John 12:42

42 Neverthelesse amoge ye chefe rulers many beleved on him. But because of the pharises they wolde not be a knowen of it lest they shuld be excommunicate.

John 12:42 Meaning and Commentary

John 12:42

Nevertheless among the chief rulers also
These were the members of the Jewish sanhedrim, as Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and others:

many believed on him;
that he was the Messiah, though they did not believe in him in a spiritual and saving manner, as their Redeemer and Saviour, only in their minds, being convicted by his miracles, gave an assent unto him, as the promised Messiah. The two persons just mentioned may be thought truly to have believed in Christ; but the many here spoken of seem to have had only an historical faith in him, as appears by what follows:

but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him;
as they ought to have done, and as they would have done, if their faith had been right; for where with the heart men believe in Christ to righteousness, there, with the mouth, confession is made to salvation; and between a non-confession of Christ, and a denying him, is no medium; and Christ interprets the one to be the same with the other; see ( Romans 10:9 Romans 10:10 ) ( Matthew 10:32 Matthew 10:33 ) ; and this they did not do, because of the Pharisees, who were the inveterate and implacable enemies of Christ, and were the prevailing party in the sanhedrim: wherefore these chief rulers, though many, were afraid of them,

lest they should be put out of the synagogue;
for they had made a decree in the sanhedrim, that whoever confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, should be cast out; and they had put it into execution upon the man born blind, whose eyes Christ opened, for speaking in favour of his benefactor; and this had struck terror in the minds, not only of the common people; but of the chief rulers themselves; for it was looked upon as a very dreadful thing to be put out of the synagogue; (See Gill on John 9:22).

John 12:42 In-Context

40 he hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hertes that they shuld not se with their eyes and vnderstonde with their hertes and shuld be converted and I shuld heale the.

41 Soche thinges sayde Esaias when he sawe his glory and spake of him.

42 Neverthelesse amoge ye chefe rulers many beleved on him. But because of the pharises they wolde not be a knowen of it lest they shuld be excommunicate.

43 For they loved the prayse yt is geven of men more then the prayse that cometh of God.

44 And Iesus cryed and sayde: he that beleveth on me beleveth not on me but on him yt sent me.