They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God

"While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

"Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"

Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them."

These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

- John 12:36b-43

In our current readings, it is Holy Week in Jerusalem, the last week of Jesus' earthly life.  Yesterday, we read that as He understood the Sanhedrin planned to kill Him, Jesus said, "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

 "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.  In yesterday's reading, we wrote commentary that discussed how we can be sons or children of light.   Jesus clearly refers to Himself as the light, and He's indicating to those who will follow and have faith in Him that He will be with them in the world just a little longer; He is soon departing.  They must treasure what He's offering while they still have a chance to accept it, while the Light is in the world.

But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:  "Lord, who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"  This quotation is from Isaiah 53:1.  It is near the time for Jesus' mission into the world to be over.  Will He find faith among the people?  He has many followers, but there are those who reject, who plot now to kill Him.  Faith is the key here to our understanding, and to their response.

Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:  "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them."  This quotation is from Isaiah 6:10.   My study bible says, "According to St. John Chrysostom, Isaiah's prophecy does not mean God causes spiritual blindness in people who would otherwise have been faithful.  This is a figure of speech common to Scripture revealing God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24, 26).  What is mean by He has blinded is that God has permitted their self-chosen blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).  They did not become blind because God spoke through Isaiah, but rather Isaiah spoke because he foresaw their blindness."

These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.  My study bible tells us that Isaiah . . . saw His [Christ's] glory in about 700 BC (Isaiah 6:1) and spoke of Him in many places throughout his lengthy prophecy.

Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.  A note says that "these rulers, according to St. John Chrysostom, are in reality the worst of slaves in that they are enslaved by the opinions of men.  This keeps them from leading as God would have them lead."

What does it mean to be healed?  Surely, here, we are speaking of a spiritual kind of healing, and one that affects one's whole life.  To be spiritually blind is to be disconnected from the things of God, particularly where God's call is leading you away from what is conventional to you, and into a new aspect of faith so that one evolves their own spiritual understanding.  To be blind to this call, to the ones who may be "crying in the wilderness" (in the words of Isaiah and of John the Baptist who also quoted from Isaiah in his mission to prepare the way for Christ), is to be blind to our own life's potentials, to stunt our growth in many ways, and to fall behind.  This is a voice calling us to something new, just as prophecy reveals something new, beyond our own grasp of things.  To be healed from spiritual blindness isn't just to have spiritual sight (or hearing) restored.  It means we open up to things greater than our own present understanding so that, indeed, our whole lives may be affected, may be healed.  To be healed is ultimately to be reconciled to God, to be in the place where God calls us to full relationship, so that we may be restored to the fullness of life that Christ promises.  Any form of repentance or "change of mind" necessarily means a change of oneself and one's life, at least in some aspect to which God calls us beyond our own current boundaries and ways of thinking.  To be healed truly means to be open to God, and to all those ways in which we may be called by God that ask us to change in some way, to "change our minds" (the literal meaning of the Greek word for repentance), to grow beyond our own present limits, and thereby - at least in some sense - to change our lives, to let His abundant life in and do what it will in ours.  This is what it is to be healed.  But if we refuse, if we have no spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear and to perceive with, then God does not force His way on us.  We are allowed to stay where we are, where we may decide we prefer to be.   In today's reading, the evangelist makes it clear just how that happens in this story of the rejection of Jesus.  There are many among the leadership who believe, but they are afraid to go against the Pharisees, and they are afraid of being put out of the synagogue.  Why, really?  Because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.  And that's the great test of courage, and of faith, and of the willingness to accept most particularly spiritual truth.  All kinds of truth and justice may fit right into this understanding, no matter what it is that we may be called to accept, or what it is we may stop our eyes and ears from perceiving.  But it all starts with the One who is the way, the truth, and the life.  All truth - regardless of what we may categorize it as - begins with the spiritual truth of God.  Justice, compassion, mercy, and opening our eyes to what truth is even if it takes us away from what we already think we know -- all these things start with the One who is truth; whose identity is ultimately a mystery that calls us forward, and far, far beyond our understanding.  That's how we really need to be healed, and that's what we miss when we are deaf and blind.  Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we are given the understanding of eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear (see all references on this page).  Jesus says over and over again, "He who has ears, let him hear!" -- a quotation that also appears many times in the Revelation (see references here).   So, it all comes down to this:  What do you love more, the praise of other people, or the praise of God?