This morning, as we turn to John 12:36-50, we are examining a turning point in the Gospel of John. Chapters 1-12 document Jesus' three-year public ministry to Israel. A ministry offered and rejected. A Messiah offered and rejected. John concluded these 12 chapters with a theological explanation of Israel's rejection of Jesus (36-43) followed by a summarization of Jesus' teaching (44-50). Israel rejected Jesus because they didn't want a crucified Messiah. Israel despised Jesus, and in judgment Jesus hardened Israel. John cites Isaiah (vv.38, 40) to explain why Israel rejected their Messiah, and Jesus judged His own people.
V.38 (Isaiah 53:1) – "Whom has believed our message?" Practically no one in Israel ("He was despised and rejected by men")
So, Messiah judged His own people…
v.40 (Isaiah 6:10) – "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts."
But what about Jesus' words here in vv.44-50…? Since Jesus stopped preaching and immediately hid Himself from the Jews in v.36, it seems John has imported a short sermon from another occasion (before v.36). He has carefully placed it here, as the last note in the first half of His gospel, to leave us with a reminder of Jesus' three years of preaching.   How did Jesus' summarize His mission? 1. I am God's Son. 2. I offer life. 3. I do not judge (but judgment is real).
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