It was important for John to explain to his readers why it was that Judas, one of Jesus' chosen disciples, one of His inner circle, did not believe in Jesus. On the surface, Judas' betrayal of Jesus seemed to threaten the credibility of who Jesus claimed to be. Judas was in inside man- had he discovered some ugly truth about Jesus that was so bad, he turned Jesus in- If one of His own disciples did not believe in Jesus, why should you- John deals with that in this chapter.

Earlier when Peter said he would die for Jesus, he ended up denying three times that he even knew Jesus. Peter's actual death would be a different- it would glorify God -21-19-. Jesus' statement about Peter's death was to reassure Peter that he would remain faithful to the end -and not deny Jesus again-.

It was important for John to explain to his readers why it was that Judas, one of Jesus' chosen disciples, one of His inner circle, did not believe in Jesus. On the surface, Judas' betrayal of Jesus seemed to threaten the credibility of who Jesus claimed to be. Judas was in inside man- had he discovered some ugly truth about Jesus that was so bad, he turned Jesus in- If one of His own disciples did not believe in Jesus, why should you-

Do you ever wonder why you believe in Jesus, but your neighbor doesn't- Is it because he simply hasn't heard- Is because he just hasn't studied the evidence for Christianity- Is it because you had a better upbringing- Is it because you are smarter than he is- Is it because you are more spiritually sensitive than he is- Are you a better person than he is- John, in essence, dealt with this issue in his commentary on why the crowds in Jerusalem didn't believe in Jesus.

Short summary of John 12-20-33-- A. The gospel is universal, for every ethnic group on earth, not just the Jews-- B. We imitate our Lord, who died and was then glorified-- C. If we are to be disciples, we must follow Jesus to the death-- D. Disciples lose whatever this life has to offer, but gain so much more, and that eternally-- E. The devil is defeated, Jesus and his church is victorious-- F. The resurrection of Christ glorifies the Father, and is absolutely fundamental to the gospel

How was what John wrote in chapter 12-1-19 designed to cause an unbelieving Jew to believe in Jesus---1. This chapter reveals the evil that existed in the heart of Judas long before he betrayed Jesus -he stole from the common purse-.--2. This chapter shows the murderous intent of the leaders despite overwhelming evidence of Jesus' true identity through miracles -they plotted to kill Lazarus, too-.--3. His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey fulfilled Hebrew prophecy -Zechariah 9-9- and shows Jesus as a spiritual Messiah, not a political one.

John 11 is the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. The irony is that in raising Lazarus from the dead earned Jesus the death penalty. This record tells us all we need to know about who Jesus really is -God- and what kind of men the leaders really were -wicked, evil men-.

One would expect that because Jesus loved Mary and Martha, He hurried back to heal Lazarus. Instead, John wrote that Jesus' love for them motivated Jesus' delay. He loved them so much He was willing to do whatever it took to ultimately strengthen their faith -11-15-. Why was Jesus -glad- he was not there to heal Lazarus -11-15-- It was so that the disciples might believe.