Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (John 12:36-43), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [36] Jesus revealed himself to people, then he hid himself from them. How does that sit with you? Have you or people you know experienced his cryptic revealing-concealing? What do you think about that? What do you do about that?

• [37] Seeing Jesus’ miracles with your very own eyes doesn’t automatically translate into believing in him. Why, when we see clear signs of God’s trustworthiness, is it not enough actually for us to trust him? If such signs are not enough, do we even need to see them? Do you need to be able to see him at work in the circumstances of your life for him to prove himself to you? If signs are not enough, what is the help we need to believe? What should be the basis for your faith in Jesus? Is it enough for you?

• [38-41] When God reveals himself (especially in Jesus and his suffering-servant ways) it can have the effect of blinding and hardening people in their unbelief—and this is deliberate on his part, for his own reasons. Can you accept that? Can you trust a God whose actions don’t always make sense to you, or seem justifiable to you? Why or why not?