Jesus made those self-revelations which it was essential the world should see. These culminate in the raising of Lazarus related in chap. xi. The twelfth chapter therefore holds a place by itself, and in it three incidents are related which are intended to show that the previously related manifestations of Jesus had sufficed to make Him known (1) to His intimates (xii. 1-11), (2) to the people generally (12-19), and (3) even to the Gentile world (20-36). Jesus may there- fore now close His self-revelation. And the completeness of the work He has done is revealed not only in this widely extended impression and well-grounded faith, but also in the maturity of unbelief which now hardens into hatred and resolves to compass His death. Between the first and second part of the Gospel there is interposed a paragraph (xii. 37-50), in which it is pointed out that the rejection of Jesus by the Jews, who had been trained to receive the Messiah, had been predicted and reflects no suspicion on the sufficiency of the preceding manifestations. In the second part of the Gospel the glory of Christ is manifested (1) in His revealing Himself as the permanent source of life and joy to His disciples (xiii.-xvii.), and (2) in His triumph over death (xviii.-xx.).
The Gospel, therefore, falls into these parts :—
THE PROLOGUE, i. 1-18.
I. Part First. 1. Manifestation of Christ’s glory as the Joy, Life, Light, Nourishment, Saviour of Men: or as the Son of God among men, i. I9-xi.
2. Summary of results, xii. 1-35. Pause in the Gospel for review of Christ’s teaching and its consequences, xii. 36-56. II. Part SEconp. 1. Jesus declares Himself to be the permanent source of life and joy to His disciples, xtii.-xvii, 2. His victory over death, xviii.-xx.
Tur EPILOGUE, xxi.