "He that sooth me sooth him that sent me"? The incongruity must strike every mind; such language from human lips would send a shock through every Christian heart. There are good men living now; will the best of them stand up before the world, and, claiming to come from God, declare, "He that seeth me sooth him that sent me"? But how naturally do such words come from Jesus of Nazareth! How simple! How free from exaggeration and assumption] And how justly and confidently do many hearts rest in his Divine, his welcome, his precious, his authoritative assurance, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father"!
II CHRIST"S WORDS ARE THE WORDS OF GOD. This is indeed the meaning of the ministry of Jesus, as a ministry of teaching. In the context this truth is brought out with special distinctness and power. "I have not," says the great Teacher, "spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak Whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak." It is true that all human language is imperfect, and that, if it is not capable of expressing all the thoughts, and especially all the feelings of men: it is not reasonable to expect that it shall utter in completeness the mind of the infinite God. This objection is brought by some against a revelation in words against the Bible itself. But it is no valid objection. Because the most high and eternal God cannot make himself fully known to man, inasmuch as no means by which he can communicate can do other than partake of human imperfection, shall he therefore refuse to commune with us at all? His fatherly pity will not consent to this. He "spake to the fathers by the prophets," and "in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son." And what words they are in which our Lord has addressed us! Who can believe them without believing the Father, who sent as Messenger his own honored and beloved Son? He is indeed "the Word," being, in his own faultless Person and sacred ministry, the very speech of the Divine mind, appealing to humanity with the summons, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." His words were true. Of himself he could speak as "a Man who telleth you the truth." The unbeliever may come to believe his words, and so to believe in himself; the Christian believes in him, and therefore receives his utterances with an unquestioning faith. On the highest themes, on themes of the deepest and most imperishable interest for man, Christ has spoken; and his words are final, never to be questioned, never to be disproved. His words are words of power. As he himself declared, "The words which I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." His words are immortal. "Heaven and earth," said he, "shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." His words are more than human; The officers were conscious of the authority of his teaching, when they returned and said, "Never man spake like this Man!
III CHRIST"S LOVE IS THE LOVE OF GOD. This is the meaning of the ministry of Jesus as a display of character and disposition, as a constant extension to men of healing, pardon, grace, and help. Our Savior struck the key-note of his ministry in the words he addressed to Nicodemus: "God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." The worst evils which men suffer they inflict upon themselves; the greatest blessings which they experience are given them by God. How could men be convinced that God is a Savior? The best answer to this question is the fact that they have been so convinced by the mission and the ministry of Christ. As he "went about doing good;" as "he healed all manner of sickness and disease among the people;" as he pronounced to the contrite and believing sinner the gracious words, "Be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee! men felt, as they had never felt before, that God was visiting and redeeming his people. Human sorrow awakened the response of Divine sympathy, and human sin the response of Divine clemency and forgiveness. It was not the timely but casual interposition of a human friend; it was the one typical eternal intervention of a God. The ministry of our Redeemer in Judaea and in Galilee was the outward and visible sign of the unchanging pity of our Father"s heart. It was "the acceptable year of the Lord," but it was a year that has no end. In Christ, the God of all grace is forever addressing mankind in the language of an unfailing gospel, and is saying, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins?
IV CHRIST"S SALVATION IS THE SALVATION OF GOD. This is the meaning of Immanuel"s death and sacrifice. What it is wished especially to draw from this passage, as elucidating redemption and salvation, is this that in the cross of Christ we do not so much behold Christ reconciling us unto God, as God in Christ reconciling us unto himself. The gospel is the setting forth and publication in time of the great truth and reality of eternity that God is a just God and a Savior. To believe in Christ is to believe in God"s purposes of mercy; God"s method of mercy; God"s promise of mercy. What follows from the truths now stated? How do they practically affect us?
V THE ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION OF CHRIST IS THE ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION OF GOD. These words were uttered at the close of our Lord"s public ministry in Jerusalem, probably on the Wednesday of the Passion week. On the whole, Christ"s teaching had met with unbelief and hostility. Pharisees and Sadducees had been rather silenced than convinced. Many of the chief rulers, indeed, believed on Jesus, yet they had not the courage and honesty to confess him. In this very chapter, whilst we read that "many believed" on Jesus, we are informed of others that "they believed not on him." It is clear that there was general interest in Christ"s teaching and claims; but that those who acknowledged the Prophet of Nazareth as the Messiah were few and timid, whilst his opponents were bold and bitter and determined. It was the very crisis of our Lord"s ministry. His "hour was come." The cycle of his public teaching and beneficence was complete. He had now only to lay down his life, and thus to carry out his fore-announced intentions, and to finish the work his Father had given him to do. And these words and those which follow are Christ"s final testimony to the Jews. He sums up in a brief compass the truth concerning himself, and then the practical bearing of that truth upon his hearers. He has come from God. He has come, with Divine authority, as the world"s Light, and as the world"s Savior. He has come with everlasting life in his hands, as Heaven"s choicest gift. Yet he sees around him, not only those who hear, believe, and receive him, but those also who reject him. It is not for him to judge; for he has come to save. But judgment awaits the unbeliever. And what is the witness which the compassionate Savior bears as his last solemn message to mankind? How does he bring home to their souls the awful responsibility of association with him, of enjoying a day of Divine visitation? He does this in this sublime statement, in which he identifies himself with the Father from whom he came. No one can disbelieve and reject him, can close the eye to his glory, without in so doing rejecting God, turning away from the sight of God, and stopping the ear against the voice of God. This was, and is, a truth at which men may well tremble. Here we are brought face to face with the great probation, the great alternative, of human life and destiny. Only those who are thoughtless or hardened can think of this truth without the deepest seriousness and solemnity. It may justly be said to men, "You have been so framed by the Divine Maker of all that you must either accept or reject him. In either case it must be your act, and you must be answerable for it. And there is no third course open to you; for not to acknowledge, honor, and trust the Christ of God, to be indifferent to him and to his salvation, this is to spurn the most sacred privilege, to neglect the most precious opportunity with which God himself can favor you. It is to shut the eyes to the light of heaven; it is to disbelieve and to reject the eternal God himself. T.
Christ"s farewell sermon to the public.
Notice
I THE MISSION OF CHRIST IN RELATION TO FAITH.
1. Faith in the Son involves faith in the Father. "He that believeth on me, believeth not on me only.
(1) Christ reveals the Father as the supreme Object of faith. The Son as yet was a Revealer of the Father as the supreme Object of faith.
(2) His mission naturally and directly led faith to the Father.
(3) Faith in him was as yet a stepping-stone to faith in the Father. The introduction the first resting-place of faith on her upward flight to the Supreme. There would be a time when Christ would be revealed as the special Object of faith; but now the Father is revealed as such, and the Revealer keeps in the background.
(4) Yet faith in Christ involves faith in the Father. No one can believe in Christ without believing in the Father. There is such an essential and official connection between the Sender and the Sent that faith in one involves faith in the other. When faith embraces the Son it finds the Father.
2. A spiritual vision of Christ involves a spiritual vision of the Father. "He that seeth me," etc.
(1) Christ is the express Image of his Person.
(2) The express Reflection of his character and attributes.
(3) The express Revelation of his will and purposes.
3. Faith in Christ alone made full faith in the Father possible.
(1) Knowledge is essential to faith. We must know God to some extent before we can exercise an intelligent faith in him. Indeed, appropriated knowledge is faith. "This is life," etc.
(2) Christ alone fully revealed God to mankind, and furnished them with knowledge concerning him. "I am come a Light into the world.
(3) Faith in Christ, as the Light, alone can result in faith in the object which it reveals. "That whosoever believeth on me," etc. The enjoyment of light can alone save us from darkness, and bring us face to face with the objects around us. The enjoyment of Christ by faith alone can bring us to enjoy the Father.
II THE MISSION OF CHRIST IN" RELATION" TO UNBELIEF.
1. Unbelief develops itself in two ways.
(1) In attentive hearing but non-observance. (Ver. 47)
(2) Entire rejection. (Ver. 48)
2. Both these classes incur judgment.
(1) Not directly by Christ. "I judge him not.
(2) The primary purpose of Christs mission was not judgment.
(3) Its primary purpose was salvation.
3. The unbelievers judge is Christs message. "The Word that I spake," etc.
(1) Judgment is the secondary result of Christs Word. Its primary and natural result is eternal life. Man turns it into judgment by rejection. When it fails to save on account of unbelief it judges and condemns.
(2) The judgment of the Word is partly present. "He hath," etc. Now the unbeliever is condemned by his own reason and conscience, and in the light of the Word he is self-condemned.
(3) It is more suitable that the Word should judge now than if Christ were to do so. He could not directly judge and save at the same time. But his Word must condemn when it fails to benefit.
(4) The final and full judgment of the Word will be in the.future. "At the last day," etc. Then the judgment by the Word will be published, and reach its finality. The Word, like Christ, is unchangeable. The rejected Word will judge. It will be the same at the last day as now, and will deliver its final verdict.
III THE MISSION OF CHRIST IN RELATION TO HIMSELF AND THE FATHER.
1. His mission was purely Divine.
(1) It was not self-derived. "I have not spoken of myself," etc. This in his case would be an impossibility, for he and the Father are one.
(2) It was not a mixture of the human and the Divine.
(3) It was purely the will of the Father.
2. His mission was minutely defined.
(1) It was embodied in a Divine command. (Ver. 49.)
(2) This command embraced the minutest details of his mission. "What I should say and speak," etc.
(3) This command was ever present to him in his inward consciousness, written as a law in his heart. It was the inspiration of every thought and the burden of every word. It was, in fact, a part of himself.
3. His mission was fully understood by him. And I know," etc.
(1) Understood in its natural results. Life everlasting.
(2) Understood in its awful importance. The fate of the human family hung on his message.
(3) Understood most absolutely. "I know." It is not "I think or believe.
4. His mission was most faithfully discharged.
(1) Without any additions.
(2) Without any deductions.
(3) With the most devoted fidelity. With regard to its substance and spirit, it was discharged with the greatest care. There was no partiality for favors, no evasions on account of frowns, no pandering to taste, no fishing for praise; there was no attempt to please any one but his Father.
IV THE MISSION OF CHRIST IN RELATION TO ITS LAST PUBLIC NOTES.
1. There was intense earnestness. "He cried," and why?
(1) There was great danger. Judgment was at hand.
(2) There was a slight possibility to avert it. There was a little intervening time. It was brief, but must be used, and his message must be published.
(3) It was his last opportunity. His farewell sermon to the public.
2. A special effort is made. "He cried.
(1) He was intensely desirous to gain hearing and attention.
(2) He was intensely desirous to be understood.
(3) He was intensely desirous to be believed. Hence he did what was unusual for him cried;" and the ministry to this day is the echo of that cry of Jesus. B.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain Joh 12:44-50. “And Jesus cried out and said, He…
SUPREMACY OF THE WORD
Joh 12:44-50. “And Jesus cried out and said, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me; and he that seeth Me, seeth Him that sent Me.” In this affirmation, Jesus certifies His identity with the Father. “I have come a Light into the world, in order that every one believing in Me may not abide in darkness.” The world had waited four thousand years for the coming of the Incarnate God; meanwhile the profound learning of Egypt, the metaphysical lore of India, the transcendent philosophy of deep-thoughted Greece, and the lofty dictations of mighty Rome, had ransacked the world, exploring every ramification of mythology, science, literature, poetry, oratory, and the fine arts, in the vain and unsatisfactory attempt to solve the mysterious problem of humanity, adjust man to his Creator, tame the ferocity of his animal nature, and subordinate it to the intellectual and the moral, and make him the incarnation of virtue instead of vice, — all having exhausted their resources, and despaired of their enterprise, and mutually acquiesced in the conclusion that the Creator and Preserver of the universe would certainly, in condescending mercy, send a Divine Teacher into the world. Hence the Incarnate Son of God was a glorious sunburst on all the nations of the earth, lighting the dark places of every land and clime, and more than satisfying the anticipations of the saints and sages of all the earth.
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“If any one may hear My words, and not keep them, I do not judge him for I did not come that I may judge the world, but that I may save the world.” The judgment of the wicked world can mean nothing but condemnation and retribution. But, fortunately for us all, He came, not for judgment, but for salvation. However, in the end, He will judge the quick and dead.
“He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath that which judgeth him: the Word which I have spoken, that will judge him in the last day.” How infinitely momentous is the revealed Word of God! By this Word we are saved, sanctified, edified, fortified, and finally judged. If you are out of harmony with any part of God’s Word, to your knees quickly! Repent and get right before you are called into judgment! Even religious people, as a rule, are asleep relative to the momentous importance of the Word.
“Because I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father Himself, having sent Me, gave Me the commandment what I may say and what I shall speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. Therefore whatsoever I speak, as the Father hath said unto Me, so I speak.” Jesus here affirms that the commandment of God is eternal life. Now, the commandment is the Divine injunction for us to obey. Hence you see that we must receive the Word as it is, not venturing to tinker with it, nor attempt to bend it to suit our unsanctified natures, as we will all be judged by it precisely as the Holy Ghost gave it. If your life is in harmony with the precious Word, you should than It God and take courage.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Now John returns to the main story line. This is another time when Jesus begins to speak to the crowd.
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Jesus cried out and said
Here John implies that a crowd of people had gathered to hear Jesus speak. AT: "Jesus shouted out to the crowd that had gathered" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
the one who sees me sees him who sent me
Here the word "him" refers to God. AT: "the one who sees me sees God, who sent me"
translationWords
believe
send
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 12:44-50 Jesus makes a final appeal for belief. These…
12:44-50 Jesus makes a final appeal for belief. These verses summarize chs 1–12. Jesus was sent by the Father, the sole source of his ministry. Jesus is the light shining in darkness to bring salvation and eternal life to all who believe in him.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.