Sadness and Joy

John 12.37-41

³⁷ Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” ³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.” ⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

There is a sadness in the text this today.  Sadness that there are so many who simply will not believe.  That is important for us to face.  Not so that we will feel compelled to beg and plead with others to believe.  We should continue to share the truth of the gospel.  We should speak of faith well with whomever we are able.  But even those who saw Jesus first-hand had trouble with belief.  They saw the signs that Jesus was the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, the Messiah, as John reminds us with the first quote from Isaiah.  They were unable to believe as they had blind eyes and hard hearts, just as Isaiah heard in his call to serve in Isaiah 6.  Sadness that some will never believe, no matter how clearly we can see the truth of the gospel.

Then we also see the joy.  Maybe it does not seem so obvious here, but it sits right before us, as clearly as the signs Jesus performed before those who could not see and could not believe.  The joy comes as we see the truth of what is placed before us throughout the gospels and in this small piece from John.  The signs of who Jesus is, they are placed before us in the stories that have been given to us.  The signs are there in our lives as we see Jesus in our midst today.  The joy comes as we see that we, and so many others, do believe in Jesus and follow him.  There is joy in the midst of the sadness.

The two do not contradict.  They exist together with us.  They keep us moving forward in faith.  They move us to sharing faith as we are able.  They remind us of the state in which we live right now: the already and the not yet.  Faith, salvation and redemption have come to us.  Yet the completion of each is yet to come.  We still wait for the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father.  So we pray and work for the day when many more will be able to stand with us in following Jesus as Lord and Saviour.  Keeping our faith and hope in him.  Praying for the open eyes and soft hearts for us, for all, to see, to believe, to know Jesus as the Messiah for all.

Song – I Believe

Prayer

Almighty God, our Redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to be your messengers of forgiveness and hope.  Renew us by your Holy Spirit, that we may follow your commands and proclaim your reign of love, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen. — based on Psalm 130:3-6, NIV