Did the Rulers Believe?

This guest post by Eric Schick is the last post in a four-week series on the end of Jesus' public ministry in John. It is also our first guest post. Catch up starting with the first post, and subscribe to get future posts in your inbox!

The past three weeks have been focused on John 12:36b–43, a pivotal point in John's gospel. While Jack has focused on the glory of Christ and the hope of Gentile inclusion, this post dives deeper into John's use of the word "belief." More specifically, how are we to understand the belief of the Jewish leaders in John 12:42?

Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. (John 12:41–43, ESV)

The belief of the Jewish leaders bears witness to the validity of Christ's ministry. In John 7:26 and 7:48, the belief of the rulers served as a litmus test for the authenticity of Jesus' claim to be the Messiah:

Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, "Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?"

The Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."

Now, at the end of Jesus' ministry, the rulers believe! This assures us that Jesus is who he claimed to be. The ones who know what to look for have recognized Jesus' signs for what they are. This is part of John's cumulative case for belief.

But what kind of belief did the rulers have? Initially, the answer to our question may seem straightforward: the Jewish leaders came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. But John also contrasts the rulers' belief with their silence and fear. Should this make us doubt the authenticity of their belief? To answer this, we must attend both to the use of "belief" throughout John's gospel (he uses the word almost 100 times!), and to the near context of our passage.

In John, "belief" often refers to authentic faith, such as Martha's confession in John 11:27. Other times, however, John uses this verb to refer to an initial interest with no abiding fruit. For example, we read in John 2:23–25:

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

John lists for us a detail that otherwise would be ambiguous: though many people saw the signs that pointed to Jesus' messianic identity, Jesus did not fully reveal himself to them. They had not been born again even though they saw his signs as noteworthy and compelling. Furthermore, John 8:30–31 describes many Jewish people who believe in Jesus, and yet Jesus calls their father "the Devil" only a few verses later. John's use of "belief" here conveys their positive estimation of Jesus despite their lack of fruit. Both contexts indicate an inauthentic faith. Therefore, when discussing the Jewish leaders' belief in John 12:42, John could also be referring to inauthentic faith.

The near context of John 12:36b–43 brings light to our discussion. Immediately preceding the passage, Jesus says:

So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." (John 12:35–36a)

Jesus describes two types of people: those who walk in the light and those who walk in darkness. Those who walk in the light are those who have believed in the light, namely Jesus Christ. Similarly, John includes Jesus' teaching directly after John 12:36b–43:

And Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day." (John 12:44–48)

These verses communicate the same idea as the preceding passage: those who believe in the Messiah do not remain in darkness. Likewise, Jesus says in John 5:44, "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" Though the Jewish leaders of John 12:42 "believe" in the Messiah, they show actions that are inconsistent with true faith. Though they are said to believe in the light, they appear to remain in the darkness. They did not confess Christ's name because they loved the glory of man more than the glory of God – similar to those who refused to speak openly of Jesus at the Feast of Booths (7:11–13) and the parents of the man born blind who refused to bear witness to Christ (9:18–23). Conversely, the belief of the man born blind leads him to profess Christ despite the consequences and get kicked out of the synagogue (9:30–35). John even supplies a contrast within our text: the actions of Isaiah are exemplary while those of the Jewish leaders are cowardly. Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord and spoke boldly about Him, but the leaders saw that same glory and out of fear remained silent. Thus, the "belief" of the Jewish leaders of John 12:42, while a testimony to the authenticity of Jesus as the Messiah, may denote an interest deprived of true faith.

Does John provide us with sufficient reason to conclude that the Jewish leaders in John 12:42 lack true, saving faith? We must answer with caution. John gives us several examples of true believers with saving faith who at times are imperfect witnesses to Christ. Peter, who believes in God and shows examples of great faith, also struggles with a fear similar to the Jewish leaders. Out of fear, he denies Christ (John 18:15, 25–27), yet Christ restores him (John 21:15–19). Furthermore, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea also live in fear, but show sincere devotion to Christ (7:47–52, 19:38–39).

Given these complexities, what is the nature of the Jewish leaders' belief? Perhaps John intends to leave the answer ambiguous. Whether the rulers were unbelieving or their action was merely inconsistent with their belief, the contrast with Isaiah is clear. The Jewish leaders were in some sense veiled from the true glory of Christ. Although they saw Christ's glory, they were like those who despised and rejected him (Is 53:3). John writes his Gospel to Jewish Christians who are tempted to esteem the glory of others over the glory of Christ. John 12:36b–43 serves not only as a positive example to follow Isaiah and bear witness to Christ, but as a negative example so that readers may see the folly of the Jewish leaders in light of Christ's glory. John encourages us to consider Christ's true glory, walk in the light, and profess him before others. Perhaps, our approach to this passage should also inform the way we judge anyone who claims to profess Christ: with wisdom, caution, and generosity.

This is the last post in a four-week series on the end of Jesus' public ministry in John. Subscribe with your email, or follow on Bluesky to get future posts in a convenient place!