In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This is what John's gospel is all about. In the resurrection of Lazarus in chapter 11 Jesus reveals his glory, and now in chapter 12 all the world follows him. The crowds hail him as the Son of David in the triumphal entry, even the Greeks wish to see Jesus. All the world has gone after him!

And Jesus says, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified"

The hour has come. All of history has been preparing for this one moment. But this hour is not what his disciples have been expecting. So Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." The only route to life is through death. The only path to glory is the suffering of the cross. And Jesus insists that this is true for us as well as for himself. The faithful servant looks like his master. Having said this, Jesus says "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." Jesus knows why he has come. He knows what is coming next. It is time for him to die. And yet this troubles him. Jesus did not enjoy the thought of dying. But yet he knew the purposes of God-he knew why he had come. And so in humble submission, he says, "Father, glorify your name."

Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." Some thought that an angel had spoken-but others just thought it thundered. Jesus says, however, that this voice came not for his sake, but for ours. God is making sure that the people are without excuse.

The hour has come. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. What is Jesus talking about? How is this the "judgment of the world"? The prophets had said that at the end of history God would judge the world, vindicating his people Israel, and destroying the wicked. The death of Jesus was the judgment of the world. But Jesus also says "Now will the ruler of this world be cast out." Why is Satan called "the ruler of this world?" Adam was created by God to rule over the creation. He was God's vicegerent. God told him to have dominion over all creatures. But rather than rule as the steward of God, Adam yielded his lordship to the serpent. Through deceit, Satan gained the overlordship of the human race. With humanity under his power, the devil became "the ruler of this world." The promise to the woman was that her seed would crush the head of the serpent. Through the seed of the woman, God would restore humanity to rule at his right hand. And when you look at the history of the Son of God in the Old Testament, this royal theme is at the very center. Israel was called the Son of God, and was declared a kingdom of priests, the holy nation in which the rule of God would be established once again. And from within that holy nation, God called the son of David to be his son. The kingdom of God would be established wherever the Son of David reigned. The Psalms are full of this theme: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness.... Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." (Ps 45) "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession." (Ps 2) "And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens." (Ps 89) And in the law of Moses and the reign of David, the kingdom of God was revealed in a picture. But now the hour has come. Now is the judgment of this world. Now will the ruler of this world be cast out. Jesus referred to this event in Luke 10:18. When the seventy-two returned from their preaching mission, rejoicing that even the demons were subject to them in Jesus' name, Jesus said: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." Did you ever wonder what the point of casting out demons was? This is it. Jesus and his disciples healed the sick and cast out demons as signs of what Jesus came to do. He came to heal humanity from sin and death -therefore he healed the sick. He came to cast out the ruler of this world through his death -therefore he "practiced" by casting out demons in his life. But how could Jesus "cast out" the ruler of this world? Satan had a rightful claim to his authority. He may have obtained it through deceit, but no descendent of Adam could challenge him for the throne.

Until now.

The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

But how will the Son of Man be glorified? Was it through the voice from heaven? For a voice from heaven proclaimed "I have glorified it and I will glorify it again." But Jesus immediately said, no that voice was not for me. That was for you. No the way in which the Son of Man is glorified is by being lifted up.

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." Now, if this statement was left without explanation, you might think that it referred to the resurrection and ascension. After all, it is at the resurrection and ascension that Christ is lifted up, right? But John says that "He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die."

How is the Son of Man glorified? Through the cross. I've been telling you all through John's gospel that John sees the cross as the glorification of Jesus. Here's why. Jesus himself said it. The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. That hour comes at the cross. If Jesus is lifted up on the cross, then he will draw all people to himself. Jesus has spent the whole gospel of John driving people away. He has no interest in drawing crowds to himself. But now he reveals why. He cannot succeed at casting out the ruler of this world through gaining popularity with the crowds. A military campaign will accomplish nothing against the evil one. The only way for Jesus to bring the judgment of God against the world, is for him to bring it against himself. He must go to the cross. As we will see tonight from Isaiah, Jesus must become a remnant of one. It is on and through the cross that the Father glorifies the Son, and through that glory, the Son draws all people to himself.

How will you respond to this glory? The people respond by saying "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?" What a minute, Jesus! We've got our hopes pinned on you! The Messiah is supposed to stay with us. How can you talk about dying?

Jesus replies by turning their focus away from the future and onto himself (35-36) Darkness is coming. They may not understand all that happens, but if they believe in Jesus, then they will be able to endure the coming darkness. "In him was life, and that life was the light of the world."

But then Jesus hides himself from them. He knows that he cannot create true disciples through his signs. There is no point in trying to persuade and convince them, because the problem is not intellectual. This is what Isaiah had spoken of in Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 6. (38-41)

Isaiah saw his glory and spoke of him. Who? Jesus? Yes. In Isaiah 6, Isaiah saw the glory of the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus in that moment. In Isaiah 53, Isaiah saw the glory of the suffering servant. Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus in that moment as well. This is foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews, but we preach Christ and him crucified.

And yet some could not help but believe. As Jesus has told us before, no one can come to me unless the Father draws him. And some-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; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. These are in a dangerous halfway stance. They believe-and that is good! But they still love the glory of man more than the glory of God. In the end, this halfway stance will relapse into unbelief, because while they believe in the light, they refuse to walk in the light.

Jesus cried out (44-50) At first this sounds strange. On the one hand, Jesus says: "If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world." but then he says: "The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day."

To put it simply, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. He must go to the cross, where he will be lifted up for the salvation of the world. He will bear the penalty that man deserved. He will become the Son of David, the new Israel, the last Adam, the new humanity. So no, there is no need for Jesus to judge anyone. The one who rejects Jesus has rejected humanity. The unbeliever is the ultimate misanthrope. Jesus has come to save the world. The world is saved through him. Anyone who refuses to believe his word has stated plainly that he does not want to participate in the new creation. Jesus is the Son of God who speaks the words of his Father. We must hear him, and receive his word, because his commandment is eternal life.

As we come to the Lord's Table today, let us hear the call of our Lord, and let us walk as children of light.

Copyright © 2003 Peter J. Wallace