John Part 26 (2)
Notes
Transcript
Ok, last week intended to finish chapter 12,
but we spent a lot of time on verses 27-30
If I start trying to recap those verses
We risk not finishing the chapter again tonight
So, for the sake of time
we will just begin where we left off
and if you need a recap
you can always listen to the recording
from last week.
So, verse 31-36:
Jesus is speaking here
and he says…
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
Now, there is so much going on here
That we probably won’t finish the chapter tonight either
But our goal shouldn’t be to finish as quickly as possible
but to understand as much as possible
and this passage is actually about understanding.
or the lack there of.
The people did not really understand what Jesus was saying
and that is why they ask the question “Who is this Son of Man”
in verse 34.
So, let me give you the conclusion first
and then we will break it down verse by verse.
That way you know where we are going
while we are on the way there.
Overview
Overview
So, in vs 31-36
Jesus is foretelling two things.
HIs death
His exaltation as King.
And you might not realize this without slowing down
and catching the word play
and the references that John is making.
Jesus using the words “lifted up”
and John says this was a reference to the type of death he would die
John only has to tell us that because the word used for “lifted up”
does not naturally mean anything negative
It is a play on words
The reference goes all the way back to Moses.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
With the brazen serpent
The ones how looked at it were saved
The ones who did not died.
Now, the phrase “lifted up”
Is typically used as a positive thing throughout the OT
It is used for exaltation
for being lifted up in praise
ascending to a throne
and so forth
And here’s what Jesus is doing here.
He is foretelling his death
which most people would assume is a negative thing
but he is using positive terms
A term that indicates exaltation.
And they asked him “Who is this Son of Man”.
Well earlier Jesus answered that question
back in chapter 8…
28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [he], and that I do nothing on my own [authority], but speak just as the Father taught me.
Now, recall that the word “he” is not there.
In the original language.
Also, the word “authority” is not there either.
So, Jesus is telling them who he really is.
When I’m lifted up
You’ll know that I AM
Which is the name of God the Father.
And his justification for that claim
Jesus says, is that I cannot do anything on my own
But when I talk
It is just the words the Father taught me to speak.
So, later in chapter 12 when Jesus is asked the question.
Who is this Son of Man
The answer is actually found back in chapter 8
But the audience in chapter 12 does not understand.
And we will dive into why they are confused.
But essentially
They correctly interpreted the phrophecies about the Messiah’s reign being eternal
And they couldn’t understand how Jesus could be both the Messiah
and also die before he even overthrows Rome
and Sits on the Throne in Jerusalem
And now we see why they were calling him Hosanna earlier
They saw him on that donkey
and realized he was supposed to be the king
But did not realize he came on a donkey not a horse
and remember, that is a significant difference
The second time he comes he will be on a white horse
But this time, he came in peace riding on a donkey
So, you can see the gears turning in their heads
Trying to figure out how he can be messiah and die
Be the king, and not be on a throne
Ok, let’s get back to verse 31
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
So, the word “world” here is the Greek word Kosmos,
And it has multiple meanings both literally and figuratively
just like the word world does for us in English.
It can refer to the actual earth
It can refer to the entire universe
It can refer to all of humanity
It can refer to all the evil aspects of everything in the earth
Like when we say that life of sin is worldly or carnal
So, it can have many meanings depending on the context,
and Many commentaries and lexicons ascribe the meaning of
all of humanity to the word “world” here.
I disagree, however.
Because we know that judgment of all of humanity is happening later
And Jesus says NOW is the judgment of this world.
He’s referring to something in the present tense
I think this was intentionally vague though
Because the audience is expecting the Day of the Lord
aka Judgment day
To be accompanied by the coming of the Messiah.
So, Jesus is using language that could sound like he is here to judge all of humanity at the final judgment.
But at the same time, he says, the rule of this world will be cast out.
Meaning, Satan, the prince and the power of the air,
is about to lose his power.
He isn’t going to be a ruler any longer.
So, the judgment of the world
Is that Jesus is taking back the keys from Satan.
And he will do this by dying
The Final Judgment is when Jesus will judge humanity
and he will do that during the second coming.
And the overlap between the words used for the first and second coming of Christ
in my opinion
is intentionally vague.
It allowed Jesus to talk about the present mission of dying
while sounding like he was talking about the only mission
that most of his audience was familiar with
and they wouldn’t fully understand until his first mission was complete.
What was his 1st mission:
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
So, I’ve already talked about how this is connected to Moses
and the brazen serpent
and Jesus has already used this phrase “I Am Lifted up”.
multiple times.
And I’m not sure if anyone notice the “I AM” connected to that statement
because when Jesus is exalted through his humility
According to Phil chapter 2
It is for the glory of whom?
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So, the exaltation of Jesus is going to bring glory to God the Father
But that only really makes sense
When you begin to realize that it is the “I AM” who is lifted up.
Now…
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
Jesus said this thing about being lifted up
and drawing people to himself
in an intentional vague way
And We know it was vague
because John had to provide commentary
in the next verse
33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
He said — Past Tense
Meaning, the readers might not understand this
So, John had to explain
that the positive term “Lifted Up”
was actually about the death on the cross
which, might seem negative
Since most people consider death negative
and a reader may not understand that Jesus is talking about death
using positive words
But Jesus did not go to the cross to die a normal human death
It was not his demise
It was not his defeat
He went to the cross to “BE LIFTED UP”
and Jesus meant that in the most positive way
Because he is stating this
right after he talks about the old ruler being cast out
So, Satan is being put down
and Jesus is being lifted up
Meaning, he’s now the ruler of this world.
as of circa 33 AD.
He became the ruler by dying on the cross
The lifting up was both simultaneously about his death
and about his exaltation as king
and the demotion of Satan
The drawing all people to himself
Would have sounded like a battle cry
They probably thought he was calling an army to himself
to fight the romans.
But Jesus was really talking about us
He drew us to himself
by dying on the cross for our sins.
And we will be in that army
when he comes back to fight that future battle
So, once again,
Jesus is using language that can apply both to his present mission
and his future mission
and this confused his audience.
We see their confusion in verse 34…
34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
When they said “Law”
They used that to refer to the entire OT in this context.
Not just the 1st 5 books of the OT
but all of it.
And they heard from it
not read from it
because most of them didn’t have a copy
but they went to the synagoge and heard it read allowed
every Sabbath day
They heard about the Messiah many times
they probably pretended to be him as a kid
Your kids maybe pretended to be a Gi Goe
or HeMan or a power ranger
but these Jew kids probably pretended to be the Messiah
Who would come in a deliver them from their oppressors.
Fight a fight for them
Sit on a throne
and restore the Kingdom of David.
They heard about the Messiah
and they knew he would reign forever
In 2 Sam 7.13
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah
4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
7 and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore.
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
So, these people had heard about this Messiah figure
Who Daniel calls the Son of Man
And they heard that he would reign forever more
with an everlasting dominion
and yet… Jesus claimed to be the Son of Man in
John 12.23, which we read last week…
23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
And right after he makes that claim
He says he needed to die
And so, as you can imagine
the audience is confused
How can you be the Son of Man
and also be about to die?
If the Son of Man is going to have an eternal kingdom
How can you die before you are even sitting on the throne
You see how they are rightfully confused?
Jesus doesn’t answer them directly.
He just tells them to keep following the light
and all the way back in chapter 1
John tells us that Jesus is that light.
and that john the baptist was the first witness
that Jesus was the light.
And they asked, who is this son of man?
then in verse 35…
35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
Now, if Jesus is the Light
and we can believe in him
and become sons of light
then who is our father?
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
sons of God and sons of Light are synonyms terms
And that is because Jesus is both the Light and he is also God.
He came into the world that he made
and he brought us out of darkness
and into his marvelous light.
So, Jesus promises the crowd
That is they believe in the light
they can become sons of the light
and do they believe in him?
37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,
And then John tells us why they did not believe.
38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
The arm of the Lord is the Messiah
And this is a quotation from Is chapter 53
and if you know that chapter
You know that it talks about the first mission of Jesus
The one where he became a suffering servant
Where he was lifted up
and then drew all men unto himself
The very subject of his conversation with these Jews
and they did what the prophet said they would do
they did not believe the Messiah when he came.
39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
This is from chapter 6 of Is
John says these words were about Jesus in the next verse.
41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.
Now, think about this for a second
John just quoted Is 53, and Is 6.
In one, Jesus was a suffering servant
a picture of his death
In the other, Isaiah saw God
High and Lifted Up.
and John says… that was the Glory of Jesus
And this whole conversation started with Jesus saying
The hour is come for the Son of man to be glorified
How can Jesus be glorified by dying?
Well, it only makes sense when you realize that he got to do Isiah 53
in order to complete Is 6.
before he can let the train of his robe fill the temple
He’s got to let the stripes on his back heal us.
