John 12:36
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While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light.” After Jesus had spoken these things, He went away and was hidden from them.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them--He who spake as never man spake, and immediately after words fraught with unspeakable dignity and love, had to "hide Himself" from His auditors! What then must they have been? He retired, probably to Bethany. (The parallels are: Mat 21:17; Luk 21:37).
Open source ↗It was a melancholy account which we had in the close of the foregoing chapter of the dishonour done to our Lord Jesus, when the scribes and Pharisees proclaimed him a traitor to their church, and put upon him all the marks of ignominy they could: but the story of this chapter balances that, by giving us an account of the honour done to the Redeemer, notwithstanding all that reproach thrown upon him. Thus the one was set over against the other. Let us see what honours were heaped on the head of the Lord Jesus, even in the depths of his humiliation. I. Mary did him honour, by anointing his feet at the supper in Bethany (Joh 12:1-11). II. The common people did him honour, with their acclamations of joy, when he rode in triumph into Jerusalem (Joh 12:12-19). III. The Greeks did him honour, by enquiring after him with a longing desire to see him (Joh 12:20-26). IV. God the Father did him honour, by a voice from heaven, bearing testimony to him (Joh 12:27-36). V. He had honour done him by the Old Testament prophets, who foretold the infidelity of those that heard the report of him (Joh 12:37-41). VI. He had honour done him by some of the chief rulers, whose consciences witnessed for him, though they had not courage to own it (Joh 12:42, Joh 12:43. VII. He claimed honour to himself, by asserting his divine mission, and the account he gave of his errand into the world (Joh 12:44-50).
Open source ↗12:36 Jesus was the light (1:4, 7-9; 3:19-21; 8:12), and he urged the crowd to quickly make the choice to believe in him before it was too late. • They had the choice of becoming children of the light by rebirth through the power of God (1:12-13). • Jesus . . . was hidden from them: Jesus withdrew first from Judea (11:54) and then from this audience (12:36), and soon he would withdraw from the world (17:11).
Open source ↗Cross-references
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For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.
For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light.
As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.
Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.
But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.