JOHN 12:37-43 FOR THEY LOVED THE PRAISE OF MEN MORE THAN THE PRAISE OF GOD

John 12:37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" 39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: 40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them." 41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. 42 ¶ Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

37  But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him,

They had rejected the evidence (v. 37). The light had been shining, but they refused to believe and follow the light. Note the terrible results of repeatedly rejecting Christ’s Word (vv. 37–41):

(1) They would not believe (v. 37) though they had seen the evidence for His divine Sonship.

(2) They could not believe (v. 39) because their hearts became hard and their eyes blind.

(3) Therefore, God said, “They should not believe” (v. 39) because they had spurned His grace!

Now He pulls on two verses from that prophesy of Isaiah and they form two questions.  Who has believed our report?  That’s the first question.  This is a lament.  This is a complaint on the part of the writer.  He’s saying, “Why haven’t they believed, for goodness sakes?”  It also tells us that the prophet, perhaps seven hundred years prior to Christ walking on this globe, the prophet foresaw something.  He foretold something.  They wouldn’t believe.  We’re going to take this report, we’re going to clear it out to our own people and they aren’t going to embrace it. 

38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to 

Whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"

 The second question is, “To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”  Now this has to do with His power.  The arm of the Lord, the right hand usually, is always the power center of God and I’ve often been reminded His left hand isn’t too bad either.  But His right hand is the arm of power.  And it says, “to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"  In other words, “Who has seen His power?” 

Well, certainly Israel saw His power again and again, didn’t they?  And in our context here, didn’t they see the power of Jesus Christ to raise people from the dead, to cure the ill, to give eyes to a blind man, to turn water into wine?  Didn’t they see the power of God?  Who’s heard our report?  Why aren’t they believing?  They’ve seen the power of God, why do they persist in unbelief?  In spite of clear prophesy, people will not believe.

39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

Now, the nation is unable to believe because they constantly rejected God.  They constantly rejected His prophets, they constantly rejected His power, even though they saw those signs and saw the power.  So the consequence we might call a judicial blindness.  They are blind because they persist.  Their hearts become hardened.  They are close minded toward God even though they see these things and hear these things, they don’t believe.  So, verse thirty-nine, in spite of clear prophesy, they would not believe.  Look at verse thirty-nine, “Because they could not believe.”

 The reason they can no longer believe is they persist in unbelief and there comes a point when they canno