40 Days with Jesus: Lifted Up

Introduction

In every good story there is that moment when it feels like something is about to happen. The characters have been developed. The plot has been established. And then the tension has built to a point where the audience knows that something is about to unfold.

In our text today from John 12:20-33, this is the way the audience feels. The time is during the week of Passover and Jesus has been watching the throngs of people from all over the countryside and beyond make their way into Jerusalem and thus the Temple to celebrate.

Especially exciting this year because of Jesus.

This one from Galilee had cleansed the Temple and made the Court of the Gentiles free from the chaos that had taken up residence on the inside of what was intended to be designated as the entrance to holy ground. He drove out the animals and those scamming the people coming to worship and pay their Temple tax.

Then a few chapters later the Son of God really gave them good gossip to spread among the Jerusalem countryside. He had just raised his friend Lazarus from the dead in John 11 and such news had spread like wildfire among the people.

His popularity had risen among the Jews and Gentiles alike. What was Jesus about to do next if he had no fear of the religious leaders in the Temple and if death was not an issue for him to overcome with a word to his deceased friend now alive and well again?

What would it be like to sit down face to face with him and have a conversation? Unless they asked for some time with the Lord, these Greeks who had come into town to worship and celebrate the Passover might not know. It never hurts to ask. So they did.

What would start as an invitation to Jesus from some Greeks would quickly turn into a response about death and what was about to happen in the coming days for Jesus.

“20 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. 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. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 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.

27 “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.” 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.” John 12:20-33

Dig In...

Scholars differ about the actual location this part of Jesus’ story took place. Yes, it was in Jerusalem; but where in Jerusalem? Was it in a home? Was it on the street? Perhaps it was in the Temple. We just do not know for certain. What we do know is that Greek men wanted to try and have some face time with Jesus.

I think it was inside the Temple borders. Jesus, a Jewish man, could have been located in a place that was off limits to Greeks and other non-Jews.

Possible these Greek men saw Philip, a disciple with a fellow Greek name, walking through the Court of the Gentiles where both Jew and Greek would have been allowed.

Possible these Greek men were so thankful that Jesus had cleaned up this outer part of the Temple in the Court of Gentiles where they finally could attempt to worship in peace that they just wanted an audience with the one who had such power to overthrow and clean up such a corrupt system of religious rituals and merchants.

So the Greek men approach Philip who in turn approaches Andrew who in turn seeks out Jesus to bring forth their request for an audience.

“20 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.” John 12:20-22

They had nothing to lose and everything to gain. If Jesus declined, they were no worse for wear. But if he said, “Yes,” then what might the next moments of their lives be in store for on that day?

So they made the request and then waited for his disciples to relay the message. While Jesus listened to this request by two of his disciples on behalf of these Greek men, Jesus responds with words that added weightiness to the moment. In a sense, these Greeks just want to have coffee and Jesus starts talking about his impending death through agricultural metaphors.

“23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 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. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 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.

27 “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.” John 12:23-28

It is difficult to imagine how Jesus could have been able to keep his emotions in check knowing that the full measure of the cross that came with the entire wrath of God was quickly approaching him.

His glory would come not first with a crown, but with a cross. The time was at hand. His hour had come. The moment was upon him that he had left the majesty and worship of heaven for three decades earlier.

All hell was about to break loose on his life so that all heaven might be experienced by those who would ever call him their Lord. The only way for such things to unfold is for his life to be as the single kernel of wheat that falls into the ground and dies. When it does, such a sacrificial death produces much fruit.

Jesus tells his friends that the condition of his soul at such a consequential thought is “troubled.” The verb “troubled” is from the word tarasso which means literally “to shake” or “to stir up.” It is used in a context that implies a strong or severe mental and spiritual agitation that disrupts one on the inside. Jesus uses the verb in the perfect tense which means this was something that he was dealing with on the inside as an ongoing struggle at the thought of what was on his horizon.

Jesus was not on his way to the cross in an unemotional or detached kind of frame of mind. He was shaken to the core and stirred emotionally at the enormity of what was about to happen.

But He knew that this is what He came to earth to accomplish in the first place. His hour was at hand. He had come to die. And this death of the perfect one would bring great glory to the Father who had sent him to rescue humanity from sin, death, Satan and hell. And thus he moved forward to the cross with deliberate steps of destiny that would lead to our eternal security in the coming days.

Concerning this hour leading to Jesus’ death, biblical scholar John MacArthur writes words of great consequence. “Of all the truths in the Christian faith, the death of Jesus Christ, accompanied by His resurrection, is the most precious. Had he not died, there would be no substitute for sin. Were there no substitute, there would be no offer of salvation. Were there no salvation, there would be no hope. And were there no hope, there would be no future but hell.”

Even though the OT prophecies pointed to it, even though Jesus had said it over and over again, the people around Him struggled to deal with it.

But that was the plan and Jesus knew -

No cross no forgiveness

No death - no freedom from sin

No cross of suffering would mean no crown of glory.

And it was for the glory of God that Jesus was most interested.

“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.” John 12:28-30

Unpack:

Jesus was locked in to the mission at hand. He already had his Father’s approval and had heard him speak both at his baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Those moments when the voice of God thundered were to bolster the soul of Jesus; however, this thundering voice from heaven in John 12 was for the benefit of those who would watch the events on the horizon unfold.

But they still didn’t get it....So Jesus says it again.

“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.” John 12:31-33

These Greeks had to be blown away....hey could we meet Jesus and BOOM.

Big Truth...

Glory of God

Satan was about to be cast out as Jesus spoke of his own approaching death on the cross.

His death was the primary purpose of the incarnation, the constant theme of his teaching, and was the central subject of apostolic preaching.

Without the cross, any gospel preached is not a true gospel. For it was the cross that led to the rescue and the fulfillment of all that Jesus came to do: save his people from their sins.

And the best part for them, and for us is that all that was about to happen was to include not only Jews, but also Gentiles for all generations to come.

As Jesus spoke about the seed falling into the earth and dying to thus produce more fruit, he was talking about a wider harvest of people from all nations, tribes, and races that would belong in the family of God reaching far beyond the borders of Israel and the Jews.

Jesus saw these Greeks as the first among many who soon would have access into the family of God.

Great news for the Greeks, but the disciples…the Jews…and even a lot of people today this was too much.

Dealing with the Necessity of the Cross

Jesus told the crowds that “when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32) And the people understood Jesus to be saying He’s not going to be with them long. He’s going to be “lifted up from the earth” In fact, Jesus confirmed that by saying “The light is among you for a little while longer....” John 12:35

Now the crowds heard this and they knew just enough Scripture to say “Hey, wait a minute! That doesn’t sound right! 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?" John 12:34

Well, were they right? Was the Christ supposed to REMAIN forever? (PAUSE) Well … yeah. The Old Testament spoke of the Messiah this way: “… I have sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. HIS SEED SHALL ENDURE FOREVER, and his throne as the sun before me. Psalm 89:35-36

Isaiah 9:7 (speaking of the Messiah) “Of the increase of his government and peace THERE SHALL BE NO END, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even FOREVER…”

Ezekiel 37:25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant … for ever: and my servant David (codeword for the Messiah) shall be THEIR PRINCE FOREVER.” FOREVER!!!!

The Messiah would endure forever. He would be a prince forever, His kingdom would last … forever. And that’s exactly what Jesus had come to do. He and His kingdom WERE going to last forever… just not quite the way the Jews had planned.

They were looking for a King who would throw off the bonds of Rome and lead them to be a powerful nation that rivaled the days of Solomon. But in order to do that - Jesus had to stick around. But that wasn’t the plan. The Messiah that God sent wasn’t the Messiah that they wanted. Jesus didn’t fit into the box they’d built for Him. And that’s a problem for a lot of people. The Jesus folks get isn’t always the Jesus they want.

And a lot of times it has to do with this statement by Jesus: “’when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.” John 12:32-33

The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ … really upsets a lot of people. It doesn’t fit into their thinking. For the Jews (for example) the idea that the Messiah would die was unthinkable. And that was true not only back in the days of Jesus. It’s still true (because the Jews still don’t think Messiah has come). But that had been God’s plan from the beginning.

One of the most powerful prophecies about Jesus is in Isaiah 53. “Surely he (the Messiah) has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5). Even the Jews recognize this prophecy had all the marks of being about the Messiah. But it troubles them that it says He would have to suffer and die for our sins.

If look at Isaiah 53 in a Jewish study bible - notes say: “This is a very difficult passage”

Yeah doesn’t fit for them....but not alone!

Christians Struggle with It

It’s become popular in some “religious” circles to accuse God of being a cosmic abuser. A “progressive Christian” writer named Steve Chalke (in his book “The Lost Message of Jesus”) is appalled that we would teach that God sent His son to die on the cross.

He accused God of “cosmic child abuse” in the crucifixion being “…a vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offence he has not even committed.”

I totally get that thinking from someone reading the Bible for the first time…but Christian thinkers and authors are saying that.

Anyone remember the book “The Shack.” Lots of believers were praising it as a new way to look at God (I was skeptical). The author was a man named William P. Young… and he wrote: “Who originated the cross? If God did, then we worship a cosmic abuser, who in divine wisdom created a means to torture human beings in the most painful and abhorrent manner… how would we religious people interpret this sacrifice? We would declare that it was God who killed Jesus, slaughtering him as a necessary appeasement to his bloodthirsty need for justice.” (from his book “Lies We Believe About God.”)

His point? He accepts the crucifixion (it’s kind of part of the deal) but he seems to want to keep God out of it. How dare we believe that God had somehow planned it this way!!!

And yet, that whole attitude DENIES the truth of Acts 2:23 which tells us “… Jesus (was) delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God…”

Or, as Galatians 3:13 tells us: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

Now the cross was a terrible way to die, and yet that was exactly what God had planned from the very beginning of the world. The Jesus folks get isn’t always the Jesus they want. And so there are people who mangle the Bible to get what they want!

It’s kind of funny when kids accidentally do that. Ran across some really interesting quotes to come out of a kid’s Sunday School Class:

Noah’s wife was called Joan of Ark.”

“The epistles were the wives of the apostles.”

“Moses got the 10 Commandments at Mt. Cyanide.”

“King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 porcupines.”

“The men who followed the Lord were called the 12 decibels.”

And then there's my personal favorite: “Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day and a ball of fire by night.”

You’d expect kids to mangle Bible stories once in a while, and it’s kinda funny when they do it. But when adults mangle the Bible… that’s usually not so funny. When adults distort Scripture its often because they don’t agree with what they’re reading.

Someone once said: “People don’t reject the Bible because it contradicts itself. They reject the Bible because it contradicts them.” Folks like that might KNOW the Bible, but they just don’t agree with it.

It’s More than the Cross

The idea that Jesus came to die for our sins really upsets folks. Pretty popular singer is quoted as saying this: “I wasn’t raised Catholic, but I used to go to mass with my friends, and I viewed the whole business as a lot of very enthralling hocus pocus.

There’s a guy... nailed to a cross and dripping blood, and everyone’s blaming themselves for that man’s torment, but I said to myself, ‘Forget it. I had no hand in that evil. I have no original sin. There’s no blood of any sacred martyr on my hands. I pass on all of this.’”

Again I get the perspective - don’t think it’s right but I get it. I think there are at least three problems with his thinking.

First – he didn’t think he had any sin, not any big stuff anyway, not anything that his good deeds couldn’t cover.

Second - he saw Jesus as a mere man. But that’s not true… Jesus was not a mere man. He was also fully God. In fact, John (who wrote this Gospel) makes a reference to Jesus’ Godhood, when he records that Jesus quotes a passage out of Isaiah 6. John said this: “Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.” John 12:41

You mean Isaiah SAW Jesus’ glory back then? Oh yeah! “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple… And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Isaiah 6:1 & 5

Did you notice that word LORD (as in LORD of hosts)? There’s something distinctive about that word “LORD”. Do you know what is distinctive? (It’s in all CAPS). Any time you see the word “LORD” or “GOD” in all capital letters, that’s the translators’ way to telling you that this was God’s personal name - Jehovah or Yahweh. So what Isaiah was saying was this – “I SAW GOD!”

And what the Apostle John is telling us here in John 12 is - when Isaiah saw God high and lifted up in the temple… that was Jesus. Jesus WAS GOD!!!

On the cross, Jesus was not a mere man. He wasn’t some kind of helpless victim. Jesus was the mighty King, the LORD of hosts, the One who VOLUNTARILY stepped down out of heaven to pay the price for our sins.

Third problem with the thinking is that Jesus going to the cross was a cosmic guilt trip. “Everyone is BLAMING themselves for that man’s torment.” In other words: Jesus was tormented on the cross, and it’s supposedly all my fault!

And that IS true… after a fashion. I mean – our sins were the reason Jesus went to the cross. But the cross was not about GUILT (not about blaming ourselves for His death). The cross was about the LOVE of God that removed our guilt.

THE GUILT WAS ALREADY THERE. WE WERE GUILTY!!!! We deserved punishment for our sins!!!

As Ephesians 2:3-5 “among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”

Looking at the cross as a guilt trip holds to a view that a Christian’s guilt never quite goes away. The guilt’s ALWAYS there!

And there are churches who teach that.

They teach Christians to believe they’re worthless. They teach them to believe that they’ll never get past sins they've done. They teach that believers will never be completely forgiven by God.

BUT THAT’S NOT TRUE! Jesus died for us because the guilt of our sins deprived us of God’s peace. But the Cross was more about God’s love than it was about our guilt. Romans 5:8 says: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Conclusion:

John 12:32 “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”” Is hard to hear when you know it’s about the cross.

But He didn’t do it to be ironic in His fulfillment of OT prophecies about the Messiah.

He didn’t do it because He was the victim of Cosmic Child Abuse.

He didn’t go through it because God’s first plan fell through

He didn’t endure it so you could be partially forgiven and eternally locked into some kind of perpetual guiltfest.

Jesus died to free you from the slavery of guilt.

He died to remove your shame and fear of punishment. And He died because He loved you.

Is that mind blowing, gut wrenching, beyond incredible to hear? Absolutely! But don’t try to tone it down, don’t mangle the Scriptures to make them comfortable.

Receive it with humility, and trembling, and live!