John 12:38
ESV
so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
NIV
This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
NASB
This happened so that the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke would be fulfilled: 'Lord, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE Lord BEEN REVEALED?'
CSB
This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, who said: Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
NLT
This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: 'Lord, who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?'
KJV
That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
NKJV
that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
What does John 12:38 mean?
Isaiah chapter 53 is often labelled as "The Suffering Servant," and is among the more important Old Testament references to the Messiah. The portion quoted here is from the beginning of that passage. There, Isaiah asks a rhetorical question: "who has believed what he heard from us?" The context of that question is the same as this recent conversation between Jesus and a crowd in Jerusalem (John 12:27–36). The expected answer to Isaiah's question is much the same as when a modern person uses the expression "who cares?" Immediately after asking this, Isaiah explains the way Messiah will suffer at the hands of those people to whom "the arm [the strength and power] of the Lord" was made obvious (Isaiah 53:2–3).This comment by John has both an immediate application, and a general one. In an immediate sense, this is a reference to how the nation of Israel will reject their own Promised One (Matthew 23:37; Romans 10:16–21). Broadly, it supports the point made by Jesus in the preceding verses: that people reject God despite evidence, not because they lack it.
John 12:27–43 represents the end of Jesus' public ministry in the gospel of John. After being approached by non-Jewish people who believed in God, Jesus seems agitated as He anticipates His impending death. A voice from heaven affirms His mission, but to most people it simply sounds like noise or thunder. What Jesus means as a reference to crucifixion is misinterpreted by many as a prediction that He'll be exalted: to be ''lifted up.'' The people struggle to understand His message, and Jesus will leave them after warning that their time is short. This confirms Old Testament prophecies and reiterates how far some people will go in order to defy evidence of God.
Jesus is treated to an honorary dinner at the home of Lazarus, whom He has recently raised from death. At this dinner, Lazarus' sister, Mary, anoints Jesus with expensive oil. Jesus then enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, stoking fears that His popularity will attract the anger of the Roman Empire. That anger even inspires a murder plot against Lazarus. After being approached by non-Jewish seekers, Jesus offers a final plea for people to understand His ministry. In effect, these are the last public words spoken by Jesus in the gospel of John.
