TEXT: John 12:20-43

SUBJECT: Exposition of John #30: The Greeks seek Christ

Today brings us to the thirtieth sermon in our study of John's Gospel, to further proof that "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God", and to another inducement for you to believe in Christ, and find in Him eternal life. May God give you that faith. Or more of it. For Christ's sake. Amen.

The narrative opens with a request. It comes from "Certain Greeks who came up to worship at the feast". They are converts to Judaism who have come to Jerusalem for Passover. They have seen the fanfare surrounding our Lord and want to personally meet Him. But He's not available at the moment, and so, they ask Philip to put them on His calendar as soon as possible. He takes it up with Andrew, and the two disciples take it to their Lord. "Would You like to schedule a meeting with the Greeks?"

The reply is not what they expected. He doesn't answer "yes" or "no", but explains the meaning of the request. To our Lord Jesus, the request is an omen.

Of what? A bit earlier, the Pharisees had cried: "Look, the world has gone after Him!" What they meant is: The people are flocking to Christ--all of whom are Jews. But our Lord is no Local Messiah; He is "The Savior of the world". The Greeks asking for Him proves that point.

How does our Lord save the world? Not by teaching us to "love one another", but by dying for us--"the just for the unjust" Peter has it.

The request made Him think of the crucifixion... and what lay beyond it. What's that? He tells us: "Father, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified". Nothing romantic about our Lord's death--it was pure suffering. But His death was not a dead end; it was a passage way to glory. Four items make up this "glory". They are:

Our Lord is now prepared to enter the fullness of His glory. "The hour has come!"

Well, not quite. He backtracks for a moment recalling what lies between Him and glory. He puts it in figurative language, but the meaning is clear: "Most assuredly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain".

A seed is destined by God to produce fruit. It doesn't however, until it is planted. In the same way, our Lord is chosen by God to receive glory, He won't however, until He dies and is buried. The order cannot be reversed: "Christ must suffer these things and [only then] enter into His glory". Or to put it another way: the cross must precede the crown.

From the Divine order of things, our Lord draws a moral lesson: What's true of Him must also be true of His people. If He chooses suffering over pleasure, so must we. This is not, however, to be equated with stoicism--no less masochism--but a choice to forego the joys of today for the glories that await us.

In other words: If He prefers serving God to self-service, we must too. Will we end up the losers for it? No. Whatever self-esteem we give up will be more than compensated for by the approval of heaven.

Does our Lord Jesus regret His choice? Ask Him, He's at God's Right Hand. Does Moses wish he had remained in the Royal House of Egypt? No way! He "looked for the reward"...and now has it. Does Paul now rue his hard life? I doubt it. He thought it was "A light affliction that was for a moment" that gave way to "an eternal weight of glory".

Our Lord has now publicly embraced the cross for "the joy that is set before Him".

The prayer, vv.27-33.

There is no joy in the cross; it's as terrible to Him as it would be to us. And more. It's no wonder he says: "Now My soul is troubled". In His horror, He turns to prayer. What does He want? Not escape--He won't have it. "Father, glorify Your name". That's what He wants. He has brought glory to God in His life, now He wants the same in His death. Will He have it?

Yes He will: "A voice came from heaven, saying: `I have both glorified it and will glorify it again'". The voice is audible and loud--everyone hears it. Some think it's an angel speaking. The more scientific say it's a clap of thunder. But our Lord knows what it is. It is the voice of His Father. God has spoken to confirm the Word. It is not our Lord who needs reassuring, though, but the others who need it. Make no mistake about it: God will glorify Himself by the death of Jesus Christ!

Three results must follow from His death. Each is more ironic than the other.

"Now is the judgment of the world". Our Lord will soon face three tribunals--the Council, Pilate, and the mob. Each will declare Him "guilty". But in so doing, it is not He who is judged, but they. And not they only, but the whole world. The song asks,

"Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"

Yes you were. So was I. We agreed with the verdict. Unrenewed by grace, everyone joins the mob in calling for His crucifixion. It cannot be otherwise, for "Light came into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because [our] deeds are evil". The devout painters have always missed the crucifixion because they painted it from below. But Salvador Dali got it right. He was no friend of Christ's but somehow he knew the cross must be pictured from above and behind. For at the cross, it is not the world judging Christ, but God judging the world.

"Now the ruler of this world will be cast out". Satan is triumphant at the cross; our Lord has run out of miracles; this is hell's "hour and the power of darkness". Or so it seems. But it is not. For the cross, so far from advancing Satan's cause in the world, is, in fact, the overthrow of his kingdom. If Goliath's head is taken off by his own sword and if Haman's neck is put into his own noose, then Satan must be nailed to his own cross.

"And I, if I am lifted up, will draw all peoples to Myself". There is nothing more repellent than a cross. Its death is so hideous that polite Romans wouldn't even say the word. Yet

"The Old Rugged Cross,

So despised by the world,

Hath a wondrous attraction to me".

And not to me only. But "all men", i.e., people from "Every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue" find a glory in that shame. And find a life in that death.

"The Son of Man must be lifted up" our Lord says. John adds a footnote: "This He said, signifying what manner of death He would die", i.e., He must be crucified.

These words leave the people bewildered. "We have heard from the law that Christ remains forever; and how can You say, `The Son of Man must be lifted up?' Who is this Son of Man?"

Good question! The obvious alternatives are:

Our Lord replies: "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of the light".

This is a proverb or a saying. A man is traveling by foot. Hotels are placed twelve hours apart. If he's to get to the next one by dusk, he must leave this one by dawn. In other words, he must take full advantage of the light he has. In the same way, if one is to understand how Christ can be both "lifted up" and "remain forever", he must believe what the Lord is now saying and wait patiently for its fulfillment. In other words: At the moment the sufferings and the glories of Messiah are in conflict, but by next Sunday morning, they'll be perfectly reconciled.

Believe in Christ. Wait on the Lord. Their duty. And ours. With these words, our Lord's public ministry comes to an end. But John goes on to explain the reaction His last words had on his hearers.

The reaction, vv.37-43.

Not everyone accepted them. Many "did not believe" v.37 has it. Why not? It was no fault of His. He performed "many signs". John records seven of them in His Gospel, but adds: "There are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books". The "signs" were meant to elicit faith--to bring people to confess "Jesus is the Christ the Son of God".

The unbelief broke our Lord's heart, but it did not surprise Him. The prophet Isaiah had foreseen it long before.

"Lord, who has believed our report?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD

Been revealed?"

Some believed in Christ, but relatively few. "He came to His own, but His own did not--for the most part--"receive Him". They chose Barabbas over Christ, preferring a murderer to the Prince of Life.

Unbelief cannot go unpunished. But what penalty fits the crime? Disease? Conquest? Famine? Exile? These are not adequate. A judgment more severe is required. What is it? John looks to Isaiah for the answer:

"He has blinded their eyes and

hardened their heart,

Lest they should see with their eyes

And understand with their heart,

Lest they should turn,

So that I should heal them".

They chose to not believe in Christ. God confirmed their choice. At first, they were unwilling to believe, but under God's curse, they found themselves unable to believe.

Can God justly punish them for their unbelief? Yes He can. How? Because their inability is self-imposed. They weren't born hardened, they became hardened. How? By their own choice to not believe in the Name of the only begotten Son of God.

The unbeliever, therefore, runs two risks, not one: He may die in his unbelief and be eternally lost. Or, he may live in his unbelief till God confirms him in it and be eternally lost. In either event,

"Behold, now is the accepted time;

Now is the day of salvation".

It is, therefore every unbeliever's duty to believe in Christ without further delay. This means you!

Not everyone believed in Christ, but some did. Their faith is described in vv.42-43. They "believed in Him", but not very strongly. Are these people true believers? Some say no--emphatically not! But I think they were. Here's why: they are set in contrast to the unbelievers of vv.37ff. What's the opposite of an unbeliever? A hypocrite? Of course not! A believer. Their faith--as I see it--was real and saving, but very weak. Is this possible? Our Lord thought so, calling the Apostles, men "of little faith" .

They were true believers whose faith was hindered by fear and a desire for acceptance. But the grace of our Lord is so great that He receives even them. And others whose faith could stand some improvement. We mustn't be happy with a weak faith--no less smug about it--but we must be thankful that, just as the smallest seed grows into the biggest tree, so the weakest faith brings one to Christ...and to glory.

This narrative, like the rest of John's Gospel, is crafted to make us "Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God". How does it do that? V.41 is the key. It is taken from Isaiah 6.

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and lifted up..." the prophecy begins. Isaiah calls Him "JEHOVAH"--a name attached to no Being but the One True God. He spies Him seated on a heavenly throne, attended by seraphim or fiery angels. His voice rattles the temple in heaven. His sight overpowers a good man with a feeling of sin and unworthiness. His Word is sent to Israel. And His Word is God's Word.

Without qualification, John identifies the object of Isaiah's vision with none other than Jesus Christ!

Isaiah's vision tied the rabbis in knots. For one of their chief articles of faith is: "No man has seen God at any time". This is why they were and are so horrified at images of any kind. Yet Isaiah did. The Vision Splendid was not symbolic--like the burning bush, for example. He saw Someone up there--Someone with a human form no less. Yet the Word remains: "No man has seen God...No man can see God and live". How are the two squared? Here's how: There is "An Image of the invisible God"--our Lord Jesus Christ. John has told us that already, in 1:18: "No one has seen God at any time. The Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared Him". Now, He brings it up again. To confirm our faith. To let us know and to make us feel "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God".

Do you believe it? "Lord, I believe! Help Thou mine unbelief!"