John 12:40

"For this cause they couldn’t believe, for Isaiah said again:"

Key Reflection

In John 12:40, Jesus quotes Isaiah to explain why some people refused to believe in him despite his miracles and teachings. The verse draws on Isaiah 6:9-10, where the prophet speaks of God’s judgment against those who refuse to listen or understand, highlighting how their desire for human praise overruled their openness to divine truth. This cultural context underscores that even in Jesus' time, people often prioritized earthly approval and recognition over seeking the word of God, a timeless tension between spiritual discernment and worldly validation.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 40. He hath blinded their eyes. The expression in Isaiah is, "Go, make the heart of this people fat, and shut their eyes." That is, go and proclaim truth to them--truth that will result in blinding their eyes. Go and proclaim the law and the will of God, and the effect will be, owing to the hardness of their heart, that their eyes will be blinded and their hearts hardened. As God knew that this would be the result--as it was to be the effect of the message, his commanding Isaiah to go and proclaim it was the same in effect, or in the result, as if he had commanded him to blind their eyes and harden their hearts. It is this effect or result to which the evangelist refers in this place.

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