The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (124 page)

12:15 Fear not, daughter of Zion:
A reference to Zech 1 9:9. • Zechariah depicts the royal procession of the Messiah into Jerusalem in a manner that recalls King Solomon's coronation ceremony in 1 Kings 1:38-40. Though a victorious king and leader, he will be mounted on a humble donkey instead of a powerful war horse; indeed, the Messiah will banish the instruments of warfare and proclaim "peace" to Israel and all nations (Zech 9:10). This text provides one of the clearest indications that the Messiah would not be a military general, poised to fight against Israel's political oppressors, but a peaceful king who calls for an end to retaliation and bloodshed. 
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12:16 they remembered:
The Holy Spirit inspired the memory of the apostles not only to recall the prophecies and events of the past, but to understand them in terms of the Father's saving plan (2:22; 14:26). 
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12:19 the world has gone after him:
A sweeping assessment of Jesus' popularity. Since John 7, the evangelist has noted a steady stream of Jews believing in him despite opposition from the Jerusalem authorities (7:31; 8:30; 9:38; 10:42; 11:45). 
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12:20 some Greeks:
Either Gentile converts to Judaism or "God fearers" who were attracted to Judaism but were not circumcised (Acts 13:26; 17:4). Their request for an audience with Jesus anticipates his prophecy that "all men" will be drawn to him (Jn 12:32). 
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12:23 The hour has come:
A decisive turning point in the Gospel narrative, when the awaited "hour" of Jesus has finally arrived (2:4; 4:23; 5:25; 7:30; etc.). The inquiry of the Greeks sets this in motion, indicating that the forthcoming suffering of Jesus will secure blessings not only for Israel but for the whole world (1:29; 4:42; 1 Jn 2:2). 
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12:24 unless a grain of wheat:
As a planted seed must decay before it sprouts new life, so Jesus must endure death to bring us eternal life. This principle also holds true for disciples, who must die to themselves to receive the fullness of life from God and be channels of life to others (12:25; 2 Cor 4:11-12). 
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12:28 a voice:
Three times the Father speaks to Jesus from heaven: here, at his Baptism (Mt 3:17), and at his Transfiguration (Mt 17:5). These announcements were made audible for the sake of his followers (12:30). 
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12:31 ruler of this world:
Satan, whose dominion over the world began with Adam's rebellion in the garden (Gen 3:119).
cast out:
Christ will
defeat
the devil when he mounts the Cross (Heb 2:14-15) and will
destroy
him when he comes again in glory (Rev 20:10) (CCC 550, 2853). 
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12:32 when I am lifted up:
Refers primarily to the Crucifixion of Christ, as indicated in the next verse, but also hints at his Resurrection and Ascension (CCC 662).
See note on Jn 3:14
. • The expression recalls the opening line of Isaiah's fourth Servant Song, which runs from Is 52:13 to 53:12. The whole song is a prophetic depiction of the suffering of the Messiah, who will be exalted and lifted up in the sight of the nations, but only after he is cast down by his own people. Isaiah interprets the humiliation and death of this Servant as a redemptive sacrifice for sin.
draw all men to myself:
Points to the worldwide acceptance of the gospel (Mt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). • As Isaiah envisioned the Davidic Messiah as an "ensign" posted for the ingathering of the "nations" and the "outcasts of Israel" (Is 11:10-12), so Jesus sees the world gathering around the "sign" of the Cross (CCC 542). 
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12:34 the law:
A reference to the entire OT (10:34; 15:25). • Several passages indicate that the Messiah will reign forever as a priest and king (Ps 110:4; Ezek 37:25; Dan 7:14).
the Son of man:
The royal figure of Dan 7:13. See topical essay:
Jesus, the Son of Man
at Lk 17. 
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12:36 sons of light:
i.e., followers of Jesus, who is the light (1:9; 8:12; 12:46). Paul echoes this teaching in Eph 5:8 and 1 Thess 5:5. 
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12:38 Lord, who has believed:
A quotation from Is 53:1. • Isaiah bemoans the unbelief of Israel, to whom the Messiah comes as a Savior but by whom he is rejected. This is an explicit citation from the same Servant Song to which Jesus made an implicit reference in 12:32. 
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12:40 He has blinded:
A reference to Is 6:10. • Isaiah's mission to Israel in the eighth century
B.C.
parallels Jesus' mission to Israel in the first century
A.D.
Both confront a rebellious generation whose unbelief calls down the covenant judgment of Yahweh; and, in both cases, God responds to unbelief by blinding and hardening the rebels, making them unresponsive to the warnings of the Prophets.
See note on Mk 4:12
. 
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12:41 saw his glory:
Alludes to the context of Is 6:10 cited in the preceding verse. • Isaiah's prophetic mission began with a vision of Yahweh enthroned in glory, "high and lifted up" (Is 6:1). It is possible that John is connecting this with Isaiah's later vision of the messianic Servant, who is likewise "exalted and lifted up" (Is 52:13) (CCC 712-13). 
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12:44 him who sent me:
Because Jesus is the image of the Father (14:9) and speaks the words of the Father (8:28), our response to him is a measure of how we respond to the Father (1 Jn 2:23). 
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13:1-16:33
Begins the second half of the Gospel, called the "Book of Glory", with four chapters devoted to the final instructions that Jesus gives to the apostles on the night he is betrayed. 
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13:1 feast of the Passover:
The original meaning of this feast, celebrating the passing of the angel of death over the Israelites and their escape from Egypt (Ex 12:13), is being reshaped by the works and words of Christ, who will "pass over" to the Father through the upcoming events of his Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension. This saving work of Jesus will inaugurate a new Exodus, liberating the human family from sin, selfishness, and Satan (1:29; 8:34-36) (CCC 1340).
See note on Jn 6:4
.
to the end:
i.e., "completely" or "to the fullest extent" (CCC 609). 
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13:2 during supper:
The Synoptic Gospels specify that it was a Passover meal (Mt 26:19; Mk 14:16; Lk 22:15). 
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13:4 his garments:
Symbolic of Christ's human life. John's carefully worded narrative makes this clear: the same Greek verbs that Jesus uses for laying down his life and taking it up again in 10:17-18 are here employed to describe how Christ "laid aside" his garments (13:4) in service and has "taken" them up again (13:12). 
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13:5 wash the disciples' feet:
A gesture of hospitality normally performed by a household slave, not the presiding host. Jesus thus shows himself a model of humility (1 Tim 5:10) and, at the same time, gives a preview of the heroic service he will render when he accepts the humiliation of the Cross (Mk 10:45; Phil 2:5-8). • The foot washing may be a sign of priestly ordination as in the OT (Ex 40:12, 30-32). Against this background, Jesus washing Peter and the disciples parallels the scene of Moses washing Aaron and his sons on the day of their consecration to the priesthood (Lev 8:6). Likewise, the apostles' receiving a "part" (Gk.,
meros
) in Jesus (Jn 13:8) recalls how the Levites had their "portion" (Gk.,
meris
) in the Lord God alone (Num 18:20 and Deut 10:9 in the LXX). On the institution of Holy Orders in the upper room,
See note on Lk 22:19
. 
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