MMwM Eposide 2021-29 Hearing the Voice

John 12:28–36 (ESV)

28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.

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.

Let’s review a bit from the previous verses,

To the disciples as well as the Greeks he declares,

“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life IN THIS WORLD will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me he MUST FOLLOW ME and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father WILL honor him.”

Three things - First, your life IN THIS WORLD must be forfeit. It is not that you will not experience this world, but rather you should never love it and cling to it.

Second, the hating of this life and the pointer toward eternal life means that something must change. As Jesus told Nicodemus, “you must be born again...” In order for this life to have meaning, you give it up, but that is not enough. Thousands, perhaps 10’s of thousands have give up their lives for something in this world… but because they did not hear or did not trust on the Name of Jesus, it amounted to little of eternal value. ONLY in Jesus does giving up this world for His offer of eternal life make sense.

Third, The matter of service and to whom that service is rendered is made clear. Jesus expects that giving up our life in this world is equated to following Jesus. Following Him in life - declaring the Father’s Will - that is the Word of God and belief in the Son.

Following Him into death and being considered a transgressor in the world’s eyes, not that our death bears the same promise as His does. Rather, that if the world hates us for following and serving Jesus, and we die as pariah’s in their site, so be it.

But, the promise of Jesus is that WHERE I AM, there WILL BE my servant also. He offers an eternal relationship and presence with the believer.

Now, Jesus in verse 27 speaks that His soul is troubled.

Is our LORD JESUS an unfeeling and impassible God, who cannot feel the anguish of that which He must bear?

Yet, in this moment He acquiesces to the Will of the Father and declares, “But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, Glorify YOUR NAME”

Jesus, in His role as suffering servant sets the tone for those of us who must FOLLOW him - think back to verse 26.

Now, the Father speaks from heaven and declares, “I have glorified it and I will glorify it again”

He has glorified to to Israel, and since we still have those greeks present, He will glorify it amon the Gentile nations!

Those who were gathered, well, they seem to respond differently. Some heard thundering, ominous, powerful, perhaps foreboding...

Others heard it as the voice of an angel, perhaps promising, announcing something wonderful, a message from God..

But in either case, Jesus makes it clear that the Father speaking is for THEIR benefit.

He is declaring JUDGMENT of the World - that means the system of the world begun with the fall of Adam and Eve.

He also declares the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15 for the ruler of this world will be be cast out…

And though the Father had previously been the one wooing Israel who had largely rejected as pointed out in John chapter 6,

Now Jesus declares that if He is lifted up (and the Scripture makes clear this was speaking of the manner of His death) He would draw ALL PEOPLE TO HIMSELF.

This is not universal salvation, but rather universal appeal to all people. Now, not just the Jews will have opportunity to believe and server the living God, now ALL PEOPLES may hear and believe.

The message of Christmas - The coming of the LORD… He has come to save all who believe from their sin...

REJOICE