Sermon Tone Analysis

illustration: Grandmother makes me realize the necessity of Jesus’s death.

Context:

The Triumphal Entry is currently going on.

Jesus is being heralded as King of Israel, but the Jews have stopped short of recognizing that he is the true Messiah.

They have welcomed him as a conqueror of Rome but they have not welcomed him as conqueror over sin and death.

They have heralded him as King of Israel but they have not heralded Him as king over their hearts.

They have laid down their coats and the palm branches in their hand, but they have not laid down the rights to their lives and submitted to Christ as Lord.

The Triumphal Entry was a big event, but it wasn’t revival.

In fact, it serves as a contrast to genuine belief.

The crowd emotionally cried out to him, but their hearts still stand diametrically opposed to him.

The Pharisees wrongly conclude in verse 19 that the crowd of followers are actual followers of Jesus.

And the Pharisees and the crowd will join forces to try and kill the Lord Jesus.

So now we come to verse 20, and it comes as an interesting development.

First, keep in mind that the majority of those in the crowd are Jewish people, and their minds are set on Jesus coming to be the liberation from Roman oppression.

But like we said last week, there are approximately 2.5 million people in Jerusalem during the Passover Feasts, and not all these people are ethnic Jews.

Look in verse 20.

This is pretty self explanatory.

While most of the people there for the Passover were ethnic Jews, some were not.

This is why John mentions this here.

Its worth noting that Passover is a distinctly Jewish feast, but the religion of Judaism was embrace by other who might not have been considered as ethnic Jews.

This is something that may be misunderstood at times.

You can be a Jew ethnically, but not a Jew religiously.

Likewise, you can be a Jew religiously, but not a Jew ethnically.

This is what is the case with these Greeks.

They are Greek by nationality but they are Jews by religion.

This is why they are here for the Passover.

They are going up to worship at the feast.

They are caught up with excitement an they desire to see Jesus as well.

They go to Philip.

Why?

We aren’t told.

We do know that Phil

Philip is a Jew.

John points this out by telling us that he is from Bethsaida of Galilee, but he does have a Greek name.

Maybe they knew Philip?

We don’t know.

But thats not the point.

The point is what they say to Philip.

“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

It is interesting here that when the Jewish leaders and authorities have turned violently against Jesus, there are Gentiles who are seeking Him out.

And we have seen this theme throughout the book of John.

Thi

Paul later comments on this very thing in where he discusses how Israel as a whole has rejected Jesus as Christ, but the Gospel has opened the door for Gentiles as well as Jews to be brought in.

We see a glimpse of that here.

These Gentiles are seeking him out.

And this serves somewhat of a marker for Jesus and John in this Gospel.

Look what happens

These disciples specifically Philip and Andrew, having heard the request from these Gentiles, go to Jesus, but Jesus doesn’t set up a meeting with them.

He does in fact answer their question.

Somehow and for some these Greek people coming and wanting to see Jesus is a time marker for Jesus route to the cross.

Up unto this point, Jesus has made mentioned of the hour that was coming, but this time, he says that the time has arrived.

What is this hour?

It is the hour that has been established in the Holy Trinity from eternity past that God will send His son to die.

He says that his hour has come.

He isn’t talking about a literal 60 minutes.

This can also be translated “appointed time.”

its the time Jesus has come for.

It is the time Jesus was sent for.

interestingly enough its the time that he will die.

But he doesn’t say that.

He doesn’t say that it is time for him to die.

He has the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Here is the difference between Jesus and every man.

Jesus’s death will prove to be his glory.

Its ugly.

Its tough on every one around it.

I’ve witnessed this first hand this week.

But for Jesus,

His death, though he will be publicly shamed and killed without a slither of dignity, death will not have the final say over Jesus.

It in his death that he conquers over his enemies.

This is why he can confidently say here that the appointed time for his glorification is hand.

Jesus is about to take on death, and he knows he will be victorious.

In his humanity, he knows the pain and the sorrow, of death and the wrath of God that is going ot be poured out upon him which is why he asks for the cup to pass from him, but in His deity, he knows he will be victorious.

My glorification time has come.

Now think about what the disciples heard at this point.

He has just been heralded as king.

He has had his triumphal entry, and now he has told them that his glorification is at hand.

What do you think they thought he meant?

Certainly, not His death.

How could death ever lead to glory?

Look in verse 24.

Jesus, as he has done time and time again, tells a parable.

Jesus is a much better teacher than I ever thought about being.

Listen to what he says:

Truly Truly.... normally a teaching moment or a correction of an erroneous thought.

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone.

Jesus uses an example of a seed.

You farmers can understand what he is about to say.

Unless a seed falls into the earth, and decomposes, or dies, it remains alone.

You can take a bag of seed and set it on the shelf, or put it in your pocket, but what needs to happen for the seed to grow is it must be placed into the earth at which point the ground reacts with the shell of the seed to decompose it allowing life to be extracted from the seed.

Essentially what Jesus is saying is this:

If there is to be life, I must die.

Jesus’s death is absolute necessity.

There is no good news apart from the death of Christ.

But why did He have to die.

He had to die in order for me to live.

(His mercy and grace motivated it)

He had to die in order for my sin debt to be paid.

(His justice demanded it)

He had to die because only he, as God’s son, has the ability to take the wrath of God for me.