“Judicial Hardening” (John 12:34–43)

Series: “John: Life in Christ’s Name”Text: John 12:34–43

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: February 18, 2024

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: AM Service

Introduction

We have a difficult subject. It deals with the sovereignty of God, which can be quite controversial in many circles. Moreover, we see themes of reprobation, a doctrine which is even more controversial. The reason for this controversy is because many people see the need to preserve autonomous human free will above all else. God sitting as a judge and deciding to harden the hearts and blind the eyes of potential converts seems to be a bridge to far for many to believe.

Yet this is the reality of the text. Now, this doesn’t require us to understand that all of human interaction with God is merely deterministic and robotic. To consider this, we’re served by the example of Pharaoh in Egypt (as we have recently considered in our Sunday morning Bible readings). God said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart, but the text also says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart! There is clearly an interplay in Scripture between human choices with their moral consequences and the divine decrees of God.

How does that work, though? If God is a sovereign ruler over creation who has decreed the future of the world, He’s also decreed the actions of mankind, then there is a kind of divine determinism at work in the cosmos. Yet, Scripture is just as clear that human beings are morally responsible for their own choices (and they will be judged accordingly). Theologians use the term “compatibilism” to describe how these two realities exist side by side. The sovereignty of God and the choices of man are compatible within the complex plans of God, which does serve as a bit of a mystery to finite creatures such as ourselves.

We see such an interplay in this passage. As we are reached the end of Jesus’s public ministry, people are not accepting Him nor His message. This passage explains that such a rejection was in fulfillment of what God had already predicted in Scripture and decreed. Yet, their rejection of Christ was their own moral failing! Only a God who created the complex biological realities and ecological systems which comprise our world can plan His decrees while allowing for such choices of man.

Because the people have rejected Christ, the Father has decreed that He will use their rejection to bring about the salvation of many. To do so, He executes judgment by ensuring their rejection will continue, judicially hardening of the people. As we consider this, we will note three facts: those who are judicially hardened will not come to Christ, they will not believe in Christ, and they will not confess Christ. We’ll note along the way, though, that they brough such a hardening upon themselves.

First, Those Judicially Hardened Won’t Come to Christ (vv. 34–36)

The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”

These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.

The crowd hears Christ’s prophecy about His death, and their first inclination is to doubt Him. Interestingly, they refer to Scripture with their concerns. The term for “Law” can be a general term for all of God’s Holy Word (like how Jesus refers to Psalm 82 in John 10:34 and calls it “Law”). And, it seems they have biblical backing; as one commentator notes,

What passage they have in mind is uncertain. Isaiah 9:7 promises that the kingdom of the expected Prince of the house of David will be established for ever; in Ezekiel 37:25 God promises that ‘David my servant’ will be Israel’s prince for ever. Some scholars think of Psalm 72:17, where the name of the king, the royal son, the Messiah, will endure forever. Others think of Psalm 89:35–37, where the psalmist declares that David’s seed, his line, will remain for ever.

These are all true passages, and it seems that Jesus’s revelation of His death contradicts all this. The people wonder how a Messiah can both die and abide forever — the missing piece of information being the resurrection.

Yet, because they didn’t understand, they pit some of God’s Word against the Word of Christ (which people still do today). Don’t mistake this: It isn’t wrong to look to Scripture to confirm a matter. However, they have the Messiah in front of them, they know He’s the Messiah, they’ve seen His miracles, they heard the voice from heaven — but they don’t like what He has to say.

There’s even almost an aggressiveness in their questioning — “how can You [emphatic pronoun in the original] say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’ ”? They expected the Messiah to be exalted in glory before them, not on a cross; they expected a champion against Rome, not a victim of it. They ask if there is another Son of Man (and there was a debate as to whether there would be two Messiahs in some quarters — one to die and one to live). Their appeal is to Scripture.

This shows us that when people use the Bible to refute an issue or a position, this doesn’t mean that they are completely correct in their assertions. They may have good information, but they may be missing a piece of the puzzle. We can’t assume that whoever answers another person with a Bible verse is automatically correct.

Jesus points back to Himself. As He said elsewhere, Scripture speaks of Him. If they want life, they will come to Him (John 5:39–40).

Here, He uses the illustration of light, an image rich in John’s Gospel. Jesus is the light (John 12:46; 1 John 2:10). When the apostle begins speaking about Jesus, he labels Him as “the Light of men” (John 1:4), saying He “enlightens every man” (v. 9). Jesus utilizes this imagery, warning a twice now that the light will not always be with them (John 7:33; 9:4). Now, He warns that it is almost gone.

Why? The people of Israel have enough information about Jesus. They’ve seen and heard enough, obviously having Scripture. Even if they don't understand how everything fits together, they should still accept the word of the Messiah. They have the light before them, illuminating their understanding, but Jesus warns they’re turning from the light for the final time.

There’s a time when the candle is extinguished. While the darkness cannot overtake the light, they need to hear it can overtake those who without light, taking hold of their hearts. As the darkness seizes them, they will lose what little knowledge and light they already have. The greater light will pass them by, taking every lesser light, leaving them only with darkness and stumbling.

In the midst of judgment, though, comes good news in v. 36. Through belief in the Lord Jesus, the light of men, a person’s eyes are opened to salvation. Because Jesus represents the light of God, those who come to the light become children of light, united to the Son of God. The light transforms all who come to it, making them children of the light (Eph 5:7–8). This gracious invitation goes not only to the Jews of that day, but also to any of us who realize we walk in darkness.

We’re not told what they had to say to this, nor are we given any indication as to how they react to Jesus’s words. Instead, the text meets us with an abrupt transition. This translation, as do others, mark this point has a new paragraph, even though it's the middle of the verse. Jesus said the light would be with them only a little while longer, and then He’s suddenly gone.

This punctuates His words. It is almost like with Noah built the ark, preaching righteousness and deliverance from the judgment to come; after Noah and his family entered the ark, God shut the door, and anyone realizing their folly were too late for redemption. Jesus says to come to Him while there is still light, and then He hides himself from them. (I hope we don't realize the truth too late.)

Sadly, because of judicial blindness and hardening, these individuals will continue in their unbelief. Note that God will even allow His Word to be abused to allow people to remain in unbelief. That brings us to the next point.

Second, Those Judicially Hardened Won’t Believe in Christ (vv. 37–41)

But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.” These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.

Verse 37 underlines just how much evidence the people of Israel were overlooking. It’s not that miracles alone prove the identity or the message of a person; false teachers sometimes use manufactured signs and stories to sway people to their side. Yet, Jesus was performing the precise miracles that was predicted of the Messiah in Scripture, fulfilling prophecy and all that God had said about his Messiah. And there were “so many” miracles which Jesus wrought!

Moreover, it’s not just that Jesus had performed multiple miracles over His three-year earthly ministry. He had been performing miracles just that week (such as the raising of Lazarus) as well as healings in the temple (Matt 21:14). The most His detractors could ever say was that His signs were performed by the power of the devil; none dared to say He didn’t perform the miraculous. They saw his miracles but rejected Him anyway.

One might wonder why people could possibly reject the obvious answer in front of them. Yet, as one commentary says, “Their unbelief was irrational, as sin always is.” They are not thinking rationally about these issues, because their sin keeps them from doing so. Because of their sin, they do not believe.

The judgment for the people standing there at that time is greater, though. Jesus said elsewhere that Sodom and Gomorrah didn’t have as much judgement as they will have — they didn’t have as much light as the Jewish cities did (Matt. 11:20–24). Because the people of Israel have chosen on the whole to reject the Messiah, the Lord pronounces judgment upon them.

This judgment is seen in two places in Isaiah, in Isaiah 53 and then in Isaiah 6. In both, a similar judgment occurs against the people of God. Because most people do not believe the report of the Lord’s messenger, they will not see the arm of the Lord (that is, the power of God to deliver them from the darkness).

Because the Lord does not reveal his arm, verse 39 says that the people are unable to believe. This is, of course, where much of the controversy arises. This verse implies that people are unable to believe without a supernatural working of God, and further implies that God must first do a work of regeneration upon the eyes and the heart of a person before conversion or belief is even possible! Those who want to hold to a libertarian view of free will, that all human choices are completely free of influence, will find much to stumble over in places like this.

The truth is that none of our choices are completely free; the choices of sinners to choose sin is influenced by their sinful natures (as well as Satan in the world). The grace of God makes it possible for some to believe, and He chooses to withhold this grace from others. This is a doctrine known as reprobation. God is in His right to judge sin, and He chooses to do so. The question is why God chooses to show grace to some people, but the biblical answer to that question is found in his loving purposes (Eph. 1:4–5).

Some see this as unfair. Keep in mind, though, that we read in verse 37 that the people would not believe, so now because of God's judgment, they cannot believe. Their condemnation is justified (while the grace that God is undeserved). We all deserve hell for our sin, bearing our own moral responsibility. It’s only when we start with that realization that we can begin to wonder why God would save anyone. Yet, He won’t save everyone.

For those who continued to reject His warnings, as v. 40 says, quoting Isaiah 6:10, “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart.” This judicial act removes the ability to see any spiritual light or to have any understanding within the heart. Should a person have eyes to see and the heart ready to receive, that person would turn to God and be converted, healed of any sin. God’s judgment, though, makes it so a person cannot believe.

This is the will of Jesus Christ. We read about the vision here in Isaiah 6, but John applies that glory to Jesus. The Son of God, in His pre-incarnate glory, was the person Isaiah saw on the throne! This is the glory that Jesus laid aside to come to earth (Phil. 2:5–8). This is also the glory that He was taking back up once He ascended.

So, in the midst of this passage is a wonderful text on the divinity of Christ. This means, though, that it is this same Son of God who decreed the judicial blindness upon the people. He’s the Yahweh of the Old Testament, the one whose word will judge the people.

With that noted, though, He allows freedom within this decree for some to believe, however inadequately. That brings us to the final point:

Third, Those Judicially Hardened Won’t Confess Christ (vv. 42–43)

Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

This is a fascinating direction for the text. We just read about those who wouldn’t believe, then we read that they can’t believe. Now, however, we read about some who do believe, despite the blinding and hardness of heart.

In fact, we read that believers existed among the rulers, those on the council. The word “even” serves in v. 42 to underscore the height at which belief seemed to reach — from the lowliest fisherman to the rulers themselves. At least, that’s what it appeared.

We read that these believers were fearful of confessing Christ and being put out of the synagogues. Of course, the unbelieving Pharisees did create a climate of fear (John 7:13), and this was a threat they carried out (9:22). Today, in our culture, some people are trying to shame Christians and create similar climates, where one might begin to feel fearful to confess Christ for fear of losing employment opportunities or other consequences.

Jesus warned about such fear. In Matthew 10:32–33, we read, “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” We must beware the temptation to fear confessing Christ even in a hostile environment, even when persecution might turn deadly.

In fact, a failure to confess may be evidence of lack of conversion. In Romans 10:10, we read the mouth confesses, “resulting in salvation.” That doesn’t mean a person is saved by walking into an atheist convention, for example, just to loudly proclaim belief in Christ. However, the regenerated heart should be willing to speak about the transformation of the Holy Spirit.

The problem is that we place something before Christ in our hearts. That’s what these individuals were doing. Verse 43 says that “they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.” The word translated “approval” in both instances is “glory,” and they exercised a loving commitment to receiving man’s glory. This is the not the way of Jesus, of course, who condemned glory-seeking (John 5:41, 44), but these men loved their position and power over truth.

I honestly cannot say whether these men were true believers. People sometimes have weak faith, and that may be the case here. Yet, if these men had stood up to confess their faith, it would have encouraged weak hearts everywhere, with people perhaps coming to Christ and believing in Him. However, since there is a judicial hardening at work, these men, rulers though they may be, found no courage or fortitude within themselves just step forward. The fear to confess Christ is a sure sign of judgment a part of society.

Conclusion

Don’t get too tied up in knots if you cannot comprehend how the sovereignty of God and the choices of man interplay. To just imagine the eternal decrees of God are too much for our minds to fully grasp, and to add in man’s choices is to imagine a mind magnitudes greater than our own. It is sufficient to understand that these things work compatibly, and that the Bible teaches both. If one rejects Christ enough, though, the Lord pronounces condemnation, and it seems very much that our society is under such judgment from God.

I want to leave you with some encouragement, though: Some judgment isn’t necessarily final. Scripture continually called Israel to repentance, even though it was under the judgment of God, and some came to faith. There are times when God had even hardened the heart of the disciples (Mark 6:52), and they obviously came to full faith. We could also consider Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who do step forward eventually. Just because we see signs of judgment either upon our nation or upon our loved ones, it doesn't mean that we should give up the good fight or write people off as forever lost.

I also hope that you will see any temptation in yourself to avoid confessing Christ in difficult circumstances and squash it. Keep up the good fight. Even if our society is given over in judgment, people still need to hear the truth. It may be that God uses your loving witness to save someone who would have been given over to wrath. And we will remain a church to help equip you to do just that, by God’s grace.