John 12:27-36

THE MAGNETIC CROSS

Text 12:27-36

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. There came therefore a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

29

The multitude therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it had thundered: others said, An angel hath spoken to him.

30

Jesus answered and said, This voice hath not come for my sake, 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 myself.

33

But this he said, signifying by what manner of death he should die.

34

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

35

Jesus therefore said unto them, Yet a little while is the light among you. Walk while ye have the light, that darkness overtake you not: and he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

36

While ye have the light, believe on the light, that ye may become sons of light. These things spake Jesus, and he departed and hid himself from them.

Queries

a.

Why tell the people that the voice of God was for their sake?

b.

How will He draw men to Him by being lifted up?

c.

Why hide from the people?

Paraphrase

Now my own soul is deeply distraught at the present reminder of my impending death, and shall I say, Father (if it be possible) save me from this hour? But (not My will but Thine be done) for this very purpose I came unto this hour. Father, I pray only that your name may be glorified. There came a sonorous voice booming from heaven, saying, I have glorified My name in the past and will glorify it again through You. The multitude standing near heard it and some said it had thundered but others said, An angel has spoken to Him. Jesus said, That voice from heaven came for your sake, not for mine, that you might have faith in me by this supernatural manifestation. Now is the critical hour coming in the entire history of the world in which it will be judged for its rejection of the Son of God; but at the same time and through the same means will the prince of this world, the Adversary and Accuser, also be defeated and rendered powerless. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth upon a cross of death, will draw all men who allow themselves to be drawn unto myself. (This He said to show what sort of death He would die.)

The multitude understood his figure of speech and said, We have heard teaching from the Law that the Christ lives forever. Why do you say in contradiction to this that the Son of Man must be lifted up in death? Who is this Son of Man of whom you speak? Jesus answered them by saying, You have the Light with you only a little while longer. You should walk in the illumination of the Light while you have the Light in order that the darkness of unbelief may not overwhelm you and imprison you. The person that walks in the darkness of unbelief is blind to his spiritual destiny. While you have the Light with you, walk and believe in the Light in order that you may become sons of Light and know your eternal destiny. Jesus said all these things, and went away and hid Himself from the multitudes.

Summary

The Greeks seeking Jesus remind Him of His impending sacrificial death, His sinless soul shrinks from the coming sentence of sin He must bear, but He is surrendered to the will of the Father. The Father strengthened Him by a manifestation to the multitude. Jesus warns that His death will be the critical point in all history for the world and that the Accuser's power will be broken. He is the Light of the world and men must believe in Him and walk in His light to know their eternal destiny.

Comment

The Lord now becomes more explicit in showing the agitation of His own soul which has been caused by the seeking of the Greeks. Their request has reminded Him of the fast-approaching hour when the barrier between Jew and Gentile will be taken out of the way. He is reminded of the moment when all men will be provided a way of reconciliation with GodHe is reminded that the very purpose for His coming, just a few hours away, is death for all sin!

There are two major interpretations of John 12:27. One makes Jesus utter a prayer similar to His agonizing prayer of Gethsemane, i.e., Father, save me from this hour (let this cup pass from me), but for this cause came I unto this hour (nevertheless, not my will but thine be done). The other interpretation places a question mark after the phrase, ... what shall I say, Father save me from this hour? No, I will not say that because for this very purpose came I unto this hour.

Either interpretation, as far as we can see, is in perfect harmony with other accounts of the Lord's deep feelings concerning the hour of the cross. The matter of punctuation (whether declarative or interrogative) is academic anyway, since the original Greek contained no punctuation marks. Jesus was tempted from the very beginning of His ministry, by the devil himself, to forego the way of the cross (cf. Matthew 4:8-10). Again, when Peter refused to accept the doctrine of the cross for the Messiah (cf. Matthew 16:21-28) it was a temptation that disturbed the depths of the Master's soul. When Mary anointed His head and feet with perfume at Bethany it reminded Him of His imminent death (cf. John 12:7). So His agitated soul again considers the cross and He prays, Father, save me from this hour (if it be possible), but for this cause came I unto this hour (and so my prayer is not my will be done, but thine), Father, glorify thy name. It was the same prayer He would cry even more strongly in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39; Hebrews 5:7-8). The shadow of the cross was upon Jesus from the day of His birth (cf. Luke 2:34-35). It was not the physical torture from which He shrank, but the curse of sin He took (2 Corinthians 5:21) which caused the Father to turn His face from the Son (Matthew 27:46).

There is one other interpretation of this 27th verse. It is based on the Greek preposition ek (out, from). It might be paraphrased thusly: Father, bring me safely out of this conflict (a prayer for glorification through resurrection from the death of the cross).

Whatever be the interpretation we cannot fail to see the unwavering determination of the Son to carry out the eternal purpose of the Father! (cf. John 4:34; John 5:30; Hebrews 10:7; Hebrews 10:9). The utmost concern of Jesus was to glorify the name of the Father. Throughout His earthly life He glorified the Father, but the culminating glorification was to be the death and resurrection of the Christ, and the establishment of the church. The death of Jesus was no accident. It came by the deliberate foreknowledge and counsel of God (cf. Acts 2:23; Revelation 13:8).

God's answer from heaven (John 12:28) includes more than the approaching suffering. God repeatedly glorified His name through the miraculous ministry of Jesus (cf. John 5:23; John 11:40); but especially in the crises of Jesus-' ministry: (a) The Baptism (Matthew 3:17; Luke 3:21-22); (b) The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5); (c) and here. The promise of future glorification includes the death, resurrection exaltation of Christ and the world-wide proclamation of the gospel of which Jesus was reminded when the Greeks sought Him in the temple.

God's voice speaking from heaven must have been a great booming, thunderous crash (cf. Exodus 19:16-20). Many of the multitude that stood near Jesus heard only the sonorous thunder-like sound and thought that it had thundered (cf. Acts 9:7; Acts 22:9; Acts 26:13). Others thought they heard articulate language, perhaps of an angel, being spoken to Jesus. John the Apostle heard the words and later the Holy Spirit caused John to remember and record them in his gospel.

The voice was not primarily for the benefit of Jesus (John 12:30). But how could the voice benefit the people if they could not understand what was spoken? Evidently the sound was of such magnitude and extraordinary character that it showed itself to be a supernatural phenomena. Thus it was manifestly a supernatural response to the heavenly-directed prayer of Jesus. The voice was to engender faith in Jesus. To show that Jesus was in direct communication with heaven.

The word judgment in John 12:31 is, in the Greek, krisis from which the English language gets crisis and critical. The hour of His death about which Jesus has been speaking and praying is to be the critical hour of all the history of the world! To quote Barnes, Now is approaching the decisive scene, the eventful periodthe crisiswhen it shall be determined who shall rule this world. Satan had very effectually ruled the souls of men in ages past, especially among the Gentile nations. He ruled through ignorance, superstition, fleshly passion and fear (cf. Hebrews 2:14-15). It is rather presumptuous for us to think we can understand the infinite relationships between the devil's domain and God's omnipotence. The devil is called here prince of this world and in other places god of this world, etc. (cf. Luke 4:6; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12). But even in ages past, before Christ defeated him at the cross, the Scriptures indicate the devil's power was subject to the omnipotent restrictions of God (cf. Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-6). Of one thing we may be certainthe death of Christ was the moment of casting out for the devil. Satan's power was broken when Jesus suffered the penalty and condemnation of sin for man. Satan is the Adversary (cf. Zechariah 3:1; 1 Peter 5:8)the Accuser (Revelation 12:10). But the atoning blood of Christ which paid the debt for man's sins nullified the accusations of the Accuser and defeated the Adversary. The glorification of Jesus (His death, resurrection and exaltation) would be the supernatural power that would destroy the rule of fearful bondage the Accuser held over all mankind and would be the drawing power whereby the Son of God would set up His kingdom of love, righteousness, faith and hope.

Hendriksen has connected this casting out of the prince of this world (cf. John 12:31-32) with the binding of Satan for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3), in his commentary on Revelation entitled, More Than Conquerors. We believe Hendriksen has the most reasonable, sensible and Scriptural approach to the book of Revelation yet made. Mr. Hendriksen's view is that before the birth of Christ, the nations (all except the Jews) were in bondage to the kingdom of darknessofSatan (by their own choosing, of course). There was no way for them, of their own merit, to break the shackles of the Adversary. But God spoke through His prophet Isaiah (and others) that those who were enslaved to darkness would one day see a great light (Isaiah 9:1-7; Isaiah 42:1-7cf. Luke 1:79; Luke 4:16-32). The Old Testament prophecied that the spiritual bondage of the Gentiles to the prince of this world would be brokenlight would come. Jesus is born and demonstrates His power to cast out the demons (emissaries of Satan) (read carefully, Matthew 12:29note the word bind), The work of binding Satan begins with the ministry of Jesus (cf. Luke 10:17-18; Colossians 2:15 and our passage here in John, John 12:20-32). This binding and casting out or falling of Satan is in some way associated with the first coming of Jesus. It is immediately connected with the work of preaching the gospel to all nations throughout the world. The binding of Satan begins with Christ's first coming and extends nearly to His second coming (at which time the devil will be loosed for a short season). But the devil is not bound completely and in every sense. A vicious dog securely bound to a tree with a long, heavy chain can still do great harm within the circle of his imprisonment if a person becomes flirtatious or unaware by indifference. Satan is definitely chained, but within the sphere in which he is permitted to exert his influence for evil he rages most furiously and woe to the man who wilfully or indifferently steps inside that circle! In other words, Hendriksen believes that the Scriptures substantiate best the amillenial view of Revelation, i.e., we are now living in the millennium (the thousand year reign of Christ). Whether our readers agree with this view or not, we are persuaded they would profit from reading Mr. Hendriksen's book, More Than Conquerors, published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Of one thing we are certain, because of the death and resurrection of Christ we are more than conquerors (cf. Romans 8:31-39). The lifting up of the Redeemer has accomplished the victory over the AccuserIf God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

It is said of Napoleon that toward the end of his life as he lived it out in exile, he pointed one day to a red dot on a map that marked the place called Waterloo and said to a friend, Had it not been for that small red dot there on the map I would have conquered the world. Satan and his cohorts are pointing to the one red, blood-stained moment in history called Calvary and saying, Had it not been for that moment, I would have conquered the world.
Some commentators believe that because the Greek preposition ek (out) is used again in John 12:32, Jesus means to include not only His death on the cross in the lifting up but also His being lifted up out from the earth (i.e., His resurrection also). The drawing power of His resurrection certainly cannot be denied, and neither can it be denied that His resurrection is also a part of His glorification (along with His ascension and exaltation). But perhaps it is wiser to simply take John's clear statement (John 12:33) that Jesus was speaking of the manner of His forthcoming death, and let it go at that.

The multitude understood plainly what Jesus meant by being lifted up. But they stumbled over the idea that the Son of Man should die. It is the ever recurrent stumbling-block of the Jewsthey simply could not comprehend the Messiah dying a humiliating death. Perhaps they even thought the Son of Man was to remain an eternal, temporal ruler (cf. Psalms 110:4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Ezekiel 37:25; Daniel 7:14)they had heard that the Christ would remain forever. For an excellent discussion of the title Son of Man and other Messianic titles, see The Self-Disclosure of Jesus, by Vos. The title, Son of Man, is a term used by the prophets to speak of the Messiah. Jesus seems to have a special fondness for the term, perhaps because it indicated more clearly His divine-human nature.

The main point of John 12:34-36 is the misconception by the multitudes of the nature of the Messiah and the explanation Jesus gives. The significance of the three verses hinges on the therefore of John 12:35. What follows the therefore is Jesus-' explanation of the spiritual nature of the Messiah.

The figure of light Jesus applies to Himself as He has done before. The contrast is between His doctrine concerning the Messianic kingdom which is truth and their ideas of the Kingdom which are false. The difference is between belief and unbelief. The person who walks in the darkness of unbelief is blind to his spiritual destiny. He does not know where he is from, why he is here nor where he is going. On the other hand, when men believe in the true Light and become sons of light they know their purpose and eternal destiny (cf. John 1:4; John 8:12; John 9:5). These Jews were warned that they should make use of the privilege of having the Light while He is still with them. Days of darkness were soon to come upon the nation because it rejected its Saviour.

The situation was becoming critical. The events of the latter part of John 12:1-50 probably took place on Tuesday of the last week, the great day of questions and challengesthe day when Jesus eluded the traps of the Herodians, Pharisees and Sadducees; the day when He publicly denounced them as hypocrites (cf. Matthew 23:1-39) (cf. Map #7, John 14:25-31.). But there was an appointed hour for His death and He would not permit Himself to be put to death until the time and in the manner ordained by the Father. He did not hide because of cowardice; to the contrary, His complete mastery of the situation shows His omnipotence! He would not use miraculous means to prevent His death when the natural would suffice and so He retired, probably to Bethany (cf. Luke 21:37), and hid from His enemies.

Quiz

1.

What are three interpretations of John 12:27?

2.

Why did the prospect of the cross trouble the soul of Jesus?

3.

How could Jesus say the voice out of heaven was for the benefit of the multitude when they did not hear the words?

4.

To what extent was the prince of this world cast out at the death of Jesus?

5.

What is the drawing power in the lifting up of Jesus?

6.

Why would the people say they had heard the Christ abides forever?

7.

What is the light Jesus speaks of in John 12:35-36? Why does He answer their question about the Son of Man in this manner?