John 12:35Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going." Indeed, what do the Jews not do even now, and yet they do not know what they are doing. They walk as though in darkness.

They think they are walking on the straight path, but in fact they are walking on the opposite path. They keep the Sabbath, preserve the Law, and observe the rules about food, but they do not know where they are going.

They therefore refused to believe in Christ because, in their impiety, they despised Him as dead and mocked Him as slain.

Yet this was the very death of the grain of wheat that was to be multiplied, and the lifting up of Him who would draw all things after Himself.

By darkness one may also understand the general error of the Jews. Performing outward worship, they thought that they were pleasing to God and that by this they were being saved.

But this darkness had already covered the Jews before. Therefore Jesus Christ said "overtake" in the sense of "take possession of you completely."

"And he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going": he goes astray, stumbles, and falls.

The darkness of night will come, when objects are not visible. If it overtakes one on the road, one must walk by touch, and the goal will no longer be before the eyes.

The figurative speech is clear; cf. Jn 11:9-10 and parallels. The light is Christ, the herald of truth that enlightens men; Jn 1:4 and parallels. He is now among the Jews for only a little while.

To walk in the light is to attain salvation by faith in Christ and to enter His Kingdom. Darkness is what is opposite to truth: falsehood and spiritual darkening; cf. Rom 1:21.

The spiritually darkened person wanders in darkness and does not see the saving goal of life; 1 Jn 2:11.

Therefore one must believe in Christ, the Light, while this Light shines, while His earthly life among the Jews continues for only a short time, so that they may become sons of light, enlightened by the truth.

How exactly this prophetic word of the Lord has been fulfilled over the Jews from the day on which He spoke it even to this day!

After the Lord’s Ascension, the Jewish people heard the apostolic word about salvation by faith in the crucified Messiah.

But having blinded themselves by unbelief in the Messiah who had lived among them, they as a whole refused faith in the apostolic word.

This word was accepted by some of them, but the people, as a nationality and separate whole, did not believe in the Christ who had ascended.

Since then the Hebrew people, with some individual exceptions, have wandered in the wilderness of the world like a traveler in an unknown place overtaken by a dark night, without spiritual goal and without guide.

"He departed and hid Himself": probably to the Mount of Olives or to Bethany, where He spent the nights at that time, teaching in the temple by day; cf. Lk 21:37.

This seems to have been the Lord’s last discourse to the people in the temple; see the note on Jn 12:44.

The last words of this discourse breathe not threat, as in previous days, but tender solicitude, fatherly exhortation, compassion, and love.

While the Teacher of truth, the Messiah, is among you, believe in Him, that you may be sons of light, sons of truth.

They said, "This poor Messiah is the son of Joseph, about whom no one is concerned." With such an upbringing the people did not know the suffering Messiah.

So when the people heard the Savior’s words about ascent to heaven by way of the Cross, they did not know what to think.

Either Jesus is the Messiah, and then He must remain on earth as king forever, or, if He must suffer, who is He? The poor son of Joseph! Poor people!

"Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that you may become sons of light." In these words love is expressed, grieving over the condition of those to whom He speaks.

This love calls itself light and presents itself as a mother: "Children, make use of the blessed time while I am with you. Without Me it is dark for you.

Learn from the light, Christ. Be toward Him as children are toward a mother. Treasure His instructions. Without them there is misfortune; with them there is blessedness."

There are similar expressions in Lk 16:8 and 1 Thess 5:5. "The true Light enlightens every man coming into the world" (Jn 1:9).

Christ the Light is not now seen by bodily eyes as He was seen when He lived on earth. Nevertheless He shines even now.

"The darkness is passing away, and this true Light already shines" (1 Jn 2:8).

Until what time will the light of grace shine? For me and for you, until the time of our death. For the whole earthly world, until the time of its universal transformation.

Then people will either be transferred into the realm of more abundant illumination, or the light will be hidden from them.

How, then, can one fail to treasure the time while the light is with us? We must believe in the light. We must turn its luminous thoughts and rules into life.

"Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor 6:2).

"Believe while you have the light." "While" is said. Therefore there is no reason to deceive ourselves with dreams that we can be corrected beyond the grave.

The decree of God is unchangeable. Earthly life is appointed so that we may be formed into sons of light.

If during it we remain sons of darkness, then eternal darkness is our lot beyond the grave.

"When He had said this, Jesus departed and hid Himself from them." Entirely similar notices are read in St Matthew: "And leaving them, He went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there"; Mt 21:17.

And in St Luke, Lk 21:37: "During the day He taught in the temple, and at night He went out and spent the night on the mount called Olivet."

Therefore it is in vain that some wish to see in John’s words a notice that the Savior’s public instruction of the people had ceased.

This is especially vain, since the other Evangelists present many teachings of the Savior that followed His entrance into Jerusalem.

Only with the lamp of faith can he enter the Door and follow the Shepherd into eternal life; cf. the study of chapter 10.

Returning, however, to the first meaning of the Lord’s words as applied to the Jews who heard Him, one must not overlook that the darkness of malice was approaching.

In that dreadful time, even the disciples close to the Lord were struck by the terror of doubt; cf. Lk 24, the words of Cleopas: "But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel."

Therefore it was extremely important for those surrounding the Lord to believe in the Light while the Light was in their midst.

Once they had become sons of light, the coming trials of their souls would be fleeting and would disperse like smoke before the glorious Resurrection of the Lord.

But those who did not believe in the Light were left the sorrowful lot of becoming sons of darkness. By their malice they would take part in the coming works of the ruler of darkness, at the time when power was temporarily granted to him.

"Walk while you have the light." "Believe in the light." "Lest darkness overtake you." "That you may be sons of light."

These were the last words spoken by the Lord to the people and to the Jews before His Passion.

"These things Jesus spoke, and departing, He hid Himself from them." This was the Lord’s final testament to the whole people.

But the Lord’s following words in this chapter, verses 44-50, are addressed only to the disciples. In the following chapters He explains still higher mysteries to them, for they were entrusted with enlightening the world by the preaching of the Cross.

The Lord hides Himself from the Jews because He sees the deep hardness of their souls, their malice, and their thirst for murder.

Whom among them the Lord later brought to be "cut to the heart," Acts 2:37-41, was known to Him alone.