Verse of the Day – 9 March 2023

March 09, 2023 – Thursday
John 12:44-46  NIV

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. ⁴⁵ The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Comments

Continuing from yesterday’s comments on 12:42-43 that ended John’s thoughts and comments that began in 12:37. Today we look at the above three declarative verses from Jesus in our verses for today and before we end the four verses following those above as combined forthe last words spoken by Jesus in John’s Gospel. 

Let’s begin with Then Jesus cried out which applies to 12:44-50 and assures us His words were not only for His disciples, but for all who were there in hearing range. It is possible these words were a continuation of His teaching after 12:36 before He went into hiding, ³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. They certainly have a strong sense of unity. 

If these were a continuation, He was making a strong point about Himself and the Father being One, ⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. ⁴⁵ The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. To believe in Jesus as the Messiah was to believe in the Father as well. Implicitly this says if you do not believe Jesus is the Messiah, you do not believe in the Father either. And He doubles down on this when He says, ⁴⁵ The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. Looking at Jesus and all of His signs and wonders you will see in Him the one who sent Him, Father God! He is not denying that He and the Father are one, instead He is emphasizing it as a fact that cannot be denied.

He follows this with the declaration, ⁴⁶ I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. Believe in Me! and quit living in darkness, unbelief and sin. In Ephesians 5:8-10, Paul amplifies what being the light means, ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.

Jesus then went on to say, ⁴⁷ “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ⁴⁸ There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. He has no need to judge us as we were already judged as sinners, living in sin and darkness. He came to provide a way out of the darkness and the judgment that was coming for all those who continue to choose the darkness. 

He concludes with, ⁴⁹ For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. ⁵⁰ I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” He is telling those listening, His is the voice of God because God chose the words He would and did speak. His words from the Father lead to eternal life instead of eternal death. Read over His words a few times and you may be able to sense a plea from Jesus pleading for those listening (or us reading) to choose life, eternal life. 

Bottom Line: Here I want to use the words of Matthew Henry who summarizes verses 44-50, Our Lord publicly proclaimed, that every one who believed on him, as his true disciple, did not believe on him only, but on the Father who sent him. Beholding in Jesus the glory of the Father, we learn to obey, love, and trust in him. By daily looking to Him, who came a Light into the world, we are more and more freed from the darkness of ignorance, error, sin, and misery; we learn that the command of God our Saviour is everlasting life. But the same word will seal the condemnation of all who despise it, or neglect it.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Let our lives be a light to others so that they may too want to live in the light as You have permitted us to do by repenting and believing Your Son paid for all of our sins on the cross where He died and then rose on the third day to show He had conquered death. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

RileyD, nwJ 
Riley D. Driver – Pastor 
Calvary Chapel of Dayton 
in Beavercreek