Jesus Predicts His Death. (John 12: 20-36)
Full Transcript.
At first, they were no doubt intrigued, but as time went on, things changed. Some of them were impressed, and others were incensed. You see, for 400 years, there had not been a prophet in Israel. Four hundred years of nothing. Four hundred years of silence. No prophet, no preacher, no mouthpiece for God.
Then, all of a sudden, a strange man with rather strange habits appeared on the scene, and he did another strange thing: he baptized people in the Jordan River. That aroused the curiosity of the leaders of the day, and they sent a committee down to see what was happening. Of course, what they wanted to know was if he was the Messiah. He very quickly and emphatically declared, "No, I'm not at all the Messiah." But added, "But He's here."
How unnerving. They couldn’t get over that.
Then another man appeared, Jesus of Nazareth. He did different things. He began to heal people. A lame man walked; a dumb man talked.
They committee was intrigued, to say the least. As a matter of fact, they called the larger committee together and decided to send one of themselves to go interview this man. They chose a man named Nicodemus. He went by night, being told to suggest they were interested in what he had to say, but Nicodemus really was impressed so much so that he was impressed but wanted to discuss spiritual things in private.
The conversation that ensued is recorded in the Bible and is now well-known. Jesus told him he must be born again. By the way, I am of the opinion that Nicodemus got the message and actually trusted in Jesus Christ as his Savior. At this point, Nicodemus was certainly genuinely impressed to say the least.
But then things started to unravel. Jesus healed another man in Jerusalem, and that wasn’t so bad, but He did it on the Sabbath. How can He do such a thing? How dare He work a miracle on the sabbath? Doesn’t He know that violates our traditions?
They were incensed. But it didn’t end there. When they talked to Him about it, He turned around and claimed that He was God. He made Himself equal to God.
The controversy grew. At first, it was verbal. The longer the time went on, the more serious it became. Several times, people even took up stones to throw at Him. The climax came when He raised Lazarus from the dead. This miracle not only attracted the attention of believers but also attracted the whole population who began to flock around in the hope of another spectacular miracle.
In Bethany, the whole town gave a dinner in His honour. The sister of Lazarus took very costly ointment, washed His feet with it, and dried them off with her hair.
Shortly after that was to be the Passover. He rode into the city, and thousand and maybe 100’000’s, acclaimed Him to be the Messiah.
Now, that did it. The Jewish leaders, once and for all, finally and absolutely rejected Jesus Christ. That last great miracle did them in, so to speak. They now decided that He had to go. Kill him, crucify Him. Get Him out of here before He brings the whole religious systmen down.
So, as we started reading the Gospel of John, by the time we come to Chapter 12, if you understand what we're reading, you see very clearly that there is a rejection of Jesus Christ. That conclusion hits you before you even get to the end of Chapter 12.
So, one of the questions perhaps to ask as you read the book is, "What's going to happen next?" Now that the leaders have finally decided they're going to get rid of Him, now that they have once and for all rejected Him, what will be the result?
John will now tell us, beginning in Chapter 12 of his Gospel.
Welcome to TBPDP….
From verse 20 and going down through the end of the chapter.
I would like for us to survey this passage this morning and just note some of the results of the rejection of Jesus Christ.
In the first couple of verses, we're given the request. Then, in verses 23 through 36 of this passage, we're given the reply that Christ gave to them.
Tomorrow in verses 37 to 43, we will be given a reaction, an editorial note if you will, by John.
Then there is a final response of Christ in verses 44 to 50, which we will also look at tomorrow.
But, let's begin oday tby looking at the first several verses where the Greeks come to see Jesus. John 12:20 says:
Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
(John 12: 20-22)
Very simply, the Bible is telling us here that at this particular point, Greeks came inquiring about Christ and seeking an interview with Him. The word translated as "Greeks" in this passage literally means Gentiles. These men were not Jewish, and up until this time, Christ had primarily, and for that matter mostly, dealt with the Jews. But now, all of a sudden, the Gentiles come wanting to see Him.
You can't help but feel that John is suddenly suggesting that one of the results of the Jewish rejection of Christ is that the Gentiles will now start to come.
Interesting indeed.
At any rate, they sought out Philip. Now, Philip was a Jew, but he had a Greek name. Philip means, in Greek, "a lover of horses." Perhaps he was a horseman. At any rate, they went to him, feeling that perhaps he would have a sympathetic ear for their request.
Philip didn't exactly know what to do with their request it, so he went to Andrew. What did Andrew do? He took his brother to Christ.
Andrew, it seems was in the habit of bringing people to Christ. Andrew doesn't hesitate but takes Philip with him. Evidently, they take these Greeks to the Lord.
I think it's rather significant that at His birth, wise men came from the East came to see Him. They saw Him in the cradle. Now, with the close of His ministry, as He is now about to announce His crucification and wise men from the West come to see Him, and they get to get a first view of Calvary.
They say, "Sir, we would see Jesus."
I would suggest that if you are like these Greeks and you see Christ, you will be like those disciples, and you will be glad.
Now, the text doesn't tell us exactly what happened. As a matter of fact, the Greeks at this point drop out of sight. We see them no more. But the agree implication in the passage by bible experts is that the disciples, Andrew and Philip, along with the Greeks, went to Jesus, and what follows in this passage is what is spoken at least in their presence.
So, beginning at verse 23 and going down through verse 36, we have the reply of Christ.
The first thing He says in verse 23 is,
Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.
(John 12: 23-26)
Jesus’ opening phrase is a significant statement in the Gospel of John. Back in Chapter 2, His mother said they have no wine, and He said, "Woman, my hour has not yet come." In Chapter 7, His brothers said, "Why don't you go up to Jerusalem and show yourself?" He Jesus again said, "My hour has not yet come." Several times after that, John picks up on that phrase and says He slipped away from the crowd because His hour had not yet come. You cannot read the Gospel of John without being struck by the fact that when you get to this point, He then says, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified."
The key statement, the key idiom, is the little phrase is "the Son of Man." That comes from Daniel Chapter 7, where the Son of Man went to the Ancient of Days to receive the Kingdom. So, He is using a messianic title, a messianic title that refers particularly to the messianic Kingdom and age.
So, when He makes the statement in verse 23, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified," He is saying, "Now has come the time for the Messiah to be made manifest."
But there's a problem. What they have in mind is a ruling and reigning kind of Messiah. They have in mind a political entity. So, He says, "My hour has come for me to be glorified." Then He says in verse 24, " Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.He continues, "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
Jesus is speaking about His impending death here. He is explaining that His death is necessary for the salvation of many, just as a grain of wheat must die to produce many seeds.
He is also challenging His followers to understand the true cost of discipleship, urging them to follow Him even to the point of death. He emphasizes that true life comes through sacrifice and that eternal life is found in giving up one's life for His sake.
In this moment, Jesus is shifting the understanding of glory from a worldly, political sense to a divine, sacrificial sense. His glorification will come through the cross, where He will lay down His life to bring life to many. This is a profound and transformative message, one that redefines what it means to be the Messiah and what it means to follow Him.
The call here is to reflect and consider the depth of Jesus' sacrifice and the call to follow Him in a life of selfless love and devotion. Let us, like the Greeks, seek Jesus earnestly, desiring to see Him and to understand the fullness of His mission. And as we see Jesus, let us be like the disciples, glad and transformed by the vision of our Lord, who gave His life for us that we might live.
Now, I am of the opinion, along with most biblical expositors, that these verses were meant to be applied to Christ Himself. What He is saying is this: "My hour has come for Me to be glorified, but it isn't what you think it is. What that means is that My hour has come for Me to die." It's like a grain of wheat. If it abides alone, if it does not die, it remains alone; it doesn't produce. But if it dies, it will bring forth much fruit. One grain of wheat cannot feed very many people, not even one. But if that grain were to die, if it were to be buried and die, it would bring forth a whole harvest, which in turn could be planted, which in turn would bring forth much more, so that many could be fed from that one grain provided it dies.
So, the principle in verse 24 is that life comes solely by means of death. Christ, of course, is referring to the fact that He must die.
He adds in verse 25, "He that loves his life shall lose it," and the Greek word translated ‘lose’ literally means "destroyed." In other words, He's saying, "If I live for myself, if I become selfish at this point, I will destroy My life. But he that hates his life in this world,"—that doesn't mean that you actually hate it, it just means that you may do what may appear to be hating your life, as in the case of Christ. He's going to the cross. Someone could say, "Well, you hate yourself, you hate your life, you're taking your life." He says, "No, I'm giving Myself as a sacrifice because that will have eternal consequences in the life to come."
So what He's doing, granted it is veiled, it is said symbolically, but what He's doing in verses 24 and 25 I believe is announcing His death.
I think, given the position of this passage in the Gospel of John, that one of the results of rejection is that,
· First is that the Gentiles come and can come into the blessing of God in Christ.
· Second is that He now announces His death.
But while He's at this, He now takes this principle that is basically applied to Himself and applies it to his followers and disciples. Look at verse 26:
He takes this principle—you must die in order to live, you must die in order to bear fruit—and He applies it to the disciples. He says,
"If you follow Me, then you will have My presence, and you will have My Father's honour."
What does it mean? I think in this passage He means that you follow Him in self-sacrifice. He has just announced His death in verses 24 and 25, and He says, "If you follow Me" in verse 26, meaning if you follow Me to the point that you cease to live for yourself and you give of yourself in sacrifice.
There is a story told of a man years ago who was converted and heard that he was supposed to follow Christ. One day he was at a mill, and he saw them making cloth. He watched the seamstresses work, and he bowed his head and said, "Lord, You are the needle," meaning wherever the needle goes, so goes the thread. Christ is saying, "I'm about to go to the cross."
Now He says, "If you follow Me, then where I am, you will be, and My Father will honour you." Christ died literally, but He also died to His own self-centred preservation. He was willing to sacrifice Himself, and in that sense, we must die too.
To be a follower of Christ, means deciding to die to selfish living and choosing to live in service to Jesus Christ and other people.
I hear some people say after they become a Christian they don’t want to get tied to a particular church. My friend, if you follow Christ, you don't get tied down; you get nailed down."
know what? There are people listening to me this morning, who want to follow Christ but say they don't want to be tied down. I can think of case after case in the last several years of my ministry life where I have heard people say in essence, “I don't want to be tied down." You see, if you're going to follow Jesus Christ, you've got to be tied down. Only it's worse than that—nailed down. And that means self-sacrifice.
Now, a very intriguing thing happens in verse 27. He's continuing this reply; He's touching on difficult subjects and He says,
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. 30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up[g] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. 34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
(John 12: 27-34)
All of a sudden, He says, "My soul is troubled." I would like to suggest that when Christ looked at His own self-sacrifice and death, He struggled with it.
You know, there's a problem in being a Christian and wanting to follow the Bible. You read the Bible, and you hear what it has to say, and you want to do it, and so you expect instantaneous application, especially on the part of other people.
You can't understand why others sometimes just don't apply that immediately and treat you better. But you know, the real reality is that we're human beings. God puts an ideal standard on us that is very high, and we strive to reach it. We press forward towards the prize, but our humanness struggles with that.
Sometimes, if you're going to be honest with yourself, you have to admit that there are times when you look at God's truth and God's reality and you look at your own weak human heart and struggle.
It is fascinating to me that Jesus Christ struggled when He looked at the cross. He did the same thing in Gethsemane. Notice what He says: there are two alternatives. "Shall I say, 'Save me from this hour'? I don't really want to do this. There is within me a desire for self-preservation, and I don't really want to die." But upon reflection, He says, "I can't say that because for this hour I came into the world. This is my whole reason for living, my whole reason for existence. I was born to die." So, while He struggles with it, He gives in to God’s will.
You see, the simple reality is that pain is not pleasing nor is it pleasant. Death is not delightful; thus, He trembles at the cross. But it is necessary, and so He is not blinded by its anguish, and He humbly submits to the will of the Father.
Then it tells us in verse 28, He says, "Father, glorify Thy name." He submits, saying, "Alright, You glorify Your name. You manifest Yourself." At that point, a voice came from heaven saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." What He means by this statement is, "I have manifested,"—that's the meaning of the word. "I have manifested My name through what You've done thus far, that is, the miracles and the words, and I will manifest My name as You go to the cross."
Now this voice came from heaven. Christ heard it and understood it, but the text tells us that the people that stood by and heard it said that it thundered; others said an angel spoke to Him. Some thought it was an unintelligible voice; others said, "No, it was just a clap of thunder."
Jesus answers them in verse 30, "You're both wrong. The voice came not because of Me but for your sake." It wasn't thunder; it was a voice and it was for your sake.
Then He says, "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." Now remember, He is speaking of His death, and in these two verses, He is giving some of the things that will result from His death. For example, He says, "Now is the judgment of this world."
When He dies on that cross, the world and its sin will be exposed and judged. Therefore, one of the accomplishments of His death is that the world is judged.
He also says "Now shall the prince of this world be cast out." When Jesus Christ died on the cross He will terminate the reign of Satan over this world.
Paul amplifies this greatly for us in the book of Colossians: when he talks about principalities and powers being defeated at the cross.
Then He says, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." This is no doubt a reference to those Gentiles who came and asked to see him.
. Once I die on that cross, I will draw all—not just Jew, but Gentile also. Remember, it’s the Greeks who came and started this whole discussion in the first place.
So all that He spoke in all of these verses is a reference to His death. But particularly what He says in verses 31-32 is clearly a reference to His death.
At this point, the text says, "The people answered Him, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?'"
You've got to remember that they thought the Messiah was going to come and stand with a political kingdom and that it would be forever. Now He comes along and announces His death, and the people say, "We don't understand this." That was because of their preconceived prejudice concerning the Messiah. "
What do you mean the Son of man"—a term from Isaiah—"is going to be lifted up? How is the Messiah going to die? Who is this Son of man?"
Jesus Christ has told them over and over again. So now, rather than answering their questions directly, He exhorts them to believe. Look at verses 35 and 36:
35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
(John 12: 35-36)
His last plea at this point is that they would believe. He uses an illustration of light again.
John makes it explicitly clear that Jesus is the light—the light of the world, as stated in John 8:12 and John 9:5. So He says in these verses, "While the light is here, believe." And that's the point of verse 36: "While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be children of light."
So the Greeks come to Him, perhaps symbolically saying that as a result of the rejection by the Jews, He will turn to the Gentiles. Then He announces His death. That is the point from verses 23 to 36: He announces His death and exhorts them to believe. Now, will they? That's the question.
Well, we shall find out tomorrow.
