What does John 12:41 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In the vision that Isaiah recorded in Isaiah 6 , the prophet wrote that he saw God"s glory ( Isaiah 6:3). Now John wrote that Isaiah saw Jesus" glory and spoke of Jesus. Obviously John regarded Jesus as God (cf. John 1:18; John 10:30; John 20:28; Colossians 2:9). Isaiah had spoken of Jesus in that he had revealed many messianic prophecies. Earlier Jesus had claimed that Moses had written about Him ( John 5:46). [source][source]

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These quotations justify interpreting the Old Testament servant of the Lord passages as referring to the Messiah. There has long been a debate within Judaism and liberal Christianity about whether these passages refer to a personal Messiah or only to Israel. [source][source]

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Context Summary

The question of the Greeks led our Lord's thoughts to His death. He saw, too, the baptism of suffering through which His followers must pass. From all this that troubled Him, He fled to the Father, asking only that all should converge to His glory. That request was immediately answered in the affirmative. Thus He was led to give this amazing interpretation of the events which were taking place, as viewed from the standpoint of heaven. The age, not He, was being judged. It was standing before Him for its verdict, not He before it. Caiaphas, Pilate, and the rulers of the age were passing before His judgment seat and being judged as worthless. The prince of the age, Satan, not Christ, was being cast out, though the sentence might take long before fully realized. Little as they recognized it, the day of the Cross was the crisis of the history of earth and hell, of men and demons. Then was settled the question of supremacy between darkness and light, between hate and love, between death and life. Lifted up recalls John 3:14. The Cross is the divine magnet, and our attitude with regard to it shows what we are. Learn from John 12:35-36 the order of transfiguration into the sonship of light: believe in the light, walk in the light, and you will become sons of light. [source]

Chapter Summary: John 12

¹  Jesus excuses Mary anointing his feet
⁹  The people flock to see Lazarus
¹⁰  The chief priests consult to kill him
¹²  Jesus rides into Jerusalem
²⁰  Greeks desire to see Jesus
²³  He foretells his death
³⁷  The people are generally blinded;
⁴²  yet many chief rulers believe, but do not confess him;
⁴⁴  therefore Jesus calls earnestly for confession of faith