The Glory of the Cross: The Beautiful Gift of Jesus

The Glory of the Cross: The Beautiful Gift of Jesus John 12:17-36

Context: One of the issues the early church faced was to understand and explain why God allowed Jesus to go to the cross. How could it be that the Jews failed to recognize their own messiah? If Jesus was God, and did the things the Bible said He did, why did they reject Him and turn Him over to the Romans? John is answering those questions by teaching us about God, showing us that His majesty and His sovereignty are so profound, so overwhelming, that God can even turn apparent defeat into victory, and He can over-rule the sinful intentions of men to accomplish His good purposes. Even the Cross, the rejection and murder of the sinless Son of God, is turned by Him into something glorious. [We are moving ahead a bit in John 12 to verse 17. Back on April 2nd, Palm Sunday, we looked at the story of the Triumphal Entry in John 12:12-19. You can still read the text of that message on the blog, go to the entry for April 2, 2012]. That part of the story points to Jesus, the Passover King, and is a call to worship Him. John 12:17-36 brings a somber note to the context as it reaffirms the aspect of the impending sacrificial death of Jesus. It also points to the paradoxical truth that the cross, and the death of Jesus, would be the moment of His glorification. It wasn’t a defeat, but the supreme demonstration of His love, and a vindication of his identity as the Son of God, the promised Messiah. The Big Idea: The Glory of God was revealed in the Cross of Christ. It is God’s glorious plan to save a remnant from every nation. By grace YOU have a part in that mission!

I. The Mission: The World and the Glory of God (12:17-26).

First, we see both the attraction and repulsion of the Life-giver in vv.17-19. After the meal and anointing of Jesus in the beginning of John twelve, came the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. At the beginning of the week that would lead up to the Passion, He was hailed as the Son of God, the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord. Following that event “The crowd that had been with Him when he called Lazarus from the tomb…” were in Jerusalem, still buzzing about the miracle—they couldn’t stop talking about what had happened, and the crowd grew, some true converts, many curious inquirers. They wanted to see what Jesus would do next! We also see here the Universal Appeal of the Gospel – The missionary plan of God (20-22). It’s a curious scene that isn’t really explained, simply stated that John 12:20,21 “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." We’ve seen a lot of hints in the Gospel of John that Jesus came to offer salvation to the world and to save for himself a people from every nation. Remember John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”(1:29). We read in the famous verse of John 3:16 that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” The Samaritans in John 4:42 called him the Savior of the world.” Twice so far, and again in this Chapter he’ll say, “I AM the Light of the world…” John is contrasting the mixed response of the Jews as “He came unto His own and His own received Him not…” with the openness of at least some gentiles to the Truth. This seems to be taken as a sign by Jesus that the hour was coming when the Son of Man would be lifted up and “draw all men unto himself.” The death of Jesus provided both the basis for our salvation and an example for a life of service (23-26). For 12 chapters Jesus has said that His hour was something still future, it wasn’t time yet. But now the “hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” V. 24 makes it clear that glory would come in an unexpected way: through His death. Vv.25-26 applies the truth that Jesus would be glorified through His passion, to those who would follow him. This is very parallel to the idea that Jesus expressed in Mark 8:34,35. After predicting his rejection, death and resurrection He said “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it.” There is no message of “easy believism” in the NT. We are to consider the cost of being a disciple. After all, the Glory of God was revealed in the Cross of Christ. It is God’s glorious plan to save a remnant from every nation. By grace YOU have a part in that mission.

II. The Message: The Cross and the Glory of God (12:27-36).

The willingness of Jesus to suffer brings glory to the Father (27-28a). We read, in John 12:27-28

27 "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour '? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 "Father, glorify Thy name."

I am convinced that Jesus is alluding to Psalm 6 at this moment. Psalm 6:3-4

3 And my soul is greatly dismayed; But Thou, O LORD-- how long? 4 Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Thy lovingkindness.”

The psalms predicted the suffering of the King, the Messiah and Son of God. David, as a human king was praying to God, expressing his distress and asking for deliverance. Jesus alludes to the Psalm, but he doesn’t pray the prayer that David prayed. He didn’t pray to be saved so that through His death we could be saved. The testimony of the Father affirms His glorious plan (28b-30). John 12:28-30

28 "Father, glorify Thy name." There came therefore a voice out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." 29 The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him." 30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.”

The testimony of the Father… As He had at the baptism of Jesus, as He did on the Mount of transfiguration, now again the Father speaks, this time in response to the words of Jesus. These events, the sending of Jesus into the world, certainly the signs that He did all brought glory to God – the greatest revelation of His glory was just days away when the Son of Man would be lifted up – the Cross and then the resurrection would leave no doubt. Jesus knows the plan, he is in control after all. He knows what is about to happen and what his death will accomplish. We see that in the confident prediction of the Son (31-33). John 12:31-33 says

“Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out. 32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.”

The enemy is about to be dealt a death blow, but it would come in a most unexpected way. The prediction had been made in the garden that the coming one would crush the serpent’s head and that would come through the “lifting up of the Son.” What a double meaning that phrase had! It spoke to the physical lifting up of Jesus on the cross (so He spoke, indicating what kind of death He would die) – it was there that he would bear our sins in His own body. It also speaks to his exaltation, as His death carries out the glorious and gracious plan of the Father, while at the same time fulfilling the scriptures and so proving that Jesus was who He claimed to be. It certainly is a reminder that God can work through the difficult situations that we experience to reveal his presence, and to work for our good, and His glory. You remember Paul’s experience with a “thorn in the flesh.” Whatever it was is not explicitly stated, but he prayed three times for God to remove it. Yet God said that through Paul's weakness He would be glorified. The confusion of the crowd is answered with the invitation of the Son (34-36). John 12:34-36

34 The multitude therefore answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"

By now we shouldn’t be surprised by the confusion on the part of the people. Repeatedly Jesus has spoken only the truth. He has told them what they needed to hear. But even the disciples, for the most part, didn’t understand until after the fact. “Who is this Son of Man?” What they are asking was, is this person the same as the Messiah that we are expecting? One is going to be “lifted up” and the other is supposed to “remain forever”? There is no way the same person can fulfill both destinies, or is there? I think it’s similar to the question John the Baptist had when he we was arrested: “Are you the One or do we wait for another?” John the Baptist certainly knew who Jesus was, but some Jews in the 1st century could reconcile the ideas of Messiah/King/Son with the picture of a Suffering Servant. How could both be true? One of the favorite metaphors we see in John is Light and Darkness—the primary application is spiritual. In the first chapter we read that John 1:4-5

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

A few chapters into the Gospel we read… John 3:19-21

19 "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

Then we saw that powerful “I AM” statement at the feast in John 8:12…

“Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Here we read, in 12:35ff, “Jesus therefore said to them,

"For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 "While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and He departed and hid Himself from them.”

The lifting up of the Son, the revelation of the glory of God, was at hand.

What is God saying to me in this passage?

The Glory of God was revealed in the Cross of Christ. It is God’s glorious plan to save a remnant from every nation. By grace YOU have a part in that mission!

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

Our response to Him is submission and worship. We see that in the context from Mary at Jesus’ feet in Bethany, to the people hailing Him as he entered the city. ALL HAIL KING JESUS! ALL HAIL EMMANUEL. His love for us should evoke a response of love and worship. But He has us here, in this world, not just for worship, but also for mission. God has chosen to use us to bring the message of grace to the world—as far as we know we are His only plan! Are you willing to allow Him to use you?