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John continues his account of the fulfillment of prophecy of
the work of the Messiah in chapter 12 of his gospel and beginning in verse 20
he notes that due to the Passover, there were Greek believers in attendance who
also wished to see Jesus. They approached
Phillip who took their request to his brother Andrew, who took it to
Christ. This was all happening at what
the people believed was the zenith of His ministry. The people were sure this triumphal ride into
Jerusalem was to be the day of His coronation.
They were still bent on Him becoming King whether He wanted it or
not. The Greeks who were there, were
intent on witnessing this event up close.
But what the people wanted from their Messiah, was not the mission of
the Messiah. Jesus reading the intents
of His listeners must try once again to correct their misinterpretations of
scripture for His mission.
Jesus responds in verse 23 … “And Jesus answered them,
saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.” It is important to note that how God measures
glorification is NOT how we measure it.
God does not seek adoration, or praise of His name, as the means by
which He is glorified. His ideas of
glorification come from acts of love He performs for someone else. For the name of God to be glorified from the
perspective of Christ, it must indicate an even greater act of love, than
anyone has given witness to so far. Only
then can the name of God be truly glorified, not from vanity, but from love in
action for others; for our God lives by His own ideas of service and love to
others first and always. Jesus then
continues in verse 24 to describe what act of love and sacrifice will now
accomplish the goal of glorifying the name of God … “Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but
if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
The Messiah must die to bear the punishment of us all. The death we have earned He will take on in
our stead. The hopes of the people to
witness a coronation that day were not to be met. Crowning Christ King would not glorify the
name of God, but offering the world the crowing act of love and sacrifice
would.
Then Jesus continues by offering what the results of His
crowning act of love and sacrifice might bear in verse 25 He continues … “He
that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world
shall keep it unto life eternal.” When
we seek the redemption and transformation that Christ offers us, we begin to
see sin and the pain it causes with clearer vision. We begin to see how our actions and our
apathy have hurt others and hurt ourselves.
This revelation of our lives and of ourselves can cause us to hate what
we have become; hate what we have done with our short lives on this planet. We know that sin causes pain, yet we
perpetually choose to embrace it; out of control, spiraling towards even more
pain. It is this life we come to hate
through the revelation of its reality, by the transformative power of
Christ. It leads us to want something
more, something else, something better.
It leads us to want the life Christ has prepared for us in perfection,
to want that perfection to begin here and see its fulfillment in heaven. If we love sin, we do not seek an escape from
it, and it kills us. But if we hate the
sin within us, we find a re-creation through Jesus Christ is possible in the
here and now, and redemption and reformation are only a request away.
Jesus continues in verse 26 … “If any man serve me, let him
follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me,
him will my Father honour.” To live as
Christ lived, to serve as He served, and love as He loves, is to “follow”
Christ. To be “with” Christ, is to join
Him in His ministry to others, for the benefit of others, both physically and
spiritually, to meet every need we can meet.
This service of love is how Honor is measured in heaven. When we serve despite our lack of ability, or
skills, or means, the Father God honors our efforts and results are His gifts
to us all. We are reformed in the
serving; others are brought to Christ by the love we reflect. This is how we “follow” Christ, and how we
“serve” Him – in the form of the least of these we encounter. We do not serve to find praise for it. We do not serve with the intent of receiving
some reward in the future from those we do good actions upon. Our reward is the service itself. Our honor is to reflect the love of God to
others and to be joined with Him in mission and in spirit. To be in union with heaven is already more
reward than we are capable of comprehending.
Though He was divine, He was also human. The humanity in us fears death, and dreads
its arrival. It is no easy thing to
suffer and die, made worse for Him in that this would happen to Him by the very
cherished children He had come to save.
Christ had full knowledge of what was coming. While the people still hoped for a
coronation, what was actually soon to occur was His torture and death. Even before His final struggle with the
burden of bearing our sacrifice that would occur in the Garden of Gethsemane,
here Christ publicly proclaims His human apprehension for what must occur. He states in verse 28 … “Now is my soul
troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this
cause came I unto this hour.” Christ
sees His eminent torture and death and it troubles Him deep in His core. It is not only the human part of Him that
dreads death. It is the divine part of
Him that cannot see past the grave. What
if, having born our sin He is forever stained with it? What if, having been stained with our great
evil, He is no longer allowed in the presence of His Father – for sin cannot
endure the purity of the love of His Father.
What His divine side is risking, is potential eternal separation from
His Father – which is the definition of Hell itself. There is only one way for our salvation to
occur, but it is a risk for Him, not a sure thing. His act of love might cost Him everything,
not just His human existence, but His proximity to His Father for all
time. Yet this was the only way, that we
could be redeemed from the clutches of evil that we had embraced. And so it must go forward.
But despite the risk, despite His apprehension, He must
continue, for His love for us is just that great. He declares in verse 28 … “Father, glorify
thy name.” The mission of the Messiah
must continue, the sacrifice of love that would confound the angels and
sentient life across the Universe for the depth of the love of God must be made. Those standing around Christ could still not
understand why He was so troubled. They
were about to make Him King, yet He seemed so pre-occupied and resolute. Jesus needed for those in His hearing to know
once again that His act of love, was not one of simple humanity, but that it
was ordained and shared with His Father God.
The risk of losing a Father, was not less felt, than the risk of losing
His Son. Then verse 28 continues … “Then
came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will
glorify it again.” The literal voice of
God the Father in response to the request of His Son: all the miracles and acts
of love and service done throughout the ministry of Christ were the
glorification of the name of God. In
every miracle, Christ attributes His acts of love to the will of His Father in
heaven. He takes no personal credit, but
offers all to God His Father. In this,
the name of our God has been glorified.
Then the further promise … “and will glorify it again”. The sacrifice Christ is about to make, will
be the ultimate glorification of the name of God. It will forever stand as a reminder of how
deeply God loves. And it will forever
seal in the minds of all the sentient Universe that God is love, and Satan and
the serving of self is evil. This final
knowledge of good and of evil will seal the fate of evil forevermore throughout
the universe, only possible from the act of love and sacrifice Christ is about
to make.
The response of the people to hearing the literal voice of
God the Father was mixed. Some said it
sounded like thunder (likely those who were so steeped in their embrace of
evil, they were simply unable to perceive the words clearly). Some said an angel spoke to Him (these could
discern the words, but not their meaning, or perhaps were just not ready to
believe that they had just heard the literal voice of God the Father). Jesus was used to having private
conversations with His Father in prayer.
But on this occasion with His eminent death so close, He wanted them to
share in the dialog with His Father. He
states in verse 30 … “Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of
me, but for your sakes.” Jesus knew the
people and His disciples would want evidence of His authenticity. This was particularly true, because He was
about to greatly disappoint them, in not becoming their earthly King, instead
choosing to make the sacrifice of offering His life for ours. That was a radical departure from their
understanding of scripture, and He hoped that hearing the voice of God the
Father, might help them realize their error in interpreting scripture once all
had come to pass.
Christ continues in verse 31 … “Now is the judgment of this
world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” The reign of evil, the control of evil over
the hearts of men, was about to be broken.
What Christ would do would establish His Kingdom in our hearts, His
dominion over our minds, hearts, and souls.
No more could the devil make a claim that we belonged to him. Christ was indeed to reassert His kingship,
but not over politics, instead over the human heart. The “judgment “ that was to occur would
happen in the minds of the unfallen angelic beings who chose to serve God in
faith, never sure if the claims of the devil had merit at all or not. The sentient life throughout the universe who
had denied the devil a foothold in their worlds would now know their choice of
loyalty to God was a good one. The absolute
defeat of evil was eminent. No more
doubt. Every claim of the devil that God
was a cruel dictator, would be discovered fully as a lie. The truth would be revealed, and with it the
contrast of what love will do, versus what evil would desire. The devil lost his universal audience and his
foothold over us, all in the same event to come.
Jesus continues in verse 32 … “And I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all men unto me. [verse 33] This he said, signifying what
death he should die.” Jesus knows what
is coming, and how He is to die. What is
more, in His words are the ultimate promise of the Gospel. He will draw “all men” unto Himself. Not just those of Jewish ancestry, or even of
Jewish faith, but all men. The salvation
of every person who has ever lived will be made possible by what Christ is
about to do. The hold of Satan over us
is to be broken by the power of His Love to re-create us anew. In His death is to be our redemption. But the people who up to now, were not quite
sure what He was talking about, clearly understood the reference to His coming
crucifixion. Their understanding of
scripture precluded this idea. They
believed the Kingdom of the Messiah was to last forever, and the supremacy of
Israel was never to be undone. Thus if
He were to be executed by Rome on a cross, it would discount His ability to be
the Messiah at all (from their understanding of the scriptures). So they respond to Him in verse 34 … “The
people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever:
and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?”. Perhaps Jesus was referring to someone
else. Perhaps he had mis-spoken. Any other idea than His own death would be
preferable to the crowd of witnesses before Him. If He died, what hope was there for Israel to
defeat the Romans? After all, how could
the Son of God die anyway? Who could
kill Him? Their own logic precluded this
idea, their understanding of scripture precluded this idea, they simply could
not accept it.
Again the minds of His listeners were clouded by the
darkness of misinterpretation of scripture, and the greed it fostered in their
hearts. So our tender Savior tries once
again to clear away the darkness and states in verse 35 … “Then Jesus said unto
them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light,
lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not
whither he goeth. [verse 36] While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye
may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did
hide himself from them.” Jesus was and
always will remain the light of the world.
He is the light by which scripture was to be interpreted, not the other
way around. It remains so today. When we examine Old Testament stories and
find ourselves tempted to think God was cruel, we need to remember those
stories are also referring to this same Jesus.
If His life was one of such love and service it had to have been the
same in the first testament to His character.
Perhaps upon closer inspection we can find the love He intended, and the
demands of men to have their own way interfering with it. Yet the light remained in front of them. Were they to accept it, they would have
understood His mission was greater than a mere earthly crown of temporary
power. But they would not. They remained intent to crown Him. The time was right. The people were gathered. It was going to happen whether He liked it or
not. And so “He hid Himself from them”. Once again in the middle of a huge adoring
crowd of followers and lookers-on, He simply disappears from plain sight.
John continues his epilogue in verse 37 to 41 by stating
that despite His plain words, despite hearing the voice of God the Father
Himself, there were those who simply would not believe. Isaiah had prophesied it. The crowd had fulfilled it. Perhaps it was prudent that the devil was
able to harden their hearts not to believe.
Had they accepted His true mission and understood it, they may have refused
to see Him sacrifice Himself. As much as
I want to be saved, I am certain His sacrifice is more than I will ever
deserve, better He should live and I should die, than the other way
around. The crowd of believers might
have also followed that course if they truly understood it. But as Isaiah had prophesied this was not the
case. The people chose to trust their
own ideas about the interpretations of scripture over the words and evidence
and miracles of Christ.
The mission of Christ to reach the rulers of the people as
well however, did not go entirely without success. There were those of the educated class, the
ruling class, the noble class who had more access to scriptures and were
familiar with the prophesies as well – John tells us there were some of these
who did come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. But though they came to believe, they also
remained conscious of their place in society.
The edict of the Pharisees that any who should publicly declare in favor
of Christ would result in being put out of the Temple posed a problem for these
new believers. Social class and standing
was a big part of “who” they were. So
John tells us in verse 42 and 43 that they loved the praise of men, more than
they valued their faith in the Messiah.
Is it any different with us today?
Are we vocal about our faith in Christ ONLY when things are going well
for us? When the world seems at our
feet, and our blessings are high, and our health is good – do we only then
declare our faith in Christ? But when
temptation has brought us low, and our wisdom has come to naught, and we face a
life threatening disease – are we then more quiet about our belief in a saving
Christ? Our certainty of a savior is
more subject to ridicule when we are broke, sick, and publicly humiliated. We value admiration of our peers and working
associates, and it is hard to give glory to a saving God when it appears we do
not carry His blessing. Yet it is then
that our faith is most of use. It is
then that a public display of faith may make the most impact. To declare for Christ when it is bound to
cause ridicule to us, is to allow for a change in our condition to put the
reminder in our audience “Who” controls our fate.
When one has experienced the transformative power of Christ
to free us from ourselves, the joy and peace that comes with this freedom from
a former sin, is overwhelming. It is
life altering. It is the kind of thing
you can hardly keep quiet about. When you
experience this for yourself, your other conditions of life seem hardly relevant. Whether burdened by wealth, or free in your
poverty – the internal freedom of Christ liberates the soul and transforms the
priorities. In the care of Christ, you
have enough for what you need, and perhaps more than you thought when you give
it away. Whether healthy with a vigor
for life, or ill and unable to climb the highest peaks anymore – The reformation
Christ conducts within you renews your soul and gives you hope for a life of
even more, unencumbered by the pain and death of sin. Though your victory may not be complete as
yet, though your struggle to surrender is not always full, and you fall again
into a sin that seems to bind and control your life – Jesus is still the method
of your freedom, your forgiveness, and your perfection. A declaration for Christ is a recognition of
where we are, and an investment in the hope of where He will bring us. Though our failures belong to us, our
victories are wrought by His grace and love.
There is nothing in the admiration of our peers that can compare with
this kind of life altering experience.
Jesus knew that a belief in His ability to transform our
life was critical to becoming in harmony with the love of His Father. To allow any other concern to inhibit this
belief was to make a trade far and away in our worst interests. So he declares to those still evaluating the “cost”
of a belief in Him as the Messiah in verse 44 … “Jesus cried and said, He that
believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. [verse 45] And
he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.”
This is not the creation of a fan-club for a popular man in
Jerusalem. It is rather the establishment
of a faith that leads to God the Father.
It is an acceptance that there are NOT many roads to God, but ONE way
only – through the transformation that Jesus Christ alone offers to our
sin-sick souls. Jesus says to His
listeners, this is not about my humanity, but about my connection to Him and
His Divinity. The Son of God offers us
the only bridge to the Father God, and a real up-close insight into what His
Father is like. This revelation of God
is one of love, of hope, and of service.
This was why it was so important to have faith in the “method” of our
Salvation in the form of Jesus Christ.
He continues in verse 46 … “I am come a light into the
world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. [verse 47] And
if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to
judge the world, but to save the world.”
Christ remains the light by which we are able to find the truth in scripture,
and the meaning of the written word. He
states that even those who refuse to believe are not condemned at this moment,
for His mission was not one of judgment, but one of salvation. How ironic that we believers who call
ourselves Christians are known so much more for our judgment and condemnation
of the world around us, than for our participation in the redemptive love
Christ showed to bring non-believers to His transformative power. Jesus stands alone, the only method of our
salvation. Non-believers will not find
redemption in accepting our word for how the gospel works. They will not find redemption in accepting
that their lives are ones steeped in the sins of self service, particularly
because we keep harping on those facts.
They will find redemption and reformation only in Christ, as they
experience it for themselves. Our whole
mission should be to love them to Christ.
Jesus tries again to simply state the facts of a how a real
transformation takes place, He continues in verse 48 … “He that rejecteth me,
and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. [verse 49] For I have not
spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what
I should say, and what I should speak. [verse 50] And I know that his
commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the
Father said unto me, so I speak.” The
mission of the Messiah is a united Godhead both Father and Son for our
redemption and restoration. If we reject
Christ and His offer, we remain “who” we are – creatures bound to the slavery
and addiction of sin and self-service.
Having heard the offer of Christ to save us, and rejected it – we are
left no other course but one of our own design.
There is but one road to perfection, but an infinite variety of pathways
to self-destruction. This is the best deceit
of the devil. He tells us there are many
pathways to God, so we are able to find the one that pleases us and pursue
it. But the pathway to God that we
accept because it “pleases us” remains rooted in self-service, and does not
transform our lives. Only Christ can do
that. Only Christ makes the offer to change
fully the core of “who” we are. Without
that kind of transformation, we will continue to want the wrong things. We will continue to pursue the wrong path. We are our own worst enemy. It is only the death of self, that can see us
re-created into the people He intended us to be. This is not possible without our
Creator. Christ alone is the ONLY
pathway to God.
The commandment of God, is only a commandment when we are
not in harmony with it. When it is
natural to us, it is no longer a commandment but a part of “who” we are. But even in His use of this term, Christ
identifies the “commandment” as being “life everlasting”. The goal of Jesus and of His Father is that we
should LIVE forever, not merely exist in the tortured state of the addiction to
self and self-service. His first and
foremost goal is to offer us a real “life” that can begin now and does not
end. This was the message to those in
His hearing that day, and throughout the ages of time. When we are transformed by His power, our
faith grows whether quietly or on public display. When His transformation takes hold of us, our
surrounding conditions matter little, and His work matters most of all. For His transformation changes “who” we are;
and puts us in harmony with Him and His Father.
Then the adoration of men, appears as it truly is, of no value at all. We can begin to measure Glory like God
measures it, in actions of love for others.
Gratitude and praise mean little, but the chance to serve, means
everything. It is this way for our God,
as the life of His Son demonstrates completely.
So it will be for us, as we allow Him to bring us into harmony with God His
Father …
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