The Collect

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Let us remember those who ask for our prayers:

O God of heavenly powers, by the might of your command you drive away from our bodies all sickness and all infirmity: Be present in your goodness with your servants Eva and Andrew, that their weaknesses may be banished and their strength restored; and that, their health being renewed, they may bless your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Readings:

Isaiah 49:1–7
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+49%3A1%E2%80%937&version=KJV

Psalm 71:1–14
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+71%3A1%E2%80%9314&version=KJV

I Corinthians 1:18–31
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I+Corinthians+1%3A18%E2%80%9331&version=KJV

 

Gospel: John 12:20–36

20 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:

21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.

30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?

35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

Commentary:

The Gospel passage selected for this day, tells of events occurring during the last days of Jesus’ earthly existence:

  • Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:38-44)
  • People who knew of Lazarus’ death and now see him restored to life repent and believe in Jesus. (v. 45)
  • The Pharisees double down on their plans to eliminate Jesus, (vs. 46-53)
  • As the news of Lazarus’ resurrection spreads, more and more people are leaving the synagogue to follow Jesus, that the now desperate Pharisees begin to talk about even killing Lazarus. (John 12:9-10)
  • The time for the annual Passover observance or Feast, has arrived and Jesus makes a triumphal reentry into Jerusalem.
  • So many people are now following Jesus that the Pharisees in Jerusalem proclaim, “…behold, the world is gone after him.” (v. 19)

“And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: 1 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.” (vs. 20-22)

We know that Jesus spent a good amount of time evangelizing in the regions near Judah which were predominately Gentile, however these Greeks were probably converts to Judaism and therefore allowed by the Jews to take part in Jewish celebrations such as Passover.

These people, having heard of the many miracles performed by Jesus, events so spectacular that everyone knew that Jesus had to be sent by God, that they now wanted to meet Jesus personally; bringing Andrew and Philip carry their request to Jesus.

When told of this Jesus makes the pronouncement: “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.” Throughout his ministry Jesus has repeatedly said that his time has not yet come, the time is not yet right. With this statement, he begins his final set of discourses or teachings before he is to be seized by his tormentors.

Here, once again, we see Jesus use the title”the Son of man” which is from Daniel 7:13-14: “ I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

Undoubtedly, the disciples did not understand why Jesus frequently referred to himself as the Son of Man, however in verse 16; “These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. ” John addresses this lack of understanding, pointing out that after the resurrection they understood all these things, such as his use of this title and even why he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, a prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9; “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. ” All these things regarding the life, ministry, and persecution of Jesus had been prophesied in the ancient writings. The Christ, the anointed one, is here; “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.” (vs. 24-27) Jesus uses here, a sort of divine paradox or a statement that seems contradictory, stating that a seed must die before it can produce. He uses this as an explanation to the disciples as an explanation that he must first die so that in his name, people for generations yet to come, will follow him, thereby producing much more “fruit” than he already has in his earthly mission.

Indeed, how do we begin to enumerate how many people over the last two-thousand years have—once hearing the Gospel story—repented and became as born again, living out their lives as followers of Christ? Through this plan—created by God—Jesus has saved vastly larger numbers of people than he could have had he not been cricified.

He then moves on to another paradox stating that “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” “This is an example of hyperbole—exaggeration for effect. Jesus is not saying that happy people will lose their lives and depressed people will keep them. He is saying that people whose lives are centered on self will lose them, because the Father will not honor them (see v. 26). People whose lives are centered on service even at the cost of sacrifice will keep them, because the Father will bless them with eternal life. The road to glory is servanthood. That was true for Jesus, and it is true for all who would follow him. Like Jesus, we are expected to be faithful even unto death and to trust that God will vindicate us.” (Donovan)

“Our life in this world includes all the enjoyments of our present state, riches, honours, pleasures, and long life in the possession of them; these we must hate, that is, despise them as vain and insufficient to make us happy, dread the temptations that are in them, and cheerfully part with them whenever they come in competition with the service of Christ” (Henry)

Jesus use of the word loveth, might be better translated as covetousness, as in he that covets a worldly life. Likewise hateth, might be better understood as putting the worldly into proper perspective; by not placing a high value on it or coveting it.

“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” To be a Christian or follower of Jesus, is to serve him by emulating the concepts he taught, not just the feel good stuff that so many cite today but even the difficult things he spoke of and taught. To be a Christian or follower of Jesus, is to without doubt, intuitively know that he is always with us in spirit, always ready to uplift and comfort if we but only open our hearts and minds to the experience. By doing these things, being a servant of Christ, one will be shown the appreciation of the Heavenly Father. Both here and the life to come.

“Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name.” (vs. 27-28a) Again Jesus quotes Old Testament scripture, the Psalmist wrote; “O my God, my soul is cast down within me:” (Psalm 42:6a) A troubled soul is not necessarily one frightened of looming events, such as ones impending death, but as John wrote in 11:33 Jesus: “groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, ” as he witnessed Mary and his many close friends graving over the death of Lazarus, Jesus’ soul was so troubled and moved that he asked: “Where have ye laid him? ” and then he wept. (11:34-35)

Jesus understood and had compassion for the human emotion of loss and grief when a loved one is taken by death. I think that this might have been what was troubling his soul, the pain, guilt, sense of loss that his disciples, close friends, and not to mention the countless generations of followers would feel when his life was snuffed out on that cross. Jesus knew what we would be devestated and he was troubled.

“…and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.”

Jesus knew what the plan for salvation entailed, he knew that for the plan to work he had to die for the sins of the world. His rhetorical statement; “And what should I ask of my Father, don’t let me go through with this, when this has been the plan all along?” He knows he must leave the humans he has come to love, he know that he must go through with the plan, he knows; “The Time Has Come.”

The Time Has Come, all his work and teaching has been like the seed he first spoke of in this passage, it will die but then be reborn and produce much fruit. Make no mistake, Jesus is not troubled for his own sake, the time has come for him to die on that cross, and instead of him asking for his Father to release him from this plan, he prays asking God; “Father, glorify thy name”

“Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.” (vs. 28b-29

“In this Gospel, there is no account of the Transfiguration, with its voice from heaven. We might think of this incident as the Johannine equivalent. ‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again’ (v. 28c). The Father responds audibly to the Son’s request, assuring the Son that he has glorified the Son and will do so again. The Father glorified the Son in the Incarnation. The opening verses of this Gospel say, “The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth” (1:14). The Father also glorified the Son at the Transfiguration (9:28-36).The Father will glorify the Son again at the cross and the open tomb—and at the day of his return (Luke 9:26).” (Donovan)

It has been an exceedingly long time since most of the Hebrew people has heard the voice of God, in this Gospel John does not tell of the voice of God being heard following the baptism of Jesus. While the crowd does not comprehend the nature of this disembodied voice, they interpret it as an angel’s voice or thunder (which in scripture is often associated with God’s voice—Exodus 9:23-33; 19:19; 1 Samuel 2:10; Psalm 18:13, etc.). In other words, for these people, both thunder and an angel’s voice are Godly sounds.

“The disciples will remember the voice. While they do not understand it at the moment, after Jesus’ death and resurrection this voice will take on new meaning. Often, in our Christian walk, we understand only after time passes. Some things become clear as we mature spiritually. Others will become clear only when we see God face to face.” (ibid)

“This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” (vs. 30-31) Jesus is saying here, that God’s promise to again glorify Jesus, signifies that the world has been judged and through his death and resurrection, the prince of the world, the devil, will be cast out.

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.” (vs. 32-33)

“This is the third time that Jesus speaks of being lifted up (3:14; 8:28). It is clear that he is speaking of the cross, because in 3:14 he draws a parallel between his being lifted up and Moses lifting the serpent up on a pole. For anyone who misses the point, John appends the explanation that “He said this, signifying by what death he should die” However, in being lifted up, Jesus will also experience exaltation. His being lifted up on the cross will constitute an act of obedience to the Father’s will—a carrying out of the mission for which Jesus has come to the earth (v. 27). By his death, Jesus will “draw all people to myself.’ ” (Donovan)

“The great design of our Lord Jesus, which was to draw all men to him, not the Jews only, who had been long in a profession a people near to God, but the Gentiles also, who had been afar off; for he was to be the desire of all nations, and to him must the gathering of the people be. That which his enemies dreaded was that the world would go after him; and he would draw them to him, notwithstanding their opposition. ” (Henry)

The Time Has Come: His death will draw all men—who have ears that hear—to him, glorifying him and the Father.

“The strange method he took to accomplish his design by being lifted up from the earth. What he meant by this, to prevent mistake, we are told (John_12:33): This he spoke signifying by what death he should die, the death of the cross, though they had designed and attempted to stone him to death. He that was crucified was first nailed to the cross, and then lifted up upon it. He was lifted up as a spectacle to the world; lifted up between heaven and earth, as unworthy of either; yet the word here used signifies an honourable advancement, ean hupsōthō – If I be exalted; he reckoned his sufferings his honour.” (Henry)

Matthew Henry also wrote of this verse, “Whatever death we die, if we die in Christ we shall be lifted up out of this dungeon, this den of lions, into the regions of light and love. ” This is a common belief among Christians, one we do not question but hold as fact. When The Time Has Come for us, just as it has for Jesus we know that our souls will be set free from the bondage of death and find the glory that Jesus promised for his own.

“The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?” (v. 34)

That which is of the world and that which is of God, the spirit, are two entirely different things that, unfortunately, people are prone to confuse. The mind of man being so contained to the experiences of the worldly, it simply cannot comprehend existence within the spiritual realm, the heavenly Kingdom of God.

Thus we often see or read of man’s visualizations attempting to explain what existence will be like in heaven; these visualizations may or may not be accurate, but are totally based upon life experience without any knowledge of existence in the hereafter.

When you take into consideration that many of the high priests in Jesus’ time were Sadducees—men who did believe in resurrection or afterlife—you can see why their explanations of the Law, they might have failed to point out that these prophecies of a Messiah establishing an eternal Kingdom of God, were in fact referring to a spiritual Kingdom and not a worldly kingdom.

The Law—what we think of as the Old Testament—spoke of the triumph of the Messiah as it also spoke of his suffering (such as Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53).

As we have previously noted, the average Jew in the first century was eagerly awaiting the prophesied coming of a Messiah, but as we have found in our studies, even the disciples were programmed to think that the Messiah would be a political conqueror.

The men who had been closest to Jesus, present at all of his teachings and discourses, even up to the day of his crucifixion, believed that he was going to establish a worldly kingdom complete with a grand palace and throne room. They had even argued as to who would sit beside him, to the right and left of his throne.

Few if any of those people realized that God had sent his only Son as a sacrifice. When God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice and Abraham obeyed, God intervened at the last moment, sparing the life of Abraham’s son. No one ever thought that God—having spared the life of Isaac—would allow his only son to die.

“and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? ”

Most everyone knows John 3:16, but few remember verses 14-15; “14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Moses lifting the serpent up in the wilderness, is a reference to story from Numbers 21:4-9. It seems that while wandering in the desert after God led them out of Egypt, they complained of being hungry. God gave them mana from heaven. They were thirsty and God instructed Moses on what to do and they were given water. Then after being initially attacked by Canaanites, in the subsequent battle God awarded them victory. Now we find them once again complaining and grumbling. We would do well to remember that there is a limit to the patience of God, as in Numbers 21:6 we read that God caused a plague of firery serpents among the people which bit them and some died.

When the people come running to Moses asking him to intercede with God on their behave, Moses instructed by God to make a serpent out of brass and put it on a pole: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (Numbers 21:8-9)

“ The serpent was a mark of God’s anger and God’s mercy. God’s people might be saved by the God of life, if only they would look upon the image of that which would have brought about their death.” (Henrich)

In John 3:14-15, Jesus was telling Nicodemus that just as it was necessary for Moses to lift up the serpent (and put on a pole), Jesus must also be lifted up onto the cross, so that anyone who looks up in belief on the Son lifted up, would receive salvation. “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

“Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.” (vs. 35-36)

Jesus assured them that He would be with them only a short time longer. The light of His earthly ministry was about to go out. We must believe on Jesus while the light is there, because it won’t last forever. God’s Spirit will not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3), and we must answer His call while it rings to us.

“ It is the duty of every one of us to believe in the gospel light, to receive it as a divine light, to subscribe to the truths it discovers, for it is a light to our eyes, and to follow its guidance, for it is a light to our feet. Christ is the light, and we must believe in him as he is revealed to us; as a true light that will not deceive us, a sure light that will not misguide us. ” (Henry)

Benediction

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Thought for the Day:

God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way.
–C. S. Lewis

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