Christ's Doctrine of Faith: A Study of "Believing" in John's Gospel (John 12:44)

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In John 12:44, we find the seventy-fourth time that "believe" or one of its cognates occurs in John's Gospel. In this text, we read: "Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me" (KJV). So, what is the immediate context, and what are facts about faith we can learn from here?

First, the immediate context. Right after we are told about many among the chief rulers believing in Jesus but, because of the Pharisees, not confessing Him so they would not get kicked out of the synagogue, because they loved man's praise more than God's praise, we see the Lord crying out that the one who believes in Him does not believe in Him, but the One who sent Him. This is the immediate context of John 12:44!

Second, the facts about faith. Like I have been doing in some recent posts, I will focus on one fact that I can glean from this. That fact is this: belief in Jesus means belief in God the Father, who sent His Son into the world. This fact is one of many truths in Scripture that establishes the equality of the Father and the Son, in that, if one trusts one Person in the Trinity, he necessarily trusts the other two Persons (though the Holy Spirit is not mentioned here, it's reasonable to include Him, given that He is just as much God as the Father and the Son-Matthew 28:19; cf. Acts 5:1-9). It is similar to how Christ says, in John 5:23-24, that, if one would honor the Father, he must equally honor the Son. So, again, if one trusts in Jesus, he, ultimately, is trusting in God the Father, who sent His Son into the world. This is a fact about faith from John 12:44!