“Trust In Jesus While There Is Time”
John 12
20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration
21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.”
22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.
- At the time when Jewish religious opposition is reaching its peak, the time of Jesus’ sacrifice is in the next verse ‘at hand’, so the Jewish religious leaders have reached their goal, their most heated and hateful opposition of Jesus, THIS is the time when we see the most direct approach by Gentiles seeking out Jesus. Carson says that this approach for Jesus is “a kind of trigger, a signal that the climactic hour has dawned”
John 12
23 Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.
- Throughout the Gospels, Carson says “the Son of Man title is most commonly used by Jesus either in connection with his sufferings or in connection with his coming in glory. Here the two are fused, not only because Jesus death is the first stage on his way to receiving glory i.e. on his way to returning to the glory he had with the Father before the world began (John 17.5), but also because Jesus’ death was itself the supreme manifestation of Jesus’ glory. It is not just that the shame of the cross is inevitably followed by the glory of the exaltation, but that the glory is already fully displayed in the shame.”
John 12.24
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it.
Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.
- “This person denies himself, or, to use another of Jesus’ metaphors, takes up his cross daily (Mark 8:34 par.), i.e. he chooses not to pander to self-interest but at the deepest level of his being declines to make himself the focus of his interest and perception, thereby dying.”
John 3.18
“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.
19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.
20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.
21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
John 12.26
Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am.
And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
- Jesus says we must take up our cross and follow him. After the cross is death for Jesus then raised to eternal life. Following him means I’m not constantly putting him on the cross, crucifying him again and again to my shame, but obediently following him in His victory won for me.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— 6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.
- Jesus is always leading his flock in a procession of triumph.
2 Corinthians 2.14
But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession.
- Carson says: Self must be displaced by another; the endless, shameless focus on self must be displaced by focus on Jesus Christ, who is the supreme revelation of God. That change of focus ensures both death and glorification, for the Jesus who says where I am, my servant also will be is on his way to the cross and to his Father (cf. 14:3). As Jesus’ crucifixion is the path to his glorification, so the believer’s ‘death’ is the path to vindication: My Father will honour the one who serves me.
John 12.27
“Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!
28 Father, bring glory to your name.”
The collision of the humanity and deity of Jesus is here; the crucifixion is horrific and no human could hold the knowledge of it - let alone the all-knowledge of God wrapped in humanity and not sense the horror of it. But Jesus once again submits completely to pleasing the will of the Father. It is the ultimate fulfillment of human response, responsibility, submission - human flesh recognizing its rightful place in service to God.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism: “The chief end of man is to glorify God”. Jesus victoriously fulfills our duty. This life we live? It’s by faith in Jesus who loves us and gave himself for us, always pleasing the Father.
John 12.28
Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying,
“I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.”
29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.
30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine.
31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.
32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
33 He said this to indicate how he was going to die.
34 The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?”
- This interaction shows us that Isaiah 53 was a prophecy not just of the suffering servant Messiah Jesus, but a prophecy of the very thoughts of the people. As Jesus’ church is established, “Christians would affirm that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of Man; Jews would deny it. But interested, thoughtful Jews and proselytes who were considering the claims of Christianity would ask the question reflected here: What kind of Son of Man are you claiming Jesus is, when we know he died in ignominy and under the curse of God?” (Carson)
Isaiah 53.4-6
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
- “The historical Jesus declines to answer the question; those readers of the Fourth Gospel who have eyes to see now perceive that he has already done so. Certainly Jesus the Messiah and Son of Man ‘remains forever’, but this is in function of his glorification, which is achieved in and through the shame and pain of his death.” Carson
- It is this glorification that turns our concept of victory on its head; Jesus is suffering on our behalf, dying on our behalf, but He is also showing His victory OVER sin and death. Jesus proves that God is unconquerable; only the One NOT subject to death is not a slave to death, and death is the final victory of sin; Jesus has conquered sin and death and therefore, He is The King Over All.
John 12.35
Jesus replied,
“My light will shine for you just a little longer.
Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you.
Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.
36 Put your trust in the light while there is still time;
then you will become children of the light.”
After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.
