Introduction:

John 12 records the second major crisis in the ministry of our Lord as seen by John. 

ü                   The first crisis occurred when many of His disciples would no longer walk with Him (John 6:66), even though He is “the way” (John 14:6). 

ü                   The second occurred in this chapter, where John tells us that many would not believe in Him (John 12:37ff), even though He is “the truth.” 

ü                   The third crisis will come in John 19: even though He is “the life,” the leaders crucified Him.  John opened his book by telling us that Jesus “came unto His own [world], and His own [people] received Him not” (John 1:11).

In the first twelve chapters, John presented one witness after another, and one proof after another, to convince us that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of God. All of this evidence was seen firsthand by the leaders of the nation, and yet they rejected His claims. Having been rejected by “His own” nation, Jesus then retired with “His own” disciples (John 13:1) whom He loved to the uttermost.  Jesus Christ had just revealed Himself to be the Resurrection and the Life. John gives four reactions to that revelation.

            1.         Jesus dined in a home in Bethany (v.1-2).

            2.         The supreme believer (v.3).

            3.         The hypocritical, unbelieving disciple (v.4-8).

            4.         The half-sincere seekers (v.9).

            5.         The fearful, self-seeking religionists (v.10-11).

A.                  Jesus Christ—Ministry—Fellowship.

1.                  Jesus Dined In A Home In Bethany (v.1-2).

a)                  Jesus Was In The House Of Simon The Leper (Matthew 26:6-13)

(1)                 Little Is Known About Simon.  Since a leper was not allowed to live in towns or cities or to associate with nonlepers, it is clear that Simon had been cleansed.  And because that disease was incurable by medical means, he apparently had been healed miraculously by Jesus. In deep gratitude for that deliverance, he had asked Jesus and the others to his house for a meal. 

(2)                 Tradition Says He Was The Husband Of Martha.  Matthew says Jesus was dining in the house of Simon the leper, and John says Martha was serving. This would seem to indicate a close relationship. Martha was probably his wife or older daughter.

(a)                 If she was Simon’s wife, then her brother and sister, Lazarus and Mary, seemed to be living with her and Simon.

(b)                However, if Martha was Simon’s oldest daughter, then Simon was the father of Mary and Lazarus as well. It was while Jesus was in Simon the leper’s home that Mary came up to Jesus and anointed Him.

b)                  Six days before the Passover (v.1a)

(1)                 In just six days our Lord would be stretched on the cross to give his life for those who hated Him.  That is the setting for the opening verses of chapter 12.

c)                  The place where Lazarus was raised (v.1b)

(1)               Our Lord knew that the Jewish leaders were out to arrest Him and kill Him (John 11:53, 57), but He still returned to Bethany, only two miles from the very citadel of His enemies. Why? So that He might spend a quiet time with His dear friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus & Simon.

d)                  Service—Martha Served (v.2a)

(1)                 Martha Loved To Serve.  No doubt she had been up the night before, getting things ready so at earliest dawn she could fire the oven.  All day the aroma of a celebration meal had blown through the room of the house.  Nothing was to good for Jesus.  Martha probably used her best recipes, and she loved bringing course after course to Jesus and His men.  They loved it too.  She was doing her thing, and everybody was happy. 

(2)                 In The Past Things Had Not Always Been Quite So Happy (Luke 10:38-42)

(a)                 Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus as well (Luke 19:6)

(b)                We Need To Welcome Jesus Into The House of Our Hear:

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:" (John 1:12, NKJV)

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20, NKJV)

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16, NKJV)

"For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe." (1 Thessalonians 2:13, NKJV)

(c)                 Martha Was Distracted With Much Serving, & Worried About Many Things (Luke10:38-42).

(d)                Jesus Said Do Not Be Worried About Your Life (Matthew 26:25-34).

(e)                 The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:3-9,13-20; Luke 21:34).

(3)                 Martha Again Is Serving Jesus (John 12:2), but Her Attitude Had Changed, What Happened?

(a)                 This time she did not forget what the Lord had told her earlier in Luke’s gospel.  “Mary had chosen what is better” (v.42), did not mean that serving in the kitchen and at the table was bad. 

(b)                She understood that Jesus was saying that her hurried, depressed, unhappy attitude was separating her from Him.  She knew that service can be worship (Matt.4:10), if it is done with the right attitude.

(c)                 Romans 21:1—Present our “bodies” our entire lives, as “spiritual worship”.  Martha understood that true worship also involves service.  Preparing a meal, fixing a bike, balancing your checkbook, attitude is the defining factor!    

(d)                Divine service occurs when the proper perspective is there.  Martha knew that when her spirit was right, her service was of the same kind as the outward worship of Mary.

(4)                 The Options Are Always There Before Us.

(a)                 We can complain about those who are not doing their job, we can be sour, or we can do our work lovingly and gently.  Loving service is always the characteristics of those who have had their hearts truly touched by Christ.

(5)                 Can You Imagine The Conversation Around The Table!

(a)                 I can imagine Simon saying, “You cannot imagine what it was like!  I saw the scabs fall off my hand!  My fingers grew back in place!  I reached up, and my eyebrows were there.  I was healed!

(b)                Perhaps Lazarus interrupted, saying, “Simon, that was nothing!  I mean, that must have been great, but let me tell you what it was like for me.  Hey, I was dead!  I was gone four earth days!  I went to Paradise, and I saw all the biggies!  Abraham, Moses, David.  But check this out, the most amazing thing I saw was when I came back and walked out of that tomb!  I was dead and now alive, blind and now I can see!

e)                  Lazarus Was Present Having Fellowship With Christ (v.2b)

(1)                 Lazarus Is A Good Illustration Of A Sinner When He Trusts The Savior (Eph. 2:1–10). 

(2)                 Lazarus Was Raised From The Dead By The Power Of God (John 5:24).  All who trust Christ have been given new life and lifted out of the graveyard of sin.

(3)                 Lazarus Was Set Free From The Graveclothes (John 11:44; Col. 3:1ff) and given new liberty.

(4)                 Lazarus Is Seated With Christ At The Table (John 12:2; Eph.2:6).  All believers are “seated with Christ” in heavenly places, enjoying spiritual food and fellowship. 

(a)                 We Are Not Raised From The Dead And Left In The Graveyard.  Because we are united to Christ, we have been exalted with Him and we are sharing His throne in the heavenlies. Our physical position may be on earth, but our spiritual position is “in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Like Lazarus, we have been called from the grave to sit with Christ and enjoy His fellowship (John 12:1–2). 

(b)                Salvation Has A Purpose, In Regard To Us And In Regard To God. The most immediate and direct result of salvation is to be raised up with Him, and [to be] seated with Him in the heavenly places. Not only are we dead to sin and alive to righteousness through His resurrection in which we are raised, but we also enjoy His exaltation and share in His preeminent glory. 

(c)                 When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead His first instruction was, “Loose him, and let him go” (John 11:44).  A living person cannot function while wrapped in the trappings of death. Because our new citizenship through Christ is in heaven (Phil 3:20), God seats us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus. We are no longer of this present world or in its sphere of sinfulness and rebellion. We have been rescued from spiritual death and given spiritual life in order to be in Christ Jesus and to be with Him in the heavenly places.

(d)                 Heavenly places (Eph.1:3) refers to the supernatural sphere where God rules.  Our blessings are “in heavenly places in Christ.” Perhaps a clearer translation would be “in the heavenlies in Christ.”

(i)                 The unsaved person is interested primarily in earthlies, because this is where he lives. Jesus called them “the children of this world” (Luke 16:8).

(ii)               The Christian’s life is centered in heaven. His citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20); his name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20); his Father is in heaven; and his attention and affection ought to be centered on the things of heaven (Col. 3:1ff).

(iii)                “The heavenlies” (literal translation) describes that place where Jesus Christ is right now (Eph. 1:2) and where the believer is seated with Him (Eph. 2:6). The battles we fight are not with flesh and blood on earth, but with satanic powers “in the heavenlies” (Eph. 6:12).

(iv)               The Christian really operates in two spheres: the human and the divine, the visible and the invisible. Physically, he is on the earth in a human body, but spiritually he is seated with Christ in the heavenly sphere—and it is this heavenly sphere that provides the power and direction for the earthly walk. The President of the United States is not always seated at his desk in the White House, but that executive chair represents the sphere of his life and power. No matter where he is, he is the President, because only he has the privilege of sitting at that desk. Likewise with the Christian: no matter where he may be on this earth, he is seated in the heavenlies with Jesus Christ, and this is the basis of his life and power.

(e)                 Seated is in the aorist tense and emphasizes that it has already taken place. Even though we are not yet inheritors of all that God has for us in Christ, to be in the heavenly places is to be:

(i)                   In God’s domain instead of Satan’s, to be in the sphere of spiritual life instead of the sphere of spiritual death.

2.                  Mary The Worshiper (v.3).

a)                  Mary Expresses A Repentant Love (v.3).

(1)                 Mary had criticized and accused Jesus of neglecting her family when He had not come to the aid of her brother Lazarus sooner (John 11:32). Here she is seen repenting of her sin.

(a)                  Acts 17:29-30—Repentance: to change; to turn; to change one’s mind; to turn one’s life. It is a turning away from sin and turning toward God. It is a change of mind, a forsaking of sin. It is putting sin out of one’s thoughts and behavior. It is resolving never to think or do a thing again. (Matthew 3:2; Luke 13:2-3; Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19; Acts 8:22; Acts 26:20). 

(b)                Repentance Involves Two Turns. There is a negative turn away from sin and a positive turn toward God. It is a turning to God away from sin, whether sins of thought or action. ( Luke 3:3; 1Thess. 1:9; Acts 14:15). 

(c)                 Repentance Is More Than Sorrow. Sorrow may or may not be involved in repentance. A person may repent simply because he wills and acts to change; or a person may repent because he senses an agonizing sorrow within. But the sense or feeling of sorrow is not repentance. Repentance is both the change of mind and the actual turning of one’s life away from sin and toward God (2 Cor.7:10). 

b)                  Mary Expresses A Sacrificial And Costly Love (v.3).

Mary’s anointing of the Lord must not be confused with a similar event recorded in Luke 7:36–50. The unnamed woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee was a converted harlot who expressed her love to Christ because of His gracious forgiveness of her many sins.  

(1)               “Very Costly” - The ointment was a perfume or oil. Three hundred denarii equaled a year’s wage.  A bottle of perfume worth a whole year’s wage being poured upon Jesus’ head (Mark 14:3) & the dirty feet of Jesus (John 12:3).

(a)                 Think Of The Costly Sacrifice Being Made. Perfume was the most precious thing to Eastern women. Mary was taking her most precious possession and giving it to her Lord.  It would have required a year’s wages from a common laborer to purchase that ointment, which was approximately $10,000.00.

(2)               Like David, Mary would not give to the Lord that which cost her nothing (2 Sam. 24:24).  Whenever we lavish love upon Jesus, He will not reject it. 

3.                  The Consequences of Her Act of Worship.

a)                  There Were Three Consequences To Her Act Of Worship.

(1)               The House Was Filled With The Beautiful Fragrance Of The Ointment (John 12:3; 2Cor.2:15–16). There is always a “spiritual fragrance” in that home where Jesus Christ is loved and worshiped.

(2)                 The Disciples, Led By Judas, Criticized Mary For Wasting Her Money!  It sounded so pious for Judas to talk about the poor, when in reality he wanted the money for himself (John 12:4–6)! Even in the Upper Room, six days later, the disciples still thought Judas was concerned about helping the poor (John 13:21–30).  It is interesting that the word translated “waste” in Mark 14:4 is translated “perdition” in John 17:12 and applied to Judas! Judas criticized Mary for “wasting money,” but he wasted his entire life!

(3)                 Jesus Commended Mary And Accepted Her Gracious Gift.  He knew the heart of Judas and understood why the other disciples followed his bad example.  He also knew Mary’s heart and quickly defended her (Rom. 8:33–39).  No matter what others may say about our worship and service, the most important thing is that we please the Lord. The fact that others misunderstand and criticize us should not keep us from showing our love to Christ. Our concern should be His approval alone.

b)                  Mary Started A Wave Of Blessing (Mark 14:3-9). 

(1)               When Mary gave her best at the feet of Jesus, she started a “wave of blessing” that has been going on ever since. She was a blessing to Jesus as she shared her love, and she was a blessing to her home as the fragrance spread. Were it not for Mary, her village, Bethany, would probably have been forgotten. The account of her deed was a blessing to the early church that heard about it and, because of the records in three of the Gospels, Mary has been a blessing to the whole world—and still is! The Lord’s prediction has certainly been fulfilled.

(2)                 Her beautiful act of worship brought a fragrance to the very house in which they were dining, and the blessing of her deed has spread around the world (Matt. 26:13; Mark 14:9). Little did Mary realize that night that her love for Christ would be a blessing to believers around the world for centuries to come!

(3)                 Mary gave her best in faith and love; Judas gave his worst in unbelief and hatred. He solved the problem of how the Jewish leaders could arrest Jesus without causing a riot during the feast. He sold his Master for the price of a slave (see Ex. 21:32), the basest act of treachery in history.

Thought 1. What do we do to show our love and faith to Christ? Imagine how difficult it was for Mary to do what she did in the presence of so many men. She set aside pride and embarrassment in order to demonstrate her love and faith in Jesus. How far are we willing to go in order to show our love and faith?

3. (12:4-8) Hypocrite—Betrayer—Apostate: there was the hypocritical, unbelieving disciple. This was Judas.

It was Judas who started the criticism, and, sad to say, the other disciples took it up. They did not know that Judas was a devil (John 12:4), and they admired him for his concern for the poor. After all, he was the treasurer; and especially at Passover season, he would want to share with those who were less fortunate (see John 13:21–30). Until the very end, the disciples believed that Judas was a devoted follower of the Lord.

A study of Judas’ character in these verses reveals what it is that often causes a disciple to become hypocritical and unbelieving.

            1.         Judas followed Jesus, but he criticized other believers. He was a professing believer, but when he disagreed with others, he criticized them. He criticized even...

          those who had great devotion and love for the Lord.

          those who repented to the point of making great sacrificial gifts.

            Mark pointed out that Judas was especially strong in his criticism. He says that Judas was indignant, growling, rebuking, scolding (see note— Mark 14:4-5).

Thought 1. Criticism is a sign of hypocrisy, for all stand in need of repentance and devotion, and all need to give more and more. When we come so short ourselves, how can we possibly criticize what we consider to be the mistakes of others?

            “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” (Matthew 7:3; cp. Matthew 7:1-5).

            “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4).

            “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way” (Romans 14:13).

            “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God” (1 Cor. 4:5).

            “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2).

            2.         Judas expressed concern for the ministry, but he had an ulterior motive. Again, imagine the scene. A bottle of perfume worth a whole year’s wage was being poured over the feet of Jesus. Common sense would seem to say, “Sell it. Use the money for the poor, the hungry and the homeless.” This is just what Judas did say. He questioned the act, what he considered a waste. After all, if Mary wished to anoint Jesus, she could have used a less expensive perfume.

            However, Judas’ motive was impure. The words “had the bag” mean that Judas was the treasurer of the small band of Jesus’ disciples (John 12:6). However, he was a thief; he had been swindling some of the money. A gift of 300 denarii would have allowed him the chance to steal quite a sum. Deep within he was angry at the lost chance to enrich himself; he was angry at Mary, but even more he was angry at Jesus for allowing such wastefulness.

Thought 1. How many express concern for the ministry, but do so in order to gain from it? Their concern is shown by joining a church and making some contribution, or by showing interest in some venture or need. However, their motive is...

          to be socially acceptable.

          to be recognized and honored.

          to please some family member.

          to gain some credit with God.

          to get a tax write-off from the government.

            “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:25).

            “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:28).

            “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10).

            “Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days” (James 5:3).

            “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16).

            “The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death” (Proverbs 21:6).

            “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity” (Eccles. 5:10).

            “Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 7:11).

            3.         Judas worked for Jesus, but he did not love Jesus. Jesus was strong with Judas: “Let her alone.” The reason for this sharp rebuke was that Judas did not understand, and the reason he did not understand was because he did not love Jesus. Note: just because someone works for Jesus does not mean that he loves Jesus. Note two significant points.

a.         Jesus said that Mary’s anointing pointed toward His burial, that is, His death. This is exactly what Jesus said: “She did it for my burial.” Some commentators think that Mary knew what she was doing, that she understood what Jesus had been saying when He predicted His death. They feel that Mary grasped the fact when others did not. But this is unlikely. The atmosphere surrounding the whole scene was that the Kingdom of God was about to be set up and Israel was about to be freed from Roman domination and set up as the center of God’s rule upon earth. However, whether she knew what she was doing or not, Jesus took her act and applied it to His death. He said that her love and faith, the anointing of His body, pointed toward His death. In simple terms, Mary’s love and faith and her gift and anointing were a witness of anticipation. She was witnessing to the Lord’s death by looking ahead to it.

                        Today the believer’s love and faith and his gift and anointing are a witness of fact. The believer is to witness to the Lord’s death by looking back to it. It is a fact: He did die for the sins of the world.

            “For I delivered unto the first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

            “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).

            “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

b.         Judas lost the opportune time; Mary grasped it. Mary loved Jesus and Judas did not. Jesus made a significant point that is often missed: opportunities come and go, and once they are gone, they are gone forever. Mary demonstrated the difference. The poor would always be present for believers to help, but the privilege of ministering to Jesus would not always be available. Therefore, if His disciples were to minister to Him, they had to grasp the opportunity while He was with them.

Thought 1. What a lesson for mankind! The presence of Jesus—a sense of His presence and of His Word—is not always pounding away at the mind and heart of man. Man must grasp the opportunity to show his love and sacrifice for Christ when it presents itself. The opportunity will pass. In fact life, which is an opportunity and a privilege within itself, will pass and pass soon. The servant of the Lord must love and act while it is still day. The night will come when no man can work.

            “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Romans 13:11-12).

            “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephes. 5:16).

            “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Col. 4:5).

4. (12:9) Jesus Christ, Seeking—Sincerity—Hypocrisy: there are the half-sincere seekers. A person who is only half-sincere has three clear traits. These are clearly seen in the crowd thronging the dinner which Jesus attended.

Because of the great change in Lazarus, many people desired to see him; and his “living witness” was used by God to bring people to salvation (John 12:9–11). There are no recorded words of Lazarus in the Gospels, but his daily walk is enough to convince people that Jesus is the Son of God. Because of his effective witness, Lazarus was persecuted by the religious leaders who wanted to kill him and get rid of the evidence.

            1.         The crowd came to see Jesus. Jesus was the central figure; He was the Person being proclaimed by some to be the Messiah and being talked about so much by all. Everyone was wondering and questioning and had some desire to see Him and to find out for themselves. At the least, they wanted to find out what was going on and causing so much conversation across the country.

            2.         The crowd came to see the spectacular, that is, to see Lazarus, the man rumored to have been raised from the dead. They were anxious to see one who had experienced such a phenomenal event and to see if a resurrected man was any different. (See note— John 2:23; note— Luke 4:9-12.)

            3.         The crowd came to a social occasion, a festive atmosphere. Wherever Jesus was there was action and things were happening. It was where everyone was gathering. This is clearly seen when man keeps in mind the teeming thousands flooding into the area for the Passover and the atmosphere that surrounds such a convention-like crowd. There was bound to be a worldly, carnival atmosphere despite the religious observances. Half-sincere seekers always add to the carnality of a worldly atmosphere, no matter the focus of an event.

Thought 1. How many sitting in the presence of the Lord and His church are only half-sincere? How many come to church just because it is the thing to do, the place to be, the place where everyone else is? How many seek the spectacular signs only?

            “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee” (Matthew 12:38).

            “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:28).

            “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Mark 7:6).

            “Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?” (Luke 12:56-57).

            “Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (John 4:48).

            “They said therefore unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?” (John 6:30).

            “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness” (1 Cor. 1:22-23).

            “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16).

5. (12:10-11) Jesus Christ, Response to—Religionists: there are the fearful, self-seeking religionists. (See outline— John 12:1-11; note— John 11:47-48; and note— John 11:49-53 for discussion of this point.) Note two points.

            1.         The leaders now sought to destroy Lazarus also. They probably thought Lazarus and Jesus were collaborating to deceive the people. Note also the impact the miracle was having. So many people were affected by the miracle that the authorities felt they had to destroy Lazarus in order to prove that Jesus could not raise the dead.

            “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father....Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not” (John 8:40-41, 44-45).

            2.         “Many” of the Jews, those who had formerly opposed Jesus, were now beginning to believe in Jesus. This is significant. It shows that the impact upon the nation was enormous, affecting even the religious leaders.

            “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15).

            “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

            “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

            “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46).