The Gospel of John Chapter 12

Second most important to the first chapter of John is the twelfth. Origenes wrote books 29, 30 and 31 of his commentary on this important chapter. The main reason that none of these three books are available to us today is surely due to the dogma-critical content of this chapter.

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The first 11 versus of chapter 12 tell us of Jesus’ return to the house of Lazarus. The symbolism that John supplies here shows us the very broad spectrum of spiritual maturity that exists in our world and at the time of Jesus. Judas, at the bottom of this spectrum, is not totally evil, but very materialistic. Maria has shown herself to be one of those who hear but do not understand (Cf. Matt. 13:13, Mark 4:11-12) and this is why John depicts her as being below the feet of Jesus.

Martha, on the other hand, has advanced to a level where she is able to ‘serve food to the wise’. She is able to bring spiritual nutrition to the table of Jesus and Lazarus. Her spiritual labors have yielded a harvest that both Lazarus and Jesus are happy to receive. Lazarus is honored to sit at the table with Jesus; he understood. This is the man that Jesus loved (John 11:3), and had become spiritually powerful and a threat to the power base of the Pharisees. (Cf. John 12:17-19) He had become a walking witness to the power of God, and based on the position that John portrays him here, he may have become a disciple of even a prophet.

Many people question the huge contrast between Palm Sunday and Good Friday. The depiction of Jesus entering Jerusalem is one with everyone supporting him (Cf. John 12:19) and by Friday nearly all of His supporters were gone. If we examine John’s words from the spiritual aspect it becomes clear that all of souls awaiting redemption were celebrating Jesus’ coming victory over death. They could see that the time was near at which Jesus would cast the Prince of this world out. (Cf. John 12:31) They would wait anxiously while Jesus faced His final tests on Earth.

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. John 12:24

I believe that this is to be understood as follows: When the wheat [Jesus] dies without falling into the Earth, it [He] has not accomplished it task in life. When the wheat [Jesus] dies and falls into the Earth [Hell], it [He] has accomplished its task. As Jesus reminds us in 12:27-29, it was always possible that He could have failed His final test and could have died fruitlessly. But fortunately for the world, He did pass all the tests that Lucifer could give to Him and remained true to His Father through great human torment.

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. John 12:31-32

By passing His tests, the prophesied ‘Judgment of the World’ was able to take place as He had mentioned on numerous occasions. (See my article at http://www.origenes2000.org/Publicat...alJudgment.htm ) Many people have taken Jesus’ words here to foretell His being lifted up on the cross, but that does not fit with His statement. He says, first the ruler of this world [Satan] must be cast out, and then Jesus will be able to draw all from the Earth [and Hell] to Him. All of this happened after His death and not before. No ruler was cast out of world before Jesus died, and there is no biblical reference to such an event.