John 12:37-43

John 12:37-43 is an unusual pericope or passage in the Gospel of John that does not fit well in its context, and which uses a more opinionated style than the rest of the Gospel. It cites Isaiah three times even though John contains no such citations to Isaiah in his letters, and almost none in the rest of his Gospel.

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Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

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