John 12:50 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

NIV: I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.'

NASB: And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.'

CSB: I know that his command is eternal life. So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told me."

NLT: And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.'

KJV: And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

NKJV: And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

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).

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.