But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him.
Parallel translations
- WEB But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him,
- KJV But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
- BSB Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him.
- NKJV But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him,
- NASB But though He had performed so many signs in their sight, they still were not believing in Him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Despite witnessing many of Jesus' signs, the people still did not believe in Him. It exposes that unbelief is rooted in the heart, not in a lack of evidence.
Overview
John summarizes the tragic response to Jesus' miraculous signs, which were meant to lead to faith (20:31). Their persistent unbelief in the face of overwhelming evidence shows that the problem is moral and spiritual, not evidential. This sets up John's appeal to prophecy, demonstrating that even Israel's rejection of her Messiah was foreseen in Scripture.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Luke 16:31“He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”
- John 1:11He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him.
- John 15:24If I hadn’t done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn’t have had sin. But now have they seen and also hated both me and my Father.
- Matt 11:20Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they didn’t repent.
- John 11:42I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude that stands around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 12:37 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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