John 12:49 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.

NIV: For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.

NASB: For I did not speak on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.

CSB: For I have not spoken on my own, but the Father himself who sent me has given me a command to say everything I have said.

NLT: I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it.

KJV: For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

NKJV: For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.

Pharisees who challenged Jesus claimed that He did not have the evidence or authority to support His own claims (John 8:13). Contrary to this, Jesus had been pointing to various proofs (John 5:30–40). In doing so, Jesus also noted that His words were those of God the Father Himself (John 8:19). What Christ says here is not a rejection of His own divinity—He is not saying, "I am not God, but I speak for God." Rather, He is pointing out that the words He says don't merely come from some physical human form. They are part of God's will and God's plan for the One He has sent (John 8:28; 12:27–36).

This ties into Jesus' earlier statements indicating that to reject Him is to reject God (John 12:44–48). There is only one way for mankind to be saved, and that is through belief in God the Son (John 3:16–18, 36). Jesus is not merely "like" God, He is the exact image—precisely the same thing—as God the Father (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:15). Anyone who denies that Jesus is who He claimed to be will find themselves separated from God for all of eternity (Revelation 20:11–15).

John 12:44–50 is the last public statement Jesus makes prior to His crucifixion. This is a sincere ''plea'' to the people. In relatively few words, Jesus summarizes His purpose, and states that He alone provides the means of salvation. From this point forward, Jesus will focus His efforts on preparing the disciples for what comes next. Those lessons, leading up to Jesus' arrest and crucifixion, make up the bulk of the next few chapters of the gospel of John.

Jesus is treated to an honorary dinner at the home of Lazarus, whom He has recently raised from death. At this dinner, Lazarus' sister, Mary, anoints Jesus with expensive oil. Jesus then enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, stoking fears that His popularity will attract the anger of the Roman Empire. That anger even inspires a murder plot against Lazarus. After being approached by non-Jewish seekers, Jesus offers a final plea for people to understand His ministry. In effect, these are the last public words spoken by Jesus in the gospel of John.

In the prior chapter, Jesus spectacularly raised Lazarus from death in front of a crowd of witnesses. This inspired local religious leaders to commit to having Him killed. Here, after a celebratory dinner where Jesus is anointed with oil, He will fulfill prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated with shouts of ''Hosanna'' and a massive crowd. This leads to a group of curious non-Jews approaching Him. Christ then offers a final plea for belief in Him and His message. After this, His ministry will turn to preparing the disciples for His impending death and resurrection. The next several chapters of the gospel of John are almost entirely made up of his teachings to these men.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.