170409 When the Hour Came

 John 12:20-23 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. ²¹ So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Each of the gospel accounts approach the story of Jesus from a different angle. The Gospel of John was written “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31) I believe that John had the other Gospels in front of him when he wrote. At the very least I’m sure he had read the other Gospels and knew there needed to be an added emphasis. As we move towards Easter let’s think about John’s view on the way to the cross.

Half of John’s Gospel records the last few days of Jesus’ life. I can imagine that in his old age John struggled with his memories of those days. It must’ve been excruciatingly painful to have been one of those who went into hiding after Jesus’ crucifixion. His disciples spent most of their time watching Jesus who was doing things that they did not expect of the Messiah. They believed that he was the Christ the Son of the living God and rightfully the ruler of the universe. At the same time they heard him say things like, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). They had seen him still the storm, open the eyes of the blind, and even raise the dead. But now the Pharisees and Sadducees were arranging for Jesus to be arrested, tried and crucified. They even intended to take the life of Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead a few days before. These executions would have been done because many of their people were leaving them and turning to Jesus in faith. If they did not stop Jesus, and send Lazarus back to the grave, then they would lose their control and the Romans would come down on the nation. While they were making these plans…

He had entered the city. Let’s go back a few verses to John 12:12-13. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³ So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

For hundreds of years the Jewish nation had awaited the Messiah! They were sure he would come mounted on a great white horse to break the Roman rule. But instead of a white horse Jesus humbled himself and called for a young donkey. Remember, he is the creator of everything — the ruler of the universe! Can you imagine what must’ve gone through the minds of the disciples, “What’s he up to now?” But they had learned that they should obey him. He had done many unpredictable things up until that day but they had always turned out alright. Now he was calling on them to enter the city with him while he would be mounted on a donkey. Not only was he mounted on a donkey he did not come into the city through the traditional main road. He came into the city through the valley of the cheesemakers! I am sure you can imagine the smell of the street! Nothing could have been a greater contrast to what was expected than what actually happened.

As John was recording his remembrance of the events he recalled that they did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered. The Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah came into focus when they stood before the empty tomb and later met with him in the upper room. He still had much to teach them and he spent the next 40 days opening their minds to the mission he had for them.

While the Pharisees were plotting his death some Greeks approached Philip asking to see Jesus. Something the Jews had forgotten was…

The world has always needed our Lord. Let’s look back at John 12:20-21. Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. ²¹ So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

I believe they approached Philip because he had a Greek name. Otherwise we know very little about him. Philip was invited to discipleship by Jesus personally in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Most of the other disciples had come to Jesus through a human invitation. When Jesus began to gather his disciples John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to Andrew and John who came to him. Then Andrew brought his brother Simon, who was later called Peter. But John tells us that Jesus found Philip.

Later, on the hillside near the lake of Galilee, surrounded by thousands of people Jesus asked Philip “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” Philip was completely dumbfounded by that request. While he was mulling it over Andrew came forward with a lad’s lunch. Five loaves of the cheapest kind of bread with two fish. They not only fed the thousands from that boy’s lunch they also had 12 baskets of leftovers.

When the Greeks came seeking Jesus, Philip remembered Andrew as being the “go to guy” in the group. The two of them went to Jesus and presented the question of the Greeks. Jesus recognized, from this request, that the time was about to come for him to leave this world. He knew that he would not be simply lifted up on the clouds of heaven instead, he would be lifted up on a cross and hung between heaven and earth until he paid the full wage of sin — death!

He had no sin of his own that he should die for. Instead he took our sin into his body and nailed it to the cross, buried it in the grave, and left it there. The Old Testament had promised that God would take away the sins of his people and would put them in the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

Jesus had known for a long time how he would leave this world. Jesus certainly knew the prophecy in Psalm 22. Written, very probably, 1000 years before Jesus birth. The psalmist said, “they have pierced my hands and feet” this, and other statements found in Psalm 22, clearly point to death on a Roman cross. Hundreds of years before the cross became a common means of execution. No wonder Isaiah could say, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3). We see that knowledge unfolding in the Garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus suffered in anguish to the point of sweating blood! His prayer was, “if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39b) Since there was no other way, he would be led from the garden to be beaten, tried and condemned to death. Our death! It was necessary because he was…

Dying to bring life. Let’s go back to John 12:24. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Once again Jesus left them confused. He told them the time had come for him to be glorified. With those words the disciples must have shook their head and said “what’s he up to now?” Then he talks about a grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies in order to bear much fruit. I wonder how confusing that was for the disciples? Hindsight tells us that he was clearly talking about his own death. But we know from John’s own testimony that they did not understand most of what he said until after his crucifixion and resurrection.

Jesus continued to speak knowing that…

The hour was unfolding. Let’s read on in John 12:27-28. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

The humanity of Jesus came to the forefront in these words, “now is my soul troubled”. He knew that he could not turn away from what was about to happen to him. At the same time he felt anguish. Now we are quick to look at the physical suffering he is about to endure. I am not so sure that the physical pain, as horrible as it was, was the most troubling thing in Jesus’ thoughts. He who knew no sin was about to become sin for us. While we were yet sinners he died for us. And we need to remember that he didn’t die for the good he died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). This death was necessary because…

The enemy was being defeated. Let’s read on and John 12:31. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

Satan had led the charge against Jesus! He had entered into Judas to get Jesus betrayed. He had stirred up the Pharisees provoking them to seek Jesus’ death. He had, no doubt, inspired the Romans to beat Jesus almost to death, press the crown of thorns on his head and nail him to a cross. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 2:8 that Satan and all his minions did not understand what was about to happen on the cross. If they had understood, the Bible tells us, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” The crucifixion was necessary but it was not the pain of death that Jesus agonized over it was the pain of becoming sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus understood that he had to die to fulfill the prophecies…

So that the world could come to Jesus. Let’s read on in John 12:32. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Again we see that the disciples, along with the crowd, did not understand what this was all about. When God the Father spoke those encouraging words, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again” some thought that it had thundered and others said an angel has spoken to him. They still tried to sort out things they had been taught about the Messiah and the things that Jesus was saying. “Lifted up” did not register with them immediately as “be crucified” would have. About three years before the exchange in John 12, Jesus had told Nicodemus that the Son of Man had to be “lifted up” in the same manner that Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (John 1:14).

All those Jews standing around Jesus would have known the story of the serpent in the wilderness. Let me recount it for you. The people of Israel, in the wilderness, as always, were complaining and rebelling. They did not trust God to take care of them in fact they despised the mana that he provided for their nourishment. In order to get their attention the Lord sent snakes into their midst. As the people were dying from snakebites they came to Moses and confessed their sin. God told Moses to make a model of a serpent mount it on a pole and raise it for all to see. Then when a person was bitten by a snake all they had to do was look at the bronze serpent and live.

I can imagine a rebellious sinner who had been snake bitten being told to just look at the bronze snake and he would be healed. I can imagine him saying, “Looking at a snake will not heal me.” Just as many today will say that trusting in Jesus will not save them. They have to do something to accomplish salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible tells us that we must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord! We must believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead! Those two conditions being met, the Bible tells us that we will be saved. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:9-13).

The need of the world to know Jesus has not lessened over the centuries. If anything, the need is greater today than ever before. Statistically we are told the world today contains a little more than half of all the humans ever born. More than 7 billion people are on the earth today and many of them – many millions of them – have never heard the gospel and are in great need of salvation. Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you know for sure that you have eternal life? Believe on him without delay! Share the good news with your friends and family.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society