John 12:27-30 - Misunderstanding 2: His cause
Introduction
1. Misunderstanding 2: His cause (v.27-30)
a) His Troubled Soul (v.27a)
(1) “Troubled” (tetaraktai) means agitated, pressured, heavy, weighed down, strained, stressed, disturbed. In a few hours Jesus would bear the world’s sins and suffer separation from His Father. The soul of the very God who holds the universe together was in turmoil because He would bear our sin (2Cor.5:21). His soul, which had never been tainted with sin, would in an instant have the sins of the universe poured upon it, enduring the wrath of God as he paid for our sins. Galatians 3:13 puts it this way:
"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)
(2) That was the unbearably excruciating thing that made Him sweat great drops of blood, the thought of separation from His Father. In the Garden He would pray, “Abba Father”, but on the cross he would cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me”. Holiness is totally repulsed by sin. The prophet Habakkuk revealed this when he wrote,
“Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab. 1:13).
(3) In that deep sorrow Jesus knew His only comfort was with His heavenly Father, and with each wave of temptation and anguish He retreated to a place of seclusion some distance away (Matt.26:36, 39, 42). The intensity of temptation and of Jesus’ prayer response increased with each of the three sessions and is reflected in the positions the Lord took. At first He knelt (Luke 22:41), but as the intensity escalated He fell prostrate on His face (Matt. 26:39). The tenses mean He was repeatedly casting Himself to the ground as He asked God to deliver Him from the cross.
b) His Great Cause (v.27b)
(1) His supreme purpose was to face the hour God had set for Him: He was to die. He had come to die, and to die was the supreme cause of His life.
(2) His supreme obedience. Should He pray, “Father save me from this hour?” He could not, for He had come to die. Obedience was the supreme act of His life ( John 10:17-18).
(3) When Jesus was arrested and standing before Pilate He said:
"My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here… For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”" (John 18:36-37, NKJV)
(4) When we are afflicted and suffer tribulation, we say, “Father save me from this hour” but we need to remember that we have been appointed to this (1Thess.3:3)
(a) His death was the supreme act of obedience. It was voluntary; He willingly died. No man took His life; He sacrificed it Himself. The power to take it was His and His alone.
(b) Note the critical point: this “commandment” to die was of God. This gives a higher meaning to the death of Jesus than just meeting man’s need. It means that Jesus did not just die because of sin, but because He wished to glorify and honor God. He wished above all else to show His love and adoration for God.
(c) This is an aspect of Jesus’ death that is often overlooked. For in giving Himself as an “offering to God,” Christ was looking beyond our need to the responsibility of glorifying God. This means that His first purpose was the glory of God. He was concerned primarily with doing the will of God, with obeying God. Jesus wished to show that God’s will meant more than any personal desire or ambition which He might have.
"So that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here." (John 14:31, NASB95)
"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”" (Luke 22:42, NASB95)
c) His Prayer (v.28a)
When His soul was troubled, Jesus prayed, & prayed for the glory of God. He prayed for the Father to glorify His own name. This is significant. It shows a complete selflessness on the part of Jesus. It shows that the primary concern of Jesus was to complete His purpose and cause on earth, which was to glorify God by doing exactly what God wanted. How was God glorified? By Jesus’ obedience. His Word was carried out and obeyed.
Note: the verb “glorify” is in the Greek aorist tense which points to a single act or event which would glorify God (John 12:28). The single act concerned the cross.
The Glory Of Christ Is the Glory of the Cross-Jesus was now ready to:
(1) make the final sacrifice for man, and to pay the supreme price, His life (Phil.2:5-8).
(2) secure an eternal righteousness for man by dying as God willed (Romans 5:1).
(3) perfectly satisfy God’s justice, to be a propitiation for our sins (Romans 3:24)
(4) triumph over Satan by breaking Satan’s power over death and over the souls of men.
(i) Jesus spoiled principalities and power, triumphing over them in the cross (Col.2:13-15)
(ii) Jesus destroyed the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)
(iii) Jesus broke the power and fear of Satan over lives and death (Heb.2:14-15)
(5) glorify God through His Obedience (John 13:31-32). God was glorified by the supreme obedience of Jesus dying on the cross
“For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”" (John 10:17-18, NASB95)
"Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2, NASB95)
"Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered." (Hebrews 5:8, NASB95)
(6) to demonstrate God’s love toward sinful man (Romans 5:8).
(a) This should cause us to love Him (2Cor.5:14-15; 1Cor.6:20)
d) God’s Audible Approval (v.28b)
God accepted and approved Jesus’ prayer. Note that the approval was audible. God actually spoke from heaven, saying that He had glorified His name and that He would glorify it again. Note three things.
(1) Jesus prayed according to God’s will: “Glorify Your Name”
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10, NASB95)
(a) Thought 1. God will answer any prayer that is according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). This stresses the importance of knowing God’s will. Studying God’s Word is the only way to know the will of God.
(2) God accepted Jesus’ prayer. This means He accepted Jesus’ death in behalf of man. We can rest assured that we are delivered from death if we believe on Jesus (John 5:24).
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." (John 5:24, NASB95)
(3) God will glorify His name in the future. He will keep His Word and fulfill all His promises. We can rest assured of the promises of God.
e) The people’s confusion (v.29)
(1) Some thought the voice was merely thunder; others thought that an angel had spoken to Jesus.
f) God’s purpose: To show His approval of Christ (v.30)
(1) Jesus plainly told the people that a voice had spoken. It had spoken for their sakes in order to help them believe that He was the Son of God.
(2) The point is this. By the thousands people had just welcomed Jesus in the triumphal entry, welcomed Him as their earthly King and Messiah, the One who was to bring heaven to earth. Jesus had to correct the misunderstanding of His cause. He had come not to rule as an earthly King for man; He had come to die for man. God’s concern was not just for the seventy years of a man’s life; God’s concern was to save man eternally.
2. Misunderstanding 3: The world (v.31-33)
a) It has to be judged (v.31a)
(1) The Earth Has To Be Judged.
Why? Because it is imperfect; it has the seed of corruption within. The earth and the world are running down, wasting away, failing and dying. Eventually, even if the world were allowed to run long enough, the earth could not sustain life.
(a) God Did Not Spare The Old World (2 Peter 2:3-6; 3:3-13; Genesis 6:5f). The world had become totally wicked; wickedness prevailed in every mind, heart, and life.
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).
(b) God Did Spare Noah (Genesis 6:8)
(i) Noah Communed with God (Genesis 6:9)
(ii) Noah is an example of one who obeyed God (Gen.6:22; 7:5; Heb.11:5)
(iii) Noah is an example of faith & one who feared God (Heb.11:7).
(2) Nature Itself, Animal & Vegetation Life Has To Be Judged (Romans 8:19-22).
Nature is often beautiful in its sunsets, green pastures, and animal life. But nature is also destructive in its storms, earthquakes, fires, and struggle for survival. It is short of God’s glory and short of what God wills it to be. God’s will is for a nature in which the lion lies down with the lamb, a nature in which all things are at peace and without corruption.
(3) Man (And His World System) Has To Be Judged (1 Cor.15:42-44; 49-54).
Man ages; he wastes away, dies, and nothing can stop the process. Man is short of God’s glory; he is not perfect; therefore, he must be judged. He has to be recreated and made into a perfect creature; he has to be given a perfect and permanent body.
b) It is ruled by an alien prince (v.31b)
(1) Satan is the ruler and the prince, that is, the power of the world in all its evil and corruption (John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Ephes. 2:2; Rev. 12:9).
(2) The sin and evil of the world prove the world is ruled by an alien prince.
(a) God is not the author of sin. God does not tempt men, not with evil (James 1:13). God is not the Father of sin and evil, of destruction and devastation. God does not do such things.
(b) The father of such corruption is the devil (John 8:38; John 8:41-47).
(3) Satan is now “cast out” by the cross of Christ. Note the words “cast out” (ekblethesetai exo, future passive of ekballo which means a sure fact lying in the future). The words mean to cast out of, to cast from or forth, to cast clean out (exo) of a place. Satan in all his power, rule, and reign is cast out by the death of Christ. His power, rule, and reign over lives is now broken.
(a) Satan’s power to charge men with sin is now “cast out.” Men now have the power to escape the penalty of sin. Christ took the sins of men upon Himself.
"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." (1 Peter 2:24, NASB95)
"Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;" (Romans 8:33, NASB95)
(b) Satan’s power to cause death is now “cast out.” Men no longer have to die. Christ died for man, became man’s substitute in death.
"Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." (Hebrews 2:14-15, NASB95)
(c) Satan’s power to cause men to be separated from God is now cast out. Men no longer have to go to hell. Christ was separated from God for man ( Matthew 27:46-49). Man can now live forever with God.
"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;" (1 Peter 3:18, NASB95)
"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:11, NASB95)
(d) Satan’s power to enslave men with the habits of sin and shame is now “cast out.” By His death, Christ made it possible for man to be freed from sin. The believer, cleansed by the blood of Christ, becomes a holy temple unto God, a temple fit for the presence and power of God’s Spirit. Men can now conquer the enslaving habits of sin by the power of God’s Spirit.
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NASB95)
"You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4, NASB95)
"knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin." (Romans 6:6-7, NASB95)
c) It is conquered by the cross (v.32-33)
(1) The cross draws all men (v.32-33)
(a) Jesus used this phrase “lifted up” many times (John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32).
(b) Jesus also referred to Moses lifting up the serpent (Num.21:4-9, 14-15).
(c) The Symbolism:
(i) Brass is a metal that in scripture is associated with judgment, and the serpent is a symbol of sin & of the evil one, Satan (Genesis 3:1f; Rev. 12:9; Rev. 20:2).
(ii) Jesus Christ destroyed the works of the devil by being lifted up (Hebrews 2:14-15); therefore the serpent hanging upon the pole symbolized the defeat of Satan. By looking upon the defeated evil (the serpent), Israel was healed. Today man is healed by looking upon the Son of Man who has been lifted up upon the cross.
(iii) The people of Israel had great need, for they were dying from the poison of the fiery serpents. Men today are dying from the poison of the serpent, the deadly poison of sin.
(iv) The brass serpent lifted up on the pole is thus a symbol of our sins that were judged on the cross. There Jesus took upon Himself our sins, and there He died receiving the judgment of God for sin.
(v) Thus if you dying by the deadly bite of sin will look in faith to Jesus as He is lifted up on the cross for you, you will have a spiritual birth or be born again. The sin that brought death of the spirit will be forgiven, and you can now have new spiritual life with the subsequent fellowship with God.
3. Misunderstanding 4: The Messiah (the Light) (v.34-36)
a) The people misunderstood the Messiah (v.34)
(1) They clearly understood that Jesus was speaking of death, but it was this that confused them.
(2) They had just acknowledged Him to be the Messiah, and they had always understood the Messiah was to live forever (Psalm 89:36; Psalm 110:4; Isaiah 9:7; Daniel 7:14).
"There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this." (Isaiah 9:7, NASB95)
"“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." (Daniel 7:14, NASB95)
Was He really the Messiah? Could they be mistaken? Was the Son of Man someone else?
Jesus Answered Two Things. The claim & the need
b) The Claim: He is the Light (the Messiah)—the Light (Jesus) is to be extinguished (v.35).
(1) What is meant by calling Jesus the Light?
(a) Jesus, the Light, is light by nature. Light is what He is within Himself, within His being, His nature, His essence, His very character. Scripture says...
· that “God is Light” (1 John 1:5);
· that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15);
· therefore, “Jesus is Light.” He is “the Light of the world” (Jn. 8:12; 9:5; 12:46)
(b) Jesus, the Light, tells us that He is holy, righteous, and pure. Light is the symbol of purity and holiness. Light means the absence of darkness and blindness.
(c) Jesus, the Light, reveals. The light of Jesus Christ shows the truth about the world and man and God. He lights every man that comes into the world (John 1:4, 9; 11:10; Col.1:27).
(d) Jesus, the Light, does away with darkness and with chaos (Gen.1:1-4).
(i) The earth was formless and void (v.2a). Before salvation we were “formless and void” “empty” in our spirit and mind, living lives that were “futile” (Eph.4:17).
(ii) … and darkness was over the surface of the deep (v.2b). We were formerly in darkness (Eph.5:8), before we knew God, our foolish hearts were darkened (Rom.1:21), our understanding was darkened, being excluded from the life of God (Eph.4:18), and we even loved darkness (John 3:19).
(iii) … and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters (v.2c). The Spirit of God was moving upon our hearts, convicting us of sin (John 16:8), showing us of our need for Christ.
(iv) Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light (v.3). "For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6); For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord (Eph.5:8).
(v) God saw that the light was good (v.4a). we are to let our “light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16)… "The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see…" (Ecclesiastes 11:7)… "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" (1 Peter 2:9, NASB95)
(vi) … and God separated the light from the darkness" (v.4b). We are to separate ourselves from this world and the unfruitful deeds of it, Paul said, "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret" (Eph.5:11-12)… "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people… not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one" (1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 2Cor.6:14-18)… “Bad company corrupts good morals “(1Cor.15:33).
(vii) Let there be lights in the firmament…to give light on the earth (v.14-15). The word “lights” is means “illume” “an object that gives light” to the earth. Paul said, "Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:14-15)… "But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day." (Proverbs 4:18, NKJV)
(e) Jesus, the Light, guides. His light allows a man to walk out of darkness. Man no longer has to stumble trying to find his way through life. The path of life can now be clearly seen.
(i) Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Light of the world at the great Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2). The very first ceremony of the Feast holds great significance for Jesus’ claim. It was called “The Illumination of the Temple” and was held in the Court of the Women. The center of the Court was surrounded by large sections of stadium-like seats. In the open space of the Court sat four huge candelabra. When darkness fell the candelabra were lit, and the elders danced and led the people in singing psalms before the Lord all night. The brilliance and glow from the burning flames of the huge candelabra were said to be so bright that the light could be seen throughout the whole city. The light reminded the Jewish people of how God was with them in their wanderings in the wilderness in a pillar of cloud, which turned to fire at night. It was against this background that Jesus cried out, “I am the Light of the world.”
c) The First Need of Man (v.35)
(1) To walk in the light (v.35b). Man must walk in the Light while he has light. The Light would not always be present for men to see. And once men lost the Light two things would happen.
Þ Darkness would overtake and overcome men.
Þ Men would not know where they were going.
(a) The Cloud In The Wilderness (Num. 9:15-23).
(a) The Cloud Symbolized God’s Presence (Exodus 13:21-22). The presence of God had once filled the Holy of Holies where Christ is now standing!
(b) The Cloud Protected His People. At this time temperatures could reach 140 or 150 degrees at day, & at night can fall below freezing.
(c) The Cloud Guided His People. Walking in the light is a matter of following Christ. John said in his 1st epistle:
"That God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:5-7)
"He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." (1 John 2:9-11)
d) The Second Need Of Man (v.36)
(1) To believe in the light (v.36b).
(a) Man must believe in the Light. If men believed, something significant would happen. They would become children (huioi, sons) of the Light.
Þ “Believe” (pisteuete) is continuous action.
Þ “Become” (genesthe) is a once-for-all act, a personal experience that happens all at once.
(b) A man who truly sees Jesus Christ as the Light of the world believes and continues to believe. And the very moment his heart leaps toward Christ in belief, he becomes a child of the Light, a child of God Himself. The man sees the Light and begins to walk in the Light, living the kind of life he should.
"You, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:4-11, NKJV)