John 12(12–33)

Introduction

I said last week that the first part of John’s gospel ends in chapter 11 and the second part begins in chapter 12. The first part of his gospel is known as ‘the book of signs’, because the first eleven chapters contain seven signs to demonstrate that the Lord Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. That is to say, he’s is God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King who was sent into the world to deliver his people from our sin and misery by his life and death and resurrection. Thats’s what it means for him to be the Christ. And not only is the Christ, or God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King, but he is himself God: he’s the Eternal Son of God who has come in the flesh.

And the first part of John’s gospel contains sevens signs to demonstrate that this is who the Lord Jesus really is. So, he turned the water into wine. He healed the official’s son. He healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. He fed the 5,000. He walked on water. He healed the man who was blind from birth. And he brought Lazarus back from the dead. And since he’s the Christ and the Son of God, then we all ought to believe in him. We ought to trust in him for salvation, because he alone is able to deliver us from our sin and misery in this life and give us everlasting life in the presence of God in the new and better world to come.

And at the end of chapter 11 and at the beginning of chapter 12 John refers to the Passover, which was that annual festival which the Jews celebrated together in Jerusalem, when they remembered and gave thanks to God for rescuing them from their captivity in Egypt in the days of Moses. At that time, the Lord commanded his people to take and kill a lamb and to smear the blood of the lamb on the doorpost of their homes, because he was going to go through the land and strike the Egyptians with the tenth and most terrible plague of all in order to persuade the Egyptians to let his people go. For this tenth and most terrible plague, the Lord was going to kill every firstborn male in every home where he did not see any blood. But whenever he saw the blood of a lamb, the Lord would pass over that home and spare the people inside. And so, the Lord went through the land and he struck down every firstborn male in the homes of the Egyptians. But he passed over the homes of his people who believed his word and put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. And so, a lamb was killed so that the people might be spared. And not only were they spared, but they were set free from their captivity in Egypt and they were able to make their way to the Promised Land of Canaan.

And John refers to the Passover at the end of chapter 11 and at the beginning of chapter 12 to make clear to us that the Lord Jesus was killed in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. And he died in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover because the Lord Jesus Christ is the true Passover lamb. He suffered the wrath of God in our place so that we might be spared from God’s wrath. He was killed on the cross so that his people might live and live for ever. And because he suffered and died in our place, everyone who believes in him can look forward to everlasting life in the Promised Land of Eternal Life.

And in last week’s passage, we read how Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, anointed the Lord’s body with expensive perfume. And in this way she was preparing the Lord’s body for burial, because only a week later the Lord would be taken away and killed on the cross. And he was killed, because he is the Passover lamb, who died for sinners, so that all who believe in him as the only Saviour of the world may have forgiveness and the free gift of eternal life.

And so, we come to today’s passage. And I want go divide this passage into three main parts. The first part is verses 12 to 16, which is about the king who has come. The people shouted about the Lord Jesus: ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel.’ And so, the first part is about the king who has come. The second part is verses 17 to 26 and it’s about the hour that has come. When the Lord heard that some Greeks wanted to meet him, he said: ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’ He’s the Son of Man and he meant that he will be glorified through the cross. And the third part of today’s passage is verses 27 to 33 which is about how the time has come for the Father to be glorified in the death of his Son. The Lord prayed to his Father to glorify the Father’s name. And the Father replied that he has glorified it and will glorify it again.

Verses 12 to 16

Let’s turn to verses 12 to 16. John tells us in verse 12 that it’s the next day. So, it’s the day after Mary anointed the Lord with that expensive perfume in Bethany. And the great crowd of people who had gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover heard that the Lord Jesus was on the way there. At the end of chapter 11 we read that people in Jerusalem were wondering whether the Lord would come for the Passover or not. And now the news has reached them that yes, he’s on his way. And so, there’s an excitement in the city. There’s a buzz in the air. They’re excited by the idea that he was coming to Jerusalem. And according to verse 13, they went out to meet him. They had palm branches in their hands to wave. And they began to shout, saying: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ They’re quoting from Psalm 118, which is a psalm of thanksgiving in which the psalmist leads the people in praise to the Lord for his steadfast love and for rescuing them from their enemies. And in the psalm, the psalmist also calls on the Lord to save them. And so, the psalmist cries ‘Hosanna!’ That is, save us! And the psalmist says, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ In the psalm, the psalmist is referring to God’s people who have come to Jerusalem in the name of the Lord to worship him. But now, in John 12, the people of Jerusalem are using the words of the psalm to refer to the Lord Jesus. It seems to them that he’s the one who has come in the name of the Lord. And it seems to them that he has come in the name of the Lord to save them from their enemies.

Now, throughout John’s gospel, we’ve seen people wondering who the Lord is and wondering whether he might be the Christ: God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King who was coming to save them. And we’ve seen how the religious authorities were prepared to excommunicate anyone who acknowledged that he was the Christ. But it seems clear now that, after so much confusion over his true identity, the people in Jerusalem are persuaded that he really is the Christ, the King of God’s people. And so, they shouted about him: ‘Blessed is the King of Israel!’

However, what kind of king is he? And what has he come to do? They probably thought he was a king like David, who was a mighty warrior. Do you remember how the women used to sing: ‘Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands.’ David was a great and mighty warrior who led his army into battle against the Philistines and their other enemies. He drove their enemies from the land of Canaan and established peace for his people. But he established peace for his people by killing tens of thousands of their enemies.

And it seems the people were hoping that the Lord Jesus would be the same kind of king. They were hoping he would raise an army and lead it into battle against the Romans, who were occupying the Promised Land at that time. They were hoping the Lord would raise an army to drive the Romans out of Israel. David killed tens of thousands of people and drove his enemies away. And the people were hoping the Lord Jesus would do the same kind of thing. And so, they shouted about him: ‘Blessed is the King of Israel!’

But in order to make clear what kind of king he really is, the Lord found, not a war horse, but a young donkey. And he rode into Jerusalem on it. And he rode into Jerusalem in this way to show the people that he is not the kind of king they were expecting. He was not on a war horse and he did not come to kill and destroy. He came humbly and gently, riding on a donkey. He came to fulfil the words of the prophets Zephaniah and Zechariah. In Zephaniah we read: ‘Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion.’ And in Zechariah we read: ‘see, your king is coming seated on a donkey’s colt.’ And so, God’s people need not be afraid of the coming king, because their king has not come to kill and destroy. He hasn’t come to kill and destroy, because he has come, in fact, to be killed. He has come as the king of God’s people to lay down his life on the cross for their salvation. He has come to pay for their sins with his life and to make peace for them with God. He is their king, but he is the king who has come to serve them by giving up his life as the ransom to pay for their sins and to reconcile them to God for ever.

That’s the kind of king he is. He is not a warrior-king, but a servant-king. He did not come to make war but to make peace between God and sinners. He did not come to kill, but to be killed and to offer himself as the once-for-all perfect sacrifice for sins.

John tells us in verse 16 that the Lord’s disciples did not understand this at that time. In other words, they were puzzled by his decision to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. They didn’t understand the significance of why the Lord rode into Jerusalem in this way. They must have scratched their heads and wondered about it. But afterwards — after the Lord was glorified — they realised what was happening and why. So, after the Lord’s death and resurrection and ascension, they received from him the Holy Spirit, who led them into all the truth they needed to know about the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit enabled them to understand what was written about the Lord in the Old Testament Scriptures and why these things were done to him.

And so, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they understood that the Lord Jesus really is the Christ: God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King. And he came to conquer, not the Romans, but he came to conquer sin and death on our behalf, so that everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus receives forgiveness for what they had done wrong and peace with God and the hope of everlasting life in the presence of God in the new and better world to come. He is indeed the king who has come, but he is the king who has come to die for the sins of his people and to give everlasting life to all who trust in him for salvation.

Verses 17 to 26

Let’s turn now to the second part of the passage which is verses 17 to 26. And this part is about how the hour has come. The hour has come for the Lord Jesus to be glorified by dying on the cross for his people.

In verses 17 and 18 John tells us that there were really two crowds there. One crowd had been with the Lord in Bethany to see how he brought Lazarus back to life. And they spread the word about him: they told people in Jerusalem what the Lord had done in Bethany. And the other crowd are the ones who heard about what happend in Bethany. And because of what they had heard, they went out to see the Lord and to welcome him into the city as the Christ, their King.

And according to verse 19, the Pharisees were completely exasperated. They said to one another: ‘See, this is getting us nowhere.’ They meant that all their opposition to the Lord and all the threats they made about excommunicating those who acknowledged the Lord Jesus were having little impact. And as they saw crowds of people going out of Jerusalem to welcome the Lord Jesus as the Christ, it seemed to them that the whole world has gone after him. They were, of course, exaggerating. The whole world had not gone after the Lord Jesus. However, in the very next verse we read about these Greeks who wanted to meet the Lord. These are Greek-speaking Gentiles. They were presumably what were known as ‘God-fearers’. That is to say, they were Gentiles who worshipped the God of Israel. And they had therefore come to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel at the Passover. And presumably, while they were in Jerusalem, they heard about the Lord Jesus and they now wanted to meet him for themselves.

And their coming to see the Lord points forward to the time when people from all over the world will come to Christ for salvation. After the Lord’s death and resurrection and ascension, his disciples will preach the gospel to the nations. And people from every nation will trust in him for salvation. And so, it is today: people from every nation are hearing the good news of the gospel and they’re putting their faith in the Lord Jesus, who is the Saviour of the world.

And when Andrew and Philip told the Lord that these Greek-speaking Gentiles wanted to meet him, the Lord responded by announcing that the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. The Lord Jesus is the Son of Man and he meant that the hour has come for him to be glorified by giving up his life for the salvation of his people throughout the world. Back in chapter 2, when the Lord was at the wedding feast in Cana, he said to his mother that his time has not yet come. But now the time has come. It’s time for him to do what he came into the world to do.

And he describes what he will do and the effect it will have by using the image of a grain of wheat. He says that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will remain only a single seed. Now, the grain of wheat does not really die, but it’s as if it dies, because the farmer must plant it in the ground. The farmer must — in a sense — bury it so that it will sprout into new life and produce many more seeds. And the Lord Jesus is like that grain of wheat, because he’s going to die on the cross he’s going to be buried afterwards. But his death and burial means new life for all who believe in him. His death and burial means that all who believe in him will pass from death to life. And there are people all over the world and in every generation who will have this new life because of the death and burial of the Lord Jesus, who died to pay for our sins with his life.

The Lord Jesus was willing to give up his life in this world for the sake of his people. Instead of loving his life, he gave it up for us and for our salvation. And in verse 25 he says to us that if we love our life, we will lose it. But if we hate our life in this world, we will keep it for eternal life. He’s talking now about how Christ’s people can expect to suffer persecution in this life. His people can expect to suffer for Christ and they might be faced with the choice of either denying Christ in order to preserve their life in this world or confessing Christ and being put to death.

I often use the example of Polycarp who was killed for the faith in the year 150. He had been arrested by the Romans and was brought into the arena, where many Christians had already been taken to face the lions. And when the Roman governor saw this elderly man, he tried to persuade him to give up the faith and spare his life. He said to him that the arena was no place for an old man. So, just say that you renounce the Christian faith, and you’ll be spared. But Polycarp answered that he had served the Lord for 86 years and the Lord Jesus had done him no wrong. And how can he possibly deny the King who saved him?

Polycarp could have saved his life by denying his Saviour. But because he loved the Lord more than he loved his own life, he refused to renounce his faith. And so, he died. But he did not lose his life that day, because death for the believer is the doorway into everlasting life in the presence of God. Death for the believer is the doorway into a far better life than this one. On the other hand, the person who gives up his faith in the Saviour, because he wants to save his life, may save his life in this world. His life may be extended for a number of years. But if he’s given up his faith in the Saviour, then he’s let go of the only person who is able to give us eternal life in the presence of God. But the person who loses his life in this world, because he loves the Saviour more than he loves his own life, will live for ever. And he will live for ever, because he will not give up his faith in Christ, the only Saviour of the world.

The Lord is saying to his people that if we give up our faith in order to save our life in this world, then we will lose eternal life. But if we keep trusting in Christ, no matter how we suffer in this life, then we will live for ever. And lest we think the Lord is making an unreasonable demand upon us, all we need to do is remember that he loved us and gave up his life for us. Because of his abounding love for us, he came down from heaven as one of us and suffered and died at the hands of evil men, so that he might give everlasting life to all who believe in his name.

And he was willing to give up his precious life for sinners. By contrast, if we’re asked to give up our life for him, then we’re being asked to give up our life for the sake of Jesus Christ, who is our wonderful Saviour, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords and the friend of sinners who promises us eternal life and everlasting peace and rest and happiness.

Verses 27 to 33

Let’s turn now to the third part of today’s passage which is verses 27 to 33. which is about how the time has come for the Father to be glorified in the death of his Son.

The other gospel writers record the time, right before the Lord was arrested, when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying to his Father to take the cup of suffering from him. But not my will, but your’s be done, he said. Well, verses 27 and 28 are John’s equivalent of what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. As the Lord was thinking about his imminent death, his heart began to be troubled or disturbed or agitated even. And so, what should he do? Should he ask his Father in heaven to save him from this hour? Should he ask his Father in heaven to save him from all the pain and suffering he was about to experience in a week’s time?

But the Lord Jesus answers his own question by saying that no, this is why he has come. This is the reason he has come to this hour. This is why he came down from heaven and was incarnate as one of us. He has come to suffer and die on the cross for the sins of his people. He must go to the cross and suffer the wrath of God in our place.

And having resolved to go to the cross, he prayed to his Father in heaven: ‘Father, glorify your name!’ And his Father in heaven answered him with words that seemed like thunder to those who heard them. He said: ‘I have glorified it and will glorify it again.’ He means he has already brought glory and honour to his own name by what the Lord Jesus has done during his time on earth. And he will bring glory and honour to his name again when the Lord Jesus dies on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.

You see, the Father is glorified in his Son, because everything the Lord Jesus does reveals the glory of God the Father, who sent the Son into the world as his perfect image. And when the Lord Jesus was lifted up from the earth to die on the cross for the sins of his people, he was revealing the glory of his Father’s abounding love towards sinners and his overflowing grace and mercy and kindness and goodness. By dying on the cross in obedience to his Father in heaven, the Lord Jesus was revealing to us the greatness of God the Father’s love for us, because when the Lord Jesus was lifted up from the earth to die on the cross for the sins of his people, he was fulfilling the Father’s will. And his Father’s will was for his Son to suffer and die as one of us and for us so that all who believe may have eternal life in the presence of God.

And in the presence of God, all those who trusted in Christ for salvation will worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God in three persons, without weariness. We will worship and glorify the three persons of the Trinity for ever. And we will gaze upon their glory and we will be enthralled and gripped and overwhelmed by the glory of their never-ending love towards us. And what we will do in eternity, we should do today. We should worship the Lord for his overflowing love and grace to us in Christ Jesus. And we should seek to glorify and honour him in all we do and say.