John Chapter 12
This chapter focuses on the reactions of love and hate, belief and rejection toward Christ, leading to the cross.
John 12:1 “Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.”
“Six days before the Passover” was most likely the previous Saturday with Passover coming 6 days later. Thursday evening through sunset Friday.
The Lord Jesus was last with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, when He raised Lazarus from the dead. We learned in a previous lesson, that Lazarus had been dead four days when Jesus raised him. This great miracle caused many to believe that Jesus was the Christ.
The Jewish leaders held council and sought to kill Jesus, and Jesus left the Jews and went into a city called Ephraim. The length of His stay in Ephraim is unknown, but it was probably more than a few days.
Now, Jesus has come back to His friend Simon’s home in Bethany which is just two miles from Jerusalem.
John 12:2 “There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.”
These last few days, He enjoyed being with His apostles and good friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Many assume that this Simon spoken of, in connection with this, is Simon the Leper. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were guests here. In (Luke chapter 8 verse 44), it appears this is in Simon’s home. It seemed Martha served Jesus.
Some believe this Simon was the husband of Martha. When Jesus came to this area there were most probably several families He could stay with. Simon had been healed of leprosy and Lazarus raised from the dead, so you know Jesus would have been welcome in either home.
John 12:3 “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.”
The term used for “pound” actually indicates a weight around three fourths of a pound, approximately 12 ounces. “Spikenard” was an oil extracted from the root of a plant grown in India.
“Anointed the feet of Jesus”: Since those who were eating reclined at the table, their feet extended away from it, making it possible for Mary to anoint the feet of Jesus. The act symbolized Mary’s humble devotion and love for Him.
In other gospels, it seemed Mary had anointed Jesus head, as well as His feet. This perfume possibly cost a year’s wages. Mary loved Jesus so much that she humbled herself and wiped His feet with her hair.
She had plenty of reasons to adore Him. He had raised her brother from the dead. A pound of ointment would have been a very large container. Mary did not realize that she was anointing Him for His burial.
John 12:4-5 “Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,” “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?”
Since one pence was a day’s wage given to common laborers, 300 was equivalent to a year’s wages (no money was earned on the Sabbath or other holy days).
A pence was a man’s wages for one day, so you can see the cost of the perfume. Judas Iscariot was not really concerned about the poor. Judas was the one who carried the bag of money used for their expenses, and he wanted that three hundred days work of money in the bag, so he could help himself to some of it.
John 12:6 “This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.”
Judas’ altruism was really a front for his own personal avarice. Because he was the apostolic band’s treasurer, he was able to secretly pilfer the group treasury for his own desires.
John left no doubt why Judas said this.
John 12:7 “Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.”
Mary performed this act to signal her devotion but, as in the case of Caiaphas, her act revealed more than she realized at the time. During the first century, lavish sums were spent on funerals, which included costly perfumes to cover the smell of decay.
John 12:8 “For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.”
This does not mean that alms should not be distributed to the poor, but was a reminder that, while the poor would remain, Jesus would not always be with them (see Matthew 26:11 and Mark 14:7).
This most all of the disciples did not understand, but Jesus was speaking of preparing His body for death. It is true that there are always the poor to help. Even in a fluent society like the U.S., there are always the poor around. There will never stop being a time when you can help them, but very shortly Jesus would be crucified and His body laid in the tomb.
John 12:9 “Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.”
Some of the Jews believed when Jesus raised Lazarus. Many of them came to see Jesus (the Miracle Man), and Lazarus also, who was raised from the dead. This was a real curiosity with all the people.
John 12:10-11 “But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;” “Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.”
This phrase signaled both a conscious, deliberate move away from the religion of the authorities and a move toward genuine faith in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God.
These chief priests were losing the respect of the people. They were no longer thought of as God’s representative on earth. They wanted to kill Jesus, so they could get their power back so they could rule over the people.
Lazarus was a constant reminder of the super-natural power of Jesus. They had to get rid of him, so the people would forget this miracle. They were losing followers, and they felt, if they could get rid of Jesus and Lazarus, they would get their followers back.
This section (from 12-19), marks Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem referred to as Palm Sunday. It is one of the few incidents in Jesus’ life reported in all four gospels. By this action, He presented Himself officially to the nation as the Messiah and Son of God.
The Sanhedrin and other Jewish leaders wanted Him dead but did not want Him killed during the Passover time because they feared stirring up the multitudes with whom He was popular.
Jesus entered the city however, on His own time and forced the whole issue in order that it might happen exactly on the Passover day when the lambs were being sacrificed. As the Scripture says “Christ, our Passover, also has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). In God’s perfect timing, at the precise time foreordained from eternity, He presented Himself to die. (verses 23; 10:17-18; 17:1; 19:10-11; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; Gal. 4:4).
John 12:12 “On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,”
The next day was Sunday, the day after Jesus’ visit to Bethany.
John 12:13 “Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
The supply of date palms was plentiful; they still grow in Jerusalem today. From about two centuries earlier, the waving of palm branches had become a nation, if not nationalistic, symbol, which signaled the fervent hope that a messianic liberator was arriving on the scene.
Hosanna is a transliteration of a Hebrew word that means “give salvation now.” It was a term of acclamation or praise occurring (in Psalm 118:25), which was familiar to every Jew, since that psalm was part of the Hallel sung each morning by the temple choir during the Feast of Tabernacles (7:37), and associated with the Feast of Dedication (10:22), and especially the Passover.
After shouting out the “Hosanna,” the crowds shouted (Psalm 118:26); significantly, the original context of this psalm may well have been the pronouncement of blessing upon a Davidic king. Jewish commentaries on the psalm have understood the verse to bear messianic implications. “He who comes in the Name of the Lord” refers to Messiah, especially in context with the phrase “the King of Israel,” though that messianic title is not from (Psalm 118).
Palm trees symbolize Israel. Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell this with much more detail than the account here. They tell of the colt of an ass being acquired and Jesus riding on it. Many of the details of how they got it are not included here.
Read the accounts in these other Bible studies. We do see here, that Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with shouts of adoration from the people.
John 12:14 “And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,”
Jesus actually sent disciples to get the colt of an ass and told them where it would be tied.
John 12:15 “Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.”
The synoptic gospels give more information here regarding Jesus’ selection of a young donkey (see Matt. 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10; and Luke 19:29-38). They convey the fact that Jesus deliberately planned to present Himself to the nation in this manner as a conscious fulfillment of the messianic prophecy of (Zechariah 9:9).
Zech. 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
John 12:16 “These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.”
You see, the disciples had no idea, even though Jesus had told them many times that He was to be crucified. They did not make any of the connection with these fulfillments of prophecy until after Jesus rose from the grave.
Looking back on the things that happened, they understood why each thing happened.
John 12:17 “The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.”
This is saying that much more connection was made with Old Testament prophecy after Jesus rose from the dead, than when it was happening. Looking back, they could see clearly after they knew for sure who He was.
John 12:18 “For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.”
This great multitude of people was following Jesus, because He had raised Lazarus from the dead.
John 12:19 “The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.”
“The world”: meaning the people in general, as opposed to everyone in particular. Clearly, most people in the world did not even know of Jesus at that time, and many in Israel did not believe in Him. Often “world” is used in this general sense.
The Pharisees are saying here, that the whole world has gone after Jesus, and these Jewish leaders are not making any ground.
John 12:20-21 “And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:” “The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.”
Most likely Gentile proselytes to Judaism who had come up for the Passover and who, in their desire to see Jesus, stood in direct antithesis to the attitude of the national leaders who desired to kill Him. At the very moment when the Jewish authorities plotted virulently to kill Him, Gentiles began to desire His attention.
It appears the news was widespread about Jesus raising Lazarus from the grave, and these Greeks had come to see this man who performed such great miracles. Jesus came first to the Jew, but the Gentiles who believed on Him would not be denied.
Philip has a Greek name and perhaps some of his people were Greek. These people would not be able to worship other than in the outer court, so that is possibly where they ran on to Philip. The Lord Jesus made many trips into Jerusalem these six days before Passover. It would not have been difficult to locate Him.
The cry of every soul who ever sought salvation is “We would see Jesus”. I love the song that says “Wherever Jesus is, will be heaven to me”.
John 12:22 “Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.”
Philip seems to be a very shy person. He tells Andrew, so he will have some support when he goes to tell Jesus.
John 12:23 “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”
Hour refers to the time of Jesus’ death, resurrection and exaltation (verse 27; 13:1; 17:1). Up to this point, Jesus’ hour had always been future.
In this, Jesus is telling the disciples and those in hearing range, that the time has come when Jesus will be glorified to all mankind, and in so doing glorifies the Father. Jesus is saying, everyone can see me, because I will be lifted up on the cross for all to see.
John 12:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
As the sown kernel dies to bring forth a rich harvest, so also the death of the Son of God will result in the salvation of many.
We see here, that Jesus is speaking again in parables, so that just curiosity seekers would not understand what He is saying. Jesus is explaining that when you bury a grain of wheat, it does not stay dead, but life wins out over death. This grain of wheat will live again in the wheat it produces, but there will be much more than the one grain that is planted.
Here we see Jesus telling them that when His body goes to the ground and rises again, His followers will be multiplied greatly. Verily, verily means there is no room for doubt (It is so).
John 12:25 “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”
We see here that those who love this world and the things of this world are worldly and will have no eternal life in heaven to look forward to. To love the world is to be an enemy of God.
We Christians, on the other hand, are living in the world, but we are not of the world. We are not caught up in things this world can bring us. We are not doing worldly things. Our home is in heaven. Our heart and mind is stayed upon heavenly things. We are like Abraham who lived in tents looking for a city whose maker was God.
We Christians are looking forward to the day when the trumpet shall blow in the sky, and we shall be caught up into the heavens to be with our Lord Jesus Christ. If we love the world, we are worldly. If we love heaven, we are heavenly.
John 12:26 “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.”
Not only is the principle of death applicable to Jesus (see verse 24), but it is also applicable to His followers. They too, as His disciples, may have to lose their life in service and witness for Him (see Matthew 10:37-39; 16:24-25).
You see if we serve Jesus, we will walk in His footsteps. We will do the things that He would do, if He were here. To play follow the leader, you must do everything the leader does. This is the way it is, if we are to serve Jesus. We must do it His way and not ours.
If we call ourselves Christians, we should be Christ-like. You cannot live worldly lives and still be a Christian. A Christian is a believer in and a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 12:27 “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.”
“Now is my soul troubled”: The term used here is strong and signifies horror, anxiety and agitation. Jesus’ contemplation of taking on the wrath of God for the sins of the world caused revulsion in the sinless Savior (2 Cor. 5:21).
We will later see at Gethsemane, Jesus praying. He will say my Spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. The flesh of Jesus was as mankind, but the Spirit within was God the Word. Here above, Jesus is saying, my flesh is not looking forward to the suffering.
This is the reason Jesus came to this earth; to crucify the flesh, so that our spirit might live. Sin in the flesh was nailed to the cross to pay the price for you and me. We too, must put our flesh under subjection to the Spirit of God.
Flesh and blood does not inherit the kingdom of God. Our spirit body inherits heaven, if we believe in and follow Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 12:28 “Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
This request embodied the principle that Jesus lived by and would die by (see 7:18; 8:29 and 50). The Father answered the Son in an audible voice. This is only one of 3 instances during Jesus’ ministry when this took place (Matthew 3:17; His baptism, and 17:5 His transfiguration).
Jesus, even here, has totally submitted to the will of the Father. Those who are in tune with God hear His voice and understand.
John 12:29 “The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.”
As I said above, some have ears that cannot hear. Many people throughout the Bible have said it thundered when God spoke. His words must fall on ears willing to hear and understand, before His message can be received.
This is the reason so many people read the Bible and cannot understand what it is saying. They are reading it technically, and are not letting the Spirit speak to them and teach them what it is saying.
John 12:30 “Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.”
You see, Jesus already knew that His Father would be glorified in this, and that many who would not believe Jesus was the Christ (Messiah), before the crucifixion would follow Him after He rises from the grave (as His half-brother James does).
Jesus tells the people, this voice is to encourage you, not me.
John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”
A reference to Satan (see 14:30). Although the cross might have appeared to signal Satan’s victory over God, in reality, it marked Satan’s defeat.
You see the judgment of the world and its system under Satan will be defeated on the cross. Satan is all for killing Jesus, because he does not realize that what he feels will be victory over Jesus, will actually be his greatest defeat.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no life. Jesus must shed His blood for all who believe in His name to go free. Jesus was to pay the price for all of us. Our indebtedness will be marked paid in full.
John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
This refers to His crucifixion.
John 12:33 “This he said, signifying what death he should die.”
I see, in this lifting up of Jesus, two things. He was lifted up from the earth on the cross. As terrible as the punishment of crucifixion was, it is where Jesus won victory over Satan. The blood of Jesus was not spilled; it was freely given. Everyone who comes to God must come by the way of the cross.
Had there not been a cross, there would not be salvation. The way of the cross leads to everlasting life. The curtain to the Holy of Holies was torn from the top to the bottom while Jesus was on the cross. This opened the way for all believers to the most holy place.
Jesus is the door we must go through, but we are allowed in because He opened the way. We can also, see in this that just as the tomb did not hold Jesus, neither will the grave hold us. We will rise from the grave just as Jesus rose, if we have put our trust in Him.
John 12:34 “The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?”
The term “Law” was used broadly enough to include not only the five books of Moses but also the whole of the Old Testament (see Romans 10:4). Perhaps they had in mind (Isaiah 9:7), which promised that Messiah’s kingdom would last forever, or (Ezekiel 37:25), where God promised that the final David would be Israel’s prince forever (see also Psalms 89:35-37).
Here, we see people who think of all of life being in this frail body. They expect Messiah to live on the earth forever. Life does not consist of the things of this earth. Our life on earth is but a vapor, because this body we are housed in now is not eternal.
The Spirit within the body is eternal. He will never die, just change place of habitation. Jesus the Christ is eternal. Messiah is eternal. These people were not thinking of heaven. They were thinking of Jerusalem. They had missed the meaning behind the Scripture.
John 12:35 “Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.”
There is a large group of people who have joined the disciples by this time. Jesus tells them, one more time, that He is the Light of the world. He is telling them to believe in Him, while He is here. After He leaves, it will be harder to believe.
When Jesus is gone, it will be much harder to come to Him, because the enemy will try to stop you from believing. Even in our day, false doctrines are flying around everywhere. Few really know the Truth.
John 12:36 “While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.”
A final invitation from Jesus was recorded by John to focus on his theme of believing in the Messiah and Son of God (see 20:30-31).
Jesus here, is making one more appeal to them. They need to receive the true Light of Christ. There is a day of salvation. Jesus is telling them to believe Him now, while they can. Shortly after Jesus’ return to heaven, it will become very hard to be a follower of Christ.
Many like Peter, will give their life for their belief. Light is from God, darkness is of the devil. Just like in the dark ages, few came to Christ.
In these verses, John gave the scriptural explanation for such large scale catastrophic unbelief on the part of the Jewish nation.
The explanation was that the unbelief was not only foreseen in Scripture but necessitated by it. In (verse 38), John quotes (Isaiah 53:1), and in (verse 40), he quotes (Isaiah 6:10; see Romans 10:16). Both of which stress the sovereign plan of God in His judicial hardening of Israel.
Although God predestined such judgment, it was not apart from human responsibility and culpability (see 8:24).
John 12:37 “But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:”
Jesus had been very distinct in the last lesson, telling them that they must receive the Light while He was with them. I cannot understand them not believing, when all these miracles were done in front of them.
The fear of the authorities can do some strange things sometime. They were possibly blinded of the Truth, because of their fear of being thrown out of the temple.
John 12:38 “That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
In Isaiah 53:3, we read a prophecy of this very thing:
Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and rejected of men; man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
You see, the prophecy Isaiah gave was of this very thing. They were looking with their physical eyes with astonishment at what they saw, but did not look at who they saw doing these miracles.
They also, heard the beautiful sermons He preached, but the message did not soak down into their hearts. They listened with their ears and not their hearts. The Lord showed them that He was the arm of God, but they did not believe.
John 12:39-40 “Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again,” “He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.”
Isaiah’s prophecy was from God and was therefore the truth. God does not want them to believe in their flesh, because of facts presented to them. God wants their hearts. God wants all of us, or He will not take any of us.
The Scriptures (verses 39 and 40), would be a good argument in favor of predestination, but I really believe this was the foreknowledge of God. He gave them the opportunity to believe, but He already knew that they would not believe.
God knows everything, even unto the end of the age.
John 12:41 “These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.”
This was a reference to (Isaiah 6:1). John unambiguously ties Jesus to God or Yahweh of the Old Testament. Therefore, since (verse 41) refers to Jesus, it makes Him the author of the judicial hardening of Israel. That fits His role as Judge.
Isaiah 6:1 we read “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.”
You see, Isaiah was speaking of a vision of heaven the Lord had allowed him to have.
The indictment of (verses 37-41), is followed by the exceptions of (verses 42-43). While the people seemed to trust Jesus with much more candor and fervency, the leaders of Israel who believed in Him demonstrated the inadequate, irresolute, even spurious faith.
The faith of the latter was so weak that they refused to take any position that would threaten their position in the synagogue. This is one of the saddest statements about spiritual leadership, for they preferred the praises of men above the praises of God in their refusal to publicly acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and Son of God.
John 12:42 “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:”
This kind of belief is unacceptable to the Lord. In (Romans 10:9), it is very evident that we must confess with our mouth, as well as believe in our heart.
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
God does not want secret followers. He wants us to believe on Him and confess to others, so they might believe.
John 12:43 “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”
This is like it is today. Some people are so afraid that they will lose their worldly friends, if they come to God, that they don’t answer His call. As we said earlier, God will not accept those who are ashamed of Him. If we are ashamed of Jesus here, He will be ashamed of us in heaven.
John 12:44 “Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.”
We see here, that Jesus is speaking to the large group, because the word cried is used seemingly, meaning He spoke loudly. Since many of these people believed in the Father, Jesus is telling them “If you really believed Him, you would have believed me”; because the message Jesus brought was from the Father.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God the Father sent the Son to save whosoever will.
John 12:45 “And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.”
Have you ever heard someone say, you are the very image of your father? That is what Jesus is and was, the image of His Father.
John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”
When we receive Jesus into our life, His Light comes in and does away with the darkness in our innermost being. If we are possessed of the Light of Jesus, we cannot be possessed of the darkness of the devil. A Christian therefore cannot be demon possessed. We can be oppressed, which is an attack on our flesh.
To be possessed would mean that we do not belong to Jesus the Light of the world. See above again, what Jesus said in His own words “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”
John 12:47 “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.”
When Jesus came to the world as the Son of God and took on the name Jesus, He was here as Savior. He came to save the world, not to judge. There will be a time when He will be the Judge, but that will be in heaven when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
His mission, as Jesus, was to save everyone who believed in His name.
John 12:48 “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
Jesus’ name in heaven is the Word of God. In (1 John 5:7) we read:
1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
You see, Jesus is the Word as we read in John:
John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
John 12:49 “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.”
Jesus was the voice of the eternal One. The speech of Jesus was words from Himself and the Father who sent Him. These words are commandments from God.
John 12:50 “And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”
When a person rejects Jesus, they are also rejecting the Father. The Spirit of God is in accord. When you hear the Words of Jesus, they are the same as the Father’s. They never bring death, but life everlasting, if they are heeded.
Jesus brought the message of hope for Himself and His Father as well. What the law could not do, (bring everlasting life), grace in Jesus did.