John 12:23-50

English Standard Version

²³ And Jesus answered them, ^(A)“The hour has come ^(B)for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(C)unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ^25 (D)Whoever loves his life loses it, and ^(E)whoever ^(F)hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must ^(G)follow me; and ^(H)where I am, there will my servant be also. ^(I)If anyone serves me, ^(J)the Father will honor him.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

^27 (K)“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, ^(L)save me from ^(M)this hour’? But ^(N)for this purpose I have come to ^(O)this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.” Then ^(P)a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ^(Q)“An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰ Jesus answered, ^(R)“This voice has come for your sake, not mine. ^31 (S)Now is the judgment of this world; now will ^(T)the ruler of this world ^(U)be cast out. ³² And I, ^(V)when I am lifted up from the earth, ^(W)will draw ^(X)all people to myself.” ³³ He said this ^(Y)to show by what kind of death he was going to die. ³⁴ So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that ^(Z)the Christ remains forever. How can you say that ^(AA)the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵ So Jesus said to them, ^(AB)“The light is among you ^(AC)for a little while longer. ^(AD)Walk while you have the light, lest darkness ^(AE)overtake you. ^(AF)The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶ While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become ^(AG)sons of light.”

The Unbelief of the People

When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. ³⁷ Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, ^38 (AH)so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

³⁹ Therefore they ^(AJ)could not believe. For again Isaiah said,

⁴¹ Isaiah said these things because ^(AM)he saw his glory and ^(AN)spoke of him. ⁴² Nevertheless, ^(AO)many even of the authorities believed in him, but ^(AP)for fear of the Pharisees they did not ^(AQ)confess it, so that they would not be ^(AR)put out of the synagogue; ^43 (AS)for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Jesus Came to Save the World

⁴⁴ And Jesus cried out and said, ^(AT)“Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but ^(AU)in him who sent me. ⁴⁵ And ^(AV)whoever ^(AW)sees me sees him who sent me. ^46 (AX)I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. ⁴⁷ If anyone ^(AY)hears my words and does not keep them, ^(AZ)I do not judge him; for ^(BA)I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. ^48 (BB)The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; ^(BC)the word that I have spoken will judge him ^(BD)on the last day. ⁴⁹ For ^(BE)I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father ^(BF)who sent me has himself given me ^(BG)a commandment—what to say and what to speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”