Sermons – Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

John 13:18-30 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

This is an uncomfortable passage on the way to a string of increasingly uncomfortable passages. As I know some of you know all too well, betrayal can cut deeper than just about anything else. For that reason, it’s easy to want to look away whenever we see it. Nevertheless, it is right for us to consider this passage with our eyes wide open. It is right for us to do so since it is the Word of God. God only gives us what we need. And it is right because it is a powerful picture of our own rebellion against God. If you read this passage and are only appalled at what Judas was about to do, then you don’t yet know the sinfulness of your own heart apart from the grace of God. As shocking as it might be to hear for anyone unfamiliar with the Bible, sin is in all of us such that betrayal is our nature and faithfulness comes only from God’s grace.

For those reasons, we’ll consider Judas’s betrayal from the several angles provided by John. As we do, I hope to help you see the big idea of this passage: Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, yet He chose him anyway for the glory of God and the good of His people. The main takeaways are, therefore, seeking the Spirit’s help as we fight for humility, perseverance, and a tight tethering to the Word of God.

Several times already in John’s Gospel we’ve been given predictions and warnings concerning Judas’s betrayal.

Back in 6:70 we read Jesus’ words, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”

More recently, in 12:4, John wrote, “Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him)…”

And in our passage from last week, during Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet and commissioning of them, we were twice-warned of the imminent treachery of Judas.

2 During supper, … the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him…

10 And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him…

It’s a strange idea for sure that God means us to grow from considering the betrayal of another. Nevertheless, as this passage and the nature of Judas’s treachery unfold, there’s a great deal for us to learn. To that end, we’ll begin with the fact that Jesus chose Judas to be one of His disciples even though He knew Judas would betray Him.

As I just mentioned, in the verses immediately preceding ours, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples (including Judas’s) and charged them to follow His example. He ended His instruction to them with this promise: “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (13:17). Our passage begins with an important clarification from Jesus.

18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen.

To be blessed, Jesus gave two requirements: (1) know His teachings, and (2) do them. Jesus knew that Judas would not be among the blessed, for He knew that Judas would only complete the first half of the requirements for the blessing. Although Judas heard the content of Jesus’ teaching along with the rest of the disciples, unlike them, he would not do it. Jesus revealed His foreknowledge of this fact for the first time here. What’s more, Jesus provides some of the reasoning behind this.

Before we get there, though, let’s not miss this vital, even if familiar, lesson (especially those who grew up in the church). Knowing what Jesus has said and done are vitally important if we want to be blessed (with forgiveness and freedom and reconciliation and peace), but it is never enough. It is only those who hear and do Jesus’ commands, who receive and trust in Jesus’ promises, who see and savor Jesus’ teaching, who are truly blessed. Again, as we return to Jesus’ reasoning behind this, may we learn from Judas to continually seek the Spirit’s help to be a people who hear and obey.

With that, let’s get back to Jesus’ reasoning behind the fact that He was not speaking to all the disciples: “I know whom I have chosen”.

On the surface, it might seem like Judas was not going to be among the obedient-blessed because Jesus had not chosen him for it. Or, conversely, it might seem like Judas would not be among the obedient-blessed because Jesus had chosen him not to be.

More than likely, however, neither of those possible readings are what Jesus had in mind. Instead, Jesus was probably speaking in the same sense as He was in 6:70–71, a passage we read earlier, “Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.’ 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.”

In other words, the main point of the opening words of v.18 is not about Judas betraying Jesus because He was chosen to do so or because he was chosen not to remain faithful. It is, rather, about Jesus having chosen all twelve disciples in spite of the fact that He knew one, Judas, would betray Him.

Judas was chosen to walk with Jesus, talk with Jesus, eat with Jesus, see Jesus’ miracles, hear Jesus’ teaching, share in the disciples’ confidence, and have his feet washed by Jesus, even though Jesus knew he would eventually betray Jesus. Jesus chose Judas in full knowledge that Judas would one day turn Him over to be crucified.

Thus, when Jesus spoke of the blessings of obedience, He made sure to make it known that not all of them would receive those blessings. This leaves us with the question of why Jesus would do so. The answer comes quickly.

Jesus gives two explicit reasons why He would do such a thing. First, He did so to fulfill Scripture.

18 … But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’

Here Jesus quoted Psalm 41:9, which reads, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.” As is often the case when the NT authors speak of Jesus as the fulfillment of an OT passage, it’s hard to get our heads around much beyond the basics. And the basics are that Psalm 41 is a Psalm of David and the heart of verse nine is and expression of David’s grief over the betrayal of his closest friends. David’s friends, ones he was close enough to eat and drink with, to invite to his table, betrayed him to the point of seeking to stomp on David, to violently harm him.

All of these things paralleled what Jesus was enduring at the hand (foot) of Judas. And Jesus told His disciples that, unknown to David, David wrote Psalm 41:4 for a dual purpose; both to express his own grief and hope in God through his trials and to give words to what Jesus would endure.

Grace, I hope it’s easy for you to see that this is a remarkable expression, both of the sovereignty of God over all things and the fact that the Bible records one grand story of redemption. Rightly appreciated, this ought to comfort us in our own affliction, stir us to worship God, and help us read our Bibles more carefully.

The second reason Jesus chose Judas to be one of the Twelve even though He knew Judas would betray Him, was to further strengthen the faith of the eleven (and all who would hear of this story).

19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.

John records Jesus saying/doing this several times. Jesus consistently revealed things to His disciples in advance so that when they came to pass, the faith of the disciples would be strengthened. In this way, Jesus chose Judas and foretold his betrayal so that His followers would have yet another example of the mighty power of God. As heart-wrenching as this must have been for Jesus (see v.21), He did it (along with all it entailed) as a blessing for us!

It’s like Babe Ruth pointing to the stands, or the golfer walking to the hole as his put approaches the half-way point, or the basketball player walking back on defense as her three-pointer is still in the air. Jesus was calling His shot. But instead of doing it moments before, in a simple game, and for selfish glory, He did so centuries before, in the course of world events, and to help the disciples behold the unmatched glory of God and to strengthen their faith for all that was to come.

Grace, our God is a gracious God, powerful and mighty. And He loves His people with unparallel, servant, sacrificial love. Humble yourself before Him, marvel at Him, and Trust in Him!

Verse 20 seems to be a somewhat parenthetical expansion of Jesus reasoning for telling the disciples about Judas. Jesus had just revealed to the disciples that He chose Judas in spite of His certain knowledge of Judas’s betrayal, in order to strengthen the disciples’ faith when it came to pass, in order (according to v.20) to help them endure the mission He was sending them on.

With those things in mind, listen again to v.20, and hear that in it Jesus offered yet another strengthening promise.

20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

In other words, in doing the things Jesus called them to do, in serving one another and proclaiming the gospel to the nations, the disciples would encounter stiff opposition. And to help them persevere in faith through that opposition, Jesus offered three specific gifts. First, He explained that His own experience fulfilled scripture (v.18). Second, He foretold certain events (v.19). In so doing, He meant them to remember His promises when they came to pass and therein find refreshment in their trust in His sovereign plan. And third, here in v.20, He promised that their mission was from God Himself. Jesus was about to send the disciples out to a mission of certain suffering and intended them to stand firm when hardship came, armed with the knowledge that they were going in the name, and according to the will, of both Father and Son.

It’s one thing to be sent on a hard, but good mission. It’s another to be sent on a hard, but good mission, marked by breadcrumbs of grace, by the Creator and Sustainer of heaven and earth.

Betrayal Still Stings Even When We Know God’s Will and Believing in the Goodness of God’s Will (21)

To this point, Jesus’ logic and kindness are evident. His logic is that although He knew that Judas would betray Him, He chose him anyway for the glory of God (to display His power and plan) and the good of His followers (to strengthen their faith for persevering obedience). Jesus’ kindness, of course, is in the fact that He chose to endure Judas’s betrayal for the good of His followers, at great cost to Himself.

Can you imagine willingly spending so much of your life that close to someone you knew would treacherously hand you over to your death? It’s a special measure of kindness in Jesus to endure that for our sake.

As we saw a few weeks ago, however, perfect logic and kindness—indeed, perfect righteousness—does not take away the sting of sin, and especially not the sting of sinful betrayal. For that reason, for the third time in John’s Gospel, we’re told of Jesus’ troubled soul (11:33 Lazarus’s death; 12:27 the thought of the cross).

21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit…

I pressed on this to a significant degree a few weeks ago in my sermon on 12:27, so I won’t reproach that sermon here. Nevertheless, it would be a mistake not to remind you of the simple, yet profound significance of this. In His troubled spirit, Jesus perfectly demonstrates two things: (1) True godliness is always troubled by evil, and (2) True godliness is troubled by evil in a distinct way.

It is a false understanding of Christian maturity that teaches treachery against us (or those we love) ought not affect us. It is a lie to suggest that the most God-honoring response to being betrayed is not to be hurt by it. At the same time, not every expression of hurt is equally godly. A sinful response means being hurt primarily on a horizontal level, it means responding to that hurt with sin of your own, and it means being hurt to the point of despair (hopelessness, ruin). A godly response means being hurt, but being mainly concerned with the glory of God being disguised and the one who hurt us being lost in sin. And Jesus perfectly displayed a godly response.

Judas would betray Jesus, Jesus knew it, yet chose him anyway for glory and good, and yet His heart was greatly troubled at the thought of the imminent betrayal.

You may have noticed that although Jesus knew from eternity past and John wrote his Gospel with the benefit of hindsight (which we’ve already seen a few times in his Gospel), at the point of John 13:21, none of the disciples (except Judas) knew that Judas would betray Jesus. Expanding on what He meant when He said, “I am not speaking of all of you…”

21 … Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

Have you ever had to long endure news of significant suffering (a cancer diagnosis or the loss of a loved one)? Have you ever had to walk around with a heavy heart while interacting with others ignorantly going about their ordinary lives? If so, you know how difficult that is.

We can only imagine the weight Jesus was carrying at that point. We can only imagine how it impacted His interactions with His followers to have such a rightly troubled soul. He’d been upfront about the fact that He would be killed (although the disciples still didn’t quite get that). But this is the first time He’d revealed to any of His disciples that His crucifixion would come about through the betrayal of one of His closest followers, through one of them! This had to have sent shockwaves through the disciples. Can you imagine hearing such a thing?

What really stands out to me, though, is the fact that in spite of all they’d been through together, none of them seemed to have any idea who Jesus was referring to.

22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”

Two things are especially worth noting: (1) The appearance of godliness is not the same as godliness, and (2) Humility recognizes that it is God’s grace alone that ends and prevents our betrayal.

1. The appearance of godliness is not the same as godliness.

It’s remarkable that no one had any idea who Jesus was talking about. Even at this point, three+ years into Jesus’ ministry and mere hours before the betrayal, the disciples didn’t even suspect Judas.

It’s clear that there was a good deal of confusion on a lot of things, it’s also clear that most of the disciples struggled to act in ways that were consistently faithful, but the fact that Judas was able to completely blend in is sobering on a lot of levels.

It’s sobering to recognize that wolves can be in our midst undetected for so long. That is, it’s sobering to recognize that someone can have every appearance of godliness with a heart that is satanically wicked.

To further drive home the point that they really didn’t suspect Judas, we find this exchange in vs.27-29.

27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out.

Even after being entered by Satan and dismissed by Jesus to betray Him, the disciples still only assumed goodness of Judas. Again, we ought to be sobered by Satan’s ability to mask his evil and disguise his intentions. That Judas could have been undetectably entered by Satan prevents us from thinking of evil in exclusively recognizable ways. He can look like a fiery dragon, a mass murder, and a child trafficker. But he can also look like a kindly grandma, a pious pastor, and a well-intentioned disciple.

The appearance of godliness is not the same as godliness. That leads to the second aspect of the disciples’ confusion that is especially worth noting.

2. Humility recognizes that it is God’s grace alone that ends and prevents our betrayal.

In John’s account, it’s clear that none of the disciples suspected any of the other disciples as the obvious betrayer. What’s more, though, as Matthew makes clear, all of them wondered if they were the betrayer.

Matthew 26:22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?”

Maybe the most shocking thing of all is the fact that when they were told that one of them would betray Jesus, each of the disciples wondered if it was them! I said at the beginning that “if you read this passage and are only appalled at what Judas did, then you don’t yet know the sinfulness of your own heart apart from the grace of God.” I said that in large measure because of v.22. Not only did they not know it was Judas who would betray Jesus, they also did not know if they were the one who would.

From this, we must learn humility. The beginning of the good news of the gospel is the terrible news that we have betrayed God; that we are all Judas from birth. That’s what it means to acknowledge the Bible’s teaching concerning the sinful nature of mankind. We must learn that betrayal is in our nature until the grace of God comes upon us. What’s more, even after the grace of God has led us to recognize, despise, and confess our betrayal, turn from it, and place our trust in Jesus Christ alone, it is still the grace of God that keeps us from turning back to our Judas ways.

As I just mentioned, Judasness looks different in everyone, but it is in us all until by grace, through faith, in Christ, we are forgiven and freed.

In our text from last week, in v.2, John wrote these words, “During supper, …the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him [Jesus].” In our passage for this week, in v.27, John described the continuation of Satan’s work in Judas, “So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him…”

The main thing for us to see is that Satan gradually worked on Judas to the point that Judas had chosen to fully cooperate with Satan. There is nothing worse that could be said of us and nothing worse that could be done by us. God would use even this for His glory and the good of His people. Indeed, God would use this to accomplish the greatest glory and highest good as it is what sent Jesus to the cross to die for our sins. And yet, this was real, vile, damnable evil by both Judas and Satan. What’s more, they were, in this moment of treachery, functioning with a oneness that God made for His people to have with Him. The kind of oneness God made for good, Satan and Judas conspired together to use to commit high treason.

As dramatic as it sounds, this is a chose we all face every day as well. Will we align ourselves in oneness with the God of Glory, in faith in His Son who died for our sins, through the power of the Holy Spirit, or will we align ourselves with Satan, the evil one? Satan’s work in Judas helps us to see that it is not always easy to see and that he is never content with a little bit of destruction. He is a master of disguises and He is always seeking to completely devour.

Finally, and even more ominously, John closes the scene with the declaration that, “30 … [Judas] immediately went out. And it was night.”

For John, the contrast between day and night, between light and dark, is one of the key features of his Gospel. His primary reason for writing his gospel was that his readers might believe in Jesus and therein find life. A critical piece of that story is that we are all born into the darkness of sin, unable to see the light of the glory of God in Jesus. It is as if we live in perpetual night. In contrast, Jesus came that mankind might come into the light of day, which is found in Him alone. That’s why we read…

John 1:4-5 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 3:19-20 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

John 11:9-10 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

John 12:46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

I hope this makes it clear that John’s closing statement, “And it was night,” is full of important symbolism. Indeed, it symbolized two main things. First, it symbolized the fact that Judas, in walking out of the house to betray Jesus, was forsaking the light of life for the last time and fully and finally embracing the darkness of death. And second, it symbolized the fact that the light of the world (Jesus) was about to willingly plunge Himself into darkness, in order to fully and finally overcome it.

More than merely making a factual statement about the time of day (which will become an important part of the backdrop as Jesus is forced to unlawfully endure several sham trials at night), John was letting his readers know that things would get horribly worse before they got infinitely better.

The big idea of this passage is that Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, yet He chose him anyway for the glory of God and the good of His people. And from that, we ought to earnestly seek the Spirit’s help to fight for humility, perseverance, and a tight tethering to the Word of God. And to help us in that fight, we turn now to the Lord’s Supper.

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Glory is a category that we all operate with all the time, even though it is not a word we use much outside of the church. In its most basic sense, glory is synonymous with praiseworthy. Again, even if the word never pops into our head, we consider something glorious if we are impressed by it, look up to it, or honor it, and we do that all the time.

When considering glory in those terms, it’s probably pretty easy to name a few things you consider glorious—the greatest athlete in your favorite sport or win from your favorite team, someone exceptionally creative, someone particularly knowledgeable and accomplished, someone with extraordinary wealth, beautiful sunsets or rugged mountains, the pageantry of the Olympics, an act of significant bravery and self-sacrifice, a decisive military victory, or a full orchestra performing a significant piece of music.

Typically, we equate glory with excellence, accomplishment, victory, size, strength, beauty, knowledge, and the like.

So, let me ask you, what do you consider glorious? Who/what would you describe as particularly admirable or worthy of praise and esteem? And to be clear, this though experiment works best if you think about the things you are impressed by in the normal course of your life, not the things you know you should be impressed by.

I ended last week’s sermon by mentioning that the end of John 12 marks the end of the first major section of the Gospel—the Book of Signs—and that chapter 13 marks the beginning of the second major section—the Book of Glory. With a name like that, we might expect something excellent, victorious, powerful, praiseworthy—glorious—right out of the gate. Indeed, our passage, the beginning of the Book of Glory, has at its heart a description of the glory of Jesus. And yet, as you’ve undoubtedly noticed, it is not the usual kind of glory. As we’ve seen over and over in John, Jesus’ glory is different than the kind the world craved and expected from the Christ.

To be sure, Jesus is glorious in excellence, accomplishment, victory, size, strength, beauty, and knowledge. But His glory is also praiseworthy in other ways as well—ways entirely unexpected by the world and even His own disciples. The big idea of this passage is that Jesus’ glory includes a love-to-the-end, foot-washing kind of glory. And the main takeaways for us are to learn to love true glory, to listen to and obey Jesus in all things, and to follow Jesus’ example in expressing, condescending, servant love wherever we go.

As I mentioned in the introduction, this is a passage primarily about the servant-glory of Jesus and His followers. In the first two verses, however, John—almost in passing—introduces Jesus’ servant-glory with two extremely significant statements. One concerns the nature of Jesus’ love and the other concerns the reach of the devil.

Since they’re not the main point of the passage, I don’t want to spend too much time on them, but because they are so significant, they deserve more than a passing mention. Let’s begin with v.1 and John’s statement on the love of Jesus.

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

The events of our passage took place on Thursday evening (Jesus was arrested that night and crucified the next day). More specifically, they took place, just prior to what we’ve come to call “the Last Supper”.

John spoke of this time as a kind of finish line for Jesus. His earthly ministry was almost done. In a matter of mere hours Jesus would be crucified. Within a matter of mere days, Jesus would rise from the dead. And in a matter of mere weeks, Jesus would return to the Father. What really stands out, however, is how John described the nature of Jesus’ finish. His hour had come with Jesus “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

It is good for us to fix our minds and hearts on the two ways in which that is particularly true. Jesus loved to the end of His life and to the end of our sin.

The primary thrust of John’s meaning is that Jesus loved the world from before its beginning until the end of His life. He was sent in love (3:13) and He never wavered in His love for those given to Him by the Father. In spite of all the trials, persecutions, rejections, denials, confusion, and unbelief, Jesus remained steadfastly filled with love for “his own who were in the world.”

For all kinds of lesser reasons, all kinds of men and women have left love. Discouragement, criticism, pride, loneliness, unmet expectations, etc. have caused people leave churches, ministries, and even the faith. But Jesus not only persevered until the end, but He persevered in love. More than limping to the cross, frustrated and discouraged, He loved all the way.

Grace, let us look to Jesus and learn this kind of love. Let us fight in the Spirit’s power to love sacrificially (gladly laying our lives down for one another), selflessly (willingly setting aside our own preferences and “rights”), and persistently (over time, through any amount of rejection). That’s how Jesus loves you. How can you love like that today?

Jesus loved His people to the end of His life and, the second aspect of the meaning of John’s words, is that Jesus loves to the end of our sin. I remember being particularly moved by this idea in the book Gentle and Lowly.

“Perhaps, as believers today, we know God loves us. We really believe that. But if we were to more closely examine how we actually relate to the Father moment by moment—which reveals our actual theology, whatever we say we believe on paper—many of us tend to believe it is a love infected with disappointment. He loves us; but it’s a flustered love. We see him looking down on us with personal affection but slightly raised eyebrows…”.

But that is not how the love of God works for those who are in Christ. Instead, just a few pages later, Ortlund, quoting Spurgeon, helps us to see the truth concerning God’s love for us, “Christ loved you before all worlds; long ere the day star flung his ray across the darkness, before the wing of angel had flapped the unnavigated ether, before aught of creation had struggled from the womb of nothingness, God, even our God, has set his heart upon all his children. Since that time, has he once swerved, has he once turned aside, once changed? … No, children of God, it is our solemn duty to say ‘No,’ and bear witness to his faithfulness” (195).

Grace, find deep and abiding comfort in the fact that if your hope is in Jesus, Jesus loves you fully and completely, at all times, and through all your sin. Your next sin might be a surprise to you, but it most certainly will not be to Jesus. He already knew of it (more deeply even than you ever will) when He lovingly chose to take the full measure of the Father’s wrath for it upon Himself, and so He loves you fully then.

Oh that we would truly know the meaning of John’s simple introductory words, “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Would you dare to combine a growing hatred of your own sin (on account of the fact that it required the death of the innocent, Son of God) with a growing receiving of Jesus’ love (on account of the fact that He has promised it to the very end of your sin)?

That leads to the second verse and the second profound statement John made on His way to the servant-glory of Jesus. I’m going to spend even less time on this one since it’s the main focus of the next section. Nevertheless, I do want to your attention to something that I’ll unpack next week: there is a sense in which the devil has malevolent access to hearts.

2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,

We live in a world that is functionally materialistic. Even within the Church, we’re often skeptical of any truly supernatural claims. While there’s certainly some merit to our skepticism, there’s also no way to be a Christian and deny that God Himself, Father and Spirit, along with much of God’s creation, is spiritual (non-material, has no body). There really are angels and demons. There really are cherubim and seraphim. And there really is a devil named Satan, Lucifer, the evil one (along with several other names).

What’s more, in ways we don’t totally understand, there is interaction between us and the spiritual beings God made. And more to the point, there is a battle between the spiritual forces of evil and the people of God. God’s word is clear that Satan and the demons who fell with him are active in the world seeking to tempt (), deceive (), and destroy () those who do and would hope in Jesus.

Again, I’ll come back to this next week when Jesus speaks directly to this, but for now, I’d like to invite you to take some time this week to carefully and prayerfully consider the fact that “the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas…to betray [Jesus].” Although v.18 makes it clear that God is ultimately sovereign, at times at least, in Job-like fashion, the devil has access to hearts. He is able to temp people (even Jesus) with sin. Let us pray, therefore, that we would stand firm in the power of the Spirit, no matter the enemy’s tactics, because of Jesus’ victory.

Now to the heart of the passage and the servant-glory of Jesus. The passage is somewhat neatly divided between foot-washing glory displayed, misunderstood, explained, and commanded.

Imagine for a moment that you had unlimited power for one hour. What would you use it for? Get rich? Fix problems? Crush evil? Save souls? Get a promotion? Win the Superbowl? Rescue babies? Catch a lot of fish? Get the guy/girl? There’s a lot of options (good and bad), aren’t there? Where would you start? Let me be a bit more specific, though. How far down your list would foot-washing be during your hour of omnipotence?

Grace, don’t miss the fact that all things had been given to Jesus so…He washed feet. That is, don’t miss the reality that Jesus’ first act in the Book of Glory was to serve in the most humble possible way. Look at v.3.

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

In Jesus’ day, people mainly wore sandals and the roads were mainly dirt and animal droppings. For that reason, it was a normal, several-times-a-day thing to have your feet washed when entering someone’s home or a religious service. And for reasons you can probably imagine, it was the job of the lowest servant. In fact, it was such a lowly job that Jewish servants were usually prohibited from foot-washing; it was a job reserved for gentile servants.

Even in some rare act of exceptional devotion (child to father or student to teacher), foot-washing was always, always the lower washing the feet of the higher.

What Jesus did, therefore, was in every way truly preposterous (we’ll see that momentarily in Peter’s response). This just wasn’t how it was done on any level. And in the mind of every Jew, this certainly wasn’t how it would be done when the Christ came.

Recognizing this, Peter was appalled. According to the cultural standards of his day, Peter was right to respond as he did when Jesus came to him. Astonished, he questioned Jesus.

6 [Jesus] came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

Peter definitely didn’t understand what Jesus was doing. Therefore, he continued his forceful reply, “8 Peter said to him, ‘You shall never wash my feet.’”

Again, Peter responded according to all he’d seen and been taught. His response was, in his mind, a sign of reverence and humility. He did exactly what was expected of him. To not resist this would have been prideful in a significant way. But, as is always the case when we receive a command from the Lord, whether we understand it or not, it is another, more significant kind of pride to question or refuse. Therefore…

8 Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

To paraphrase, Jesus said, “Peter, if you do not let me do what I have set out to do, you cannot have fellowship with me. Am I your Lord or are your customs? You will either acknowledge my right to command or you cannot be my follower. Moreover, I’m talking about more than merely washing your feet. I’m offering a kind of washing you do not yet understand (v.7) and apart from that, no one can come to me” (more on that one in a minute).

Not yet grasping the deeper meaning, Peter at least quickly recognized the surface significance—He needed to do what Jesus said. Jesus is (as we’ll see), both teacher and Lord. And so…

9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

Again to paraphrase, Peter said, “OK, Jesus, I don’t understand, but you are my master and fellowship with you is more important to me than cultural conformity. If allowing you to fulfill a servant’s role is what you want from me, wash me thoroughly. I’ll not only allow you to wash my feet, but the rest of me as well.”

There is much to learn from this response. This is how it ought to be for us as well, Grace. Understanding Jesus’ reasoning behind His commands is not a prerequisite to obeying them. More to the point, not fully grasping Jesus’ logic is in no way an excuse to disobey. Indeed, as any who have followed Jesus for any length of time can attest, and as Jesus promised Peter (v.7), understanding often, only comes after obedience.

We must be a people who carefully study God’s Word and who quickly obey it. We cannot honor God if we don’t know what He’s said, but we also cannot honor God if there are large gaps between what we know and what we do. God has designed our obedience to work in virtual lockstep with our understanding.

To be exceedingly practical, when you come across a command in Scripture, two things ought to happen immediately. First, you ought to do your best to make sure you rightly understand the command. Turn to the Spirit in prayer (for wisdom, conviction, and power) and to another Christian for confirmation (that the text means what you think it means). And second, you ought to seek to obey as quickly as possible. There are ways that will take the rest of your life to learn and apply, but there are also almost always simple ways to obey now.

For instance, if you were reading through 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, you’d find three straight-forward commands in rapid succession, “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances .” It is good to take basic steps (in prayer and fellowship) to make sure you understand what Paul meant by “rejoice,” “pray,” “give thanks,” and “all circumstances”. After a brief inspection, you’ll likely find that these words mainly mean what you think they mean. There will be some lingering questions, like how do I rejoice when a loved one dies, or how do I pray when I’m sleeping, or what does it look like to give thanks when someone sins against me? But you do not need to have every one of those questions answered before you can obey in the ways you already do understand.

Therefore, while acknowledging that fully obeying any of these requires a lifetime, you must also acknowledge that you can and must start now. Take a moment, pray that the Spirit would draw to mind a gracious promise of God, imagine its certain fulfillment in your life, and turn that back to God in joy. Pray that the Spirit would draw to mind a need of someone you love and pray for God’s mercy. And, right now, consider one of the countless, present blessings of God in your life and thank Him for it. And because each of these are meant to be obeyed perpetually, immediately ask the Spirit to remind you of them throughout your day.

Peter understood this much, even though he didn’t understand everything, and so he offered himself to Jesus in surrendered obedience.

Jesus saw that Peter was gaining understanding on the surface matters, while simultaneously recognizing his lingering confusion. Consequently, Jesus continued to explain the simple significance of foot-washing, but He did so as a means of introducing the deeper meaning of His words…

10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

There’s debate as to what exactly Jesus was getting at here. But again, at the very least, He was pointing out that Peter was still confused even on basic foot-washing matters and that there is more going on than meets the eye.

In all of this, we must not miss the fact that Jesus was weaving a few threads in and out of His words and actions. On the surface, He was showing the disciples that an essential part of true love and glory is humility and sacrificial service. That is why Jesus actually washed their feet.

Likewise, on the surface, Jesus was establishing the fact that being His disciple meant acknowledging Him as highest authority—over all other earthly rulers and customs. That is why He demanded that His disciples allow Him to break custom and wash their feet.

Below the surface, however, Jesus was really talking about a different kind of washing and a different kind of cleanliness all together. When He said, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me (v.8),” Jesus was ultimately talking about the spiritual washing He would accomplish on the cross for all who believed. That is why He said that not everyone among them was clean, knowing that Judas would soon demonstrate his lack of genuine faith. And it is also why He declared of the rest of the disciples, “You are clean” “completely clean,” for He knew their faith in Him was from the Father.

Again, in ways that are not always entirely clear, Jesus was using foot-washing both to teach the virtue of humble, sacrificial, service and to teach about His imminent and ultimate act of humble, sacrificial service (the cross). That is, He was using His washing of their feet as way of explaining His washing of their sins.

Like most of what Jesus taught during His time on earth, this too went over the disciple’s heads in large measure, but John wrote this passage in such a way that we understand. Serve, Grace Church, obey in all ways, at all times, and in all places, and look to Jesus alone for the inner cleaning you need and He alone can provide. That’s the heart of this passage, Jesus’ love-to-the-end, all-authority, foot-washing, cross-going, glory.

From there, with the object lesson complete, Jesus, “12 … put on his outer garments and resumed his place, [and] he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?

Clearly, to this point, the answer was “Sort of, but not really.” Therefore, Jesus explained…

13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.

I am the One to whom you turn to for instruction and direction. I am the One from whom you receive truth. And I am the One to whom you owe allegiance. You are right to think of me in these ways. I am your Teacher and Lord.

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Coming back to the simplest and most straightforward thread, Jesus commanded His disciples to imitate Him in displaying the unique glory of God in serving across and down, rather than up. Worldly logic and priorities are such that some will sometimes serve those who are above them; those who have power over them or the means to reward them (see Luke 14:12-14). But heavenly logic is different. It eagerly serves those who are equal, and even more significantly those who are lesser in human terms. And it does so as a living picture of what God does for those who will trust in His Son. God is above all, so His love is always a condescending love. Outside of Himself, He can only love those below Him. And to help the world know the nature of God’s love, Jesus commanded His followers to love that way as well.

On a practical level, as you know, foot-washing doesn’t mean quite the same thing in our culture as it meant in Jesus’ day. The practical applications for us, therefore, are going to be different. The heart of the matter, however, is still the same—love-to-the-end, humble, sacrificial, service; loving across and down, even more than up.

Do you want to reflect the glory of God, Grace? Do you want to obey Jesus? Hope in Jesus and serve like Jesus.

Older kids, let your younger brothers and sisters go first. Help them get a snack. Play games they enjoy. Parents, joyfully set aside your comfort when you don’t need to, when it would be culturally acceptable not to, and read a book to your kids, get down on the ground with them, take them fishing or shopping when it would be more peaceful not to. Everyone, sit next to someone who is alone instead of one of your friends, greet someone new, listen with genuine interest instead of talking about yourself, have a new family over for lunch, volunteer to give a ride, host a kid for an exhausted mom with TFG or for a struggling family through foster care, do the dishes when it’s not your night, bring coats in for the inmates, help Chuck and Jennifer next weekend, volunteer for a lowly job that no one will likely ever know about, help out with Jericho Road ministries, let Naomi know you’ll help with nursery or Steven with Grace for Kids, work with the city to find ways to serve our neighbors.

Consider again the unique foot-washing glory of Jesus, consider what it ultimately pointed to, and hear again the simple instructions of our Lord, “I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

The big idea of this passage is that Jesus’ glory includes a love-to-the-end, foot-washing kind of glory. And the main takeaways for us are to learn to love true glory, to listen to and obey Jesus in all things, and to follow Jesus’ example in expressing humble, servant-love wherever we go. Failing to do these things as we ought is why Jesus came. But His love is such that as we hope in Him He will forgive us entirely and love us unwaveringly. May we behold His glory and receive His forgiveness and love, and then share those things with the world.

John 12:44-50 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 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. 48 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. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

Having explained the nature and cause of the unbelief of many (in the previous section), in this final section of chapter 12 Jesus came back to the question of what is at stake in belief and unbelief. It seems likely that He particularly had the wavering believers of v.42 in mind (those who “believed in Jesus,” but were afraid to say so publically). While there’s nothing entirely new in this passage, it provides a number of healthy reminders concerning who Jesus is, why we should believe in Him, and what’s at stake in our response to Him.

With those things in mind, the big idea of this passage is that believing in Jesus is right, good, wise, and necessary. And the main takeaway is to work diligently (in the Spirit’s power and with the means of grace God has given us) to remember these things at all times, in order that we might live in light of them at all times.

Have you ever felt so strongly about something that you yelled it to a crowd? As far as I can remember, I’ve only experienced that once. It was on a plane, on the way back from a TLI trip. While we were waiting to depart, some part of the plane’s engine caught fire and I was awakened from sleep by the flight attendant crying out, “evacuate” over and over.

Our passage opens with the words, “and Jesus cried out.” As with my experience on the plane, there are two key aspects to this. It indicates both the urgency and the public nature of what Jesus was about to say. In this sense, you don’t cry out concerning inconsequential matters and you don’t do so in private.

Jesus’ words were more eschatologically urgent than immediately urgent, but eschatological urgency is always the most urgent kind of urgency—so, along with Jesus’ original hearers, we would all do well to listen carefully.

In the way of context, this is the fourth time John has recorded Jesus crying out like this. Each of them were similarly urgent and public. In chapter 7, at the Feast of Booths, Jesus cried out concerning His heavenly origin in response to the disbelief and animosity of the people. In that same chapter, on the great day of the same Feast, Jesus cried out, offering Himself as living water! And in chapter 11, Jesus cried out for Lazarus to come out of the tomb, having raised him from the dead.

Jesus’ message in vs.44-50 was one He wanted as many as possible to hear because of the eternal urgency of what was at stake.

Before coming to the content of Jesus’ cry, I want to point out one more item of critical importance. The fact that in our passage Jesus publically cried out concerning urgent things He’d already spoken of (several times), serves as (another) important reminder of a theme that permeates the Bible: the necessity of remembering the things God has said and done. It is one thing to gain understanding of the commands and works of God. It is another thing entirely to remember them as time passes.

For that reason, the Bible is filled with commands for God’s people to remember…

Deuteronomy 8:18 You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Deuteronomy 16:12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

Nehemiah 4:14 Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome

Psalm 105:4-5 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! 5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered…

Isaiah 44:21-22 Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me. 22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Isaiah 46:8-9 “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me…

Malachi 4:4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

God repeatedly commanded his people to remember. Likewise, He also repeatedly prohibited forgetting.

Deuteronomy 9:7 Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness.

Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Further still, because this is such an important idea, and because it’s an idea God knows we are exceptionally prone to neglect, not only are there many commands to remember and prohibitions against forgetting, but God’s Word also speaks consistently of the danger of failing to obey these commands.

Judges 8:33-34 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34 And the people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side…

Psalm 78:41-42 They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe…

Amos 1:9-10 Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. 10 So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour her strongholds.”

Grace, as you know, God is God. When He speaks, we must listen, understand, and obey. It is not necessary for God to repeat or explain Himself, much less give repeated warnings and second chances. He does not owe those things to us. For that reason, we must recognize that repeated commands, prohibitions and warnings are expressions of God’s grace.

What’s more, because our God is a God of extravagant grace, knowing that sin makes it such that remembering is hard and forgetting is easy, God has more grace for us still in this matter. He has given things to His people to help us remember. For instance, He gave the feast of Passover (which is where we are in John’s Gospel) to serve as a perpetual reminder of His rescue from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:24). He gave communion to help us remember what Jesus did for us and that He will return to us (1 Corinthians 11:25). He gave rainbows to help us remember the wages of sin and His everlasting promise to be merciful (Genesis 9:13). He even gave tassels to His people to help remind them to obey His commands.

Numbers 15:38-40 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. 40 So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.

As we come now to the familiar teaching that Jesus’ cried out, I hope I’ve made it clear that when we find God’s Word repeating itself, rather than skim over or tune it out, we ought to lean further in, in the knowledge that we’ve found a gracious warning to remember something important; something God knows we are prone to forget.

If you had a friend ask you, “Why should I believe in Jesus?,” what would you tell them? I came to faith in Jesus at a time when the main answer was because it will make your life better or, at the very least, that it will keep you from going to hell. Today, it seems more likely to hear someone say that you should believe in Jesus because, whether it’s true or not, it will help you feel a sense of purpose and meaning in your life.

There’s some measure of truth in each of those answers, but it’s always safer to go with Jesus’ own words in these matters. With that, let’s consider again the repeated teaching of our Lord concerning the rightness, goodness, wisdom, and necessity of believing in Him.

The first and main reason Jesus gave to the question of why those who hear of Him should believe in Him was because He is One with the Father. Believing in Jesus is right in the same way that believing in the Father is right.

Today, that might not get you very far. In our culture, the same people who struggle to believe in Jesus almost certainly also reject God the Father. In Jesus’ day, however, it was different. The Jews who heard Jesus cry out would have entirely acknowledged God as God and His right to command as supreme. Their question/struggle was in deciding whether or not Jesus was right with God as He claimed. It they could have been sure that Jesus was from the Father, they would have believed in Him for sure (probably). For that reason, Jesus described His oneness with the Father in five ways.

When I was in college my roommates and I went spelunking in a system of caves just outside of Bloomington, Indiana. It was unlike anything I’d experienced before and unlike anything I’ve experienced since. It’s hard to explain the sensation of being so far under the earth. What really stood out to me, however, was how absolutely dark it was once we got a ways in. At one point we all agreed to shut off our flashlights to experience the darkness in its fullness. That was one of the eeriest feelings I’ve ever had. The realization that if our cheap flashlights went out, we were entirely lost, was profound.

What I didn’t realize then, is that that’s what all of life is like in a far more profound sense. It is good to believe in Jesus because He is the true light of the world and reveals the path out of darkness—ignorance, folly, and death. The vulnerability I felt in the way of physical darkness absolutely pales in comparison to the spiritual darkness we’re all born into. That is what Jesus had in mind in v.46.

46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

I have no doubt that we would have died apart from the light from our flashlights to guide us out of the caves. But again, far more serious still is the fact that we are all born blind on account of the sin we’re born into, with no way to come to the light on our own. Jesus came to be that light and to lead us out of spiritual darkness and death, and into light and life.

Third, believing in Jesus is wise because by it alone will we escape certain judgment.

47 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. 48 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.

You may remember from our time in chapter 3 that Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn the world, but (He came) because the world the world already stood condemned. In that same way, Jesus did not come to judge the world since the world was and would be judged by God. Jesus came to rescue the world from judgment.

Grace, let us all settle on the fact that no one is condemned or judged and no one will go to hell because they reject Jesus. We are condemned, judged, and hell-bound because we are born into and choose sin. Not believing in Jesus is not the source of our problems, it is the symptom of our problems. In vs.47-48, Jesus taught that failing to believe, delight in, and obey His words is evidence that will be used against the unrepentant on judgment day, for the crime of cosmic treason. As Jesus said here, believing in Him is the way of rescue God provided, not the source of judgment.

As a quick pastoral plea, hear Jesus’ words and keep them, Grace Church. Read your Bibles consistently. Pray through what you read, seeking the Spirit’s help to understand and obey. Share them with one another. Keep them by memorizing them, treasuring them, and living in light of them. Jesus spoke here primarily concerning those who do not hear and keep His words, but embedded in that is a call to do otherwise. Let’s heed that call!

Believing in Jesus is necessary since His obedience to the Father’s command is eternal life (50a; 8:31, 52)

Finally, the fourth reason why we ought to believe in Jesus according to this passage, is that believing in Jesus is necessary since His obedience to the Father’s command is eternal life. We see that at the beginning of v.50.

50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life…

As we just saw, in v.49, Jesus said, “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak”. And again, according to v.50, that command—what to say and what to speak—is eternal life.

In those few words of Jesus, we have a summary of all we’ve seen so far. Jesus is eternally one in essence with the godhead. At the proper time, He came to earth according to the will of God. He spoke and worked not on His own authority, but on God’s. The things He said, when He said them, how He said them, and to whom He said them, were all straight and only from God. And Jesus’ obedience to all of those things—Jesus’ perfect obedience to the command of God—was the means by which God granted eternal life to those who would believe.

Our disobedience to the Father’s command is unto our own death. Therefore, believing in Jesus is necessary since Jesus’ perfect obedience to the Father’s command, even unto His own death, is eternal life for all who believe.

How awesome are these things, Grace?! At the same time, I hope the reality of disbelief is also increasingly obvious. Because belief in Jesus is right on account of His oneness with God, disbelief is wrong for it is a rejection of the One who made you. Because belief in Jesus is good on account of the fact that He is light, disbelief is bad because it leaves us in darkness. Because belief in Jesus is wise on account of the fact that by it we escape judgment, disbelief is folly for by it we remain condemned. And because belief in Jesus is necessary for through it alone do we gain eternal life, disbelief is a possibility only because we are spiritually dead and blind.

For all these reasons, Grace, I cry out to you, “Believe in Jesus” today and be saved.

You may remember from my introduction many months ago that John is divided neatly in what theologians call the book of signs and the book of glory. As you can probably imagine, the book of signs is called that because it contains the many miraculous signs of Jesus, demonstrating that He is from God. And, in a similarly transparent manner, the book of glory is so-called because in it Jesus’ glory is most fully revealed at the cross and empty tomb.

We’ve now come to the end of the book of signs, which means that next week we will begin the book of glory. Let us give ourselves, therefore, to asking the Spirit to prepare our hearts and minds to behold the glory of God we are about to encounter.

36 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:

    “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,

    40 “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 his 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.

At the end of the previous section in John’s Gospel, John wrote of a warning issued by Jesus to the crowds of Jews that had gathered around Him in Jerusalem. He said to them, “the light is among you for a little while longer” (12:35). His main point was that while He was on earth, He was a blessing to mankind by revealing the power, nature, and will of God. The warning was that the blessing (Him) was about to be taken from them, so they should believe in Him now. Given the confusion, unbelief, and murderous intent of those present, it should not be surprising to find that immediately afterward (as our passage opens), “He departed and hid himself from them.”

At that point John anticipated that his readers would be left scratching their heads once again. The burning (and familiar) question (as v.37 makes crystal clear) is how unbelief could remain. How is it that Jesus could teach with the authority with which He taught, perform the kind of marvelous works He performed, and be who He was and have so many continue in their unbelief? How could the eternal Son of God, King of glory, and second person of the godhead, stand in the midst of men and women created through and held together by Him and have them respond in confusion, doubt, unbelief, and anger, rather than worship?

The main point of our passage for this morning, the big idea of John 12:36-43, is that God is sovereign even over the unbelief of the lost. And the three main takeaways for us are to learn the fear of the LORD, learn the rightness of God’s judgment, and place our hope entirely in the mercy of God. Let’s pray.

Why don’t some people—even the eyewitnesses and objects of His miracles—believe in Jesus? John has addressed this question before. John will address it again. He began his Gospel by declaring, “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” (1:10-11). Similarly, in 3:32, John recorded John the Baptist’s words, “[Jesus] bears witness to what He has seen and heard, yet no one receives His testimony.” In 6:36 Jesus said, “You have seen me and yet do not believe.” And in 12:37, our passage, John wrote, “Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him.”

No one can read John’s Gospel thoughtfully and not repeatedly wonder how this could be. If Jesus was/is who He (and His followers) said He was and did what the Bible says He did, how could anyone not believe in Him?! To this point, John has answered that question in a number of ways. While we’ve considered them all individually already, hearing them all together helps drive home the importance of this idea for John.

I hope at least two things are clear from this list. First, I hope it’s clear that for John the cause of unbelief is important and consistent. It is a big deal to John to explain why people do not believe in Jesus in light of the things John wrote about Jesus. And his explanation remains mostly the same throughout his Gospel.

And second, I hope this list makes clear that God is sovereign over the unbelief of the world. I’ll say more about that in connection to our passage for this morning, but you do not understand the passages on this list if you do not see the singular thread of the sovereignty of God woven through all of them. We talk a good deal about God’s sovereignty over our belief at Grace Church, but these passages (especially collectively) help us to see that God is also sovereign over our unbelief.

With that, in our passage this morning, John gives us another (entirely consistent) piece to the answer of why people do not see Jesus for who He is or respond as they ought.

Before we get there, however, let’s pause for a moment and recognize that we’re talking about real people, with real unbelief (maybe some here today). We can’t possibly read this as God intends if we don’t have ourselves in mind before we believed in Jesus, or our kids or neighbors who do not yet believe. This is not merely a doctrinal issue. It is an exceedingly personal issue. May God tune our minds into His Word, and also soften our hearts toward His image bearers as we consider Jesus’ answer to why people don’t believe in Jesus.

Pulling yet again on the same thread as we just traced through the first twelve chapters of his Gospel, John explained the disbelief of the crowds in two related, but distinct ways in our passage. The first way he described it (in vs.37-38) was by quoting and claiming Isaiah 53:1.

Just before that, in Isaiah 52:13, we find a remarkable promise of God, “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.”

Nevertheless, according to 53:1, most would respond in unbelief. Even though God would send a wise and mighty servant to rescue His people, Hs people would not believe. The servant of the Lord would be “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Therefore, God laments, “Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”.

John knew that Jesus was the servant and the present rejection of Him was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. That is at the heart of what he wrote in vs.37-38.

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:

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

There were many witnesses to Jesus’ wisdom, lifting up, and exaltation (His person, teaching, miracles, crucifixion and resurrection) who did not believe in Jesus, who remained hardened in their heart toward Jesus, who despised and rejected him.

What’s more, however, John tells us that this was more than an observation he was making. Instead, John explicitly claimed that the Jews didn’t believe in Jesus so that Isaiah’s prophesy might be fulfilled in them. They didn’t believe in order that God’s promise would hold true. God was sovereign over their unbelief such that it was a means by which God would keep His word.

That’s pretty tricky, isn’t it? That can be a tough pill to swallow. I mean to provide some help with that, but before I do, we need to see that John makes it trickier still. That leads to the second way that John explains the disbelief of the Jews in this passage.

Not only was the unbelief of the Jews the intentional fulfillment of a promise of God, it was also part of the active work of God. Vs.39-40, quoting again from Isaiah (this time 6:10), drives out any remaining notion that vs.37-38 describe some kind of passive acquiescence on God’s part in the unbelief of the crowds.

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

    40 “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.”

The question, of course, is whether or not this means what it seems to mean. It seems to teach that those who encountered Jesus and did not believe, did not believe because they could not believe. More still, it seems to say that they could not believe because God blinded and hardened them to keep them from seeing, understanding, and turning. Again, that’s a tricky pill to swallow, isn’t it? Of this, one commentator writes,

“The Christian answer [to the question of the cause of the unbelief of the crowds], as clearly articulated in Paul (esp. Rom. 9 -11) as here, is that this unbelief was not only foreseen by Scripture but on that very account necessitated by Scripture. Although the Greek conjunction hina [translated “so that” at the beginning of v.38] sometimes has resultative force (the meaning here would then be that the unbelief of the people resulted in the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, not that it occurred in order that Old Testament prophecy might be fulfilled), no such weakening can be legitimate here: v. 39 insists that it was for this reason that the people could not believe” (Carson, PNTC, 447).

The commentator goes so far as to refer to John’s teaching as “unambiguous predestinarianism”.

As the fourteen verses we saw earlier indicate (along with the several more we’ll still see in John), God is sovereign over the belief and unbelief of those who encounter the person and promises of Jesus.

This is heavy, of course. It is counterintuitive to many modern sensibilities. It even seems to be out of character for God to many. For that reason, in just a minute I’ll attempt to answer the question: What are we to do with these things? For now, though, we must make sure that we are starting with the text and not our own philosophy.

Either the Bible teaches what I just suggested it teaches or it doesn’t. And insofar as it does, we must receive it as the Word of God; and in that as good, beautiful, and true. As always, only from that starting point can we rightly work out the practical, ethical, and emotional implications.

Grace, as you can tell, this is a doctrinal issue. For that reason, we need to be careful to make sure we’re interpreting the text rightly. At the same time, however, it is also a very practical issue. And for that reason, we need to have in mind both what John means (in principal) and what it means (in practice). Four things…

It is not a coincidence that the second passage cited by John (to explain the unbelief of the crowd) comes at the end of Isaiah 6. As you may know, the beginning of John 6 is one of the most significant descriptions of the holiness of God found anywhere in the Bible. It is the famous passage in which Isaiah encountered the God who is not to be trifled with.

Isaiah 6:1-5 I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”1 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Grace, this is not a God to be trifled with. He is holy beyond measure. He is a God of righteousness, justice, and wrath. He is a consuming fire. And that is not good news for a sinful people. It is right for us to join Isaiah in crying out, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.”

That’s the heart of John 12:41, “Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.” Isaiah knew that the holiness of God meant that he deserved nothing but condemnation and ruin. That leads to the second answer to the question of what are we to do with these things.

First, as we contemplate what God’s Word says about God’s sovereignty over our unbelief, we ought to respond by recognizing that God is not to be trifled with. Second, we ought to respond by recognizing that hardening our hearts is a just judgment and right punishment for our sin.

After encountering God in the way he did, Isaiah volunteered to be God’s mouthpiece to the Israelites. The message God gave Isaiah to deliver was the words John quoted.

Isaiah 6:9-11 “Go, and say to this people: ‘ Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.'” 11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste.”

As is the case in our passage, unbelief was the judgment of God. God’s people had rebelled stubbornly and persistently in spite of God’s countless blessings and numerous warnings. In this way, it is very similar to the various times God’s judgment led to the conquering and exile of the Jews. It is a harsh punishment, to be sure, but it pales in comparison to the everlasting condemnation we deserve.

The modern notion is that it is not fair for God to judge the world in such a way. But the reality is that it is not fair for God to pardon anyone; it is only gracious. As if to make that exact point, John continued,

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.

Even the ones who were allowed some measure of sight, some measure of apprehension of the true nature of Jesus, were more afraid of men than the Isaiah 6 God. God is right to judge the world with a conquered nation, hardness of heart, or eternal torment for we are all men and women of unclean lips, lost in our sin and rebellion.

What’s more, and this is key Grace, hardening hearts as judgment for sin is simply another way of describing what is always true. Don’t miss the fact that in Romans 8:7 the Apostle Paul teaches that left to our own desires we don’t need the active hardening of God to keep us from believing in Jesus, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” It may sound harsh that God actively hardened the hearts of some, but the simple fact remains that whether He does so or not, we would never believe in God apart from the regenerating grace of God.

Is this how you view unbelief—as the universal result of our sin and the just punishment for it? Do you understand judgment as just and forgiveness as grace? Do you recognize that our sinful natures are such that apart from God’s intervening grace, no one will believe in Jesus? Can you see that our natural state is such that all of us love the glory of man more than the glory of God? Have you fallen into the lie of believing you deserve anything other than the consuming fire of God?

God is right to judge the world and a right response to this passage lives every minute of every day in light of that.

We ought to respond by acknowledging that God is not to be trifled with, that judgment is just, and that those things need not be the end of the story. Although unbelief is an indication of God’s judgment on us for our sin, as long as we have breath, we also have the call of the Lord to believe on Him and be saved.

To be crystal clear, Grace Church, nothing we’ve covered is to say that present unbelief necessitates future unbelief. None of it is to say that we should not preach the gospel to everyone. For we do not know when God’s sovereign grace might overtake His righteous justice and judgment in our lives.

God’s hardening or refusal to draw as the reason for unbelief is a significant theme in John’s Gospel. Equally as significant, though, is the universal call to believe.

“All,” “Everyone,” “Anyone,” and “Whoever” are among the most common and critical words for John. I gave you a list of verses concerning God’s sovereignty over unbelief above. Consider now another list.

John 1:6 [John the Baptist] came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

John 1:12 to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

John 3:14-15 so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.

John 6:37 whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.

John 7:37-38 Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'”

John 8:12 Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.

John 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

John 11:25-26 “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

John 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Grace Church, we must not pit the clear teachings of God’s word against each other, as many are prone to do. The third right response to this passage, then, is to believe both that God is sovereign over unbelief and that that is entirely compatible with the universal gospel call for the world. We are not lying when we call the world to believe in Jesus name and promise that if they believe, they will be saved.

Finally, and in light of the last point, it is right to respond to this passage, above all, in hope. Again, consider Paul on this.

Romans 9:14-16 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part [in regard to His sovereignty over unbelief]? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Other parts of those verses often get more attention, but the key for us to see is that God has mercy on some! He has compassion! Even if we do not yet believe or love someone who does not yet believe, and even if that is rightly understood as the inevitable curse of sin and active judgment of God, God has mercy and compassion. Although we deserve nothing but His wrath, He is often pleased to give us His grace.

John wrote to tell us of the judgment of God which takes the form of unbelief. But he also wrote to tell us of the fact that God loved the world in such a way that He sent His Son to bring eternal life to the world. There is hope for all!

There is hope for us to believe and there is hope for us to proclaim. Far from a message of despair, then, this is a message of urgency to proclaim to the world the only message that can rescue us from God’s judgment. Consider again, the words of our Lord, ” And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

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.”

Have you ever had a troubled soul? Of course you have. We all have. There are better questions. When was the last time your soul was troubled? Why was it troubled? What did you do about it? Is it OK to have a troubled soul or is that always a sign of unbelief?

Our passage opens with the words, “Now my heart is troubled”. There is a lot we can learn from the fact that it was Jesus who said them. To that end, we will consider the hard road of obedience, the rightness of obedience at all times, the pleasure of God in our obedience, and the certain victory of obedience.

And so, those of you who are heavy laden (whose souls are troubled), look to Jesus and find help and hope. Learn from Jesus what kind of troubled soul pleases God and what kind doesn’t. And learn what it looks like to respond to a rightly troubled soul in a manner that glorifies God and what it looks like to respond in a way that doesn’t.

The big ideas of this passage are that (1) Jesus helps us see that the souls of the godly must be troubled at times and that (2) the source of that trouble and our response to it are critical. The main takeaway is to learn to be troubled by the things that trouble Jesus and respond in the ways modeled by Jesus in the confidence of the certain victory of Jesus.

It is remarkably significant and significantly remarkable that Jesus had a troubled soul. The kind of troubled soul Jesus spoke of at the beginning of v.27 was such that He felt the unimaginable weight of what awaited Him (at “this hour”— being crucified and forsaken). His troubled soul was the result of the growing tension between the painful cost of faithfulness and the impossibility of disobedience. Jesus was perfectly committed to glorifying His Father in His obedience and love for the world, but also entirely aware of the physical and (far, far, far, far greater) spiritual suffering He was about to endure on account of those things. In other words, the source of Jesus’ troubled soul was His certain knowledge of the certain pain that was about to accompany His certain obedience.

He experienced something similar at the faithless despair of Lazarus’s sister, Mary, and her companions at Lazarus’s death. “(John 11:33) When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.”

And Jesus would experience it again at the thought of Judas’s betrayal. “(John 13:21) Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.'”

This is significant in that it means having a troubled soul is not sin by itself. Indeed, it is not only not necessarily sin, but there are time when it is sin to not have a troubled soul. And in that way, it is good to grieve and lament when things are not as they should be. It is wrong not to. It was right, therefore, for Jesus to feel what He felt because the world was not as it should be and the price He was about to pay was as steep as it gets.

We ought to follow in Jesus’ footsteps here. Because we live in the same fallen world as Jesus did, because we too often have to pay a costly price to live as God commands, we ought to regularly have troubled souls as well.

To be a Christian and to lack an occasionally troubled soul is a symptom of a significant problem. It means that we lack a proper longing for things to be set right. It means that we lack a proper desire for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. It means that we lack a proper understanding of the mission God has given to us. It means that we lack a proper love for our hurting neighbors.

Godly people will often echo Jesus’ words, “Now my soul is troubled.”

With this, however, two things need to be carefully considered whenever our souls are troubled. First, we must consider the source of the troubling. There is, of course, an important difference between a soul that is troubled on account of a failure to have some kind of sinful desire met and a soul that is troubled because God’s glory is being masked by sin. It is one thing to have a troubled soul because you were pulled over for going 100mph in a school zone and another thing entirely to have it troubled because, despite your persistent prayers and evangelism, your neighbor still isn’t trusting in Jesus.

Having a troubled soul is only godly when it results from the longing for some missing godliness or the steep cost of pursuing it.

The second thing we must consider whenever we experience a troubled soul is our response to it. What we do as a result of our troubled soul is every bit as important as the source of the trouble. Just like different sources of trouble mean different things (not every kind of troubled soul is good), so too do different responses (not every response to a troubled soul is good). That’s where we’ll turn next as we consider Jesus’ response.

Before we do, though, I’d like to invite you to actually consider whether or not the primary source of your soul’s trouble is a right longing for that which is right. When your soul is troubled, is it rooted in righteousness or unmet selfish desires? Likewise, does it grieve you when things are not as God intends or are you content with things being in disordered rebellion against God? Are you more likely to be angered by something not going the way you want or by something that falls short of the glory of God? When you are angered by something in rebellion against God, is it more because of the inconvenience it causes you or because it robs God of the glory due His Name?

Jesus’ heart was troubled because the road of obedience is often hard. The cost of doing the will of God in this world is often steep. We must look to Jesus to see what it means to have a rightly troubled soul and to respond to it in a manner pleasing to the Lord.

The best way to grasp what a God-honoring response is in any given situation is to consider what Jesus did or commands in that situation. Jesus’ soul was troubled because He knew that He had to go to the cross and He knew how excruciating it was going to be. What, then, was His response? He responded in two main ways. He named the easy way out, but then chose the way of greatest cost and reward.

Interestingly (for me, fascinatingly), Jesus’ initial response was to name the easy way out; the temptation that was before Him.

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’?”…

This is a living picture of what the author of Hebrews meant when he wrote, (Hebrews 4:15) “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

It would have been much easier, much less painful, for Jesus to call on His Father to rescue Him from this dilemma, to deliver Him from the hands of those who would soon crucify Him as well as the Father’s own wrath. His words indicated a Hebrews 4:15 kind of temptation.

The same thing was true here as was true when Jesus was arrested, (Matthew 26:53) “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?”

The temptation that Jesus faced as He considered His future was to ask His Father to save Him, to deliver Him from the cost of His obedience.

Have you been there? Have you ever had a time when you knew what you needed to do to honor God, you knew it would cost a great deal to do so, and so you contemplated asking God to save you from having to obey? As Jesus’ example makes clear, the idea coming into your head isn’t sin by itself. Whether or not it is sin is determined by what you do in response to the idea.

Jesus’ heart was troubled. But Jesus’ had a rightly troubled heart which He rightly responded to in every way. It’s important that we see the shift that takes place in the text here. The picture John paints in the first half of v.27 is one of tension. The temptation was put in front of Jesus to abandon His mission to avoid its steep cost. From our perspective, it feels like things briefly hung in the balance. But in the blink of an eye, everything shifted. The second half of v.27 is a turning point. Yet again, Jesus chose the path of obedience. Though He was tempted, He did not give in. He chose the path of righteousness instead of sin. The temptation left and everything that followed was resolute righteousness. So again, what did it look like for Jesus to rightly respond to His troubled soul?

In this case, He lifted His eyes to heaven, and declared His resolve, [I will not seek to escape this path of obedience] “27…for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.”

Jesus emphatically proclaimed that no matter the cost, He would do exactly and only that which He was sent to do. He would obey no matter what. He briefly acknowledged the temptation He was confronted with, but immediately resolved to fulfill the purpose for which He came—taking on the wrath of God stored up for, and dying in place of, sinners.

What’s more, Jesus declared His ultimate motivation for His obedience: the glory of God. Above all—above His own comfort and life, even above the salvation of the world, Jesus obeyed all the way in order that His Father would receive the glory due His name. Jesus’ highest motivation in choosing to continue to the cross despite its cost, was to see the glory of God duly put on display for the world to see.

At the cross and the empty grave was the holy glory of God most clearly shown and nothing was more appealing to Jesus than that. His soul was troubled, but “(Hebrews 12:2) for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” He chose the hard road of obedience for on it alone was the greatest reward—glorifying the Father.

We must learn this as well, Grace Church. We must obey God at all costs because He is God, and because it is the path to the greatest reward—always. In this life we face constant temptation to choose other paths; paths of common sense and worldly wisdom; paths that promise greater safety, comfort, and reward. But Jesus helps us see that in the end, however, every single one of them is ultimately foolish, dangerous, and empty.

Taking the easy way out is its own reward (temporary relief and some measure of earthly blessing). On the other hand, the path of obedience is often immediately harder, more costly, foolish-looking, and counter-cultural. But it always leads to the greatest reward—the glory of God.

As Peter counted the cost of following Jesus, He made mention of it to Jesus. Jesus replied, (Mark 10:29-30) “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

The road of obedience is often hard, but it always leads to the greatest reward. One significant aspect of that reward is the pleasure of God in our obedience. Jesus walked continually in perfect obedience and the perfect pleasure of God.

After Jesus declared His resolve to obey, His Father’s pleasure boomed from the heavens.

28 … Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

The voice of God here was revealed in a manner that echoed Jesus’ baptism and transfiguration.

“(Luke 3:22) You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

“(Matthew 17:5) This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Jesus walked continually in perfect obedience and the perfect pleasure of God.

The Father had been glorified in Jesus’ baptism, teaching, miraculous works, and in His perfect representation of the godhead in His life and ministry on earth. Likewise, the Father would be glorified in Jesus’ defeat of sin and death, His resurrection from the dead, and in His ascension to the Father’s right hand.

While Jesus understood all of this perfectly, apparently, it wasn’t as clear to the crowd.

29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

The fact that it was God’s voice was hidden from most of the crowd. But the fact that the voice was one of supernatural power was revealed; that’s why it was confused with thunder and angels. The words were muddled, but the power behind them was not.

Nevertheless, it was important to both John and Jesus that we know that the Father’s voice was not for Jesus’ benefit, but for those who believed and would believe in Him. It was important as another piece of evidence that Jesus really was from God; that Jesus really was who He said He was; that Jesus really was the Christ. It is also important in that this is another example of something Jesus’ followers would only really understand after His death and resurrection. It was a kind of deposit made by God to strengthen the Church when it needed it most.

That this voice was mainly for those who had or would believe in Jesus is evident both the next verse (v.30) and in v.37, which describes the unbelief of many.

For all those reasons, “30 Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not mine.'”

It is a really big deal that the Son walked continually in the Father’s pleasure. It is an equally big deal that the Son knew it. Consider that, Grace. The gospel is such that we ought also live in such knowledge and confidence. In Jesus we too walk continually in the Father’s pleasure. And this because God sees us not according to our own works, but according to Jesus’.

As we saw earlier, it is good and right to obey in all things, no matter the cost. At the same time, our final hope is in Jesus’ obedience, not ours. The only question, therefore, is whether or not we will experience the pleasure of God. It is upon us even if we don’t feel it or act like it. Just imagine how much different, how much more like Jesus, your life would be if you really believed, felt, and lived in light of the fact that in Jesus you always walk in the pleasure of God.

Jesus didn’t need to hear the Father’s voice to know that He walked in the Father’s pleasure. The voice of God in v.28 was for our benefit, therefore. And it benefits us in confirming that Jesus is the Christ, confirming that His death was from God, revealing to us the amazing grace of the Christian gospel, and in showing the path of greatest reward.

We’ve considered the hard road of obedience, the greater reward of obedience, the Father’s pleasure in obedience, and now, finally, we’ll consider the certain victory of obedience.

Ultimately, as I hope you know full well, it is Jesus’ obedience that secures our victory. That is why it is certain. And that is why Jesus could declare the things He declared in 31-36. Because of Jesus’ obedience (four victorious things)…

31 Now is the judgment of this world.

God alone is God and, therefore, God alone is the perfect judge of all. The world will be judged based on its response to Jesus’ victory. The faithless will join the devil in receiving the just penalty for their sins. The faithful, will join in Jesus’ victory and everlasting life—glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.

Jesus’ obedience won our victory over sin’s condemnation.

31 Now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

God always has been and always will be God. He has no rival. However, until Jesus rose in victory, the “ruler of this world,” the devil, could rightly accuse the sons of Adam of treason and God Himself of the injustice of leaving their sins unpunished. But in Jesus’ perfect and full obedience, the devil was stripped even of his power to accuse. He was defeated and cast out, even as he awaits his final judgment and death.

Jesus’ obedience won our victory over the devil’s accusations.

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.

Jesus’ victory is such that all people who hope in Him will never perish but have everlasting life. Remember, it was the coming and question of the Greeks (12:20-22) that set this whole dialogue in motion. Their question was whether or not there was room in Jesus’ victory for Gentiles—non-Jews—like them. What Jesus said implicitly earlier, He said explicitly here. Jesus’ victory is for all people. He will draw to Himself people from every tribe, tongue, and nation on earth.

There is another key to this aspect of Jesus’ victory that we need to see. It will come from Jesus being “lifted up”. That is, as Jesus had already said, His victory would come through His being lifted up on a cross. This is, of course, an unusual method of victory. Picking up on this,

34 … 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?”

Indeed, the OT certainly speaks of an everlasting reign for the Christ (Psalm 110:4). And Jesus has certainly referred to himself as the Son of Man (John 3:13). And what Jesus promised did not sound like the Scripture passages the Jews had in mind to be sure. Nevertheless, God’s ways are not often our ways. He gives victory through horns and musical instruments (Joshua 6:20), uncut hair (Judges 16:17), purposefully diminished armies (Judges 7:7), spiritual chariots of fire (2 Kings 2:11), shepherd boys (1 Samuel 17:19-20), and crosses.

Grace Church, let us marvel at the certain victory of Jesus, the nature of the victory, and the means of victory.

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.”

Among the first words in John’s Gospel are these concerning Jesus: “(1:4) In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus’ promises in vs.35-36 are exactly what John had in mind when he wrote those opening lines. John knew, for he personally witnessed it, that Jesus was the light of the world and that darkness would not defeat Him. He would be victorious and share His light and victory with the world.

The light that had come into the world was about to return to His rightful place at God’s right hand. His light would remain in His Word, His people, and His Spirit, but the true light of the world would soon depart from them.

While the light was on earth, He gave light to mankind in the sense that all who had eyes and ears could see and hear Him. All could watch Him to understand the nature and will of God. Jesus perfectly revealed what it looks like to live as God intends. Jesus showed what it meant to walk the hard road of obedience, to walk in the pleasure of God which is the greatest reward, and what it looks like to walk in certain knowledge of everlasting victory.

Jesus not only displayed those things, He also invited everyone to join Him in them by believing in Him. Jesus came to bring victory for us by dying in our place, to pay for our sins, to empower us for obedience, and to reconcile us to God. All who would receive Him in faith would share in His victory as sons and daughters of light.

Grace, John wrote what he wrote about Jesus victory because the offer still stands. We too may become children of the light if we will believe in the Light.

Jesus’ heart was troubled on account of the cost He would soon pay to secure everlasting victory for all who would believe in Him as the light of the world. Believing in Him as the light of the world is to trust Him and follow Him on the hard road of obedience (to share in His troubled soul). But it is to do so in certain knowledge that He only and always leads to victory and the greatest reward—the glory and pleasure of God.

It is precisely because Jesus followed through on the promise He made in this passage that we can now turn to the meal of the victorious, the Lord’s Supper.

17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “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 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

I admit, the title of this sermon sounds a bit ominous. If you aren’t already familiar with this teaching of Jesus, it might sound like a terrible proposition. The idea that if you hate your life, you’re stuck with it, isn’t very appealing. And it gets even worse if when we add the rest of Jesus words, “Whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” The idea that if you hate your life, you’re stuck with it eternally, is about as bad as it gets.

But is that what Jesus is really saying? Most certainly it is not! In fact, in almost every way, He’s saying the opposite. Rather than a promise of suffering or a declaration of judgment or any other form of bad news, it is actually one of the greatest promises ever made. Embedded in this passage is the promise that the eternal life that Jesus came to bring is for Jew and Gentile alike. It is a promise that the curious Greeks and the faithful child of Abraham will be glorified and honored together in the presence of God.

With that in mind, we’ll consider another addition to the crowd and their question, Jesus and His answer, and within those two things, the implications of all of this for us today.

The big idea of this passage is a promise from Jesus that everyone—Jew and Gentile, male and female, young and old, rich and poor, as well as people from every language, nationality, background, and religion—might be honored by God in eternal life. Jesus revealed in our passage that He came not only for the physical offspring of Abraham, but for anyone who would surrender themselves to Him, loving Him above all things, trusting in Him alone, serving Him as the King of kings, and following Him wherever He leads. And the main takeaway is that we might all die, love, hate, serve, and follow; that is, that we might trust and treasure Jesus above all.

Let’s pray.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that John wrote this portion of his Gospel in such a way that the crowds are critical to the story. That is, understanding the makeup and perspective of “the crowd” is the key to understanding Jesus’ teaching in this passage.

The crowd that gathered around Jesus at His triumphal entry continued to grow (or, perhaps, become more defined). John intentionally revealed that the different groups within the crowd had different backgrounds, motives, questions, and concerns. Part of what He wanted his readers to understand about Jesus is tied directly to those different backgrounds, motives, questions, and concerns. That’s why we’re introduced to a third group within the group in this passage. They were there for reasons that are exceedingly significant for us.

You may remember that in last week’s sermon I noted that three crowd-streams came together in vs.17-19 (those who were with Jesus when He raised Lazarus from the dead, those who’d come to Jerusalem for the Passover and heard about it, and the Pharisees). In our passage for this morning, there’s yet another group added to “the crowd”.

John writes, “20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.” The basic idea is that there were Gentiles (non-Jews) present in the crowd and at the Passover.

Evidently, that was a normal thing. We see it in some detail in Acts 2, for instance, “5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem … devout men from every nation under heaven…? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians…” (Acts 2:5-11).

The fact that the Greeks were going “up to worship” suggests that they had converted to Judaism, or at least that they were “devout men”. But the fact that they were not Israelites, that they were not offspring of Abraham, is what we most need to notice.

Again, the crowd growing and surrounding Jesus was made up of all kinds of different people, from all kinds of different backgrounds, for all kinds of different reasons. There were Jews and non-Jews. Some from Jerusalem and many from neighboring regions. Some were there to worship Him, some to tell others about Him, some to question Him, some to persecute and prosecute Him, and some just because they’d heard so many things about Jesus that they wanted to see and hear Him for themselves. Again, we can add to that list, worshiping Greeks, but that leaves us with the question of their interest in Jesus.

Like the rest of the crowds that formed “the crowd,” the feast-going, worship-participating Greeks had their own agenda. John tells us that they “21 …came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.”

There are a number of questions these two verses raise that John doesn’t answer. Why did the Greeks go to Philip (and not directly to Jesus)? Similarly, why did Philip feel the need to take this request to Andrew first? And most significantly, what was it that drew the Greeks to Jesus? Why did they “wish to see Jesus”? In each of these questions, it should be plain that the text doesn’t explicitly tell us. There are subtle hints regarding the first two questions (Philip is a Greek name, John lists his hometown which is near Greek-speaking cities, and no one knew exactly how the Jewish Messiah related to Gentiles), but John records nothing concrete.

On the other hand, regarding the third and most significant question—the motives of the Greeks for wanting to see Jesus—Jesus’ reply gives us important clues. Most likely, the Greeks were wondering how/if they, as Gentiles, as non-Israelites, fit into Jesus’ power, glory, and plan. I say this is the most likely reason the Greeks wanted to see Jesus because Jesus’ response essentially answers that question.

Before we get to Jesus’ response, however, I want to put a question before you. Throughout John’s Gospel, as we’ve encountered response after response to Jesus’ works and teaching, I’ve asked you to consider in broad terms how you respond to Jesus. For instance, last week, having considered the response of the crowds, the Disciples, and the Pharisees to Jesus’ triumphal entry, I asked you all to consider the question put before them: “What do you do with Jesus’ claim to be King?”. In similar fashion, I’m asking you here, in light of this new group approaching Jesus for their own purposes: What is your question for Jesus? Why are you interested in Him? What is it about Him that draws you to Him? What is it that you hope He offers?

The reason you go to Jesus, the questions you have for Him, and the things you desire from Him are not insignificant. They say a lot about your heart and are a good indication of what Jesus’ response will be to you.

For my entire childhood, I only knew people who “went to Jesus” as some kind of cosmic vending machine. You put in the coins of prayer or some kind of good work, push the appropriate Jesus buttons, and He gives you what you want—or at least you hope He will. Since then, I’ve met many who “wish to see Jesus” only as some kind of divine jail-breaker; as someone who can get you out of trouble when all else fails. Others that I regularly encounter “go to Jesus” as the highest trump card. Jesus is for them the card they play to justify their own ideas or desires. They act as if Jesus supports their agenda as a means of silencing all dissent. If Jesus is for it, who can be against it? Love is love and that kind of nonsense.

In each of those instances, Jesus’ response will look a lot more like the one the Pharisees regularly received. Indeed, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'” (Matthew 7:21-23).

So the question stands, why do you go to Jesus? What do you want from Him? Why do you wish to see Him? Jesus is about to tell us what it really means to come to Him and why we should. We would all do well to consider our own answers in light of His.

As I just mentioned, John doesn’t explicitly tell us why the Greeks came to Jesus, but Jesus’ response when approached by Philip and Andrew on their behalf, is telling. Had Jesus come for the Gentiles? Was His resurrection power for them as well? Would He reject them, rebuke them, or receive them?

Well, as He was prone to do, Jesus seemingly bypassed the questions altogether—both the implied question of the Greeks (Are we included?) and the direct question of Philip and Andrew (Will you grant the Greeks an audience?). Instead of answering as we might expect, and the Greeks probably wanted (“sure, have them come on in”), Jesus initially made two statements about Himself that weren’t obviously connected to the question presented to Him.

First, He “23 answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.'”. Clearly not what they asked, but awesome and critical nonetheless.

There are nine separate times in John’s Gospel in which Jesus refers to “His hour.” The first four times (2:4; 4:21; 7:30; 8:20) referred to a future time; that is, four times in a row Jesus declared that His time had not yet come.

It is truly significant that for the first time, Jesus declared that His time had come. His hour was at hand. Specifically, the time of His glorification (which they certainly didn’t yet understand) was upon them all.

What’s more, and remarkable beyond measure, one of the very things that God determined to usher in Jesus’ hour was the coming of the Gentiles. The good news of the gospel is entirely tied up in its inclusion of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. This will become clearer as we continue on in this passage, but even now, it’s good to pause and reflect on the fact that Jesus came in love for the whole world and the Greeks of v.20 provided an opportunity for Jesus to proclaim that.

What was it about this time that was significant? Why had Jesus’ time finally come? And what did that mean? We’ll come back to these questions in just a bit.

The second response Jesus gave, another that was more about explaining Himself and His mission than directly responding to the disciples and Greeks, is found in v.24.

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.

Seeds in a bag can’t produce a crop. It is only once seeds are placed in the ground that they can germinate, grow, bear fruit, and ultimately provide life to those who need it. In the same way, in response to Philip’s request that Jesus meet with the Greeks, Jesus told Philip and Andrew (again, in a manner that they wouldn’t really understand until later) that He needed to die in order bear the kind and quantity of fruit He’d come to bring. And in this simple teaching, Jesus was introducing the best possible news for the Greeks and the rest of the world!

Indeed, Jesus would soon suffer at the hands of the men in v.19 and then even more at the hands of the Roman authorities. He would suffer even unto death (as a grain of wheat falling to the earth) in one of the worst possible ways known to man (crucifixion). But then He would rise from the dead (as a seed pushing forth out of the ground). And in that He would be glorified, making a way for all to join Him! Jesus told His hearers what His fruit was and how all people (including the Greeks) could access it.

It is in the second part of Jesus’ answer that we get the clearest sense of what the Greeks were after and the fullest sense of Jesus answer. “Jews, Greeks, Gentiles, all mankind, I have come to die that you might join me in eternal life in the Father’s honor. The path to that blessing, that fruit, is to trust in and treasure Me above all.” Let’s consider all of that in light of vs.25-26.

What does it mean to trust in Jesus as the greatest treasure? Rather than leaving those ideas as vague concepts, as so many today are prone to do, Jesus clarified what He meant by trust in four ways and treasure in two.

1. Love Your Life to Lose It

First, if you trust me as your treasure, you need to stop loving your life in this world. Indeed, “25 Whoever loves his life loses it…”

For clarity, consider the parallel claim Jesus made in Matthew 10 (and Luke 14:25-33).

Matthew 10:37–39 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

This passage informs every part of this section (all four trust and both treasure claims), but the gist of what it helps us see concerning loving our lives to lose them is this: trusting Jesus as your treasure means (1) letting go of your idolatry of self, (2) letting go of your love of sin, and (3) letting go of anything you love more than Jesus. If you love yourself more than Jesus, sin more than Jesus, or anything else (even good things like your parents, kids, siblings, and even your own life) more than Jesus, then you do not yet fully trust Jesus as your treasure.

Grace, in answering the Greeks, Jesus warns us as well that loving anything more than Him or that dishonors Him, is antithetical to trusting in Jesus. If you are perfectly happy with all you have in this life (or can imagine being so), if the blessings of this world is enough for you, or if you delight in sin, then your hope is not in Jesus and you will lose the very life you hold dear.

2. Hate Your Life to Keep It

Jesus’ second claim concerning the nature of trusting Him as treasure simply affirms the opposite of the first. If we love any part of our lives more than Jesus, then we are not truly trusting in Jesus and we will lose our lives. On the other hand, if we trust in Jesus as our treasure such that we hate our lives in this world compared to Jesus, then we will gain eternal life.

25 … and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

I like a good $1.50 Costco hotdog and pop combo. Occasionally it really hits the spot and gives me a bit of joy knowing that we’re not pressing on our budget. At the same time, when I think of it in comparison to something truly desirable, like Jake’s brisket, I genuinely despise Costco’s hotdog—especially the extra inch on each end that you have to eat without the bun to give it its proper balance in the universe.

In a similar way, Jesus is not saying that trusting in Him means despising the people in your life that He elsewhere commands you to love. He’s saying that trusting in Him means believing and feeling in your bones that they are Costco hotdogs (divided by a million) and He is Jake’s brisket (multiplied by a million billion).

3. Serve Me

Jesus’ third clarifying claim regarding the essence of what it means to truly trust in Him is found in v.26—trusting Him as treasure means serving Him.

26 If anyone serves me …

To trust Jesus is to serve Him, to gladly obey His commands and do His bidding. It is a tragic thing when Christianity is shared merely as some kind of passive mental ascent to a set of facts, or a get-out-of-hell-free card, or, worse yet, as the means by which your selfish desires can be met. We’re often told, pray this prayer and Jesus will fix your life and make everything better. Of course, there’s some measure of truth in that, but above all, it’s a tragically false and deadly version of the gospel; indeed, it is no gospel at all.

It’s especially tragic for two reasons. First, it’s tragic because, as I said, it’s false. It cannot deliver on what it promises. But second, it’s tragic because even if it could deliver on it’s promises, it’s promises fall infinitely short of the fullness of what Jesus offers.

What I mean is this: for most of us, the charge to be someone’s servant is not an overly appealing prospect. Kids, think of having to be your brother or sister’s servant for a day. That would probably be pretty rough, wouldn’t it? They’d probably have you doing things like cleaning their room, giving them all your money, getting them snacks and such. In other words, being their servant is unappealing because they’d use you for purposes that benefited them, but not you. Even serving the best person on earth isn’t awesome because the best they have to offer still falls sort of what you were made for.

Serving Jesus is different, though. The gospel is a call to trust in Jesus as His servant and that is the best news out there because Jesus only does perfect things. He only ever succeeds. He has all glory, honor, victory, power, and blessing. To serve Him is to be about the greatest work, for the greatest reasons, to the greatest ends. Think of being able to travel around, helping your favorite band or athlete or author or artist or video gamer. You’d gladly sign up for that, wouldn’t you? You’d be eager to do so and you’d love to brag to your friends about it. It’d be an honor. Well, if you can even begin to get your head around that idea, you can begin to understand that doing so with Jesus—serving Jesus—is all of that and infinitely more. It is good news that trusting in Jesus means being His servant. Don’t cheat people of that blessing by leaving it out of your gospel presentations!

4. Follow Me

Finally, the fourth aspect of trusting Jesus as treasure is following Jesus.

26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me…

This isn’t fundamentally different than serving Jesus. Serving Him is following Him and following Him is serving Him. You can’t follow Him without serving Him and you can’t serve Him without following Him. The gist of this point is simply that where Jesus goes, those who trust in Him will follow. What Jesus does, those who trust in Him will join in. The call to follow Jesus, like the call to serve Jesus, is good news indeed.

We are united with Jesus in His measureless blessings when we trust in Him as our treasure. As we just saw, Jesus clarified the nature of the trust we need. Trusting in Him means forsaking love of this life, hating all things in comparison to Jesus, serving Jesus, and following Jesus. He also clarified the nature of the treasure He offers. The great treasure means, above all, that we get to be with Him and be honored by the Father alongside Him.

1. We will be with Jesus.

where I am, there will my servant be also….

Greater than living forever, greater than all the money, friends, health, and success in the world, greater than all other things, the reward Jesus offered was the greatest possible reward. There is nothing you might rightly desire more. Where Jesus is, you will be with Him. By God’s sanctifying grace, you will grow to see this promise as it truly is—greater than everything else you might desire. Being with Jesus is the greatest treasure because Jesus alone possesses all glory.

The Greeks asked if they could see Jesus. Once again, if they would trust in Him as treasure, they would always see Him. They would see Him forever. They would be with Him in perfect fellowship and everlasting joy. And so it is for you and me.

2. We will be honored by the Father.

Second, and similarly, trusting in Jesus as our treasure means that we will be honored by the Father along with Him.

26 …If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

If being honored as student of the month by your teacher, or employee of the year by your company, or MVP by your coach, or best in class by your 4H judge would be an honor, consider carefully how unparalleledly awesome it would be to be honored by God; to have God tell you, “Well done, I’m proud of you, you bring me joy!”

Again, and without exageration, being honored by the Father is greater than living forever, greater than all the money, friends, health, and success in the world, it is greater than all other things. It is the highest reward. There is nothing you might rightly desire more. The Father will honor you! If that doesn’t sound like the greatest thing you can imagine, you need to pray, read your Bible more carefully, and rethink everything.

The believing, Gentile Greeks wanted to see Jesus. To that end, they made their request through Philip, who solicited Andrew to join him in presenting the request to Jesus. In light of Jesus’ answer, we can infer that the heart of their question was whether or not Jesus brough good news for Jews only or Gentiles too.

Instead of answering directly, Jesus first clarified His mission as a means giving an even fuller, greater answer than the Greeks were expecting.

And Jesus’ answer was this: You want to see me? You will certainly see me for I am about to be glorified. Contrary to your expectations, however, I will not be glorified by leading a military victory over the Romans, but by giving my life as a ransom for many and then by rising from the dead.

Your life comes through My death. And you gain access to all of that, you are able to “see” Me, not by your own merit, but by being united to Me in Mine. That happens as your surrender our entire life to me in the knowledge that my reward—being with me, glorified like me, and living eternally in the Father’s honor—is worth more than everything in your life and in this fallen world combined and multiplied by a billion.

Trust me, therefore. Serve me, follow me, and believe that my Father will reward you—you and everyone who joins you—with everlasting fellowship and honor. What an answer, what an offer, what a Savior, what a treasure.

May your new year be happy because it is increasingly marked by believing and living in light of these things.

John 12:12-19 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

15    “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
     behold, your king is coming,
     sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Merry Christmas. Jesus is born! There are few things more worthy of celebrating, and I can think of no better way than to celebrate together on the Lord’s Day. I love that we get to be together this morning and this evening. I also love that our passage fits so well with Christmas. I’m eager to help you see what I mean by that.

The big idea of this sermon and passage is that Jesus is triumphant in all He is and does. The main takeaway is that we ought to live every moment of every day in light of that fact. Let’s pray and dive in.

Our passage for this morning is commonly referred to as “The Triumphal entry”. It certainly is that in a way (although Jesus’ triumph would take a much different form than the crowds in this passage imagined). But it’s good for us to recognize that this was actually Jesus’ second triumphal entry, and we can’t truly understand the second apart from the first.

Before Jesus was even conceived, an angel visited Mary and said to her concerning Jesus, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the Most high. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:30-33).

Before Jesus was born, while He was still in Mary’ womb, when Mary went to visit Elizabeth, Elizabeth “exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me'” (Luke 1:41-43).

At Jesus’ birth, the glory of the Lord filled the sky and an angel of the Lord declared, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…” And this was followed by a multitude of angels “Praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased'” (Luke 2:10-14)!

Shortly after Jesus’ birth, wise men from the east came to Bethlehem and asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2).

Jesus’ first triumphal entry came at the time of His birth. It came when the eternal Son of God took on human flesh and a human nature and dwelt among us. In the opening of his Gospel, John describes the first triumphal entry of Jesus this way (in 1:14): “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.”

It had been determined by the Almighty God, before the foundation of the world was laid, that Jesus would be victorious in and over all things. His first triumphal entry, His coming to earth as a baby, had been promised for ages and generations and was finally revealed at the first Christmas. The King of Glory had finally come!

That’s why this day is so special. That’s why it is right for us to be here, to dress up a bit more, to sing with more enthusiasm, pray with more faith, and come back tonight and hear this story again…because today marks the day we celebrate Jesus’ first triumphal entry.

This Christmas Eve morning, then, with the heavenly proclamations of the fact and glory of Jesus’ miraculous birth ringing in our ears, we get to consider Jesus’ second triumphal entry, along with the response of the crowds, the Disciples, the Pharisees, and ourselves to it.

From those heavenly and earthly declarations, the crowd’s response in our passage for this morning makes perfect sense. It’s exactly what we might expect. What else might they proclaim other than, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” What other response might there be at the second triumphal entry of the one whom prophets foretold and angels heralded?!

In fact, if we didn’t know any better, we might expect a straight line from the proclamations surrounding Jesus’ birth to the response of the large crowd in John 12:12-13. We might expect an uninterrupted rise from virgin-born infant to coronated-King.

But, of course, we do know better. The rise was anything but a straight line and this peak was about to be turned into a deep, deep valley. Even though the bulk of the passage is hopeful, the last verse of our passage hints at the decline.

And with that, let’s look at the second triumphal entry a bit more closely. It was planned by Jesus, it enthralled the crowds, it confused the disciples, and it caused the Pharisees to resign themselves to this moment.

On the surface, at least to me, it sounds like the “large crowd” thrust Jesus into the spotlight; like the kicker unwittingly hoisted on the shoulders of his teammates after kicking the game winning field goal. Considering John 6:15, this might seem like an even more likely interpretation, “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”

Again, at first reading, it almost sounds like that which the crowds had been unable to do previously (make Jesus king by force), they succeeded in here.

And yet we know, both from this passage and the rest of Scripture, that just like the first triumphal entry was God’s plan, so too was the second. There are two places this shows up in this passage. The first is in vs.14-15. In that passage John states explicitly that Jesus entered Jerusalem in the particular manner He did in order to fulfill the prophecy in Zachariah 9:9, which says…

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Jesus knew this prophecy, He knew it was about Him, and John tells us that He knowingly and willfully rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to fulfill it. Jesus is King and He is triumphant. We cannot read vs.14-15 as John and Jesus intended and miss the fact that our passage is a description of Jesus finally presenting Himself to the world as King. This second triumphal entry is exactly what the angels promised in the first.

The second way we see that the triumphal entry described in this passage was planned by Jesus is found in v.16. There, John records the Disciples’ future response. They remembered later “that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.” In other words, in the moment, as we’ll see in a bit, the disciples were confused. Later, however, they came to see that this triumphal entry was long-promised and planned by God.

As I mentioned, the rest of the Bible helps us see even more clearly that Jesus’ second triumphal entry was planned by Jesus. For instance, what John remains silent about, Matthew states explicitly. Prior to arriving in Jerusalem, “Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me” (Matthew 21:1-2). Jesus didn’t merely decide at the last minute to ride in on the donkey. He arranged for it in advance as the proper vehicle for His presentation and coronation.

The main point for us to see is that Jesus was finally revealing Himself as King. Embedded in this passage is a statement about the nature of Jesus’ kingship—namely that He was there as a king of peace rather than the military conqueror so many expected (see Zacheriah 9:10)—but the simple fact is that Jesus’ time had come and it was Him, not the crowd who determined to make that known.

That leads us neatly, then, to the response of the crowd. Look with me at the beginning of v.13.

13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him…

At that time in Israel, “[Palm branches were] used as symbols of victory and kingship. By meeting Jesus with palm branches the crowd showed they were welcoming him as king” (Kruse, TNTC, 261). Jesus was presenting Himself as king and the crowds believed Him. They were, as we’ll see as we continue in John’s Gospel, mistaken about Jesus’ kingship and triumph, but there was no doubt that they were beginning to see Jesus more clearly.

Consequently, they cried “out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord…”

“Hosanna” was simply an exclamation of praise. They were amazed by Jesus, excited at the prospect of what His triumphal entry might mean for them, and they cried out because of it. The rest is a quote from Psalm 118:26, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.”

Interestingly, this was a Psalm sung by Jews to Jews. As Jews would come to Jerusalem and approach the Temple, their fellow Jews would greet them with these words, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” We would do well to greet one another that way at church each week. It is good to acknowledge the blessedness, the happiness, the joy, of those who come here in God’s name.

In this context, the crowds shouted this in unison as a way of welcoming Jesus and declaring that He was indeed coming in the name of the Lord, that we was truly from the Father.

More than that, though they added one more clause to make it clear that they understood Jesus to be more than just another faithful man of God, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” They said with their mouths what they’d already communicated with their palms. They were declaring and celebrating the fact that Jesus is the King of Israel!

They were starting to put the pieces together. His unparalleled insight, power, and presence all pointed to the fact that He really was the Messiah promised by God; and the crowds saw that more clearly than ever.

What changed? Why were they starting to see this now? John tells us that the key that unlocked this for most was (understandably!) Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Look at 17.

17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

Vs. 17-18 actually describe two crowds combined into one. The first, described in v.17, was the group who had been present when Jesus raised Lazarus. The second, described in v.18 (and v.12), was a group in and around Jerusalem, who were there for the Passover, and who had heard about Jesus raising Lazarus and were amazed.

Again, they didn’t know it yet, but as much as the crowd got right, they also had a ways to go before they’d truly understand who Jesus was, what He meant in presenting Himself as king, and what He was about to accomplish. Nevertheless, what they did understand, they celebrated; and none more than the first group who “continued to bear witness.”

May that be a lesson for us, Grace Church; actually, may it be three powerful lessons. First, let us see how natural and normal it ought to be to experience Jesus’ glory and turning it straight into praising God and telling others that they too might experience it. Oh that’s we’d learn to turn our quite times and evidences of grace and experiencing of God’s blessing into immediate, joyful, bold worship and witness-bearing!

Second, may we learn from the first crowd that we don’t need to know everything about everything to “bear witness” to the glory of the birth and triumph of Jesus. There will always be more to learn and greater depths of God’s nature and salvation to plumb, but we can always share whatever we have. Kids, most of you know plenty to tell your neighbors and grandparents about the God who was born as a man to save the world from our sins by dying in our place.

And third, we might not understand everything about Jesus’ kingship, but we certainly know enough to give ourselves to obeying whatever commands we have. We know enough not to pit our own wishes, desires, sense of things, morality, wisdom, and authority against Jesus’. He is King. We are not. We ought to honor Him and follow Him in every way, in every moment, in every aspect of life, in every part of the world, no matter the earthly cost. We ought to join the crowds in repenting, bearing witness, and declaring, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of [the universe]!”

Next, we see something that is certainly familiar.

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first…”

How many times has this been the case? How many times had the disciples misunderstood Jesus or failed to fully understand the significance of the things they did understand?

One of the clearest parallels in John is found in chapter 2. Jesus promised, “19 Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” But no one, not even the Disciples understood Him at the time. Therefore, in v.22 we read, “When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.”

Although they’d lived and traveled with Jesus for more than three years by the time of the events of John 12, they were still missing large chunks of understanding. And that continued on even through Jesus’ death and resurrection, “but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.”

And that was the fulfillment of a promise Jesus would make in John 16:7-14, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes… 13 he will guide you into all the truth…

Grace, as you know, we are a lot like the Disciples, so let us go slow and be humble. Let us be careful and eager for correction. Let us be childlike in our faith and willingness to be instructed. At the same time, however, we do have the Spirit, so let us praise God and be encouraged. Let us read His Word with expectation and confidence. Let us give ourselves to seeking wisdom and understanding and believing that He will give it generously to all.

That brings us to the final response recorded by John to Jesus’ second triumphal entry; that of the Pharisees. They’d worked hard to silence Jesus. They’d rebuked, threatened imprisonment and death, and sought to intimidate Jesus, His followers, and the crowds, and all to no avail.

As they watched the procession unfold, therefore, it’s not hard to imagine their response.

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Nothing we’ve tried has worked. He’s turned every attempt we’ve made back on our heads. He’s evaded our every attempt to silence, capture, arrest, and kill Him, and He’s made us look like fools at every turn.

But rather than recognize the reason for their impotent plans (they were going against God), rather than recognize the folly of their actions, and rather than repent and believe, the Pharisees and Jewish leaders would soon redouble their efforts. For now, however, they had to simply throw up their hands, sit back, and watch as Jesus was adored by the great and growing crowds (possibly close to 3 million).

All of this brings us to the point of needing to consider our own response. Grace, what is your response to the triumphal entries of Jesus? What is your response to God being born and revealing Himself as king? What do you make of Jesus’ coming and coronation?

Are you like the crowd (partially and unknowingly misguided, but full of zeal and joy), the disciples (faithful, but knowingly confused), or the Pharisees (resigned to the fact that people are going to chase after Jesus even though He’s a liar)? Or is your response something different still?

The simple fact of the matter is that having heard this story, having heard of Jesus’ triumphal entries, we must all respond. What’s more, the Bible is repeatedly explicit that there really are only two possible responses we can make. Either you will experience the holy glory of God, desperately acknowledge your sin against Him, and surrender your life entirely to Him as your Savior and Lord OR you will do anything else. The first, John wrote, leads to eternal, fullness of life and joy and peace in the loving presence of God and all His people. The second, to eternal destruction as the just punishment for treasonous sin.

Before you finally decide how to respond to Jesus’ triumphal entries, and in conclusion, consider with me the remarkable fact that there’s one more triumphal entry to come!

Revelation 19:9-16 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” …

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Grace, Jesus made a triumphal entry at His birth. He made another at His coronation. And He’ll make one more still at His return. In His first two, He came on a donkey as a king of peace to rescue us from our sin. In His third, however, He’ll come on a white horse, as a warrior King to defeat all of His enemies once and for all, as the crowds in our passage expected then (they were right in their expectation, but way off on their timing). It will be terrible to His enemies and glorious to all who had received Him as King.

Again, then, on this Christmas Eve morning, how do you respond to Jesus, the triumphant One? For now, let us pray and then sing with all we have, rejoicing and crying out, “Hosanna,” for truly, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

John 12:1-11 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Thanks to John, Mark, and Matt for preaching and Mike for picking up the pastoral slack while I was working with TLI and out of the office. I’m grateful for these men. God has blessed us all with these good shepherds.

It was good to be able to train another group of pastors and church leaders, and it is good to be back; back at home, back at Grace, and back in John’s Gospel.

It seems especially fitting to me that we are fast approaching John’s account of Jesus’ death and resurrection at the time of year in which we celebrate Jesus’ birth. It’s often too easy to get caught up in celebrating the cuteness of the 8lb, 6oz little baby Jesus and the mystique of the moon-lit nativity scene. Likewise, it’s easy to get stuck on the more theologically-rich reality of the incarnation during this time of year. As special and significant as those things are, they are incomplete without Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. Again, it’s good for us to have them paired together in this season—experiencing both the love and peace of the virgin birth and the shock and hope of the cross and empty tomb.

With that, welcome back to John 12. In God’s good providence, we’re now just one week before Jesus’ crucifixion in John’s Gospel, even as we’re just one week before the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth. In chapter 12, as I pointed out in my last sermon (a month ago already), Jesus was moving toward Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. You may remember that Jesus was traveling with a large group of Jews, coming down from the north. While many continued on to Jerusalem on Friday, Jesus and His disciples turned aside a few miles early. They went to Bethany, the hometown of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. It was there, just a few weeks earlier, that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (foreshadowing His own imminent resurrection). Back in Bethany, again as we saw last time, Mary poured the expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet at a dinner in His honor.

That brings us to our primary text for this morning: 12:9-11. In that passage, we find a second parallel/foreshadowing between Jesus and Lazarus—the Jewish leaders making “plans to put Lazarus to death as well.” And in that we find even more help to wrap our minds around the significance of who Jesus was/is, what He was about to do, and the crowd’s response to it.

The big ideas of this passage are familiar: 1) The shocking, blinding effects of sin, and 2) The unstoppable grace of God. And the main takeaway for us today is to put our faith in Jesus in such a way that frees us from fear. Let’s pray, therefore, that God would be pleased to use this passage to free us from fear and firm up our faith.

One of the ways this passage helps us become firm in faith and free from fear is in the fact that it points to something greater than the events in it. I hope our time in John’s Gospel has help you see that God helps His people trust in Him by creating things and orchestrating the events to provide the categories we need to best understand Him and His purposes and ways.

For instance, He created light and dark to help us understand righteousness and sin.

He created male and female and the institution of marriage to help us understand the relationship between Jesus and the Church.

He created stomachs to help us understand what it means to hunger for righteousness.

He orchestrated Jonah’s time in the belly of the fish to help us appreciate Jesus time in the grave.

He orchestrated Noah’s time in the boat to help us understand Jesus’ second coming.

He created the offices of prophet, priest, and king to help us understand Jesus’ nature and work.

He established the sacrificial system to help us understand the atonement that Jesus would provide.

He gave us the tower of Babel in order to help us understand Pentecost.

And He gave us Lazarus, in part, to help us understand Jesus’ nature and mission, as well as the response of the Jews to Him and it. That is, Lazarus provides a kind of foreshadowing of Jesus. In that way, God orchestrated certain events in his life to help us best appreciate certain events in Jesus’ life. And by grasping them, we have help to become firm in faith and free from fear.

Don’t miss these, Grace; especially those the Bible explicitly explains. You would do well to spend some time this week prayerfully considering the many examples of this concerning Christmas. As you read the Christmas story, use the cross references in your Bibles to chase down the OT passages that predict and give depth of meaning to the incarnation. As you do, with the Spirit’s help, you will find great encouragement and joy.

The first way we saw Lazarus foreshadow Jesus was in his resurrection. We saw that back in chapter 11. Lazarus was sick. His sisters sent word to Jesus so that He might come and heal Lazarus before it was too late. In love, and in order to demonstrate the power of God over death, Jesus waited two days before going to Lazarus. Knowingly and intentionally, between the time Jesus heard of Lazarus’s terminal condition and the time He arrived in Bethany, Lazarus died. And yet, as I’m sure you remember, instead of a tragedy, as God intended, this became a tidal wave of grace.

Consider again the basic events of Lazarus’s resurrection from chapter 11.

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was (11:5-6)…Jesus said to [Martha], ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God’ (11:40)…[And] he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out’. The man who died came out” (11:43-44).

It is—obviously!!!—a miracle that Lazarus was raised from the dead. By itself, it is hard to picture a more spectacular display of God’s power. And yet, as remarkable as Lazarus’s resurrection was, it was merely a foreshadowing of the infinitely greater resurrection to come.

As you know, Jesus’ resurrection was far more significant still. Lazarus was raised from the dead, only to die again a few years later. In His resurrection, however, Jesus defeated death, definitively proved that all the promises of God were YES, and rose as the first to be glorified, never to die again.

In Lazarus, God demonstrated that He alone has power over life and death. He did that, in part, to prepare His people for the greater and greatest display He was about reveal in Jesus. Lazarus’s resurrection helps get us ready for Jesus’ resurrection.

Again, all of that we saw already in chapter 11, but remembering it, puts us in a position to best appreciate the second foreshadowing, which is found in our passage.

A second way that Lazarus pointed to Jesus was in the response of the Jews to his resurrection. Again, that’s what we have in vs.9-11. As always, we can’t properly appreciate what we see here if we don’t slow down and really consider it. Jesus waited until there could be no doubt about the death of Lazarus before raising him from the dead. Lazarus was miraculously, literally, totally, publicly, and undeniably brought back to life by Jesus.

Mary gives us a picture of a proper response to it in v.3, as do some of the Jews in v.11. But the Jewish leaders do just the opposite in v.10. It is good to keep vs.1-11 together to see this contrast most clearly.

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

That makes sense so far, right? Who wouldn’t want to see a man who had been raised from the dead along with the Man who did the raising?! Again, think about that for a minute. There is no indication in John that any among the “large crowd of the Jews” (or even the religious leaders) believed this to be a hoax. There’s no indication that anyone (even those who hated it) didn’t believe that Lazarus had been dead, was now alive, or that Jesus was responsible for his new life. Of course, they wanted to see Jesus and Lazarus. Who wouldn’t?

And yet, consider now how the chief priests responded.

10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Can you get your head around that? A man who had been raised from the dead was standing in front of them, along with the One responsible for his resurrection. Many gathered around to witness the object and Performer of this miracle. And the first thought of the ones most responsible to point the people to the glory of God in this event decided instead that the best course of action was to put Lazarus to death, even as they’d already decided to put Jesus to death.

Consider, then, how astoundingly foolish it is to wish death for someone because he had been raised from the dead. There was no accusation of sin. Lazarus didn’t even ask to be raised from the dead. And their first thought was to kill him.

Consider how astoundingly foolish it is to plot the death of one who had already died and been raised from the dead. If his first death didn’t kill him, why would they think a second one would?!

Consider how astoundingly foolish is to not believe in the One who can raise the dead. How could anyone with a right mind do anything other than fall down in worship?

Consider how astoundingly foolish it is to want to stop others from believing in the one who raises the dead. Even if they didn’t believe, how foolish is it to try to keep other from believing?

And, above all, consider how astoundingly foolish it is to wish death for the one with the power to raise the dead. Again, what kind of craziness makes someone think that it’s a good idea to try to kill the One to whom life and death belong?

Jesus raises the dead. And Lazarus was among the first to experience that power. What a gift it was to all who witnessed it and heard of it and were able to see Jesus and Lazarus together after! Imagine the power and glory and might and grace and mercy. Can you imagine a clearer example of the true nature of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, the second person of the Godhead? What help this is for faith and fearlessness!

At the same time, can you imagine a clearer example of the sinfulness of sin? I invite you again to slow down and consider what it would take to cause this response from the chief priests and many of the Jews. We’ve seen this before and we’ll see it again. It is an important theme in John’s Gospel as he wrote to help his readers not respond like this.

For the umteenth time in his Gospel, John recorded this kind of response, in light of this kind of power, in order to make clear this kind of sinfulness of sin. Sin kills and blinds and corrupts. The killing, blinding, corrupting effect of sin looks different in different people in this life, but it always kills, blinds, and corrupts.

In some, it looks like unbelieving belief. In some it looks like bearded-lady curiosity. In some it looks like indifference. In some it looks like soft agnosticism. In some it looks like angry atheism. And in some it looks like murderous hatred.

The thing John absolutely wants us to get our heads around is not the manner in which sin manifests in us, but in the fact that it always kills and the grace of God alone is able to overcome it. Grace Church, learn from this passage that those whose sin makes them unbelieving believers (nice church kids who believe in god and intellectually ascent to the basic tenants of the gospel, but are entirely more impressed with the things of earth than the One who holds them all together) are in no better place than those who spew hatred and lies about Jesus. Neither are closer to heaven. Both are equally and fully dead in their trespasses and sins, unwilling and unable to truly trust in God apart from God’s grace.

In light of this, we do well to consider that it is the same sin that makes us more impressed with things we can order from Amazon or Hobby Lobby than the birth of our Savior; more impressed with Christmas lights around the neighborhood than the coming of the Light of the World; more impressed with fake physical intimacy on our computers than the Bridegroom who died to make His bride holy; more impressed with some entertainment personality than the One who raises the dead to eternal life.

Grace, take some time this week to consider the simple fact that apart from God’s grace, we are all exactly like the religious leaders who wanted to kill Jesus and Lazarus. It is only once we do that we will humble ourselves and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, reconciliation with God, and the strength to live as we ought.

In the chief priests’ desire to kill Lazarus, then, we have a clear picture of the power of sin and a foreshadowing of the kind of sinfulness that will soon lead these men to kill Jesus. Again, in each of these foreshadowings, we learn a bit more about the unparalleled glory of Jesus, the power of sin to blind us to Him, and the grace of God which is alone able to overcome it.

What difference does all of this make? As we simultaneously move toward Jesus’ birth (in Christmas) and death (in John’s Gospel), what does this passage, these foreshadowings, the sinfulness of sin and the resurrection power of Jesus, mean for our lives?

It means a lot of things, but I want to point out two in particular. Rightly applied, it will firm up our faith and free us from fear.

I’d like you all to consider another simple question. What most causes you to trust in someone or something?

On what basis are you most likely to believe a plane will get you from here to East Lansing, MI? I imagine it’s an uninterrupted track record of successful flights before you take one. It’d be really hard to be the first person to attempt it. It’d probably still be pretty hard to be the 50th. But after a few hundred successful flights, coupled with the fact that it will save you around 10 hours of travel time, and it’d get easier and easier to get on board, right?

In the same way, what would it take for someone to get you to trust them to operate on your heart? A serious heart condition of your own and lots and lots of surgeries resulting in the healing of the surgeon’s patients, right? If you only had a minor heart problem or an inexperienced or unsuccessful surgeon, you’d have no reason to trust them to operate on you.

Grace, please really consider this—whether you are a skeptical unbeliever, a teenager who is often bored with church, or someone who longs to give more of your life to Jesus—what would it take to trust or trust more in Jesus? How about an unbroken track record of telling the truth, speaking with unmatched wisdom, performing signs and wonders, raising others from the dead, and raising from the dead, coupled with a growing awareness of the sinfulness of your sin and unworthiness of God’s love?

As I hope to have helped you see, we have all of that in this story of Lazarus. The resurrection power of Jesus and the power of sin to blind us from it. If you are to trust or grow in trust for Jesus, it will be because you humbly ask the Holy Spirit to drive these truths into your mind and heart. The Spirit of God, empowering the Word of God, through our prayers to God, is the means of God to grow your trust in God. And John explicitly tells us that he wrote his Gospel for that reason. Would you pray this prayer today? Would you pray it for yourself, your family, and for Grace Church?

Finally, I’d love to know what it was like for Lazarus to be raised from the dead. What did he experience? What did it feel like? Was there a bright light? Did he get even a taste of his glorification? Wouldn’t it be interesting to know?

But I’d also like to know what it was like for him to be on the chief priests most wanted list because of it. If anything could drive out fear, it has to be a resurrection, right? He’d already died once, it doesn’t seem to have been all that bad. Why would he worry about dying again? I don’t know if he was afraid or not, but I do know that you and I are promised an even greater resurrection and yet we are afraid of all kinds of things all the time.

How, then, can we be freed from our fear? How can we overcome our worry about money and sickness and relational challenges and loneliness and our kids’ future and political unrest and geopolitical conflicts and religious leaders who want to kill us after we’ve been raised from the dead? How do we come to live lives of inner peace and courage?

The answer is the same as the last point. True courage and peace don’t come from more successfully walling ourselves off from the outside or getting enough money in our savings or having the best doctors or our kids being obedient enough or living in a country with the strongest military. It comes from, and only from, faith that is graciously given by and firmly resting in the One who raises and was raised from the dead.

Freedom from fear comes from faith in the work and promises of the One who raised Lazarus from the dead, stood firm through the murderous threats of the powers of earth even unto death, and then was defeated death by rising Himself.

Again, then, Grace Church, go to God in humble prayer this week as you consider Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, foreshadowed in Lazarus, and demonstrated over and over in the power of God. Go to God in humble prayer and ask Him to help you believe what is true so that you will live in faith and without fear of anything that can kill only the body.

In John 11 we are given a foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection when He raised Lazarus from the dead. In 12:1-8 we are given an example of a right response to Jesus in light of that. In 12:9-11, we see another foreshadowing, in the murderous threats of the religious leaders against Lazarus that would soon be unleashed on Jesus.

As I mentioned in the beginning, these two foreshadowings and the responses they received help us to see more of who Jesus is and what’s at stake in our response. May we turn to God to firm up our faith and grant us freedom from fear. That’s why we have Christmas and why it is worth celebrating in the highest. That’s also why we have Easter and why it’s so good to have both together this week. Glory to God in the highest.

Philippians 2:5-11 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I’m so excited to be here this morning and finally preach to you from Philippians. It was the first book of the Bible Alena and I memorized several years ago. And also the last. Then we memorized this passage with Jephthah in October and November this year. Mark and I had sat down with Pastor Dave for a preaching class back in 2022 and we’ve been moving toward this moment at a snail’s pace due to the nature of life. But what a sweet providence that finally getting to the point of preaching this passage, which primarily concerns the incarnation of God the Son, that it should fall during the season of Advent! Advent is a time of reflecting on and celebrating the coming of Jesus, fully God from times eternal, stepping into our world, condescending as one of us, ultimately to lift us back up with him.

It’s hard enough to drop in out of nowhere and land in the middle of Philippians – I mean, is there any other context in which you would start reading or studying a personal letter or a book from the middle? But to make matters worse, these seven verses are likely poetry rather than prose. In fact, they may not even be written entirely or at all by Paul himself. Many theologians think that this section of Paul’s letter is a hymn, maybe a common hymn of the church, which Paul embellished for his purposes in the letter. We can’t answer these questions with much certainty, but it does appear that the language used in these verses is distinctly different from the rest of the letter. There are words in here that Paul uses rarely or not at all in his other writings.

Poetry is something of a combination of words and pictures. You know the old saying, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’. So Paul is saying a lot in a little space by including this bit of poetry or song here. That being said, a number of sermons could be written to address the various important layers of this text and its implications for us and we won’t be able to view every facet of the truth contained here this morning. For another crack at this passage, I encourage you to check out Pastor Mike’s sermon on these same verses on our website from his summer 2019 Philippians series.

The main theme of Paul’s letter to the Philippians is his address to the church at Philippi who are experiencing some form of suffering for the gospel. The essence of his letter is his call in 1:27 to behave as citizens worthy of the gospel of Christ. He calls them to do so by suffering joyfully because of the worth of Christ and in the hope of future glory with Christ in the age to come.

The structure of my sermon will be as follows. First, we’ll briefly consider the Nature of Paul’s Life as a first-century missionary. Then we’ll zoom in and examine Paul’s reasons for writing this Letter to the Philippian church. And finally we’ll break down chapter 2 verses 5-11, sometimes known as the Christ Hymn in three sections: Paul’s admonishment to Have the Mind of Christ in v. 5, His description of The Humiliation of Christ in the incarnation in vs. 6-8, and finally the Exaltation of Christ in verses 9-11.

It’s my hope for you to see two main things this morning: The first is that being consumed with the worth of Christ results in a joyful response, not only to favorable and comfortable circumstances, but also, and perhaps even more, to the suffering and want caused by being associated with Jesus Christ and partnering in gospel ministry. And the second is that we are being called to think like Christ, who was motivated to endure suffering by setting his hope on the future glory that awaited Him.

First, the nature of Paul’s life as a first-century missionary. No doubt being a missionary in 2023 is difficult. There are financial challenges, relational conflicts, dangers from both private individuals and governments, and temptations to discouragement and fear. As challenging as it is today, it was much, much more difficult in every way for the Apostle Paul, who pioneered missions to the area of Turkey and other regions around the Mediterranean Sea known then as Asia. The exclusivity of the claims of Christ meant threats from the polytheistic Roman sphere (who saw Paul’s message as dangerously intolerant) as well as the Jewish populations dispersed in these areas (who saw him as a hateful heretic).

As such, to say that Paul suffered a lot at the hands of men would be an understatement. He wrote in his second letter to the church at Corinth about his numerous imprisonments, “countless beatings, and [being] often near death”. “Five times”, he said, “I received at the hands of the Jews the Forty Lashes Less One, Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

So to be a Christian at this time, and especially to proselytize as a missionary, was to be something of an enemy of the State (which feels more and more remarkably similar to our current context does it not? – he who has ears to hear, let him hear).

Let’s zoom into Paul’s reason for writing this letter. He wrote this during one of a number of imprisonments for proclaiming the gospel. Roman prisons were unlike the jails and prisons we have here. Prisoners were not provided with basic material needs like food and clothing as they are today. One of these examples is seen in Paul’s final letter to his protege Timothy, where he asks Timothy to bring his cloak so the old man could keep warm in the cold winter.

Paul highlights in this letter in 1:5 and 4:15 the longstanding financial and material partnership of the Philippian church in his missionary work. But now he is writing his letter to thank them for personally caring for him in relation to his imprisonment (4:10,14,18), to assure them that he has received their gift, and commend their delivery-man Epaphroditus for his faithfulness by explaining that he didn’t run off with the money but was waylaid by a deadly illness (2:25-30).

Paul’s primary concern in the letter, however, is not at all for his own suffering, but for the manner in which the church was responding to their suffering as partners in the gospel. In chapter 1 he addresses their mental or heart response, which includes discouragement that he is locked up in prison (1:12-18), their fear that he may die there (1:19-26), their fear of their own opponents (1:28), and their anxiety and discontent (4:6,11). Then he addresses their relational response, including divisions (1:27; 2:2; 4:2), rivalry, pride, and selfishness (2:3-4). He also addresses temptation to gospel compromise when he warns them against the Judiazers who would force them to mix the gospel and the mosaic law (3:1-11).

It’s clear from Paul’s writing that the church at Philippi was struggling to respond with faith to the trials, temptations, and threats they faced. They seemed to be caught off guard by suffering. Paul wants them to see that their current circumstances give no warrant for this kind of response. He does so by reframing his own suffering and theirs in the light of two truths. The first is the inestimable worth of Christ and the second is the certain hope of future glorification that awaits them on the day of Christ (1:6; 2:10,11,16; 3:11,21). Both of these are grounded in the absolute sovereignty, or control, of God over circumstances.

First, Paul’s eagerness for Christ to get glory far outweighs any desire he has for comfort and safety. He wants the church to understand that his imprisonment is no hindrance whatsoever to God’s plan, but rather an opportunity. Paul recognizes the sovereign hand of God over his own circumstances when he says in 1:16, “I am put here for the defense of the gospel”. Then he helps the church to see that it’s no different for them when he says in 1:29-30, “For it has been granted to you [also] that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have”.

Why does he talk this way? Does he get some kind of twisted pleasure from suffering? No, rather it is abundantly clear throughout Philippians that he is so enthralled with Christ that he is selfless. He’s eager to be poured out in whatever way will most bring glory to Christ. This is why he can say about his own suffering, “So what? Only that in every way, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice”. Or, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21). Or, “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice” (2:17). He is eager to die if it brings him more of Christ (1:23; 3:10-11). In fact, Paul is so selflessly enamored with the glory of Christ that he says in Romans (9:3) that he could wish himself cut off from Christ permanently in order that the full measure of Christ’s Bride from among the Jews be brought in.

What about you? How do you see your circumstances? “Oh what a beautiful morning, O what a beautiful day, I’ve got a beautiful feeling, everything’s going my way”? Perhaps, but likely not. Often things don’t go our way, right? And how about Grace church? Missionaries in hostile, secret locations. Losing an elder a year for four years. Hostile culture all around us trying to box us in…

Seems pretty dismal. Paul says it’s not. What opportunities to magnify Christ are you missing with your church, your wife, your kids, your job, because you’ve had different expectations, or different priorities? Is “Christ magnified” the chief desire of your heart? Does it lead you to sacrifice and suffer without counting the cost? Is that being manifested in tangible ways? Or instead are you a grumpy murmurer? Paul’s reframing of his and the Philippians’ circumstances is not a subjective motivational speech, but the truest, most objective understanding of reality. God truly is sovereign over suffering and Christ truly is better than life. If you’re struggling to relate to Christ and your circumstances in that way, maybe you need to camp out in Philippians for a while.

Now let’s dig into our passage for this morning, 2:5-11 – The Christ Hymn. I’ve said that Paul is writing his letter to reframe their understanding, or fix their perspective on suffering in two ways. The first is his absolute preoccupation with the worth of Christ. The second way in which Paul reframes things for the Philippians is at the heart of our passage today. Namely, the certain hope of future glorification that awaits them on the day of Christ.

By the time we reach chapter 2 verse 5, Paul has just finished introducing them to his imperative to live as citizens worthy of the gospel of Christ by putting off fear, division, discord and selfish pride, and putting on faith, joy, unity, and humility. Now in verse 5 he tells them how – by sharing the goal and the hope that motivated Christ in his incarnation. He calls this Christ-like perspective having the “mind” of Christ.

Having considered what the commentators had to say in light of the several questions I mentioned at the beginning and that it does appear even in English to be uncommonly poetic language for Paul, I’m fairly convinced this is a poem, a hymn, or a song. And, as I also said earlier, I think he used it here because this word-picture paints a thousand words to get his point across both efficiently and powerfully. I think he used it to make his primary appeal in the letter because he knew they were already singing it regularly and, therefore, they would have a hard time objecting to what he was trying to say. So I think he used a common hymn of the early church as a particularly impactful literary tool.

I want to draw out for you briefly from these verses, what Christ did, and why he did it, by looking at his Humiliation in vs 6-8 and his Exaltation in vs 9-11, in order to reveal Paul’s primary point in the hymn: showing what godly suffering looks like and in order that they might imitate the hope that Christ had.

First, his humiliation. Paul writes in verses 6-8 that “though he was in the form of God, [Christ] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped [or asserted], but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”. Paul is talking here about Christ in the flesh, the incarnate Son of God considering, as a human, what attitude should he take toward God. And as a man, he did not consider grasping for God-likeness the appropriate thing to do.

But can you think of anyone who did grasp at being equal with God?

Isn’t that just what Adam did in the Garden back in the Beginning? What deceitful promise did Satan, that ancient serpent, make? “You will be like God”. This seed of sinful desire lodged in the heart of Adam so that he ate of the forbidden tree. He sought equality with God, no longer to be a humble servant, dependent on his Master. Whereas Adam was a humble and dependent creature that proudly sought to usurp God’s throne, Paul says here that Jesus, literally God himself, in considering, ‘What’s the most humiliating way to make myself nothing?’ became like Adam. Like us. (What irony!)

But we need to understand who Adam was in order to understand what Christ was accomplishing in these verses. In Psalm 8 (vs 3-6), David humbly marveled at the place which God gave Adam among the rest of his creatures in Creation. He says,

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than God and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet”

David wonders that God should have given man this special place of honor over his creation as his steward, or vice-regent, to have dominion, ruling like a king over everything as God’s representative. But we know how the rest of the story goes – it wasn’t good enough for Adam. Grasping for the scepter, he fell, and brought himself under God’s curse. Because he did that, God cursed Adam, bringing confusion, pain, frustration, futility, and death on him and on all the creation.

Paul makes it explicit elsewhere, namely Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 that Adam was more than just the first man of many humans. He had a unique position, as we saw in Psalm 8. Paul says Adam was a ‘type’ of Christ. What he means is, we look at Adam’s position in order to understand Christ’s position. Adam was, and still is, the representative of all people born after him. So Paul can say, “In Adam, all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22). This is still true. The reason all people everywhere are experiencing the effects of God’s curse on Adam is that we are his offspring and he is our father. If you are not in Christ, you are still in Adam and under God’s curse.

Before you get too excited about how unfair that all sounds, listen to the rest of 1 Corinthians 15:22, “As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive”. If you’re hoping in Christ as your representative, Paul says you are acknowledging that he functions in the same way for you as Adam once did. This is why he can actually refer to Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15:45 as the “Last Adam”.

So what does this have to do with the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2? Verses 6-8 show that Christ is ‘the new and better Adam come to save the hell-bound man’ by doing what Adam failed to do. As a man, he humbled himself under God, considered himself a servant, and was obedient to the point of a humiliating slave’s death on a cross. Christ, as the last Adam, took Adam’s place for all who would hope in him.

But not only are we freed from Adam’s curse through Christ’s representation. We’re also brought to an exalted place Adam never dreamed of. In the book of Hebrews, David’s song from Psalm 8 about the wonderful position God gave man, which Adam frustrated, gets redeemed and fulfilled in Christ. He says,

“We are speaking of the world to come. It has been testified somewhere,
What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.

Now in putting everything in subjection under to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” (Hebrews 2:5-10)

So Christ redeems the position originally given to Adam and applies it to his offspring. “We do not presently see everything in subjection” though, do we? We are suffering here! The world is uniting against Christ and his Church! We suffer from opponents, circumstances, and our own sin. What is going on? Notice what he said in Hebrews 2:5 – “We are speaking of the world to come”. The exaltation of Christ is where the second half of the Christ Hymn directs us in verses 9 to 11.

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

What was Christ’s mindset in the incarnation? He was a humble servant, obedient to a certain death. But what motivated him? The second half of the hymn shows that Christ was driven by the hope of future exaltation that would lead to God the Father getting glory. The assurance of a glorious victory over his enemies is what fueled Christ. Hebrews 12:2 puts it this way, “For the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God”. And Hebrews 10:13 says he’s been “waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet”.

What a marvelous plot twist that Christ’s obedient service, taking the form of a humble creature through suffering and death, is the pathway through which he was declared as God before all creation. The last two verses of the Christ Hymn, verses 10 and 11, are a direct quote from Isaiah 45:23, which says, “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance”. Paul, or whoever wrote the Christ Hymn, takes Isaiah’s direct quote about the Lord God and appropriates it to Christ! Christ knew that his suffering would lead to his exaltation and to inestimable glory. His certain hope was on the magnification of the worth of Christ himself, and future glory, achieved through his suffering and death.

Why does the Hymn land here, with Christ being exalted to the glory of God the Father? How is that supposed to help the Philippians in their suffering? How do they relate to that? How can they even dare to feel entitled to think as Christ did, and to hope as he hoped? It’s because Christ not only descended with us, but he also brought us up with him. Ephesians 2:6, “[he] raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”. The Gospel doesn’t make us neutral with God. We become adopted sons, heirs with Christ. Paul told the church at Philippi,

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (3:20-21).

Through Christ we are not only justified but also glorified. We are younger brothers and sisters to the King, and therefore we get to share in the inheritance with him. Consider the following verses:

Acts 26:23 – “the Christ must suffer… being the first to rise from the dead”
1 Cor 15:20 – “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”
Rev 1:5 – “Jesus Christ… the firstborn of the dead”
Hebrews 1:2 – “His Son – whom he appointed the heir of all things”
Hebrews 12:23 – “The church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven”
Romans 8:17 – “[we are] fellow heirs with Christ… provided we suffer with him in order that we also may be glorified with him”.

This is the hope to which Paul calls the Philippians when he exhorts them to have the mind of Christ. When he tells them in 1:27 to behave as citizens worthy of the gospel of Christ, he’s referring to our citizenship in heaven. Our lives here are to be lived as sojourners and aliens, remembering always that we are citizens of our King, that although we do not presently see all things in subjection, yet the victory is sure. Even the worst efforts of the evil one, even the most broken circumstances, are playing into the hand of God’s master plot to exalt the worth of Christ to the glory of the Father.

In conclusion, Philippians generally, and the Christ Hymn specifically, call us primarily to three things:

First, Expect suffering. Why should you be caught off guard? Be aware, and beware, of your expectations. – You should expect to suffer in this world. Jesus said it – “in this world you will have trouble”. If you expect ease, you’ll be disappointed. There’s a way in which we should be glad to suffer for Christ. An example from the early church comes in Acts 5 (vs. 17-42), where the apostles were arrested for preaching Christ, then beaten and released. Their response is noteworthy – “They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name”. We are to behave as citizens worthy of the gospel of Christ. Mind your reactions to suffering. When you’re out of step with the Mind of Christ by expecting ease – pause, repent, and look for ways to obey.

Second, Suffer joyfully – Suffering is not a warrant for us to indulge sinful desires, selfish attitudes, be a grumpus, entertain self-pity, or anxiously freak out on family or the church. Ask someone in your DG – How do you see me responding to suffering? When you have the mind of Christ, you’ll think of yourself as an instrument instead of as a victim. Rather than thinking of what you deserve and constantly demanding it from everyone around you, humbly consider others more important than yourself. Husbands, ask your wives/Wives ask your husbands – What selfish or conceited attitudes am I displaying toward you? What occasions them? Are there ways I can demonstrate considering you more important than myself? Kids, listen really close. Kids – have you ever been obedient to the point of death? Would it kill you to glorify God by obeying all the way, right away, and with a happy heart? If you’re struggling to obey your parents in this way, then you’ve just discovered the solution you’ve been searching for – have the mind of Christ. And, rather than yourself, have the glory of Christ as your top priority.

God is directing all things to fulfill his purposes for your good, and always to magnify the worth of Christ to the glory of the Father. Let that be the central desire of your life. Don’t let mistaken expectations lead you to miss out on opportunities to obey, serve, and proclaim Christ in your choices, your marriage, your parenting, your ministry, your friendships, or your driving. Paul saw being in a Roman prison as an opportunity for Christ to be honored in his body, whether by life or by death (Philippians 1:20) and this brought him unconditional joy. What is your joy rooted in? Try to think right now of circumstances and suffering in your life and view it with the mind of Christ. Is having more of Christ and Christ getting more glory, even if it means suffering, worth it for you? How did Christ think of himself? As God’s servant. And if you’re in Christ, so should you. What does that mean? His interests rather than yours. Let him worry about your welfare. You be about his business. “I am put here for the defense of the gospel”, “To die is gain”, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better”, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings”!

Third, Set your hope fully on the day of Christ – As the Preacher says in Ecclesiastes, life under the sun is vain. If your hope is in this world and this age, you’re going to be vexed, confused, frustrated, angry, discouraged, and depressed. It’s all meaningless – a chasing after the wind. Our citizenship is in heaven, and our hope is to be set on the day of Christ, as it was for Paul.

This is the path, the pattern – suffering. It’s no surprise. Jesus exemplified it. He lived it for us. He is victorious. And he will come back to usher in the Kingdom. His suffering was bringing many sons to glory – and so is gospel partnership – and both are cause for rejoicing.

Closing Prayer

Father,

May we do all things without grumbling or questioning, that we may be blameless and innocent, children of God (and fellow heirs with Christ) without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, that we may shine as lights in the world – with a peculiar joy and an unreasonable hope in the face of suffering that causes those around us to ask the reason for the hope that is in us – holding fast to the promise of life, with our hearts set on the day of Christ, knowing that none of it is in vain. May we be eager to be poured out as an offering for the sake of the Name, on grand occasions as a martyr or on mundane occasions as a husband, a wife, a son or daughter, a brother, a sister, or a neighbor – in unity, not frightened in anything, and in humility counting others more important than ourselves. And may we rejoice in the Lord always. Amen

Judges 7:1-25 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2 The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

4 And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the LORD said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

9 That same night the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11 And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. 13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”

15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the LORD has given the host of Midian into your hand.” 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’”

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. 22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.

24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. 25 And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.

If someone asked you what the theme of the Bible is, how would you answer this question in a sentence or so? The Bible has a theme that permeates throughout its entirety, what is that? If I was to answer this question I would answer that the Bible is about the insignificance of man for God’s glory and that the love of God for His people is greater than we can imagine.

In Judges we see time and again God’s people sinning against Him. Is there always genuine repentance from Israel before salvation comes? I would pose to you that no, there is quite often not genuine repentance from the children of Israel. There is simply crying out to God to save them, it is like a child who has gone down a path that you have warned them about. Walking too close to a hole they fall in and they cry out to you the parents save me! Is it repentance that drives the child to cry and ask for help or is it simply despair in their situation that they simply realize that they have no hope of saving themselves from.

In Judges (3:9,15; 4:3, 6:6,7) we simply see the people cry out to God. The Hebrew verb za’aq used here, means to cry out in deep distress or because of some unbearable circumstance, occasionally it means a cry of anguish directed to no one in particular. When the verb za’aq is used elsewhere to actually mean repentance it is always explicitly expressed by some additional clause or second verb, such as in Judges 10:10,16 the people cry out to God, za’aq, but this is then followed in verse 16 that the people put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. Why is this distinction important for us to see? What is the author’s intent for us the reader to see? God loves His people and He grows impatient over their cries of misery. He sends a deliverer not necessarily because genuine repentance has happened but because He loves His children and He takes care of them.

Just as you love your children and they cannot do anything to keep you from loving them and taking them back into your arms so too our heavenly Father loves His people like this and even greater than you and I can ever imagine is God’s love for us His people.

Do we as believers fail to rightly see this truth in Judges? Do we often view the OT and specifically Judges as a collection of stories of Christian superheroes who God has appointed to swoop in and save the day for the nation of Israel. Do not yawn and have a ho-hum wow that’s pretty cool approach to God’s word but be amazed and humbled by His glory and love for His children Israel and for you and for me. Praise Him and worship Him for who He is, our great and mighty salvation.

The name of the book of Judges comes from the 12 Israelite leaders who God used to deliver his people from oppression throughout the book. The author of Judges is not known but there are some clues that the author lived during the early part of David’s reign. Chapter 20 verse 18 affirms God’s final choice of the tribe of Judah (David and his sons), and not the tribe of Benjamin (Saul and his sons) to rule over Israel. The author wrote with a perspective that a King would establish law and order. “In those days Israel had no king and everyone did as he pleased,” 21:25. A clue to the time the author wrote is that they mention the Jebusites controlling the city of Jerusalem to this day. David captured the city and made it his capital in 1000BC and the Jebusites did not inhabit the city after that time.

Judges fits into the story of the Bible after Joshua has led Israel into Canaan and passed away and before Samuel the last “Judge” arrives on the scene in I Samuel Chapter 1. Judges is broken into three parts, The failure of the second generation 1:1-3:6, The salvation of a merciful and gracious God 3:7-16:31, The confusion of a depraved people 17-21.

In the first part Israel fails at the task of completely possessing the land, you might ask is this because they lost their resolve when their leader Joshua died? This shouldn’t have been the case because after the death of Joshua, Judah and Simeon are given 10,000 men of the Canaanites and Perizites into their hand by almighty God. Again the need for the quote on quote Christian superhero Joshua wasn’t there. A leader isn’t even named, just the two tribes’ names and that the Lord provided the victory. When the tribes acted in unity God granted success to them. V.22 Ephraim and Manasseh. There is also stated failure starting in (Judges 1:27-36) , this failure doesn’t lead to immediate issues but eventually apostasy came which then ultimately brought judgment from the Lord.

The story of Gideon falls into the second part of Judges, God chooses to use those who man would not look at as the ultimate warrior so that there could be little doubt as to who the deliverance came from. Even when grace was least deserved God provides and cares for His stubborn and stiff necked people.

In the beginning of Judges 6 we see an all too familiar start to a chapter, and the people of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years (V.1). Verse 5 describes the Midianites as coming like locusts in number, both they and their camels could not be counted. Verse 6 describes Israel as being brought very low because of Midian, and the people of Israel cried out,(za’aq) for help to the Lord. Verse 11 is the section where we meet Gideon, an angel of the Lord comes to him as he is beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. The angel tells Gideon that the Lord is with him thou mighty man of valor, Gideon responds with questioning about if the Lord is with us why has he given us into the hand of Midian? The Lord responds and tells him to go in might of yours and save Israel, do I not send you? Gideon responds that his clan is the weakest in his tribe and he is the weakest in his father’s house. How can he save Israel? The Lord responds “I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man. Gideon prepares food as a present, fire comes and consumes the food upon the rock where it was placed. The Lord tells him to go and tear down his father’s altar of Baal and then offer a burnt offering to the Lord. Gideon does it at night because he is fearful of the people and what they may do to him. The spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon and he sent out messengers for men to follow him. The end of chapter 6 is Gideon asking God for a sign that He would indeed save Israel by my hand with the sign of the fleece being wet and the ground being dry. God does this and the next night Gideon asks the Lord to make the fleece dry and the ground wet and the Lord does this.

To go back to the superhero thoughts, I think we sometimes miss the point of who these people were that God used to provide deliverance for His people. The Sunday School lesson titles of (Moses Parts the Red Sea), (Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho), (Samson Slays the Philistines with the Jawbone of a Donkey), (David Slays Goliath) and I could go on and on. Who parted the Red Sea, who defeated the walls of Jericho, who gave strength to Samson, who slew Goliath with a stone. All of these acts are an impossible occurrence in the normal course of events. An almighty, infinitely powerful God had to intervene and cause the outcome in each case. It was not the special skills these men had, it was God simply using them to make His sovereign plan happen. Do not miss this when reading the Bible, Man is Insignificant for the Glory and Work of God. Praise Him that He gives us the privilege to be used by Him.

Let’s dig into our text now. God tells Gideon, hey Gideon you have way too many men. We see Gideon has 32,000 men and he was going to be facing an army of 135,000 men or more (Judges 8:10). Verse 2 of God to Gideon, the people you have are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Lest Israel boast over me saying, My own hand has saved me. God knows the arrogance of man’s hearts. I think about myself as being one of those 32,000 and I’d like to think about myself as not being too arrogant as to see that God grants the victory, not our skill as warriors. The more I think about it though I could see how my arrogance or having my ego built up by accomplishing a victory at great odds is not only more than plausible but it is most likely how I would respond. Think of this in the form of an athletic competition, hockey there’s 5 players on the ice vs. 20 for the 4 to 1 odds like in this passage. My 4 teammates and I are victorious against the 20 other skaters because our conditioning is superior,we’ve been coached better, we’re all in all just more athletic than the other team even though their numbers should’ve overwhelmed us. What’s the problem here? It’s all focused on us and our skill, just as in this illustration God knew that if He delivered Israel with the 32,000 men their response would be the same as in the illustration.

Pause, can you see yourself being like Israel? Am I like Israel? The odds of me figuring out a given problem at times looks pretty tough and there’s a point where I may pray and ask the Lord for help but when I’m given success in solving the problem I don’t rejoice and praise God out of humility that He granted me success in the trial that I am currently under but instead my ego is lifted up. That my ability to solve problems is great, that there’s nothing I can’t conquer. Are we like Israel? Does the chance of success have to appear completely insurmountable for us to fully declare that victory came from the Lord? I pray that I would be more humble, I pray that we would be a humble people.

Verse 3 gives the nuts and bolts of how the men are reduced; whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead, and 22,000 men return home leaving 10,000 men. Some commentators talk about that this sending away of those who are fearful and trembling followed the Israelite laws of warfare laid out in Deutoronomy 20:5-9 specifically in verse 8 that if there was any man who was fearful and fainthearted to send him away lest he make his fellow soldier’s hearts melt away as well. That in doing this God was ensuring those going to battle were men well ready to fight and were ready to care for another. I believe that that would be adding something to the text that isn’t necessarily there and most commentators I read are in agreement that this just happened to be the system God used to reduce the number of men. That He was trying to put together this company of quote on quote special forces would seem to fly in the face of Him keeping Israel from boasting in their own strength for what He knew was a coming victory.

Verse 4-8 God once again comes to Gideon and once again He instructs him that he has too many men with him for Israel to not boast in their own strength over a victory over the Midianites. He has the men drink from the water that they were near and those who lapped as dogs were to be set apart and likewise those who knelt and brought the water to their mouths with their hands were to be set apart. Again there’s some commentary that God only wanted alert men to go to battle with and that’s why he kept only those who were vigilant in drinking by kneeling and bringing the water to their mouths. Again this seems to be adding something to the text that is simply not there and would again seem to contradict His desire to have a force that could in any way rejoice and boast in their own strength, God was not trying to create the army of 300 Spartans, this was simply the system God used to get to the 300 men Gideon would go to battle with.

God comes to Gideon and instructs him to get himself down into the camp of the Midianites because He was giving the Midianites into his hands. He’s instructed to take his servant Purrah down with him if he was afraid to go on his own, and the Lord told him that his hands would be strengthened after going down, to go to battle against the Midianites. This is a pretty cool moment in this story displaying God’s knowledge and shepherding of His servant Gideon. To this point Gideon had been given a multitude of signs, the consumption of the food he brought to the Angel of the Lord by fire from heaven, the protection from the townspeople after he destroyed the altar to baal and the instances of the fleece being wet and dry. God knew Gideon’s heart though and He chose to grant Gideon one last sign of encouragement before he led his men into battle. We have an incredibly loving God who knows and loves us and gives us the encouragement to do what He asks of us. Have you ever thought I can’t do that? I can’t do what God is asking of me. You are correct, you in and of yourself cannot do it but if you are fully surrendered to the Lord He will give the strength to carry out what is being asked of you. The story of Gideon and the 300 men is one of the greatest examples we have of this. There was nothing special about Gideon or his 300 men, they were ordinary men who God was going to use to bring about a great victory over a pagan people to bring glory to His name.

Gideon has just been encouraged by the Lord, having gone into the camp of the Midianites and hearing the dream from one of the Midianites about the loaf of bread rolling down the hill and crushing the camp and the fear that that dream caused, he returns to the camp and prepares his men for battle. The preparation is a strange one however. The men are not armed with swords, spear and shield. No, they are armed with a trumpet, a torch and a pitcher. I’d like to pause here and just say a word about these 300 men. Now the point of this story is not necessarily the faith of these 300 men, no it is indeed that God is greater than any insurmountable number of enemy forces. His greatness and glory knows no ending or boundaries. That being said I believe we can marvel at the simple obedience of these 300 men. Put yourself in their shoes, they stayed when 22,000 men left, they stayed when another 9700 left, they hadn’t witnessed any of the signs that Gideon had seen but they simply obeyed their Lord by obeying their commander. What would have been going through your mind first off as only 300 men going to battle but worse still 300 men armed only with a trumpet, torch and pitcher. There is a principle here for us, that simple obedience gives us the opportunity to be a part of seeing God glorified in a great and mighty way.

Gideon and his men blow their trumpets, break their pitchers and wave their torches and cry out for the sword of the Lord and Gideon! That statement shows who those men were trusting in and relying on for victory, their hearts were completely surrendered and obedient to their God and to the commander that God had placed over them. God brings about confusion in the camp of the Midianites; they are terrified and they begin to slay one another and God delivers a great victory for Gideon and his men and the nation of Israel. He has delivered them from being servants to a pagan people.

We serve an amazing, all-powerful, loving, great God. Leave here today worshipping and praising Him for who He is and what He has done for each and everyone of us.