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

 

 "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 yesterday's reading, 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.  Jesus spoke these words to the people in the temple in Jerusalem.  It is now the final Passover of Christ's ministry (there are three Passover festivals reported in John's Gospel), and it is the last week of His earthly life.  He is the light, but He will not be with them for much longer.  This statement, however, applies to all of us who hear His words.

 

 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."  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that Isaiah's prophecy does not mean that God causes spiritual blindness in people who would otherwise have been faithful.  This is a figure of speech which is common to Scripture and reveals God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24-26).  When the Scripture declares that He has blinded their eyes is that God has allowed or permitted their self-chosen blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).  They didn't become blind because God spoke through Isaiah; rather Isaiah spoke because he foresaw their blindness.  

These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.  My study Bible notes that Isaiah . . . saw His [Christ's] glory in about 700 BC (Isaiah 6:1) and spoke of Him in many places throughout his extensive 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. St. John Chrysostom comments that these rulers 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.

In yesterday's reading, we observed the struggle between Christ's human impulses and the love of God the Father and His alignment with the Father's will in His divine identity as Son.  ("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.")   As a human being, Christ struggles with the healthy impulse to abhor death, but in His identity as Son of Man, His love of the Father, and trust in the Father, takes priority.  But this sort of struggle is not meant for Jesus only.  We are all meant to follow Him.  Moreover, we need to understand -- especially in context of the prophecy of Isaiah cited here -- just what healing is all about from the perspective of the Holy Bible.  In the context of the story of Genesis, and what is often called the fall of humankind, we see the truly "natural" state of human beings as created by God being in communion with God, able to communicate with God.  But the falling away as exemplified in the first sin, that of following the temptation of the devil over God's teaching, created a separation.  From the perspective of the Bible, the prophets have come one by one to call people back to God, and Christ Himself, the Son, is the One who makes that bridge for us.  His healing for us is precisely restoring the relationship of communion with God, and this is what it means to become sons of light, as we read Christ teaching today.  By placing our faith and trust in Him, we grow more deeply into communion with God, even though we may stumble and face many temptations, just as the disciples do.  So when we read Isaiah's words that teach us that blindness and hardened hearts prevent healing, this is what it refers to -- and this is what the Gospel is teaching as fulfilled in these men of the Council who reject Jesus.  Just as with a doctor, in terms of what Christ offers, our healing depends upon our capacity to put our trust in Him, our dependence upon Him.  Christ is the light that leads to our healing, but we have the capacity to be blind to that light, to prefer darkness, and to harden our hearts so that we do not understand.   The final verses of today's reading supply us with one very good example of why people harden their hearts or refuse healing:  "for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."  Clearly, this tension and temptation has always been with us, a stumbling block to those among the rulers, and among us now.  But it seems to have been magnified with the advent of social media.  When everyone's profile becomes a part of a greater and greater system, when we're viewed with so many eyes at once, what kind of pressures and temptations can come to bear on those who "love the praise of men?"  In times of cancellation and even censorship, how more powerful does a type of public opinion play a role in our lives, to have to make choices between where God wants us to go and where others might encourage us to go?  We have constant prescriptions given to us -- even from random strangers in terms of technological experience and use of social media -- that we must do this, believe this, look like this, impress others with this.  Those prescriptions are often phrased as moral imperatives, not simply social appearances that are pleasing.  But let us remember what must come first, the healing that we seek, and the dedication we need to pursue that healing.  Isaiah writes, "Lord, who has believed our report?"  Jesus came down from heaven, testifying to the world with His words and works -- all of which witness His identity and the Father.  Who has believed His report?  Let us ask ourselves, "And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"