QT 18/01/2026 Sun. John 12. When Disbelief Hardens the Heart 当不信使人心刚硬
QT 18/01/2026 Sun. John 12. When Disbelief Hardens the Heart
READ http://www.esv.org/john12
Disbelief Is Scarier Than We Thought — Be Warned.
Scripture Focus:
“So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.” (John 12:10–11, ESV)
“So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.’” (John 12:19, ESV)
Reflection
John 12 reveals a disturbing and sobering truth: disbelief is not merely a lack of evidence—it is often a hardened refusal to submit to truth. By this point in John’s Gospel, Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. The evidence of divine power could not be clearer. A man once dead is now alive, walking, speaking, eating. Yet instead of repentance, the religious leaders respond with murder.
Verse 10 is chilling. The chief priests do not deny the miracle. They do not question whether Lazarus was truly raised. Instead, they plan to kill him. Why? Because his living testimony leads people to believe in Jesus. When unbelief takes root, it can become so hardened that it seeks to silence truth rather than surrender to it.
Disbelief is dangerous because it blinds the heart. The Pharisees see the crowds following Jesus and admit the reality: “the world has gone after him” (v.19). Yet even this confession does not lead them to worship. It leads them to despair, jealousy, and deeper resistance. They would rather cling to their power than bow to God’s Son.
This passage warns us that proximity to spiritual things does not guarantee faith. These were religious leaders—experts in Scripture, guardians of the temple. Yet their hearts were far from God. Disbelief can coexist with religious activity, and that is what makes it so frightening.
John 12 as a whole emphasizes responsibility. Light has come into the world (John 12:35–36), but those who love darkness will not walk in it. Persistent rejection of truth hardens the heart, making repentance more difficult over time. What begins as doubt can end in deliberate opposition to God.
A Warning for Us Today:
Disbelief is not neutral. It shapes us. It either moves us toward humility and repentance, or toward pride and resistance.
(1) Are there truths of Scripture we acknowledge intellectually but resist practically?
(2) Do we celebrate God’s work when it costs us nothing, but resent it when it challenges our control?
(3) Are we more concerned with protecting our reputation than submitting to Christ’s lordship?
Lazarus didn’t preach sermons. He simply lived as evidence of Jesus’ power. And that was enough to provoke hatred. A transformed life still confronts unbelief today.
Hope in the Warning: This warning is not meant to drive us to fear, but to repentance. The same chapter that exposes hardened unbelief also shows a Saviour riding humbly into Jerusalem, willingly moving toward the cross. Jesus knows rejection is coming—and He goes anyway.
Where disbelief hardens, grace still calls.
Prayer: Dear Lord, search my heart. Protect me from a hardened spirit that resists Your truth. I do not want to explain away Your work or oppose Your will. Give me a humble, believing heart that responds with obedience and worship. Keep me in the light, and guard me from the danger of unbelief. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
QT 18/01/2026 星期日. 约翰福音12. 当不信使人心刚硬
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/jhn/12/
不信比我们想象的更可怕——当心了。
经文聚焦：
“ 10于是祭司长想把拉撒路也杀掉，11 因为有许多犹太人为了拉撒路的缘故，离开他们，信了耶稣。（约翰福音12:10-11，ESV）
“于是法利赛人彼此说：“你们看，你们都是徒劳无功，世人都去跟随他了！”。（约翰福音12:19）
反思
约翰福音第12章揭示了一个令人不安且发人深省的真相：不信并非仅仅缺乏证据——它往往是顽固拒绝顺服真理的表现。至此，耶稣已在福音书中使拉撒路从死里复活。神迹的证据再清晰不过：一个曾死去的人如今活着，行走、说话、进食。然而宗教领袖们非但没有悔改，反而以谋杀相回应。
第10节令人不寒而栗。祭司长们并未否认神迹，也未质疑拉撒路是否真正复活，却策划杀害耶稣。为何？因活着的见证正引领众人信靠耶稣。不信一旦扎根，便会顽固到宁可扼杀真理也不愿屈服的境地。
不信是危险的，因为它蒙蔽人心。法利赛人看见众人跟随耶稣，承认了现实：“世人都跟从他了”（第19节）。然而，即便是这样的承认，也未能引导他们敬拜。它反而使他们陷入绝望、嫉妒和更深的抵触。他们宁可紧抓自己的权柄，也不愿向神的儿子屈膝。
这段经文警示我们：接近属灵事物并不等于拥有信心。这些宗教领袖精通圣经，是圣殿的守护者，心却远离上帝。不信与宗教活动可以并存，这正是其可怕之处。
《约翰福音》第十二章整体强调责任。光已来到世上（约翰福音12:35-36），但喜爱黑暗的人不会行在光中。持续拒绝真理会使人心刚硬，随时间推移更难悔改。起初的怀疑可能演变为蓄意抵挡神。
对当代的警示：
不信并非中立。它塑造我们的生命——或引领我们走向谦卑悔改，或推向骄傲抗拒。
(1) 是否存在我们理性认同却实际抵触的圣经真理？
(2) 我们是否在神的工作不需付出代价时欢庆，却在它挑战掌控权时心生怨恨？
(3) 我们是否更在意维护声誉，而非顺服基督的主权？
拉撒路并未传讲道，他只是活出耶稣大能的明证。仅此便足以招致仇恨。今日，被改变的生命仍要面对不信的挑战。
警世中的盼望：这警告并非要驱使我们恐惧，而是引领我们悔改。同一段经文既揭露了顽固的不信，也展现了救主谦卑骑驴进入耶路撒冷，甘愿走向十字架的景象。耶稣明知将遭弃绝——却依然前行。
不信愈发刚硬之处，恩典仍在呼唤。
祷告：主啊，求祢察验我的心， 求祢保守我不落入刚硬、抗拒真理的灵。我不想用人的理由去解释祢的作为，也不愿抗拒祢的旨意。求赐我谦卑信靠的心，以顺服和敬拜回应祢。 求祢使我行在光明中，保守我远离不信的危险。奉耶稣的名求。阿们。
