<p>12:39 <i>Because of this they could not believe, because Isaiah also said</i>- In Jn. 12:39-42 we find John quoting the words of Isaiah about how Israel would not believe the message of Jesus: &ldquo;Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes&hellip; <i>nevertheless </i>even of the rulers many believed on him&rdquo; (RV). &ldquo;Nevertheless&rdquo; shows the wonder of it all; despite clear prophecy that they would not believe, some of them did. The Lord&rsquo;s hopefulness paid off. And so can ours. It is not that God doesn't want people to believe; but those who refuse His voice, who will not see with their eyes, are blinded so that they will not see. They are confirmed in their attitudes.</p><p>Here the Lord combines quotations from Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 6, applying them to His cross. There He was lifted up in glory, with the power to both convict Isaiah of his sinfulness and also inspire his service of the Gospel. Yet Is. 53:1 also applies to Israel&rsquo;s refusal to hear the &ldquo;report&quot; of the Lord&rsquo;s miracles. The Lord saw His death as summing up the message of all the &ldquo;works&quot; of miracles which He had done, at least those recorded by John. This opens up a fruitful line of investigation of the miracles; they all show something of the spirit of the cross, and find their final fulfilment in the cross. In 4:34 see notes there He had spoken of His death as the final, crowning &ldquo;work&quot; of His ministry. If men understand the cross, then they see with their eyes, understand with their heart, and are converted.</p>