Church Fathers Commentary John 12:37-43

"But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they believed not on him: that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart; Lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, And should turn, And I should heal them. These things said Isaiah, because he saw his glory; and he spake of him. Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess [it], lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the glory [that is] of men more than the glory [that is] of God." — John 12:37-43 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: And so the Evangelist tacitly explains it when he adds, But though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He means the miracles related above. It was no small wickedness to disbelieve in the face of such miracles.

St. John Chrysostom: But why then did Christ come? Did He not know that they would not believe in Him? Yes. The prophets had foretold this very unbelief, and He came so that it might be made manifest, to their confusion and condemnation. This was so that the saying 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?

Alcuin of York: Who? That is, so very few believed.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It is evident here that the arm of the Lord is the Son of God Himself. This is not because the Father has a human, fleshly form; He is called the arm of the Lord because all things were made by Him. If a person had such power that whatever he said was immediately done without any bodily motion, that person's word would be his arm.

This provides no grounds, however, to justify the error of those who say the Godhead is only one Person because the Son is the arm of the Father, and a man and his arm are not two persons, but one. Such people do not understand that we must often explain common things by using language drawn from similar things. This is even more necessary when we speak of incomprehensible realities that cannot be described as they truly are. For example, someone might call a person they rely on heavily "his arm," and speak of losing his arm or having his arm taken from him.

But some mutter and ask, "What fault was it of the Jews if it was necessary for the sayings of Isaiah to be fulfilled?" We answer that God, foreseeing the future, predicted the unbelief of the Jews through the prophet but did not cause it. God does not compel people to sin just because He knows they will sin. He foreknows their sins, not His own. The Jews committed the sin that He who knows all things foretold they would commit.

St. John Chrysostom: Regarding the phrase, that the saying of Isaiah might be fulfilled, the word "that" here expresses not the cause, but the outcome. They did not disbelieve because Isaiah said they would; rather, because they were going to disbelieve, Isaiah said they would.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But what follows involves a deeper question: Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. If they could not believe, what sin is there in a person doing what he cannot help doing? And what is a graver point still, the cause is assigned to God, since it is He who blinded their eyes and hardened their heart. This is said to be God's doing, not the devil's.

Yet if anyone asks why they could not believe, I answer: because they would not. For just as it is to the praise of the divine will that God cannot deny Himself, so it is the fault of the human will that they could not believe.

St. John Chrysostom: This is a common form of speech. We might say, "I cannot love such a person," meaning by this "necessity" only a very strong will. The Evangelist says they "could not" believe to show that it was impossible for the prophet to be wrong, not that it was impossible for them to believe.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But, you say, the prophet mentions another cause besides their will: namely, that God had blinded their eyes and hardened their heart. I answer that they fully deserved this. For God hardens and blinds a person by forsaking and not supporting him. This He may do by a secret judgment, but He cannot do it by an unjust one.

St. John Chrysostom: For He does not leave us unless we wish it, as He said in Hosea, Seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. From this it is plain that we are the first to forsake Him and are the cause of our own perdition. For just as it is not the sun's fault that it hurts weak eyes, neither is God to blame for punishing those who do not pay attention to His words.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The phrase, and be converted, and I should heal them, should be understood in light of the beginning of the sentence: that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor be converted. Is this because conversion is the free gift of God? Or should we suppose it means a heavenly remedy, by which those who wished to establish their own righteousness were so deserted and blinded that they stumbled on the stumbling stone? They continued this way until, with faces full of shame, they humbled themselves and sought not their own righteousness, which puffs up the proud, but God's righteousness, which justifies the ungodly.

Indeed, many of those who put Christ to death were later troubled by a sense of their guilt, which led them to believe in Him. Isaiah said these things when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. He saw Him not in His true essence, but figuratively, in a prophetic vision. Do not be deceived by those who say the Father is invisible and the Son is visible, thereby making the Son a creature. For in the form of God, in which He is equal to the Father, the Son is also invisible. He only took upon Himself the form of a servant so that He might be seen by humans. Before His incarnation, He also made Himself visible at times to human eyes, but this was through the medium of created matter, not as He is in His own nature.

St. John Chrysostom: His glory refers to the vision of Him sitting on His lofty throne: I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne. And also: I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?

Alcuin of York: Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on 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. The praise of God is to confess Christ publicly; the praise of men is to glory in earthly things.

St. Augustine of Hippo: As their faith grew, their love of human praise grew even more and outstripped it.