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John 12:40 - Exposition

There are several illustrations in this verse that the diction of the evangelist differs from that which he uses when recording the words of Christ. Thus ὅμως μέντοι is peculiar to John himself, and thus is an ἅπαξ λεγόμενον ; but μέντοι occurs five times in the style of John himself (see John 4:27 ; John 7:13 ; John 12:42 ; John 20:5 ; John 21:4 ), not once by our Lord. ὁμολογεῖν again is used four times by the evangelist, and seven times in the Epistles and Apocalypse, but never put by him into the lips of Jesus. Nevertheless many of the rulers believed on him . These words are used, not to mitigate the charge, but to show that, though individuals did believe, even among the rulers, they had not courage to avow their faith. The instances of Nicodemus and Joseph and others lie upon the surface. Godet thinks rather of Gamaliel and the like, "the Eras-muses of those days." Theirs was, indeed, an hypocrisy of unbelief, and it is not 'altogether banished from the modem world, and notwithstanding Christ's rejection by the nation as a nation, individuals saw his glory and believed. It is still true of municipalities, nations, even Churches, that they reject Christ, while individuals among them are molded by and obedient to the faith. But by reason of the Pharisees— our Lord's most deadly enemies, from John 1:1-51 . to John 12:1-50 .— they were making no confession —or, acknowledgment— of his claims, lest they should be put out of the synagogue ; become the excommunicate, fall under the terrible ban (see John 9:22 ). The fear of class exclusion, the dread of running counter to the current opinion of the Church or the world, has led to much of the misery of both.

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