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One of the things that was quite striking when
we were in Canada recently was the change of colours in
the trees. We found that as the 3 weeks we had there went
by we saw more and more red and yellow. Now of course we
have leaves changing colour here in Australia in autumn,
but I don't think it has the same significance here as it
does over there. We were listening to the radio on
September 21, the day they consider the first day of
fall, and there was almost a note of despondency in the
air at the prospect of winter to come. They were saying
things like, "Get out and enjoy the sunshine while
you can." For them the changing of the leaves'
colours wasn't just something to marvel at, like it was
for us. For them it was the sign of winter on its way; of
short days and bitter cold; of the end of warm days and
sunshine. |
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A few
days before the passover in Jerusalem, some Greek
believers came to talk with Jesus. They first spoke to
Philip who went to consult with Andrew, because he wasn't
sure what to do, then together they went and told Jesus. |
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When
Jesus hears their request he immediately recognises it as
a sign that the final fulfilment of his mission on earth
is drawing near. He says: "The hour has come for the
Son of Man to be glorified." The coming of these
Greeks to speak with him is like the turning of the
leaves in Autumn. It's a sure sign that the end is
drawing near. |
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Now 2
questions arise immediately from this incident. Why did
they come and why did Jesus react in this way? |
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It might
just be that they've been drawn by the same sort of
curiosity that drew people to him after the raising of
Lazarus. On the other hand it might be that they've
witnessed the cleansing of the Temple, described in Mark
11, when Jesus declared the Temple to be a place of
prayer for all nations. So they've come to find out more
about this teacher who seems to be questioning the
inferior status of Gentiles before God. |
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Now
that's all we hear about these Greeks. It seems that
their significance lies primarily in what they signify to
Jesus. Perhaps a clue to what that is, is to be found in
the contrast between the attitude of the Pharisees and
the High Priests in the previous passage where they
reject Jesus and the attitude of these foreigners who
come seeking him. In any case Jesus makes it clear how
significant their coming is by the way he responds. He
says "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be
glorified." |
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Now up
until this point in John's gospel Jesus' hour has always
been in the future. So in John 2 at the wedding at Cana,
he says to his mother: "Woman, what concern is that
to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." In John
7 we're told, "Then they tried to arrest him, but no
one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet
come." In John 8 we're told: "He spoke these
words while he was teaching in the treasury of the
temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not
yet come." The 'hour' is the time appointed by God
for Jesus' death and resurrection, and for his
exaltation. And now the coming of these Gentiles to seek
out Jesus heralds the arrival of that hour. Now is the
time for the Son of Man to be glorified. |
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But what
does it mean for Jesus to be glorified? How is he going
to be glorified? Let's look at what it says. |
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First,
Jesus glory will come through his death and resurrection.
He likens it to a grain of wheat. There's not much to a
single grain of wheat is there? It doesn't look much. You
can't do much with it. But put it in the ground so that
it dies and comes to life again and you discover its
glory as it bears much fruit. So too, Jesus' death and
resurrection will bear much fruit as we'll see in a
moment. |
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Second,
Jesus' glory comes about through the Father being
glorified. Its as though with the coming of these
Gentiles, Jesus is suddenly hit by the harsh reality of
what he's about to face. So he says "Now my soul is
troubled. And what should I say--' Father, save me from
this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to
this hour. 28Father, glorify your name."
His glory is totally dependent on the Father being
glorified. His glory comes from his willing submission to
the Father's will. Jesus is about to sacrifice his life
in order to bring glory to God. Again we'll see how that
will happen in a moment. By the way, have you ever
thought that when you obey God it both brings glory to
God and to you at the same time? You might give that some
thought next time you're deciding whether to obey God or
not. |
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Thirdly,
Jesus glory comes about as he's lifted up from the earth.
But this exaltation isn't what we might at first have
thought. John explains for those of us who are a bit slow
on the uptake. Being lifted up is a euphemism for
crucifixion. His glory comes about through him being
crucified. |
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And
Fourthly, his glory comes about because his being lifted
up has a profound effect: 32"And I, when
I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to
myself." Jesus death isn't just an act of sacrifice
with some vague inherent value. It isn't some vague dying
for the sake of others, the way you night infer from the
Primates comments at the recent seminar here in
Melbourne. No, he dies for a purpose: to draw all people
to himself. He dies in their place so that all might come
to the Father on the grounds of his saving death,
irrespective of race or gender or social standing. In his
death he takes on himself all the shame and guilt of the
whole world, Jew and Gentile alike, and in the process
drives the prince of this world from his throne. |
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Here's
the significance of the Greeks coming to see Jesus at
this moment. They've come to seek out the salvation he's
bringing for all the world. But notice that when he's
raised up, what will happen isn't that people will seek
him out. Rather he will draw all people to himself. |
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So we see
it all coming together. Jesus' glory comes about as he
dies and rises again to bear much fruit to the glory of
God. The fruit that he bears is the lives of men and
women from everywhere who are drawn to him as a result of
his saving work on the cross, where he takes on himself
all the shame and guilt of the whole world, Jew and
Gentile alike, and in the process drives the prince of
this world from his throne. And God is glorified in this
because by it the promise he made to Abraham all those
years ago, that through his descendant all the peoples on
earth would be blessed, has now been fulfilled. |
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But
having said that, we immediately discover that although
Jesus came to draw all people to himself, individuals
don't necessarily respond. |
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Those in
the crowd who have heard what he's just said are a bit
surprised by it. Their understanding was that the Messiah
was going to come to restore the kingship to Israel and
establish his reign forever. That was why they welcomed
him into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday the way they did. But
here he was talking about being lifted up on a cross?
That didn't seem like the sort of Messiah they had in
mind. They didn't want a leader who would give himself up
to death. They wanted a conquering King. And so in the
end, just as Isaiah had foretold, most of them rejected
him. |
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But first
Jesus gives them this warning: "The light is with
you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light,
so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in
the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36While
you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may
become children of light." Just like that radio
announcer telling us to make the most of the sunshine and
warmth while we could. They need to take advantage of
Jesus' presence with them while they have it. This is in
fact the third time he's given this warning in the last
few chapters, but this is the last time they'll hear it.
In fact this is the last they'll see of Jesus in his
public ministry. Their opportunity has gone. The hour has
come. The light is about to leave them and they'll be
left in darkness. And so John, as he so often does, makes
a simple but profound statement that carries a huge load
of meaning. "After Jesus had said this, he departed
and hid from them." |
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Jesus
public ministry is over, and they won't see him again
until his public trial and execution. The suddenness of
his going is like an acted parable showing just how short
the time is. |
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For us
too, the warning is here: time is short. You don't know
how long you'll have to respond to Jesus. So act before
it's too late. Don't be like those whose eyes are blinded
and whose hearts are dead. Instead turn to Jesus for
healing, for cleansing. Ask him to give you his light to
show the way through the darkness. Believe in the light,
so that you may become children of light |
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Look at
vs44-46: "Whoever believes in me believes not in me
but in him who sent me. 45And whoever sees me
sees him who sent me. 46I have come as light
into the world, so that everyone who believes in me
should not remain in the darkness." Times of
darkness may overtake us but there's no need to live in
the darkness when Jesus offers us the light of the
knowledge of God. |
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This is
the message of Christmas isn't it?: "The people who
walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who
lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has
shined." |
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So let me
encourage you if you are one who has believed in Jesus,
if you are one in whom the light is shining, to be bold
in telling others about him this Christmas time. There's
just a slight rebuke, and perhaps a hint of
disappointment in the report of v42. There were some who
believed in Jesus, even some of the leaders of the
people, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess
it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.
One wonders how they felt later when Jesus was raised
from the dead. Was their joy tainted just a little by
guilt over their fear of the Pharisees; over their
failure to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and Lord? |
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And
notice Jesus' final public statement in vs47-50. It's
similar to the words of John 3:17-21. He hasn't come into
the world to condemn anyone. He's come to save people.
This final warning isn't meant as a judgement on people.
Rather it's to make sure they understand the seriousness
of their position. That's because you can't just listen
to Jesus words and ignore them. They don't allow that.
You either believe them or you reject them. And in the
end that decision determines whether you live in light or
darkness. "The Father who sent me has himself given
me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. 50And
I know that his commandment is eternal life." The
choice is to believe or to reject. It's to be in the
light, to know where you're going, or to be lost in the
dark. It's to enjoy eternal life or lose your life
forever. |
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I want us
to pray now first that at every point in our lives we
might choose to believe Christ's words and so walk in the
light and second that the light of Christ would fill our
lives to show us the way to serve him better, so that we
too might bear much fruit to the glory of God. |
