John 12:35

"The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”"

Key Reflection

In the first century, the term "Son of Man" was a common title for the messianic figure, often associated with the prophetic imagery in Daniel 7:13-14 where a human-like figure receives dominion and glory from God. The crowd's question reflects their expectation that the Messiah would endure forever as a divine ruler. Their confusion over Jesus' statement about being "lifted up" points to a misunderstanding of his impending crucifixion, which they did not yet fully grasp. This exchange underscores the tension between Jesus' teachings and the prevalent Messianic expectations of his audience.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 35. Yet a little while is the light with you. Jesus did not reply directly to may their question. He saw that they were offended by the mention of his death, and he endeavoured to arrive at the same thing indirectly. He tells them, therefore, that the light would be with them a little while, and that they ought to improve the opportunity while they had it to listen to his instructions, to inquire with candour, and thus to forsake their false notions respecting the Messiah. The light. Joh 1:4. It is probable that they understood this as denoting the Messiah. See Joh 8:12 "I am the light of the world;" Joh 9:4 Walk, &c. Joh 11:9.

Related Verses

More from John 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion