John 12 Sunday school Dec 6th 2015

Jesus’ own opening quote – “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

Read John 12: 27-36

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

²⁷ “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰ Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. ³⁴ So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵ So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶ While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

Details

Vs 27 - Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.
This passage foreshadows what event later in Jesus’ passion? Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus says, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
What is the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane in Reference to? Crucifixion
Revelation 5, 1 of me & Cait’s favorite chapters of Scripture
What is Jesus’ purpose for suffering? Rev 5: 9-14 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”¹And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Vs 28-30 – Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰ Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.

The Father’s seal of approval on Christ’s saving work

Lets look at the 2 other passages where God speaks during Jesus’ ministry passages. In Matt 3, Luke 9  & our passage here John 12. What are the messages from God? “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” “I have glorified your name (Jesus), and I will glorify it again.”

Vs 31 – Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. Who is the ruler of this world in our passage? 2 Corinthians 4:4 - In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. The phrase “god of this world” (or “god of this age”) indicates that Satan is the major influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people. His influence also encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce.

How will Jesus overcome Satan?

 Vs 32-34a – And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Being “lifted up” reminds the Jews of what famous event in Israel’s history? The Bronze Serpent in Numbers 21:4-9, “From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”

How does the OT Bronze Serpent parallel looking to Jesus lifted up & being saved?

Vs 34b-36a – Who is this Son of Man?” So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. more light & darkness metaphor from John What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man?  From a OT vision a Messianic prophecy Daniel 7:13-14  “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

The description “Son of Man” was a Messianic title. Jesus is the One who was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. When Jesus used this phrase, He was assigning the Son of Man prophecy to Himself. The Jews of that era would have been intimately familiar with the phrase and to whom it referred. Jesus was proclaiming Himself as the Messiah.

@@@ if there is time The Unbelief of the People John 12:36b-43

When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. ³⁷ Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, ³⁸ so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

Ish 53 – “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

³⁹ Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,

Ish 6 – “He has blinded their eyes
    and hardened their heart,
lest they see with their eyes,
    and understand with their heart, and turn,
    and I would heal them.”

⁴¹ Isaiah said these things because he saw (the Messiah’s) glory and spoke of him. ⁴² Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy – judgment on unbelieving Israel & Isaiah saw an enthroned God & the coming of a Suffering Servant

What event does this remind you of from 3 chapters ago (or my sermon, last week)?

Having just preached on John 9 of course this reminds me again of the Blind man who received his sight & having received his sight his OWN parents would rather throw him under the bus & NOT defend him or the man who had healed him but left their OWN son to defend himself before the Pharisees. This passage raises a hard question what do you make of the passage saying people COULD NOT believe in Jesus in order to fulfill Scripture, what implications does that lead to?  

RC Sproul famous Presbyterian theologian, is fond of saying the theological question he gets asked the most is: “What of the innocent Amazonian native that’s never heard the gospel?” Do not stress, Sproul says, the “innocent” Amazonian native who’s never heard the gospel will go straight to heaven when he dies for being “innocent.” The same question another way however is what happens to the guilty Amazonian native that’s never heard the gospel?

Closing quote from Matthew Henry, “the sin of our souls was the trouble of Christ’s soul, when he undertook to redeem and save us, and to make his soul an offering for our sin.”