Tuesday 20th August
Read John 12:37-38
“Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfil the word of Isaiah the prophet:
‘Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’” (NIVUK)
John uses two passages from Isaiah to explain why the Jews rejected, and continue to reject, Jesus. The first is from the most famous of passages in Isaiah, the song of the suffering and glory of God’s servant. Consider the beginning of that song and one begins to grasp why John sees this as partial explanation for the unbelief of the Jews.
“See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him –
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness –
15 so he will sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
53 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 52:13-53:1) (NIVUK)
Jesus has just spoken of how He will soon be raised and lifted up (same word)(v32). He will soon be disfigured and His appearance appalling. He has declared the nations will be drawn to Him after He is lifted up. These nations will not have seen, heard or understood anything before then (but the arrival of some Greeks seeking to find out tells Jesus it is time). The mystery then is who will believe this unforeseen message? Who will the Lord’s power show itself to?
The answer, surprisingly, seems to be those very nations and not God’s people. God’s people will persist in unbelief, they will refuse to see (John 9). However, the nations will grasp the message and be blessed and saved. This aligns with Paul’s argument in Romans 9-11. Isaiah tells the story of a people ashamed of God’s servant, a people who will not believe, so it is not unexpected at all that the Jews would not recognise and respond to Jesus. It was foretold.
