Jesus entered Jerusalem to acclamation, partly because of raising Lazarus from the dead. His entry made clear He is the Messiah, and the Pharisees lamented that “the world has gone after him.” Jesus is ready to be glorified on the cross, fulfilling Isaiah 52-53, which He repeatedly alludes to throughout tonight’s passage.

Encounter Jesus – John Week 17

Preparing for Glory

John 12: 20-50

AUDIO

Lecture Handout

John Week 17 – Preparing for Glory Handout

Lesson Notes

The World Comes After Jesus (John 12: 20-36)

  • Verse 20 – “Some Greeks” means gentile “God-fearers” – non-Jews who worshipped God
  • Verses 21-22 – They ask to see Jesus, and their request works through the disciples
  • Verse 23 – Jesus’ answer is that His hour has come “to be glorified” -> as He makes clear, that means crucified, buried, and resurrected from the dead
    • After all this time, it’s finally “His hour” as the world comes knocking
  • Verse 24 – Metaphor of a grain of wheat
    • As long as it’s up and visible as a grain of wheat, it does nothing
    • When it’s planted – “falls into the earth” – dying to itself as a grain, no longer what it was, it becomes something new – a new life, a wheat stalk with many grains of wheat (multiplication)
    • Jesus will die, as they’ve known Him, be buried, then be resurrected in a way that bears much fruit
      • His resurrection opens the door for all His followers to rise
      • His fruit is victory over death – we’re the seed now, but will rise imperishable and be glorified when we die in Christ
    • 1 Corinthians 15: 35-38; 1 John 3: 2
  • Verse 25 – Whoever loves his life loses it, i.e. “whoever delights in his life in this world ore than God”
    • If we’re focused on this life as being most important, including the comforts, values, and maximization of it, it will all end!
    • Whoever hates his life in this world -> Jewish idiom here -> it means to values something less,
      • “whoever thinks so little of his life and so much of God he is willing to sacrifice it for God”, will keep it for eternal life!
    • If we put our priority on faithful obedience to Jesus and the concerns of God’s Kingdom take priority over stuff in our world and life, that demonstrates real faith that gives eternal life
  • Verse 26 – 3 truths/promises
    • To serve Christ, we must follow Him -> to the cross!
      • A willingness to give up not only the comforts of life, but our life itself if necessary to serve Christ
    • But such joy!!!! Where Christ is, there will we be -> i heaven, God’s presence
      • Conversely, in Christ, where we go, Jesus goes -> Matthew 28: 19-20
    • If we serve Him, God will honor us -> that’s the forever joy of faith in Christ – we’re honored in heaven as we are humbled in this life
  • Verse 27 – Jesus is troubled (stirred up, unsettled) as His hour arrives
    • He looks ahead to physical suffering, humiliation, bearing our sins, bearing God’s anger for our sins, separation from God because of our sins
    • Remember, Jesus became sin for us, though He knew no sin!
    • As in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus would prefer He avoid all this, but affirms this is why He took on a human nature and body -> the journey that began on Christmas was always leading to Easter
  • Verses 28-30 – God speaks
    • Jesus prays for God’s name -> His reputation, essential character, to be glorified through what’s about to happen in Jerusalem
    • God assures Him that He will glorify His name
      • As He glorified His name throughout Jesus’ ministry, so He will glorify it again on the cross
    • The crowd hears something supernatural going on -> this was so they’d understand Jesus’ connectivity to God and believe in Him
  • Verses 31-33 – Jesus speaks of crucifixion
    • Now is the judgment of the world’s system and ruler (Satan)
    • It thinks it’s judging Jesus, but His death judges the world and the devil instead
    • When Jesus is lifted up on that cross, Satan is defeated
    • Verse 32 – Will draw all people – all groups – to Him, when lifted up
      • Means all people, without distinction, Jew and Gentile alike; doesn’t mean every single person
      • See John 3: 14-18
      • See Isaiah 52: 13-15
  • Verse 34 – Crowd is confused by His expectation of death
    • Want to know if He is the Christ why He must be lifted up
    • Believes Messiah will rule His kingdom forever, based on biblical prophesy
  • Verse 35 – Jesus warns that time is running out to believe in Him
    • He is the light of the world, and physically only with them a little longer
    • Walk in Him while they can -> lest darkness overtime them -> once you embrace the light, darkness can’t overpower you, but you face a finite time to choose light
    • Verse 36 – While you have the light, believe in the light to become sons of light
      • Believe in Jesus, be adopted by God, 1 John 1: 7
    • And Jesus departed and hid Himself

The Unbelief of the People (John 12: 36-50)

  • Verse 37 – Despite all the miraculous signs, and they many chances, many still didn’t believe!
  • Verse 38 – Fulfills – lives out the words of Isaiah
    • Who has believed what the prophet said?
    • Who has seen the power of God – “the arm of the Lord” – the signs of Jesus revealing His divinity
    • Quotes Isaiah 53: 1, bringing Jesus as the suffering servant into view, Isaiah 53: 1-6
  • Verse 40 – Isaiah 6: 10, those who don’t want to believe, God blinds their eyes and hardens their hearts, giving them exactly what they desire
    • Otherwise it’s so visibly obvious from the signs, they’d just need to look
    • Then they’d believe and turn and be given eternal life, healing them from the sickness of sin and death
  • Verse 41 – Isaiah foresaw the life, suffering, and glory of Jesus!
  • Verses 42-43 – Many, even authorities, believed in Jesus
    • But lived in fear of the earthly consequences of their belief
    • Afraid Pharisees would kick them out of synagogue, as they’d done in chapter 9
    • Afraid they’d lose their earthly status, community, and fellowship
      • Remember verse 25 -> they loved this life too much to really follow Jesus
      • They’ve chosen man over God
  • Verses 44-50 – Jesus’ final plea to the people
    • He recaps all the great truths we’ve seen throughout the gospel
    • From here on, Jesus focuses on teaching, serving, preparing, and praying for His disciples (in chapters 13-17)
    • From here, Jesus will stand silent before His accusers when arrested, tried before the Jewish council, tried before the Romans, and executed by crucifixion
    • After His resurrection, He’ll continue to focus on equipping and sending His disciples
  • Verse 44 – Whoever believes in Jesus believes in God
  • Verse 45 – I am one with the Father because whoever sees me, sees God
  • Verse 46 – I am light, if you believe in Jesus, you may not remain in darkness
  • Whoever rejects Jesus will be judged and condemned by Christ’s words, because they are God’s words

Prayer – For belief in those around us who don’t yet know Jesus.

Next Week: I AM…The Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14: 1-31)