Sermon Tone Analysis

End of Jesus’ Public Ministry

This morning we are going to look at Jesus’ closing of his public ministry.

He has entered into Jerusalem as the Humble Messiah on a donkey.

He had recieved praise from the crowd.

Their excitement had mounted b/c they believed that he was the messiah that had come to restore Israel.

They believed He was going to reestablish them as a nation and a people.

The gentiles had come to him and now Jesus’ hour has arrived.

The time to start his death march.

So this is his last hurrah, his last public discourse before Jesus begins what’s known as the Farewell Discourse and preparing his disciples for his departure.

Now I am going to admit that this section of scripture is difficult for many to wrap their heads around.

Jesus is going to make some more bold statements.

Remember a couple of weeks ago we talked about the cross being the dividing line in history.

That is going to become more apparent today.

Jesus’ march to the cross is going to bring judgment.

Now when we think about judgment many people can be uncomfortable.

One of the favorite lines of people today is “Don’t Judge me”

We don’t like Judgement.

Specifically we don’t like negative judgments.

Why don’t we like to be judged?

B/c when we are judged it reveals where we fall short.

Where we lack.

Where we are deficient.

And the reality it we all make judgments all the time.

And our judgement as fallen humans can be short sighted.

They can be self serving.

They can be wrong.

So what we need is a good and perfect judge.

The world needs a Just Judge.

A judge that is not hamstrung by sinfulness and selfishness.

And we have that perfect and just judge in Jesus.

And Jesus is granted the power to judge b/c of his obedience to the father, even obedience to the cross.

Lifted up to Draw People

We touched on this passage a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted us to look at it once again.

It really opens our eyes to what is going to happen.

Jesus tells us that he is going to be lifted up.

This is an allusion to him being raised on the Cross.

The cross will draw all kinds of people to him.

Not just the Jews, but people from every tongue, tribe, and nation.

Remember, the reason Jesus came was to die.

This was to accomplish the will of the Father that people would be restored into a right relationship with the Father.

As is a theme throughout John’s gospel, the crowd is confused about what Jesus is saying.

The messiah wasn’t supposed to die.

He was supposed to come in power and reign forever.

They wanted to know How is Jesus’ death going to be beneficial to the Jewish people?

Jesus then goes into another teaching about him being the light of the world and the importance of people living in the light.

So that the darkness, that is the wickedness of the world.

The sin of self doesn’t overcome us.

And the only why that people can walk in the light is to believe in the light.

And when they believe, that is trust Jesus fully, they can be children of the light.

This is a direct call back to the prologue in John 1:12-13 “12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.”

So Jesus reveals to us a truth that people either live in the light or live in the dark.

They are either brought to the light through trust in Jesus or they remain in darkness b/c of unbelief.

This plays into the closing Section of Chapter 12.

That is the judgement that Jesus came to show you are either in the light or in the darkness.

And as John wraps up the first section of his gospel, he is asking you the reader or hearer, where are you?

Do you believe?

Are you in the darkness or do you belong to the light?

Unbelievable Unbelief

John is flabbergasted by the lack of belief found in those who witnessed Jesus’ signs.

Even though Jesus had done the miraculous.

Even though Jesus had demonstrated his divine origin.

Even though Jesus had taught and with authority.

It didn’t matter to some, b/c they didn’t believe in him.

John here is telling us that they should have believed.

They had all the evidence.

They had seen all the signs.

They had the truth staring them in the face and yet they still didn’t believe.

Here’s something we need to understand, it doesn’t matter the evidence.

It doesn’t matter the arguments.

I could sit here and prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is who he said he is and if you don’t want to believe you won’t believe.

We can look a the world around us and see the handiwork of God.

We can hear testimonies about people’s lives being changed.

We can witness miracles and still some will refuse to believe.

This should prove to us beyond a shadow of any doubt that belief is absolutely a heart issue.

You can’t argue, convince, compel, or coerce people into belief.

It is a gift of God or a rejection by the wickedness in their hearts that cause belief or unbelief.

That should comfort us in our witnessing to people.

Some will believe.

Some won’t believe.

If they don’t believe Jesus, they won’t believe you.

But there will be those that do believe.

Those that are open to the power of the gospel.

Regardless, There is human responsibility when it comes to belief in Jesus.

But a good question is why do some believe and some don’t believe, John appeals to Isaiah 6 to help us answer that question.

I’m gonna be honest, we may not like the answer.

But remember, this is God’s Word and we don’t have to like it to trust and believe it.

Judicial Hardening

John tells us that they were unable to believe b/c God didn’t allow them to believe.

He blinded their eyes, hardened their hearts.

Does that truth make you a little uncomfortable?

God blinds eyes and hardens hearts so that they are unable to believe.

I want to try and help ease the tension a little.

I want you to see that when John presents this argument that there is a natural flow of thought.

The hardening of hearts and blinding of eyes happens after the rejection of Jesus.

The people John is talking about here have already had the message and signs brought to them.

They have had all the evidence laid out before them.

Jesus is the Messiah the son of God.

And they reject him.

They deny him.

So God does what he pleases and he hardens their hearts and blinds their eyes.