John 12: 27-41, What Isaiah Saw

Jesus has recently raised Lazarus from the dead and is now entering Jerusalem for the Passover.  His death on the cross will end the week.

John 12: 27-33, Struggling with death and evil

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 
28 Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 
29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 
31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 
33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

Jesus forecasts his death and describes it as necessary to drive out the "prince of the world". The prince of this world is a demonic being opposed to God, often called Satan, Lucifer, the devil.  In the midst of angst and anxiety, Jesus admits that it is for this very event that he entered the world.

The prince of this world is driven out "now", that is, by this coming event.

John 12: 34-36, The Son of Man, Eternal yet Lifted Up

The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 
36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

The Messiah will have an eternal reign, says the Jewish scriptures.  So how can Jesus, if he is the Messiah, die and leave? John reports, as an answer, an exhortation on walking in the light. (Oh how does one really do that?)

John 12: 34-41, What Isaiah saw

Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 
38 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?”

39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

40 “He has blinded their eyes

    and hardened their hearts,

so they can neither see with their eyes,

    nor understand with their hearts,

    nor turn—and I would heal them.”

41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

The Messiah (Christ) was to reign forever.  So said the Old Testament prophets.  So why is he going to die?

The quote in verse 38 is from Isaiah 53:1, the beginning of a Messianic passage. The quote in verse 40 is from Isaiah 6:10, part of a vision of God in which the people of Israel continue to resist Him.

In Isaiah 53, the suffering Messiah is revealed; in Isaiah 6, the prophet is told that the people are calloused and will not respond. Both of these predictions are coming together on this Passover feast.