John 12:42Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

We must avoid all soul-destroying passions in general, but especially those which give birth to many sins from within themselves. Such, for example, is love of money.

It is a grave disease in itself, but it becomes still graver because it is the root and mother of all evils. Vainglory is the same.

For example, these Jewish rulers were torn away from the faith by love of glory. "Even among the rulers," Scripture says, "many believed in Him. But because of the Jews they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue."

In exactly the same way, Christ had said to them earlier: "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" (Jn 5:44).

The Evangelist notes that many even of the rulers believed in Him, showing that the Pharisees lied also when they said, “Has any of the rulers believed in Him?” (Jn 7:48). For behold, many even of the rulers believed, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him.

Now, already being moved toward faith by miracles and no longer daring to contradict the Lord, they nevertheless fall away from eternal life. Through the stubbornness of their vileness, they preferred honor from men to drawing near to God. They were slaves of temporal glory and considered deprivation of honor among the Pharisees an unbearable calamity. Since this hindered them from believing then, hear what Christ says: “Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who believes in Me believes not in Me, but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me’” (Jn 12:44-45).

See how the Evangelist exposed and reproved certain people who, as he said, nevertheless believed in Him. If they had advanced along the path of faith, they would have overcome this love of human glory.

The apostle overcame it when he said: "But far be it from me to boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal 6:14).

For this reason the Lord Himself sealed His Cross upon the forehead of those who believed in Him. On that Cross, insane pride and impiety mocked Him.

He placed it where the throne of shame is, in a certain sense, so that faith would not be ashamed of His name. Thus it would love the glory of God more than the glory of men.

These were not princes, but slaves of human glory. Therefore the Lord said to them, “How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (Jn 5:44).

By the Lord's entrance into Jerusalem, through which He openly revealed Himself as the Messiah, and by the solemn witness borne to Him by the heavenly voice, the Evangelist John intends to conclude the account of Jesus Christ's public activity.

To this he adds his observation concerning the results of His activity. No matter how many miracles Jesus performed before the Jewish people, this people for the most part remained unbelieving toward Him.

In this the Evangelist sees the fulfillment of the words of the Prophet Isaiah, Is 53:1 and 6:10. In the first of these passages the prophet laments that his contemporaries did not believe in the humiliated and suffering Messiah.

Having thus explained the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the unbelief of the people, the Evangelist adds a qualification. Not all had such blinded eyes and hardened hearts. Even among the rulers many believed, but they did not speak of it openly, fearing expulsion from the synagogue and the loss of authority through it. They loved their authority more than the glory of God.

Yet not all Israel rejected its Messiah. Even among the rulers, as the Evangelist John remarks with evident joy, "many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue."

"For they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God." In any case, the spark had already been kindled in their soul. When the appointed hour came, it could embrace the whole people.

Indeed, after Pentecost, the nearest followers of Christ from the chosen people had previously been fearful and fainthearted. Then they rose like lions.

"Nevertheless, even among the rulers," and so forth. Up to this point the discourse has concerned the blindness and unbelief of the whole people, generally considered as a distinct nation.

There were undoubtedly some who were not blinded and who believed, but these were exceptions. Such exceptions existed even within the party that treated Christ with hostile fanaticism.

They were found among the people's rulers, who directed the nation's affairs, perhaps among members of the Sanhedrin (cf. Jn 7:48). But their faith was imperfect.

Those who believed in this way feared to declare their faith openly. They feared the Pharisees, the most malicious party and one embittered against Christ to the point of fanaticism. This party also controlled the affairs of the Sanhedrin.

The Lord Jesus Christ performed many miracles before the Jewish people. Yet, despite this, the people persisted in unbelief.

Pointing to this obstinacy, the Evangelist John also cites the prophecy of Isaiah. With the eyes of faith, Isaiah foresaw the humiliation of Christ the Savior among a people who had blinded their eyes and hardened their heart (vv. 37-41).

Yet alongside unbelief, the Evangelist John also notes the success of the preaching of Jesus Christ among particular persons. This occurred even among the rulers of the Jewish people.

They failed to confess their faith openly only because they feared the Pharisees. For they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God (vv. 42-43).

With this the Evangelist John concludes his narrative of the public ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.