Referring to Isa. 6, John 12 says this: "Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.' 41Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him."

What glory of Christ is John referring to here? It could be a couple of things:
[1] The glory of God in the vision of Isa. 6. In other words, Christ is God sitting on the throne.
[2] The glory of Christ in preaching parables that harden Israel and keep them from being saved. Mark 4, for example, expressly says that the Isa. 6 quote is fulfilled in Christ speaking in parables in order to keep people from understanding. Mark 4 says: "10When he [Jesus] was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that, 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"

So since Mark and John use the same OT quote. Mark says that the fulfillment is in Jesus' use of parables. John says that Isaiah made the quote b/c he saw Jesus' glory. Could it be that the glory was in Jesus' deeds of preaching parables?

[3] Something else?

Scott

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Scott Roberts
Ruling Elder, Lakeside Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Southlake, Texas

I've argued that I think Isaiah saw Christ's glory, when he "saw the Lord, with his train filling the Temple." That, it seems to me, is what John is saying in chapter 12 of his Gospel. The second best interpretation, so it seems to me, is that Isaiah "saw" Christ's glory proleptically, prophetically, that is when he FOREsaw the same glory that John and the other disciples saw in Jesus--by his words (all his teaching/preaching) and deeds. "And we beheld his glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (Jn. 1:14). This verse is not speaking of the Mt. of Transfiguration, but of Jesus' incarnation, something further clarified in ch.1 of 1 Jn., the letter.

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Rev. Bruce G. Buchanan
ChainOLakes Presbyterian Church, CentralLake, MI


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