Charles Ellicott Commentary John 12:45

"And he that beholdeth me beholdeth him that sent me." — John 12:45 (ASV)

And he who sees me sees him who sent me.—The word means to see, in the sense of “behold, contemplate, gaze upon.” Better, therefore, And he who beholds Me beholds Him who sent Me.

The form of the expression is different from that of the previous verse, passing from the negative to the positive, in accord with the difference of thought. He who beholds Christ beholds Him, and in Him beholds the impression of the substance of God. The same thought has occurred in the words of the Evangelist in John 1:14, and occurs in the words of our Lord in John 14:9.