Synoptics - John 12:27-32

John 12 and the Transition from Public to Private Ministry

John 12 what I Figured that was about where we were. I remember talking about some stuff in 24 and 25, so We're gonna have to dock George's pay is the official take for the notes. That's all I can say the official the official official so Wow, what did you all not get the note that I was gonna be here this morning or something?

I mean Places packed out we're dragging out chairs. I guess y 'all heard it was only gonna be a hundred and ten today or something you know hey It's time to get out enjoy this great weather. Actually another predicting for Wednesday 91 991 so I'm like wow that's like it to get the jackets out.

You know cover over the pool. Cover your sensitive plants Might get a little nippy frost warning. Yeah, yeah. Won't last for long. I can that's my prognostication is it will not say that way. It I think it is yeah, all right.

We are in John chapter 12 and the reason I wasn't exactly sure where is because I I know what section I focused upon. Having to figure out exactly how to explain it and make sure that it's fully understandable, but we've Been going through the synoptic Gospels we are into in the synoptic Gospels the point where Jesus has entered in Jerusalem and Exactly where everything in John fits with that is sometimes difficult to exactly say But in the harmony of the Gospels they sort of throw John in at this point, and so we're gonna do a little catch-up Through the Gospel of John.

I love teaching through John and so it all fits together and and It does make the synoptic study a very very long long study, but That's okay. We're into doing things decades. Oh now After all that effort now George shows up.

Okay. All right well We we just voted to dr. Pay brother, but hope you don't hope you don't mind that at all. And this could be really bad because he's gonna sit right next to brick so the entire Room the the feng shui is gonna.

Just lean way over to I'm gonna have to stand like this. I'm gonna have to I Well, okay, I was gonna stand like this, but the Callahan boys going hey, what about us over here. We chopped liver I Think I think we've got a little we got Mike.

Yeah, we're sort of leaning things the other the right direction here, okay? All right, that's really not what feng shui is all about guys. It's it's it's a different thing, but anyway. Anyway, so we're in John chapter 12 and Other sources have informed me that we're on verse 27, but we'll get a official official confirmation Eventually from the official taker of notes here.

The Hour of Jesus and the Glorification of the Father

But as we noticed last time John chapter 12 is a transitionary chapter you have the end of Jesus public ministry. And going into the private ministry that he has in 13 14 15 16. And then the high priestly prayer in John chapter 17 and then betrayal in John chapter 18 and so if you just look at the Gospel of John and you look at the proportionate amount of material a Huge amount of emphasis is placed upon this one period of time.

That you do not have at all in the in the synoptic Gospels and so very very important material and of course when we think about Theologically speaking you just think of these chapters you think of chapters 14 and 16 the theology of the Holy Spirit chapter 15 the vine the branches.

Chapter 17 the high priestly prayer the relationship of the Father and the Son really really deep stuff. And so it's it's a very important to to cover that as well as part of the the gospel story. But we also saw last week that in John chapter 12.

We have a a very Difficult theme that comes out here and That is you have Greeks who are seeking after Jesus there are Greeks they come to Philip Phillips the Greek name. So they figure maybe this is our in you know and this guy is from our area so we can all get together and and we saw just in a brief overview of the fact that Jesus does not grant their wish and There's I think a large portion of evangelicals in the world would just shudder To think that that Jesus doesn't grant their wish now.

We don't know what happens to them later. Obviously Jesus knows that you know what's coming the preaching of the gospel the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They have Pentecost where these guys in the were these Greeks In in the thousands that were saved and they have Pentecost or in the outreach of the church thereafter.

You know we don't know it's it's not that Jesus doesn't care, but it is that Jesus has priorities they're not necessarily the same as a lot of people today have and. And that is might they have been offended.

When Philip comes back to them and goes? Sorry. You know the biggest thing you know in our mind in our day is well God's purposes could never include the offending of anybody. Um That's not what my Bible says.

I Read the Old Testament, and there's a lot of places where people were offended. I you know we've been going through Jeremiah on Sunday evenings. Well. I don't know I think a lot of things Jeremiah said were extremely offensive to a large number of people.

In fact for a long time Jeremiah is the minority prophet. Amongst the majority of the people who are saying we've got the temple of Yahweh To be destroyed who is this false prophet etc etc and of course it ends up Jeremiah is the one who is it was correct so There is there there also comes out a theme here.

That we will that we will develop where Jesus talks about the judgment of God and blinding people and hardening their hearts and and and Literally bringing judgment upon them in the presence of great light.

And that's not a theme you hear a lot about we don't I? Think it's a weird person who wants to just constantly dwell on something like that. But it's an unbelieving person who doesn't want to hear what the Word of God says about everything the balance there.

I mean, I've met some people that just. You know the really scary Calvinists who you know who let's talk about the decree of reprobation. And you just want to go okay, thank you very much, I don't want to meet you in a dark alley, but That doesn't mean that there isn't a Discussion of reprobation there is Peter talks about those who beforehand were more marked out this condemnation.

You do have to talk about those things. But to rejoice in them different thing that theme comes out here, too. And unfortunately what happens in a lot of evangelicalism today is that if that's a difficult theme if that's a difficult Concept I'm not gonna talk about it.

Don't want to offend anybody don't wanna make anybody uncomfortable. I've told you all many times for got a lot of visitors though, but You know sometimes I imagine a lot of you who attend regularly sometimes walk out and go.

Does that guy still think he's teaching a seminary class and and in some ways? That's true, but you can all blame David for part of this because David goes off to school and then writes back after a couple years of school and goes.

Man, I'm glad you talked about that stuff in there now. I know why you're talking about it. Yeah. Because that's what's out there. That's exactly right got to talk about what the where the world's attacking us.

And it got it got to talk about everything the Word of God says just just got to do it, but part of my reason for Very frequently challenging everybody I don't care what you do. I don't care what your background is.

What kind of job you got what your educational background is. I think as Christians We are called we must be called to use our God-given minds and intellects to apply to the most fruitful thing we can ever do and that is the study of God's Word and I'm not I I don't buy this Dumb it down the least common denominator thing I say call the least common denominator up to a position of fruitfulness up to a position of challenge and Part of where this comes from is is a conversation I had at it at the church.

I was at before here I've only really as an adult been at two churches and I Taught Bible study class even though I was a young adult at that time I was a seminary student, so they're like hey go for it.

But I had I had been teaching in Romans, and I had sort of left The quarterly if you know if some of you don't know what a quarterly is those of you who do. But I had left the quarterly because as I it was it was trying to force me to cover all of Romans in like six weeks, which was just like right and So I tried to get into some Serious theology in the class and and I was asked to meet with I know some of you've met this story.

But I'm catching everybody up on it. I was asked to meet with the Minister of education, I mean in large churches you have a minister of everything. You know minister of sports minister of singles with blonde hair.

I mean, it's just you know a minister of left-handed single with one air it's it just depends on what church you're in but some I Was meeting with the minister of education, and I'll never ever get a wonderfully nice guy.

I'm sure he had the best motivation. But I'll never ever forget what he said to me. He said he said Jim. Here's how we want you to to look at it. Every day when you get up to teach I want you want to look out over everybody in that room and there are a whole lot more people in that room than they're in this.

I mean these Bible say departments were little small churches and We want you to Imagine that everybody in that room. This is the first time they have ever been in a Bible study class. Every week every week.

So you are to be at the most introductory basic level every single week. Don't build a foundation. Don't don't lay a foundation then build no no no no every week pure mother's milk never ever go beyond and I didn't flourish well in that situation and It just seemed to me to be a fundamental violation of a scriptural command that we are to grow in the grace and knowledge the Lord Jesus Christ and so When we look at texts like this and when we start looking at difficult subjects.

It just doesn't cross my mind to go who. I think we'll just skip over that part. You got to deal with it because if you don't deal with it here I have seen the results of people bringing those issues to people's attention.

Outside the family of faith to their detriment as an attack upon them you deal with it here. You struggle with it here in the family of faith, and then when you encounter it out there. You're ready to deal with it that's just that's that's where I come from and That that makes it different shall we say anyway?

Judgment on the World and the Ruler of This World

So we are picking up with verse 27 then and let's go ahead and review the text now. My soul has become troubled and what shall I say father saved me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

Father glorify your name that a voice came out of heaven. I have both glorified it will glorify it again. So the crowd who stood by and heard it were saying that it thundered. Others were saying an angel has spoken to him.

Jesus answered and said this voice has not come for my sake, but for your sakes. Now judgment is upon this world. Might want to start marking the uses of world in John because we'll be running across a lot of them here.

Now the ruler of this world will be cast out and I if I am lifted up from the earth would draw all men to myself. But he was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which he was to die. The crowd then answered him we have heard out of the law that Christ the Christ the Messiah is to remain forever.

And how can you say the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? So Jesus said to them for a little while longer the light is among you walk while you have the light so darkness will not Overtake you.

He who walks in the darkness does not know where he is he goes. While you have the light believe in the light so that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus spoke and he went away and hid himself from them.

But though he had performed so many signs before them. Yet they were not believing in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke Lord who has believed our report and to whom has the arm Of the Lord been revealed.

For this reason they could not believe for Isaiah said again. Read that just in case I went by too fast for this reason they could not believe for Isaiah said again He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart.

So they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart and be converted and I healed them. These things Isaiah said because he saw his glory and he spoke of him. Nevertheless many even the rulers believed in him.

But because the Pharisees they were not confessing him for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue for they loved the approval of Rather than the approval of God. Well As I said a lot of material there Jesus says my soul has become troubled and what shall I say father save me from this hour?

But for this purpose I came to this hour now very very often. You will hear people saying well, you know one of the reasons you can't really trust The New Testament is because you have such a completely different presentation of Jesus in the Gospels and generally the idea is well mark gives you this very low view of Jesus a very human Jesus and John gives you a very divine view of Jesus where he's in control of everything etc. Etc. Etc.

I Think that requires a very Biased and shallow reading of both mark and John for that matter. A very biased and shallow reading the reality is that if we listen to mark carefully We will see numerous references to a very exalted view of Jesus the things that Jesus says about himself the fact identifies himself.

Interestingly enough the very same terminology that is found here in John chapter 12 the Son of Man. In the Gospel of Mark that he forgives sins. He speaks in a way that no mere prophet could speak and the same way in John.

You do not have a a Jesus who is just this heavenly figure just sort of floating around. And oh, yeah, I'm gonna die on the cross. I know what's gonna happen afterwards, and it's no it's no big deal. That's not there either Jesus Quotes actually from the Old Testament my soul has become troubled and he applies this to himself and and He says what shall I say?

Shall I say father save me from this hour? But it was diya tuta. It was for this reason that I came this hour in this phrase the hour. You see it all through John Woman my hour has not yet come. They could not season because his hour had not yet come now his hour has come now his hour has come and The the purpose that he has and The clarity of that purpose he knows what the hour is.

He knows that the hour will glorify the father's name. He knows that the hour is necessary. He knows that yes. The father has sovereignly appointed the day and the hour of everything and it is that conviction, of course that is forefront and what Jesus says here and Interestingly enough in Five chapters, but again, this is all in one Fairly short time period in a very short period of time in his high priestly prayer.

You have here father glorify your name John 12 28, then you get into John chapter 17 father glorify me together with yourself. With the glory, which I had in your presence before the world was John 17 5 and So you have this idea of the hour has come and the the focus of the hour.

Yes cross Salvation all those things but we tend to see that first and foremost. What is the overarching theme in in the gospel, it's the glorification of God and And I really think one of the one of the difficult traditions That we struggle to get out of our thinking and out of our minds is That the gospel is first and foremost about us.

That it's a man-centered thing. It's a it's a program that God has put together. But its success or failure is completely dependent upon the cooperation and activities of men. When you have that view of the gospel you've got the wrong foundation.

The emphasis is always going to fall on the wrong. The emphasis is going to fall on the wrong syllable. You know what I mean? And it's a sound weird and it's going to be subject to imbalance because When Jesus talks about the hour coming Shall I shall I say father saved me from this hour?

Shall I say saved me from this hour, but it was this purpose that I came to this hour this is why I Came was for this very purpose now. I Don't want to rush through this because there's so much stuff to be talking about but But for this purpose I came to this hour as Jesus said and it's not the Gospels it is Necessary not convenient.

Not this is the best plan. It is absolutely necessary. The Son of Man go to Jerusalem be betrayed the son hands the Son of Man Beaten crucified buried rising in a third day. Jesus says it is absolutely necessary now the fundamental view of God's Sovereignty over human events that is found here.

We I would imagine all of us To a person already embrace the view of God's Kingship and authority that underlie these words. But so many others will read this and they will they will speak of it and not realize.

What's really underlying this kind of a statement? I? Mean I've debated folks who have so emphasized the freedom of man in events in time. That for example, I had one say once just a few years ago that Paul could have Resisted the Activity of God in his conversion in the in the Damascus Road experience at that point I just would have had to find somebody else so if God has to find somebody else that means the entire timetable of God's dealing with his people and Hence the specifics of it is a malleable thing.

It's sort of a sliding scale thing and The whole foundation of prophecy and and God's knowledge of the future all that just just falls apart. But the emphasis was so much so that well, you know, but for it to be a real conversion Then Paul had to have been able to say no.

When you think about that for it to be a real resurrection Lazarus would have to have been able to say no, really. Think about the ramifications of what that would mean and There are some forms of theology that sort of view the cross as somewhat of an afterthought that God's initial purpose of saying Messiah was to actually set up the physical kingdom right then there and If God had said If Israel had said yes, sir, we're with you then that would have been it there wouldn't have been need for crosses.

That does it you just go. Whoa, really? It seems That in Jesus's understanding this hour is a fixed thing. The nature of this hour is a fixed thing and for this purpose. I came to this hour. Therefore father glorify your name.

So there is no question on Jesus's part Of these things that does not make the troubling of his soul any less we really we really flatten out and make We really rob of its beauty the idea of God's sovereign decree.

When we do not realize that involves everything that happens in time. And in fact, it's a very foundation of How things happen in time and why they happen the way that they do what I mean by that is. Well, I've had to use this illustration and does sort of help my my Muslim friends the doctrine of Qatar Qatar Qatar means God's power or as it fleshes out literally God's predestination and most of them believe that the Hour of one's death is written upon one's forehead at the hour of one's birth actually before that.

It's about 40 days according to Islamic tradition 40 days. Into the development of the child an angel comes and write the scroll for the child. Well, this child's male male female a little off on that.

Whether the child is going to be happy or sad a Muslim or non-muslim. When they're gonna die the whole nine yards rich poor it's all written 40 days into the development of the of the child in the womb.

And it's fixed at that point. That's it. And a lot of our minions say yes, that's exactly what those Calvinists believe, too and If a Calvinist is like a Muslim, then they must all be wrong together. And Muslims believe in God.

Calvin's believe in God. But anyway How is how is our belief different than that. I mean we do believe I mean it's very clear in Scripture Precious in the sight of Lord the death of Saints our days are written in his book God is sovereign over these events.

He has a purpose and all of this. What's the difference the difference? I think is Fundamental and that is that a law in Islamic theology is a transcendent being that does not become personally involved in the creation the God of the Old Testament does and Then in an amazing way Does so in a way that even the Old Testament prophets could not fully comprehend that as he enters into his own creation in the incarnation God is personally involved.

In fact his personal involvement which we call Providence when God is when God acts in time. And that time is formed by his sovereign decree. That's Providence. He is providentially involved. He acts personally in time.

He is a part of the drama that brings about his own glory. He doesn't just go. Okay creation glorify me. He is intimately involved in bringing that about and that becomes the very basis upon which the the actions in time have meaning is God chooses to invest those actions in time with meaning and so Jesus knows the hour is coming and yet his soul is troubled because he knows what he's got to go through he knows.

Not just not just the the beatings and the whippings which has any human being he knows what he's going to be facing. But he knows far more than that. What it's going to mean for the sinless one to be made thin and that is what troubles his soul.

That is what troubles his soul. And yet in all of that, what is his foremost goal? Father glorify your name. Father glorify your name and when he makes this request. Then a voice came out of heaven. I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.

So when that when this when the Son of God Requests that the Father glorify himself there is a Supernatural speaking from heaven not an overly common thing. But a supernatural speaking from heaven. I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.

The Meaning of the Voice from Heaven and the Crowd's Response

Now the crowd Who stood by and heard it? Some were saying that it had thundered which is understandable in the sense that you weren't expecting a voice from heaven. Especially in this particular context where a lot of people are wondering what's he talking about because there's gonna be confusion.

Here expressed just a moment about the Son of Man that the Messiah is gonna abide forever. So you're not expecting a voice out of heaven. And so when the voice comes. Some are saying it's thundered thundered.

Some say an angel has spoken to him. Jesus so often does not satisfy the mere curiosity of the crowds if he knows that. So often. You know Jesus doesn't say that was the father speaking to me and verifying what I was saying is true.

And I'm saying that Jesus answered said this voice has not come for my sake but for your sakes. Now judgment is upon this world now the ruler of this world will be cast out and I if I'm lifted up from the earth Will draw all men to myself.

But he was saying this indicate the kind of death by which he was to die. This voice has not come for my sake but for your sake doesn't repeat what it said, but he does indicate what its purpose was and That in the glorification of the father.

Judgment comes upon this world. Now once again We've talked about it many many times before but it always bears repetition. You have to avoid the Strong's exhaustive concordance of the Bible method of exegesis.

It will almost always turn into eisegesis. Exegesis reading out of text its meaning eisegesis reading into the text and meaning that its author did not intend. When you look up a word such as the word world and You come up with a meaning and in fact, I've actually heard people say what you can do is You look at the Bible and when a word is first used That's its meaning and you just read it never had the use of the Bible man by the time you get to the New Testament I think you're you're so completely confused that you're ready to get a show on TBN or something, but Just I'd wake y 'all up at that point.

Is that what that's it? Is that what that is? I had no idea between 20 and 22. Okay. All right. You just can't do that words have I mentioned last week a semantic domain a range of meaning and their meaning is determined by the context in which they're used and It has been well said that that John himself uses this term cosmos in at least 10 probably about 14 different ways and Sometimes they'll use it in the same paragraph in multiple ways.

So if you try to take well cosmos means every single person who has ever lived. Now judgment is upon this every single person who's ever lived for God's loved every single person who's ever lived Love not every person who has ever lived.

I mean it just It turns It turns language into mishmash. It makes absolutely positively no sense at all. Now judgment is upon this world now the ruler of this world will be cast out now the term world very often has a synonym or a term that is used Along the line called age this age.

And in general In general when we're talking about This world in context like this we're talking about the system of things that stands not only fallen and Hence not in the right relationship to God but actively in rebellion against God and Certainly the ruler of this world being cast out is a part of this judgment upon the world so This Announcement that the hour has come and This hour which involves the death of Christ This hour which involves the cross.

This hour then becomes The center point in history. Really Paul views it that way especially he develops this more, but it's it's clearly seen here as well. Everything before the cross looks forward to it everything after the cross looks back to it.

It becomes the center of the very center point of history which if Jesus was who we say he was makes perfect sense. I Mean if the incarnate one gives his life That is going to obviously be Extremely important the ruler of this world will be cast out cast out of what cast out of the world well, we know that the ruler of this world continues to Walk about and seek destruction of God's people as Peter says.

So it's not the sense of being excluded but it is the sense of being removed from a Position of authority a position of power. There's a fun that something fundamentally changes when death is defeated on the cross of Calvary and by the way, I Learned something this week.

I thought I'd share with you real quickly the term Calvary. I was listening to a Fellow I know I met him briefly once and we have sparred ever since then in various format forms, but He was pointing out that if you if you want to have the cross of Calvary you've got to use the King James version of the Bible because it's not in your modern translations and That was supposed to be an argument.

In case you're wondering why is that? Calvary is the Latin term called Maria Which means skull and Hence modern translations render the text Golgotha Which means place of the skull. But the King James translators were significantly well think about back then.

What was the language of scholarship? Latin you had to be able to speak Latin read Latin. I mean Advertisements in in shop windows were in Latin. Imagine if that happened now That shop would go out of business very quickly but so they were much more comfortable with Latin and so instead of Translating it all the way into English.

Maybe they felt it was too Vulgar a term skull. They used the Latin Calvary or Calvary and that's where that that came from so just. Should anyone go to you? Does your Bible have Calvary in it? You can go.

Yes, because that means skull and it's right there. Yes, ma 'am. Yeah, that's one of the parables I I would hesitate to go there. It would seem to me that in light of The conjunction of 31 and 32 and 33 that we're talking about.

Specifically the crucifixion if I am lifted up from the earth, which which is how crucifixion takes place. You're lifted up from the earth that brings about suffocation eventually due to exhaustion and blood loss.

If I be lifted up, I'll draw them into myself. It seems to me that the casting out of the ruler of this world means the breaking of the bonds of death. As Paul says death, where is your sting? You know, where is your victory?

That Bondage is Broken the promise has been made literally from the garden. He will you know from the front of what evangelium? But I would tie it primarily to that and I'm There it may be appropriate to make a connection to a parable or a story something like that.

But I think it's the primary focus that he has here is the breaking of the power of death. Which has been prophesied all along. So the rule is you this world his authority is ended and then we have four minutes.

I feel like I'm in a debate here and I if I am lifted up from the earth would draw all men to myself now. Could we talk tactics here for a moment? Tactics sometimes we're in a political Periods that tactics isn't a good word.

Tactics is Julia Christians. Don't want to use tactics. That's a political tag detective. Tactics just means thinking ahead as to how you might be able to Explain God's truth in a in an efficient way to somebody else because look we all know.

You go to John 6 and you say no one can come to me unless the father sent me draws him. I'll raise him up on the last day. Yes, but but God draws everybody to Jesus it says so in John 12 32. Well, what is John 12 32 actually about?

And I if I'm lifted up from the earth will draw all men to myself. Now is this the same drawing and does the term all men Mean every single human individual. It certainly can't mean every single human individual who has ever lived.

Because there are countless numbers of people who are already dead at this point in time that that can't be it. So it would have to be. I will draw all men in the future now. Think about just a moment.

We are in the midst of a discussion. Greeks have come Seeking Jesus. I'm sorry brother. They didn't get to see Jesus, but has nothing to do with you being Greek. Don't want you to be offended. It's okay.

No offense a good. I just want to make sure you know, just you know, I also instruct me. Oh, hey, wait a minute. Yes, everything depending depending on its use, right? You've yeah pawn you've heard of pantheism.

Everything is God pawn. There's there's your there's your there's your there's your turn here. You have Pontos and when you. You can't explain. That's why that's what I mean by tactics. You can't explain it.

Maybe this way and we'll have to pick up with this. Next week, I guess but this is one way you might be able to think about it. I Frequently just ask people I said so what you're telling me is you understand even though in this context.

You have non-jews coming to Jesus and he's going to hide himself from them so from the Jewish perspective you had the Jews and you had everybody else and. So you've got everybody else coming to Jesus and he's going to hide himself from them.

Even though that's the context you're going to tell me that the cross Draws every single human being. What does Paul say the cross is? It's foolishness. It's the stench of death. It actually is something that repels.

So, how do you put all this together? Now you'll find out pretty quickly where the person you're talking to you thinks it's even relevant to try to put everything together. Sometimes they oh, that's just that's just gone.

That's Paul. They kind of dig together. Now, you know who you're talking to. But if you're talking to somebody who actually believes the scriptures. You can at least begin to challenge them. Are you telling me that what Jesus is saying here is that the cross is attractive there?

What is drawing me? And then. Next time we ran out of time next time. We'll talk about how to Show from the Gospel of John what he's talking about here is the same drawing but it's of all kinds of men.

Not the concept of every single human being who has ever lived or ever will live. So we'll pick up with John 12 32 and I will remember that. Very clearly no matter what time we get a start next time we are together.

So let's let's close the word. Father we do. Thank you for this time the freedom we continue to have to open your word and to consider it help us to remember these things. May this not just be an exercise for us.

May we review these things consider these things and and Lord may we be useful instruments in your hands as we seek to present your truth to others things in Christ's name.