What does John 12:50 mean?
When speaking to a large crowd, Jesus explained that the saving "work" God intended man to perform was simply to believe in the Son of God (John 6:27–29). The mission of His first coming—living and dying as a man—was to establish that means of salvation (John 3:16–17). God intended for people to "listen" to Jesus, meaning to accept the evidence God has given (Romans 1:18–20; John 5:39–40), since it was given for that very reason (John 12:30). Here, Scripture points out that this command of God—the directive to have faith in His Son, Jesus—is "eternal life." Those who obey it will be redeemed, those who don't will be damned (1 John 5:10–12).A core message of Scripture is that Jesus Christ is not merely a messenger of God—He is God (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3; John 1:1–4). The purpose of these writings is to explain that idea in no uncertain terms (John 20:30–31). Jesus is doing more than merely speaking these words; verse 44 indicated that He was proclaiming them in much the same way as He called out, loudly and clearly, to Lazarus in the tomb (John 11:43). The stakes raised by this comment are much the same; those who respond will be saved and find life (John 14:6). Those who deny God's command, by turning from Jesus, will be eternally lost (Revelation 20:11–15).