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The Scriptorium

Blind - Willfully, and Willed

We're sometimes like this fickle and faithless crowd.

The Gospel of John: John 12.37-50

Read and meditate on John 12.37-41.
All those signs, and all that profound teaching! And still, the crowds did not believe, even though they celebrated His entrance into Jerusalem and acclaimed Him King. They wanted Jesus to be what they wanted, and they would not accept Him otherwise. They were willfully blind to His true identity. Just as God willed.

                               37But although He many signs
had done before them, yet they could not find
a reason to believe in Him. 38that so
Isaiah’s word might be fulfilled, who spoke,
“Lord, who believes our word? To whom have You
revealed Your arm?” 39Isaiah said this too,
to show that they could not believe: 40“For He
has blinded them, lest anyone should see,
and He their hearts has hardened, lest they come
to understand, repent, and turning from
their sins, be healed.” 41Isaiah prophesied
these things when he God’s glory saw inside
the temple, and there spoke of Him.

- John 12.37-41

Reflect
1.  Earlier in this chapter, as Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the people acclaimed Him as the King of Israel, Who had come in the Name of the Lord (v. 13). Now John tells us they did not believe in Him. How shall we reconcile these reports? Complete this prayer: Lord, I believe in You, and I know You are the King Who comes in the Name of the Lord. I know I believe in You because…

2.  We might be tempted to think that Jesus’ mission was a failure. Three years, and still the people did not believe! But Jesus’ mission was advancing right on schedule, precisely as God had ordained from long ago. Verse 38 comes from Isaiah 53.1. Read Isaiah 53. What does this describe? Why did John place Isaiah 53.1 just here in his gospel? Is it important that we understand Old Testament types and prophecies concerning Jesus? Explain. All that was written of You in the Old Testament has come to pass, Lord, and everything that is written concerning what You are yet to do will likewise be fulfilled. Help me to…

3.  The people were blind to Jesus’ true identity, because they were looking for a different sort of king from God. They wanted Jesus to do their will, rather than hear and understand His will and do it. Do you think Christians today sometimes fall into this same snare – looking for political and economic solutions, or the satisfaction of some personal want, rather than the Kingdom not of this world – trying to get Jesus to serve us, rather than us serve Him? Explain. Your Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit, O Lord, and I seek it by…

4.  The second quote from Isaiah (vv. 39, 40) comes from Isaiah 6. Read Isaiah 6.1-10. What do these verses recount? Compare Isaiah’s response in Isaiah 6 to the response of the people in John 12. Why was Isaiah able to reply positively to God’s call? What do we learn about the sovereignty of God in making known the Good News of His Kingdom? Why did John cite this here? What is his message to us, who read these verses? Lord, like Isaiah, I hear You calling me each day, and I say…

5.  Notice how John ends this section: “These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.” Is there a connection between seeing the glory of God, hearing His words, and proclaiming the Good News of the Lord? Throughout this chapter, Jesus has been pointing forward to His coming glory, and the glory of the Father. John is telling us as readers, “You are about to witness the glory of God and of the Son.” What does John want us to do, having heard Jesus’ words and seen His glory? What should that look like in your life? Bring together into one the prayers you composed for questions 1-4.

Summary
“But the prophet, you say, assigns another cause than that of their will. What cause does the prophet assign? That ‘God has given them the spirit of remorse, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear. And has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart.’ This also, I reply, their will deserved. For God thus blinds and hardens, simply by letting alone and withdrawing his aid. And God can do this by a judgment that is hidden, although not by one that is unrighteous. This is a doctrine that the piety of the God-fearing ought to preserve unshaken and inviolable in all its integrity: even as the apostle, when treating of the same intricate question, says, ‘What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.’ If, then, we must be far from thinking that there is unrighteousness with God, this only can it be, that, when he gives his aid, he acts mercifully. And when he withholds it, he acts righteously. For in all he does, he does not act rashly but in accordance with judgment.” Augustine (354-430 AD)

It’s easy for us to condemn the fickle and faithless crowd that welcomed Jesus so raucously, then betrayed and killed him so viciously. They kept trying to believe that Jesus was the conquering Davidic king they’d been hoping for; but when it became clear He was not going to liberate them from the Romans, and not going to bring in abundant material blessing, then, rather than praise Him, they despised Him, and turned on Him like a pack of dogs. How can we tell when we’re seeking to do God’s will, or seeking to get God to do ours?

Closing Prayer
I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.
Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”

Psalm 40.1-8

Psalm 40.1-8 (Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
I waited patiently for God; He inclined and heard my cry,
Lifted me up above the sod, set me on a Rock on high!
New songs in my mouth He gave; may He through me many save.

Blessed are all who trust in You, turning both from lies and pride.
Countless wonders, Lord, You do, and Your thoughts with us abide.
Lord, Your worth who can declare?  None with You can e’er compare.

Off’rings You do not require – open now my ears, O Lord –
What from me do You desire?  Firm delight to do Your Word.
Take my life in ev’ry part; write Your Law upon my heart.
T. M. Moore

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We are happy to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in our series on the Gospel of John by clicking here. Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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