Bible Study series: John 12:20-36. Jesus proclaimed his death on the cross, and when he is lifted up, he will draw all men (even Gentiles) to himself, including those Greeks who sought an audience with him.
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In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: John 12:20-36
20 Now there were certain Greeks who went up to worship at the Feast. 21 Then they approached Philip from Bethsaida of Galilee and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied to them, saying, “My hour has come so that the Son of Man may be glorified. 24 I tell you the firm truth: unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces a lot of grain. 25 The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, let him follow me and where I am there, the one who serves me will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 27 Now my soul is troubled, and what should I say? Father, rescue me from this hour? But for this reason, I have come to this hour.
28 “Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice from heaven came: “I have glorified it and I will glorify it again.” 29 Then the crowd who were standing by and heard it were saying, “It was thunder.” Others were saying, “An angel spoke to him.” 30 In reply, Jesus said, “The voice did not come for me but for you. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. 32 And if I be lifted up from this earth, I will draw everyone to myself. 33 (He said this, signifying what kind of death he was about to die.”)
34 Then the crowd replied to him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever, and how do you say that the Son of Man will be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
35 So Jesus told them, “For still a brief time the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. And the one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light.”
Jesus said these things, and after he departed, he hid himself from them. (John 12:20-36)
Comments:
20-22:
Jesus is in the temple courts, and probably a day or two has elapsed between v. 19 and 20. Gentiles were allowed in the court of Gentiles, a place specially designated for them, but they were not allowed in the inner court. So there is an ethnic barrier built into the temple. Recall that the Ethiopian eunuch went to Jerusalem to worship at one of the festivals (Acts 8:27). No doubt these Greeks were doing the same. These Greek were Gentile God-fearers, like Cornelius in Acts 10 and the Gentile centurion who loved the Jewish people and built a synagogue for them (Luke 7:5). They may have heard about Jesus because of all the “buzz” about the resurrection of Lazarus and Jesus himself.
“asked”: it is in the imperfect tense, indicating they kept on asking (Mounce, comment on v. 21). The Greeks apparently intensely wanted to talk with Jesus.
Further, Jesus had expelled the merchants and moneychangers from the outer court, probably the court of the Gentiles, and in Mark 11:15-17, where he said the temple should be a house of prayer for all nations. Maybe these Greeks heard this proclamation and took it seriously. They believed that Jesus was tearing down the ethnic barriers.
Bruce cites the case of the governor of Syria, Vitellius, who went to Jerusalem to sacrifice to God right at the time when Tiberius died on 16 March, AD 37. Vitellius, though hosted by Herod Antipas, had to worship in the outer court.
These Greeks approached Philip, possibly because of his Greek name and he spoke Greek, or possibly because they came from the same area; hence John brought up Philip’s hometown. Many Gentiles lived in Galilee.
By the way many Jews of the time took Greek or Latin names, just to fit in.
The Meaning of the Names of the Twelve Apostles
23-24:
Believe it or not, Jesus is now answering the request of the Greeks. How? Let’s find out.
“I tell you the firm truth”: It could be translated as “Truly, truly I tell you” or “I tell you with utmost certainty.” (Bruce has “indeed and truly I tell you”). Jesus’s faith in his own words is remarkable and points to his unique calling. It means we must pay attention to it, for it is authoritative. He is about to declare an important and solemn message or statement. The clause appears only on the lips of Jesus in the NT.
Jesus introduces the next illustration or symbol with the above solemn statement. It is important because Jesus knows he is about to surrender his life to the Father and the cross.
“Son of Man”: It both means the powerful, divine Son of Man (Dan. 7:13-14) and the human son of man—Ezekiel himself—in the book of Ezekiel (numerous references). Jesus was and still is in heaven both divine and human. It can also be rightly translated as “Son of Humanity.”
4. Titles of Jesus: The Son of Man
Jesus had said that his hour or time had not yet come (2:4; 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20), but now his hour has come. He had refused to seek his own glory or renown in an earthly sense or even in a heavenly sense. If he had sought his own glory, he would have lost out. Here he speaks in the passive voice “to be glorified.” We should consider this to be the divine passive. Who is the one who glorifies the Son of Man? Himself? No, God is the one who is about to glorify his Son. Jesus surrenders his life to the Father and goes through the suffering, and then the Father will raise him up and welcome him back into the courts of heaven at his ascension.
But first he must suffer and die.
The grain of wheat symbolizes Jesus and his death. The fruit-through-his-death includes the Gentiles.
Grain of Wheat Symbolically Dying in Ground and then Sprouting = Jesus’s Death, Burial, Resurrection
Jesus must sacrifice his own life so that eternal life can be imparted to everyone, both converted Jews and converted Gentiles. Feasting on the bread of heaven brings eternal life (John 6:33-58). “I am the living bread coming down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread which I will give is my flesh, on behalf of the life of the world” (John 6:51). Paul says the seed is an image of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:36-38).
So how is Jesus answering the Gentiles’ request to see him?
In effect, Jesus tells the Greeks who seek him to wait just a little while longer, because after his death, burial, resurrection, ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit, they will be invited into the New Covenant people of God (Acts 10). He will promise them that he will draw everyone—Jew and Gentile—after his crucifixion and ascension (v. 32).
25-26:
Loving one’s life … hating one’s life. In Jewish idiom, to “hate” one and “love” the other is to say, “I prefer A over B.” Here we have a case of hyperbole (rhetorical exaggeration to startle the listener). Carson: “the one who hates his life (the love / hate contrast reflects a semitic idiom that articulates fundamental preference, not hatred on some absolute scale; cf. Gn. 29:31, 33; Dt. 21:15 … will keep it for eternal life” (Carson, comment on v. 25). But on the other hand, let’s not sugarcoat this startling statement. Jesus is about to die. There is no more time to waste. If Jesus were to prefer his life over death by crucifixion and were to live to old age, he would have failed in his mission. No fruit of conversions for everyone who responds in faith. No outpouring of the Spirit. No salvation. So in effect, Jesus must hate the life instinct or renounce it and willingly go to the cross. His hour has come. Now is the time. Mounce points out that the verb for “lose” can mean “destroy,” and he says it has the nuance here. “Thus, Jesus is saying that self-love leads to self-destruction” (comment on v. 25). Morris: “Jesus is saying that anyone who loves his life is destroying it right now” (comment on v. 25).
“eternal life”: this is more than mere existence. This is life of the next age, that age, which has broken into this age or right now. In other words, eternal life happens now, but we must be careful not to believe that everything in the new age, in everlasting life, is happening now. This is called over-realized eschatology (study of ends times and new ages). Not every new-age blessing becomes realized or accomplished right now. But let’s not remain negative. We get some benefits of the next age or new age right now. We get some benefits of eternal life, right now.
5 The Kingdom of God: Already Here, But Not Yet Fully
Let’s look at life by the book—by the prominent Greek lexicon.
It is the noun zoē (pronounced zoh-ay, and girls are named after it, e.g. Zoey). BDAG says that it has two senses, depending on the context: a physical life (e.g. life and breath) and a transcendent life. By physical life the editors mean the period from birth to death, human activity, a way or manner of living, a period of usefulness, earning a living. By transcendent life the lexicographers mean these four elements: first, God himself is life and offers us everlasting life. Second, Christ is life, who received life from God, and now we can receive life from Christ. Third, it is new life of holiness and righteousness and grace. God’s life filling us through Christ changes our behavior. Fourth, zoē means life in the age to come, or eschatological life. So our new life now will continue into the next age, which God fully and finally ushers in when Christ returns. We will never experience mere existence or death, but we will be fully and eternally alive in God.
Clearly, John means the fourth definition.
“To love one’s life here means to give it priority over the interests of God’s kingdom; similarly, to hate one’s life is to give it priority over it to the interests of God’s kingdom. The Kingdom of God and ‘eternal life’ are in practice interchangeable terms, since eternal life is the life of the age to come, when God’s kingdom is established on earth, but in this Gospel especially eternal life is something that can be received and enjoyed here and now through faith-union with Christ” (Bruce comment on vv. 25-26).
Carson: “The person who loves his life will lose it: it could not be otherwise, for to love one’s life is a fundamental denial of God’s sovereignty, of God’s rights, and a brazen elevation of self to the apogee of one’s perception, and therefore an idolatrous focus on self, which is the heart of sin. Such a person loses his life, i.e. causes his own perdition” (comments on v. 25).
These two verses remind me of the passage in Mark 8:34-38:
34 Then he called for the crowd, with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For anyone who wants to preserve his life shall lose it. Whoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall preserve it. 36 What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and suffer damage to his soul? 37 What will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man shall be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father and with the holy angels. (Mark 8:34-38)
Any follower of Jesus must renounce his old life instinct and die to it. He may not be crucified literally, particularly in the comfortable West, but he will have to suffer social stigma, which may add up to a social death. In nations that persecute Christians, particularly communist and Islamic nations, believers may have to give up their lives, literally, physically.
27-28:
This passage corresponds to the suffering of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, which internal suffering John omits. Here in v. 27, his soul is troubled. What shall he say? He has a choice. Should he walk away and ask the Father to rescue him? In Matt. 26:53 he says that during the arrest, he could have called on the Father, who would have sent twelve legions of angels.
The Son once again looks to his Father’s glory. In glorifying the Father’s name Jesus is saying that it is hallowing it or rendering it holy, as in the Lord’s Model Prayer (Bruce, comment on vv. 27-28).
So how did the Father already glorify it and then will glorify it again? In the first instance, his name was glorified in the ministry and signs of the Incarnate Word, if people could see below the surface and the Father’s backing of his Son. Glorifying it again means the completion of the mission of his Son when he died on the cross and was buried, resurrected, and ascended. The ascension is the vindication of the Son and completion of the mission of both the Father and the Son. Mission accomplished, at the ascension.
29-33:
The bystanders heard something, but they did not know how to interpret it. Was it thunder? An angel? Here we have an example of irony, thinking you know more than you actually know. Example: Job and his friends knew a little of the ways of God interacting with humanity. They spoke great poetry. But when God showed up on the scene and gave a long speech with rhetorical questions about creation, they realized they did not know as much as they had first believed. The crowd here did not know what the sound meant. God spoke to his Son for the crowd’s benefit, but they were spiritually dull. In his ministry, he spoke about division (7:43; 10:19), but this dullness separates them finally. Soon Jesus will speak in close intimacy with his disciples alone (Chapters 13-17).
This failure to perceive a voice from heaven reminds me of Paul and heavenly voice he heard:
3 While he was travelling, it happened. As he neared Damascus, a light from heaven unexpectedly flashed around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 He replied, “Who are you, sir?” “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! 6 But get up and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do!” 7 And the men caravanning with him had been standing speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. (Acts 9:3-7)
Then Paul seems to say that no one “heard” the voice:
6 It happened to me as I was going and nearing Damascus, at midday, suddenly a very bright light from heaven shone around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 8 I answered, “Who are you, lord?” He said to me, “I am Jesus the Nazarene whom you are persecuting” 9 And those who were with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one speaking. (Acts 22:6-9)
But the point Paul is making is that they did not “comprehend” what had happened and what the sound meant. People hear and understand different things when God communicates directly. This explains why some demand that God skywrite a word like “repent!”, but we all know that some would worship the words in the sky; many would ignore it, and some scientists would explain it away.
“The ruler of this world”: it is John’s term for Satan (14:30; 16:11). “His time had come, and in the cross and resurrection he would meet his ultimate defeat (cf. Rev. 12). From this point on he is a defeated foe (Col. 2:13-15). Satan may have been the prince of the world, but his kingdom is about to come tumbling down” (Mounce, comment on v. 31).
This decisive division between him and the world has a spiritual dimension. The ruler of the world order and a spiritual-demonic kingdom will be thrown out or dethroned; now universal authority and judgment will have been handed over to the Son on the cross and resurrection and ascension (3:35; 5:19-29). The ruler of this world has no accusation to bring against the Son (14:30). His followers will also be accused but they will receive help from the Paraclete, who will be the evidence that the ruler of this world is judged (16:11). “The ruler of this world is judged.” Jesus will discredit the ruler of the world. Jesus said he saw Satan fall from heaven (Luke 10:18); and Jesus said he was binding the strong man (Satan) (Matt. 12:29 // Mark 3:27 // Luke 8:21-22). The cross, seemingly expressing defeat, was actually the victory and vindication of the Son and defeat of Satan.
I like Beasley-Murray on vv. 31-32: “The sentence of judgment passed on this world is endured by the One whom this world murders. This turns the awful news of judgment on sin at the cross into good news of deliverance from condemnation through the cross. It is an eschatological event in the fullest sense of the term: God acting in sovereign power to declare judgement, both negatively and positively, and to bring salvation through the Son of Man crucified and exalted to heaven” (emphasis original).
The next verses explain the great turn of event and the reversal of Satan’s apparent dominion to his biggest defeat.
He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Col. 2:13b-18)
Jesus canceled the records of debt against us by nailing the writ or decree on the cross. Satan used to have permission to accuse us, but our sin-debt no longer applies. It is finished (John 19:30).
The ruler of the world will be cast out. The verb is future passive, and I believe we have another example of the divine passive, which means the subject of the verb is not expressed, but in this context God is the one working behind the verb, expelling the world-ruler. But casting him out of what? Where? John reshapes this idea in apocalyptic language: “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (Rev. 12:9, NIV).
Bruce cites the Odes of Solomon, a Christian document written around the time the Gospel of John was written, which reads, Christ speaking of the Father as: “the one who overthrew by my hands the seven-headed dragon, and set me over his roots that I might destroy his seed” (22.5).
The Greek verb for “lift up” appears in Phil. 2:9 which says, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” (The Septuagint, pronounced sep-TOO-ah-gent, is the third to second century Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. In Is. 52:13 the prophet says that the suffering servant shall be exalted.” So in v. 32 Jesus, in his being lifted up, speaks mainly of his crucifixion, which he also alluded to in 3:14 and 8:28. But he also speaks of his exaltation to the highest rank.
When he is lifted up, he will draw all people to him like a magnet. The word draw needs to be interpreted.
As I did in 6:44, first let’s look at a lexicon. It is the verb helkō (pronounced hehl-koh). BDAG is considered by many to be the most authoritative lexicon of the Greek NT, and the verb means, depending on the context:
(1).. “to move an object from one area to another in pulling motion, draw.” This is done in a physical sense: Draw a sword (John 18:10); haul a net (John 21:6); dragging or hauling Paul and Silas before the authorities (Acts 16:19); haling people into court (Jas. 2:6).
(2).. “to draw a person in the direction of values for inner life, draw, attract.” BDAG recommends this second definition for 6:44; and the editors recommend this definition in the context of when Jesus is lifted up, he will draw all people to himself (John 12:32).
(3).. “to appear to be pulled in a certain direction, flow”; however, there is no reference to this meaning in the NT.
I believe that we would misinterpret the verses in John 12:32 (and 6:44), if we conclude that the drawing or attracting is actually dragging or hauling in the first definition. The first definition is about drawing physical things or dragging people into court against their will and unjustly. The second definition in context is a wooing of the will, not a raping of the will. So let’s not over-interpret the verb here in v. 44 by imposing the first definition. John’s Gospel is all about people believing or having faith in Jesus by their seeing him and hearing his message, not about being dragged or pulled against their will from area to another or one belief to the next.
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. (Jer. 31:3, NIV)
Now Jesus once again, as he did in v. 24, answers the Greeks directly. When he is lifted up and exalted, he will draw the Greeks to himself—including these Greeks. So they must be patient and wait a little longer. Bottom line: he put them off for a brief time (v. 35), but when he is ascended, he will accept them.
I like what Bruce says: “His being glorified is not a reward or recompense for his crucifixion; it inheres in his crucifixion. And when he has thus been lifted up, exalted and glorified, he will (like a spiritual magnet) draw to himself Gentiles as well as Jews, all without distinction. This has been alluded to previously in the ‘other sheep’ who are brought to join those whom the Shepherd of Israel has called out from the Jewish fold (John 10:16) and in the ‘children of God who are scattered abroad’ (11:52) … His death will obliterate all racial and religious barriers” (comments on vv. 29-33).
34:
This verse reminds me of an earlier one at the Feast of Dedication less than four months earlier: “Then the Jews encircled him and were saying to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly” (John 10:24). Apparently the crowd distinguished various figures of eschatological expectation. John 6:14 which says the crowds believed that Jesus may be the Prophet came into the world, while 7:40 says that Jesus may be the Prophet or the Christ, yet can either one come from Galilee? In other words, the people were confused.
What does the term Christ or Messiah mean? The term means the Anointed One. In Hebrew it is Messiah, and in Greek it is Christ. It means that the Father through the Spirit equipped Jesus with his special calling and the fulness of power to preach and minister to people, healing their diseases and expelling demons (though demon expulsion is not mentioned in John’s Gospel). The Messiah / Christ ushered in the kingdom of God by kingdom preaching and kingdom works.
3. Titles of Jesus: The Son of David and the Messiah
The law stands in for the entire Hebrew Bible. Is. 9:7 says that the prince of the house of David is established forever. Ezek. 37:35 says that God’s servant David will be Israel’s prince forever. And Ps. 72:17 says that the Messiah’s name will endure forever. From these verses they “heard” that the Messiah or Christ will endure forever. They say “heard” because it is not clear that the crowds were scholars and took the time to study these texts. The texts had to be explained to them.
But I really like how the crowd asks, “Who is this Son of Man.” Entire sermons can be built on the question. A journey through the biblical text can go along way to edifying and educating them.
35-36:
While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light.”
Jesus is saying here that he is the light which they have right now. Believe in him now, so they can become children of the light (his children). The Greek literally says the “sons of light,” but since the context is “everyone” I chose “children.” Bruce reminds us that the expression “sons of light” means the “ethical qualities of the person or persons thus described” (comment on 35-36a).
Now we circle back around to the light-darkness opposites. So let’s explore this symbol, as we did in 8:12 and 9:5.
Let’s again set up our two-level diagram, reading from the bottom up.
Now let’s fill it in:
Light = Jesus’s divine nature and truth
Now what is light, and how does Jesus signify it? First, God is light (1 John 1:5). It reflects his divine nature, and it speaks of truth. It illuminates the soul and spirit of humanity, after they repent and surrender to Jesus. Yet, light can shine on the path that leads to their repentance and surrender (BDAG). Light speaks of truth over error; knowledge over ignorance; wisdom over foolishness.
Jesus is the light coming into the world, and darkness does not extinguish it:
4 In him was life, and this life was the light of people. 5 And the light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not put it out. … 9 The true light, which shines on every person, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world through him was made and the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, but his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who received him, to the ones who believe in his name, he gave the authority to become children of God … (John 1:4-5, 9-12).
People who are perceptive enough to see the light can become children of God. But generally speaking his own people did not receive him.
Jesus said in 8:12:
12 So then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one following me in no way walks in darkness but will have the light of life.”
Jesus said in 9:4-5:
4 We must work the works of the one who sent me while it is day; the night comes when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:4-5)
He also said in 11:9-10:
9 Jesus replied, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If someone walks around in the daytime, he does not trip because he sees the light to this world. 10 But if anyone walks around at night, he trips because the light is not in him.”
The light-darkness metaphor is found elsewhere in the NT. The one following Jesus will be a bright light and experience the life which he shines on them. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
14 You are the light of the world the light of the world. A town sitting above on a mountain cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do they light a lamp and place it under a container, but on a lampstand, and it shines on everyone in the house. 16 In this way, let your light shine before people, so that they see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 5:14-16)
Jesus is the source of our light, after we enter the kingdom. Then our (his) light shines in our good works.
Paul agrees:
12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Rom. 13:12, NIV)
In Ephesians:
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.” (Eph. 5:8-14, NIV)
In Colossians:
… and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col. 1:12-14, NIV)
In the Thessalonian correspondence:
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. (1 Thess. 5:4-8, NIV)
Old Testament background (NIV):
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear? (Ps. 27:1)
8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light. (Ps. 36:8-9)
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path. (Ps. 119:105)
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory. (Is. 60:19)
The Essenes, living in Qumran, saw a conflict between light and darkness (Mounce, referencing 1 QS 3:20-21).
But throughout the Mediterranean world the word light meant “truth” and “the right way,” “ethical living.”
Just go to biblegateway.com and search for light. Amazing hits.
Darkness = Moral and worldly degradation
People who walk or live in darkness live degraded moral lives. They cannot perceive the truth of God and walk in righteousness and holiness, after they enter the kingdom of God by first being born again.
12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Rom. 13:12)
John’s Gospel:
This is the judgment: light has come into the world and people loved darkness rather than light, for their works are evil. 20 Every person practicing bad things hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his works may not be exposed. 21 The one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be manifest, namely, that they are done in God. (John 3:19-21)
12 So then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one following me in no way walks in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
GrowApp for John 12:20-35
1. The outsider Greeks said, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” When did you, an outsider to the things of God, thirst to see Jesus?
2. How do you walk (live) in the light in your corner of the dark world?
RELATED
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
12. Eyewitness Testimony in John’s Gospel
4. Church Fathers and John’s Gospel
3. Archaeology and John’s Gospel
SOURCES
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