The Hour Has Come

Context

The resurrection of Lazarus

A significant turning point for the pharisees and Jesus

The pharisees turn from active resistance toward Jesus to a plan of premeditated murder of both Jesus and Lazarus.

The anointing at Bethany

The theme and timing of Passover is introduced

Jesus begins pointing to His coming death (John 12:7-8 Jesus therefore said, “Let her alone, in order that she may keep it for the day of My burial.“For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me.”)

The triumphal entry

The intensity of the crowd

The fulfillment of prophecy

The desperation of the pharisees

v. 19 “look, the whole world has gone after Him.”

This is obviously an exaggeration

However, their words like that of Caiaphas and others after him become almost prophetic as we read the next verses.

A Group of Greeks (v. 20-22) - Phrase by Phrase

They were going to worship at the feast (v. 20)

Their Identity

The fact that John calls them Greeks does not necessarily mean they were from Greece.

In the N.T. a Greek was anyone who came from the Greek speaking world.

They may have come from the nearby city of Decapolis.

Their Religion

The text clearly states that they came to worship.

This probably makes them one of two things

God-fearing gentiles, a term that referred to gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel but did not convert fully to Judaism.

Proselytes, a term that referred to gentiles who had fully converted to Judaism. (This group was allowed into the temple to worship while the first group was only permitted as far as the court of the gentiles.)

They came to Philip with a request. (v. 21a)

Why Philip?

He, and his brother Andrew, had a Greek names even though they were Jews.

To them this probably indicated that he was from a more hellenized area of Israel and therefore may be more open to a request from them.

If they were from the Decapolis or from one of the territories north and east of Lake Galilee, it would not have taken much effort to find out which of the disciples came from the nearest town, and Philip’s hometown, Bethsaida in Galilee qualified.

They asked to see Jesus (v. 21b)

Why?

The text doesn’t really say why they were seeking Jesus

Were they sign seekers?

Were they simply curious?

Or were they genuinely seeking answers from one they hoped was the Messiah?

The city was abuzz with talk of Jesus

If there is a couple of days between verses 19 and 20 as some surmise then it is possible that Jesus cleansed the temple for the second time during that period.

That event certainly would have drawn the attention of many.

What they wanted:

the verb “see” in this context means “to have an interview with”

It seems that they were investigating Jesus.

This stands in a stark contrast with the Jewish leaders who were at this very moment planning Jesus’ murder. Keep in mind that their plan included a mock trial and phony investigation.

They asked Philip and Philip asked Andrew (v. 22)

Why they didn’t go to Jesus directly is unknown (perhaps Jesus was in a part of the temple that they were not permitted to go.)

In fact we don’t even know why Philip felt it necessary to get his brother.

Should I interrupt Jesus?

Should I bring Gentiles to Him?

Did they ever get to speak with Jesus? - the text does not say. Rather what John chooses to record is how this particular request triggered an important revelation from Jesus. His hour had come.

The Hour of the Cross has Come (v. 23)

This is the first time Jesus spoke of His hour as being present.

John 2:4 And Jesus *said to her, “Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come.”

John 7:6-8 Jesus therefore *said to them, “My time is not yet at hand, but your time is always opportune.“The world cannot hate you; but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.“Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.”

John 7:30 They were seeking therefore to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

John 8:20 These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

From this point on Jesus refers to His hour as having arrived. (John 13:1)

The Necessity of the Cross (v. 24, 27b)

An illustration from agriculture

Why did Jesus have to die? hen we ask a question such as this, we must be careful that we are not calling God into question. To wonder why God couldn’t find “another way” to do something is to imply that the way He has chosen is not the best course of action and that some other method would be better. Usually what we perceive as a “better” method is one that seems right to us. Before we can come to grips with anything God does, we have to first acknowledge that His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts—they are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8). A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” Therefore, the plan of salvation He has designed is perfect, just, and upright, and no one could have come up with anything better.

The Cost of the Cross (v. 24, 27, 32, 33)

The Physical Pain

The Beatings and Crucifixion

Jesus gave His life (v. 24, 32-33)

The Emotional Pain (v. 27)

The anticipation of the cross

The abandonment of the Father - It was the manifestation of God’s hatred of sin, in some unexplained way, that Jesus experienced in that terrible hour. The suffering He endured was due to us, and it is that suffering by which we can be saved from eternal death. In those awful moments, as evil men were allowed to do whatever they wanted to Jesus, our Lord expressed His feelings of abandonment. God placed the sins of the world on His Son, and Jesus for a time felt the desolation of being unconscious of His Father’s presence. It was at this time that “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The Goal of the Cross (v. 23, 28-32, 36)

The Glory of God

The Redemption of Man

Draw (v. 32)

Believe (v. 36)

The Effects of the Cross (v. 25, 26, 31, 34-36)

A Massive Change in Priorities (v. 25)

Hating one’s life is a Semitic expression that has the connotation of giving preference to one thing over another

Matthew 10:37-39 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.“He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.

One effect of the cross is people throughout history that have put the will and glory of God ahead of their own personal interests.

An Incredible Change of Identity (v. 26)

From slaves of sin and self to servants of Christ

One Requirement: Follow

This is the underlying meaning of being a disciple

We must follow Him in where He goes and what He does

How? He no longer walks this earth.

Study and apply His Word

Take up your cross - Luke 9:23-24 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.“For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.

Serve the least of these - Matt 25:40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

There are many ways to follow Christ today you just have to be willing to find them and apply them.

Two Promises

Presence

Honor

A Long Awaited Judgement (v. 31)

The cross is the hinge point of all judgment.

What should have been Satan’s greatest victory became His greatest defeat and the basis on which he will be cast into the Lake of Fire for all eternity.

On the World

On Satan

A Light in the World (v.34-36)

Jesus as the Son of Man

It definitely points to His humanity - the humanity of Christ is absolutely necessary to our redemption

It definitely points to His deity - Daniel 7:13-14 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.

Jesus as the Light of the World

This is a reoccurring theme in John

John 1:4 -9 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light. There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

John 3:19-21“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.“For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.“But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

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.”

John 9 - Jesus heals the blind man (“I am the Light of the World”)

John 12:35-36

It connects Him with God the Father - Light is a reoccurring and ancient image of God.

It teaches us that by His very nature Jesus is a revealer of truth for that is what light does by its very nature.

It confirms that Jesus is perfectly opposed to the darkness and all it represents.

It proves that Jesus is the source of light. - James Boice said “To call Jesus the true light is, therefore, to refer to him as that sole source of full illumination by which men and women can learn the truth about God and about themselves and enter into that close personal relationship to him to which they are called.”

It fundamentally changes those who believe in Him by transforming them from children of darkness into children of light. Eph 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light