Divine Yearnings
(A Week Like No Other – Part 3)
#129 in Series: “The Life of Christ – in a Harmony of The Gospels”
(Thesis statement: The longings of the inner self, find their satisfaction in the Lord - His Person, His purpose, for His glory. An exposition of John 12:20-36)
In our study of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus, we have come to the final week leading up to the cross… Historically, this is referred to as Passion Week. It is the most important week in all of redemptive history - in all of … human history!
Last week, we considered Divine Expectations as we unfolded the events around the cursing of a fruitless fig tree and the cleansing of the temple… Today, we will look to the next immediate event, under the title Divine Yearnings… I hope it becomes clear as to why…
John is the gospel writer that tells us about this encounter… There is a lot to this passage, and even though it takes some time to study it in detail - more time than we will have today - I want us to read it, before we begin to examine it.
John 12:20-36
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip *came and *told Andrew; Andrew and Philip *came and *told Jesus. 23 And Jesus *answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 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. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. 31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. 34 The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”
These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.
This is a narrative about an encounter that Jesus has with … the public. After this, John doesn’t record another “public sermon” that Jesus gives. In other words, this is the last event in Jesus’ “public ministry”. After this, He will concentrate on His disciples - pouring into them truth that will not only prepare them for what is coming - but truth that will become foundational for the church once Jesus was glorified and returns back to heaven…
The central character in this narrative is Jesus of course. In fact, Christians today still focus on Christ, everything about our lives should be considered in light of Christ - so it is appropriate to look for how Jesus is highlighted in a passage as you study God’s Word… In this passage it is easy to see each movement in relation to Christ…
So, we begin our examination of this passage, by considering -
1. The Desire for Jesus
John 12:20-22
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip *came and *told Andrew; Andrew and Philip *came and *told Jesus.
It is interesting that those … non-Jews identified in this text are referred to as Greeks, and not merely gentiles… Gentile is the broad categorization of non-Jewish people, and … as a rule, the Jews in Jesus’ day … hated gentiles.
In fact, one of the arguments as to how the Court of the Gentiles - the outer court of the Temple - was allowed to … drift into becoming a mere marketplace - was because the Jews had lost all sense of being “missionaries” of the faith… Most Jews could care less if a gentile ever became a proselyte…
Because these are identified as Greeks, has led many to conclude that they were not proselytes. They may be “God-fearers”, in the process of becoming a Jew, but they were not yet … fully proselytized.
The text clearly says they -
John 12:20
Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast;
Perhaps they have heard about Jesus, and desiring to know more about the Messiah - they come asking to see Jesus!...
Notice that they specifically came to a disciple, who has a Greek name; Philip -
John 12:21-22
21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip *came and *told Andrew; Andrew and Philip *came and *told Jesus.
(This is a good place to explain why the NAS has the asterisk(*) beside several verbs… This is to alert you that this an “historical present tense” verb in the Greek… Whenever you see that, the actual verb is in the present tense - to emphasis action - rather than the past tense, as it is translated…)
An interesting nuance in the original language that is used here. These Greeks “kept asking” Philip for the opportunity to see Jesus!... We are not told how long they were doing so, but there is a sense of persistence in their asking…
I pray that the more you hear about Jesus - the more you learn about Him, in the Word, the more you will experience an ever growing yearning to come to know Him…
It is an interesting observation that … Gentiles “bookend” Jesus’ life… After Jesus was born, wise men from the east - the Magi - came looking for Jesus (Matt. 2)… Here, just before His death, Greeks from the west come looking for Jesus… One came to a “cradle”, the other to a “cross”...
They find Philip - Philip finds Andrew - and they find Jesus!
There have been many commentators to point out that - “whenever you find Andrew in John’s gospel, he is bringing somebody to Jesus: his brother, the lad with the loaves and fishes (John 6:8), and the Greeks who wanted to see Jesus (John 12:20–21).” It’s been said that we have “no sermons from Andrew are recorded, but he certainly preached great sermons by his actions…”
Next, we see a clear demonstration of -
2. The Focus of Jesus
John 12:23-26
23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 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. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
We are not told that Jesus is addressing the Greeks specifically, but He is speaking to His disciples… And He speaks to His … focus.
There are a few things we are told about Jesus’ focus that we need to grasp. The first is -
- Jesus’ motivation
Notice just exactly what Jesus’ focus is… It is not the cross per se - but what awaits Him after the cross! Notice again -
John 12:23
And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Glorification is the eternal state that Jesus enjoyed before coming to this earth! He “set aside” that glory to become incarnate… He became a Man, in order to save men … and women … and boys and girls!...
Even though Jesus is facing the cross - the purpose for which He came - He is looking beyond the cross - to the state of once again being in the Father’s presence!
The … process that lies before Him, is one that no man would want to endure… In fact, jump to verse :27 for a moment -
John 12:27-28
27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.”
Notice again - that Jesus’ main concern, His total focus… is on the glory of God! He was determined to live … and die … for the glory of God!
The second thing we see is -
- Jesus’ mission
Jesus explains it, beginning with the next verse -
John 12:24-25
24 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. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
Warren Wiersbe said that - “In John’s gospel, you find a number of pictures of our Lord’s death: the slaying of the lamb (John 1:29); the destroying of the temple (John 2:19); the lifting up of the serpent (John 3:14); the shepherd laying down his life for the sheep (John 10:11–18); and the planting of the seed in the ground (John 12:20–25). These pictures make it clear that Jesus’ death was not an accident; it was a divine appointment. He was not murdered in the strictest sense: He willingly gave His life for us. His death was an atonement, not just an example. He actually accomplished the work of redemption on the cross.”
I like what Luke had to say at this point -
Luke 24:26
Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”
The writer of Hebrews admonishes us to keep our focus on Christ, and notice what he says about Jesus in this verse -
Hebrews 12:2
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
There is one more thing about what Jesus is saying here that we need to grasp. It is -
- Jesus’ invitation
John 12:26
If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
Followers of Christ - born-again disciples - also learn the same motivations and desire to be faithful the their mission that the Lord prescribes…
Jesus lived life in total submission to the Father - for the Father’s purposes … for the Father’s glory!
Christians learn the same motivations…
This reminds me of the famous quote of Dietrich Bonhoeffer that we have shared before - “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
Die to what?... To sin, self, and the sensual… and to be alive unto Christ, our Savior!
Two quick passages:
Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
And -
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Such a life is filled with the honor of belonging to Jesus!
What comes next is something very important as well. It is -
3. The Affirmation of Jesus
First, let’s remind ourselves of what leads up to this affirmation - Jesus said -
John 12:27-28
27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” [now watch this closely] … Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
Jesus’ prayer receives an immediate and audible reply!... The Father spoke “out of heaven” and said; “I have both glorified it (past tense), “and will glorify (future tense) it again” (guaranteed promise)!
When did God glorify His name in Jesus? Throughout Jesus’ life and ministry! Remember that the Father spoke to the Son, after His baptism, at the beginning of the Son’s ministry -
Matthew 3:17
and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
He spoke again when Jesus turned His attention and began His journey to Jerusalem -
Matthew 17:5
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
And then again - here, just before Jesus faces the cross - the Father once again … openly affirms His Son!
John 12:28
… Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
Next, we have -
4. A Proclamation by Jesus
John 12:29-30
29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.
The people heard the sound, but did not understand the message… Yet, Jesus said this voice was for their benefit… How can that be?...
What is the “benefit” to people - that Jesus (and perhaps the disciples) heard and understood exactly what the Father was saying?...
The basic benefit should be - that we understand that Jesus prayed - the Father answered - and that Jesus has a profound relationship with the Father!...
Some have suggested that verse :20 could be translated -
“That voice came more for your sake than for Mine.”
But Jesus proclaims more -
John 12:31
Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
This is a verse that demands your contemplation… Let’s take a moment and think through it carefully…
Every commentator I read has the same conclusion. Jesus is referring to His coming crucifixion. When the world - the rejectors of Christ - think they have Jesus judged - they are actually bringing judgment upon themselves… Behind their actions, is the “ruler of this world”, and when Satan thinks that he is bringing judgement upon Christ in the crucifixion, he is finding out that he is actually bringing judgment upon himself! One day Satan will receive his final judgement, and will be cast out of the heavenly realm (Rev. 12:10), and he will receive his ultimate judgement and will be imprisoned forever (Rev. 20:10)!
All who reject Jesus, will share in this judgement…
I like how Steven Cole puts it, it’s long, but worth it. He said -
“I understand this to mean that now that Jesus has come, He is the absolute standard of judgment. He is the Light to which people either come for salvation or run from because they love their sin (John 3:19-21, 12:35-36). The purpose of the light is not to cast shadows, but light inevitably does cast shadows. Jesus’ purpose for coming was not to judge the world, but to save it (John 3:17). But His coming drew a line that divides all people. What people do with Jesus determines their eternal destiny. As John 3:18 states, ‘He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ The Jewish leaders thought that they were judging Jesus by crucifying Him, but by rejecting Jesus they pronounced judgment on themselves. Even so today, people judge themselves by how they judge Jesus. If they trust in Him as Savior and Lord, they will be saved. But if they ignore Him or demote Him to being just a great religious teacher, they do so to their own condemnation.”
The good news is - one does not have to suffer such judgment!... Listen to what Jesus says next -
John 12:32
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”
When Jesus says “all men”, does this mean that everyone is going to “drawn to Jesus” and … therefore be saved?...
Steven Cole said this better than I could… - “Jesus does not mean all without exception, but all without distinction. As Paul put it (Rom. 1:16), ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.’”
Keep in mind that the Greeks who came to see Jesus, were probably standing there … and hearing this good news!... “All men” includes non-Jews as well!
One more thing we need to think about here… Sometimes verse :32 is taken out of context and used to suggest that if we “lift Jesus up” in praise and worship… Where do people get that idea in Scripture? Well, speaking of the Messiah, the Lord through Isaiah said -
Isaiah 52:13
Behold, My servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.
So, in a sense, we “lift up and greatly exalt” the Lord in our worship - but this is not what Jesus was talking about in our text.
There is a specific context to Jesus’ words, John got it! - so to make sure we understand he said -
John 12:33
But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.
Why was Jesus going to die?... The answer to this question will be emphasized throughout the balance of Passion Week - but the short answer is … was summed up by the prophet, John the Baptist, when he said -
John 1:29b
… “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Jesus went to the cross as The Lamb of God, to make payment for the sins of all of those who will be saved!
Now, there are two more points we need to glean from our text. Let’s consider them quickly… Next is -
5. A Question about Jesus
John 12:34
34 The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
Some suggest that this question really doesn’t seem that this question is being offered out of a sincere desire to understand more about Jesus… In the original language the pronouns “we” and “You” are emphatic! This suggest that “the crowds” question was more of a “defiant challenge” rather than a sincere question…
If that’s the case, then reading this verse would sound … different…
John 12:34
34 The crowd then answered Him, “WE have heard out of the Law .. that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can YOU say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’?... Who is this Son of Man?”
John MacArthur pointed out that “based on such passages as Isaiah 9:7, Ezekiel 37:25, and especially Daniel 7:13 where Messiah is called the ‘Son of Man’... (cf. Dan. 2:44), they assumed that He would come to defeat all God’s enemies and establish an everlasting kingdom of peace and righteousness. That, of course, is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ will do at His second coming… They could not reconcile Jesus’ prediction of His death (John 12:23-36) with their belief that the Messiah was to be a triumphant conqueror (cf. John 6:14-15).”
Finally, let’s think about -
6. An Appeal from Jesus
John 12:35-36
35 So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”
These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said - “At first sight, this may not seem to have been an answer to their question, ‘Who is this Son of man?’ Yet it was a very direct answer, for he was [is] ‘the Light of the world;’ and as the light was soon to be withdrawn from them, there was all the greater need of Christ’s injunctions, ‘Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you.. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.’”
Jesus emphasized that He was only going to be with them for a little time longer… “The light of His earthly ministry was about to go out”…
There is a principle emphasized here - you must believe on Jesus while the light is there, because the Lord will not always shine His light upon you…
There is a truth that we must tuck away in your mind… Even way back in Genesis, the Lord warned -
“My Spirit shall not strive with man forever” (Genesis 6:3)
Don’t think that His patience will never end…
Questions to Consider in Community Group:
- What do we know about the Greeks who came to see Jesus?
- As Jesus gears up to face the cross, what is His focus? (What does “glorification” mean?)
- What is Jesus’ teaching about “a grain of wheat” all about in this context - what is the point He is conveying, and what does that mean for us?
- What is the specific “judgement” Jesus speaks about in our passage? Why do you suppose, Christians are reluctant to talk about this judgement in our conversations with non-Christians?
- What was said about “The Son of Man” in our passage?
- What are your thoughts about any of the quotes shared in the message?
Warren Wiersbe - “In John’s gospel, you find a number of pictures of our Lord’s death: the slaying of the lamb (John 1:29); the destroying of the temple (John 2:19); the lifting up of the serpent (John 3:14); the shepherd laying down his life for the sheep (John 10:11–18); and the planting of the seed in the ground (John 12:20–25). These pictures make it clear that Jesus’ death was not an accident; it was a divine appointment. He was not murdered in the strictest sense: He willingly gave His life for us. His death was an atonement, not just an example. He actually accomplished the work of redemption on the cross.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer - “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
Steven Cole - “I understand this to mean that now that Jesus has come, He is the absolute standard of judgment. He is the Light to which people either come for salvation or run from because they love their sin (John 3:19-21, 12:35-36). The purpose of the light is not to cast shadows, but light inevitably does cast shadows. Jesus’ purpose for coming was not to judge the world, but to save it (John 3:17). But His coming drew a line that divides all people. What people do with Jesus determines their eternal destiny. As John 3:18 states, ‘He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ The Jewish leaders thought that they were judging Jesus by crucifying Him, but by rejecting Jesus they pronounced judgment on themselves. Even so today, people judge themselves by how they judge Jesus. If they trust in Him as Savior and Lord, they will be saved. But if they ignore Him or demote Him to being just a great religious teacher, they do so to their own condemnation.”
Steven Cole - “Jesus does not mean all without exception, but all without distinction. As Paul put it (Rom. 1:16), ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.’”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon - “At first sight, this may not seem to have been an answer to their question, ‘Who is this Son of man?’ Yet it was a very direct answer, for he was [is] ‘the Light of the world;’ and as the light was soon to be withdrawn from them, there was all the greater need of Christ’s injunctions, ‘Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you.. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.’”
