Jesus replied that the time had come for Him to return to His glory in heaven, and that "I must fall and die like a kernel of wheat that falls into the furrows of the earth. Unless I die I will be alone - a single seed. But My death will produce many new wheat kernels - a plentiful harvest of new lives. If you love your life down here - you will lose it. If you despise your life down here - you will exchange it for eternal glory . . . The time of judgment for the world has come - and the time when Satan, the prince of this world, shall be cast out. And when I am lifted up [on the cross], I will draw everyone to Me." He said this to indicate how He was going to die.
   "Die?" asked the crowd. "We understood that the Messiah would live forever and never die. Why are you saying He will die? What Messiah are you talking about?"
   Jesus replied, "My light will shine out for you just a little while longer. Walk in it while you can, and go where you want to go before the darkness falls, for then it will be too late for you to find your way. Make use of the Light while there is still time; then you will become light bearers." After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.
   But despite all the miracles He had done, most of the people would not believe He was the Messiah. This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: "Lord, who will believe us? Who will accept God's mighty miracles as proof?" But they couldn't believe, for as Isaiah also said: "God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they can neither see nor understand nor turn to Me to heal them." Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he made this prediction, for he had seen a vision of the Messiah's glory.
   However, even many of the Jewish leaders believed Him to be the Messiah but wouldn't admit it to anyone because of their fear that the Pharisees would excommunicate them from the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
   [Jesus told His disciples:] "In just a little while I will be gone, and you will see Me no more; but just a little while after that, and you will see Me again!"

Taken from John 12, 16, The Living Bible, For free Lifescope book,
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