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The Meaning of the Cross
Shaun Rossi // The Gospel of John
The most important question that anyone can ask is: what is the meaning of the cross?
“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.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.”
— John 12:27-36
SMALL GROUP STUDYIntroduction (5 min)
Why did Jesus come to die on the cross? Can your group come up with at least 10 reasons in max 5 minutes?
Understand the Text (20 min)1. Jesus says in verse 27 that his soul is troubled. Why is Jesus troubled?
Are there other places in the New Testament where we see Jesus troubled? Read John 11:33; 13:21; Matthew 26:36-46.
Was the source of Jesus’ anguish and sorrow only because of the physical punishment that he would endure on the cross? What did Jesus endure on the cross that he had never experienced before? Read Mark 15:34; 2 Corinthians 5:21; and Hebrews 12:2.
How does understanding the great sorrow that Jesus had leading up to the cross, help you realize the price that Jesus paid to forgive your sin?
What can you do to show your appreciation for the price Jesus paid for you on the cross?
2. What does Jesus say about the purpose for which he came into the world?
When Jesus talks about his “hour,” what is he always referring to? Read John 12:23 & 17:1.
From the sermon: “Now if I were to ask, “Why did Christ die?” You would probably answer, “Christ died to save us from our sins.” And that is correct. But who sent Jesus to die? Isaiah 53:10 “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.”
What is the connection between understanding the Father sent Jesus to the cross and verse 28 and the cross bri glory to God?
3. When God speaks in verse 28, what does he say? Is this the only time that God has spoken audibly during the life of Jesus? Read Matt 3:16-17, and Mark 9:1-7.
How does the crowd respond to the voice of God? What are some explanations they give for the voice of God?
Do people today struggle to hear God? What are some ways that people today explain away the truth of God and miss his message to the world?
4. What does Jesus say about the judgement of this world? Who will be cast out? Who will be lifted up? How are the two events (casting out, and lifted up) connected?
5. In your own words, explain how Jesus being lifted up means victory for you and defeat for Satan. Is this a message that someone you know needs to hear.
Application (10min)Our text today focused on the meaning of why Jesus came to die on the cross. Understanding why Jesus died on the cross is foundational for our behaviour as Christians. This is for example very clear in Paul’s letters. When urging the Corinthian Christians to give generously, Paul points to the cross (2 Corinthians 8:9). The attitude of those in the church of Rome towards those among them who are weak is, according to Paul, to be governed by Christ‘s example (Romans 14:15; 15:1-7). In Ephesians 5, husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25) - again he points to the cross. So, whether the subject is giving, relationships within the church or marriage, the cross forms the basis of Paul‘s teaching.
Take turns sharing an area of your Christian discipleship that you are either struggling in or would like to mature in (such as forgiveness, giving, service, exhorting, evangelism, anger). How is the meaning of the cross the basis and the shaper of your growth in this area?
Closing (Optional)Listen to Keith and Kristyn Getty, “The Power of the Cross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGCISQQ7Zo
SERMON NOTES: Meaning I: To Fulfil “the Hour” v 2“And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
— John 2:4
“21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
— John 4:21; 23
“Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice”
— John 5:28
“6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.
8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”
8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”
— John 7:6;8
“So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
”
”
— John 7:30
“These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.”
— John 8:20
“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.”
— John 13:1
“32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.”
— John 16:32
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,”
— John 17:1
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
— Luke 22:42
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
— Matthew 27:46
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:21
Meaning II: To Glorify the Father vv 28-30
“Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
— Matthew 11:15
Meaning III: To Judge Sin, Cast Out Satan & Draw All People to Christ vv 31-33
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
— John 3:18
“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.”
— 1 John 5:9-10
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”
— John 6:44
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
— John 6:37
Meaning IV: To Lift Up the Son as the Light of Salvation, For a While vv 34-36
“For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
— 2 Corinthians 6:2
46 More Reasons! book recommendation: “50 Reasons why Jesus Came to die”
In is book “50 Reasons Jesus Came to Die” John Piper writes, “the central issue of Jesus’s death is not the cause, but the meaning — God’s meaning.” That is what his book is about. Piper gathered fifty reasons from the New Testament that answer to the question behind the meaning or the “why” of the cross:
“The most important questions anyone can ask are: Why was Jesus Christ crucified? Why did he suffer so much? What has this to do with me? Finally, who sent him to his death? The answer to the last question is that God did. Jesus was God’s Son. The suffering was unsurpassed, but the whole message of the Bible leads to this answer.”
— John Piper
What could be more important for a Christin to study than the meaning of the cross? To this end Piper’s book makes for a very enriching and devotional read. The book can be downloaded and read fro free from the Desiring God (John Piper’s ministry) website:
https://www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die
Three quotes about the cross“I wonder whether Jesus was even aware of the nails and the thorns. He was overwhelmed by the outer darkness. On the cross, He was in hell, totally bereft of the grace and the presence of God, utterly separated from all blessedness of the Father. He became a curse for us so that we one day will be able to see the face of God. God turned His back on His Son so that the light of His countenance will fall on us. It’s no wonder Jesus screamed from the depths of His soul.”
— R.C. Sproul
“The most wonderful thing of all about the cross is that it reveals the love of God to us. It is not surprising that Paul should say to the Romans, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” How do we see the love of God in the cross? Ah, says the modern man, I see it in this way, that though man rejected and murdered the Son of God, God in His love still says, “All right, I still forgive you. Though you have done that to My Son, I still forgive you.” Yes, that is part of it, but it is the smallest part of it. That is not the real love of God. God was not a passive spectator of the death of His Son. That is how the moderns put it - that God in heaven looked down upon it all, saw men killing His own Son, and said, “All right, I will still forgive you.” But it was not we who brought God’s Son to the cross. It was God. It was the predeterminate counsel and foreknowledge of God.”
— Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“We owe all to Jesus crucified. What is your life, my brethren, but the cross? Whence comes the bread of your soul but from the cross? What is your joy but the cross? What is your delight, what is your heaven, but the Blessed One, once crucified for you, who ever liveth to make intercession for you? Cling to the cross, then, Put both arms around it! Hold to the Crucified, and never let Him go. Come afresh to the cross at this moment, and rest there now and for ever! Then, with the power of God resting upon you, go forth and preach the cross! Tell out the story of the bleeding Lamb. Repeat the wondrous tale, and nothing else. Never mind how you do it, only proclaim that Jesus died for sinner.”
— C.H. Spurgeon
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By United Community ChurchShaun Rossi // The Gospel of John
The most important question that anyone can ask is: what is the meaning of the cross?
“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.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.”
— John 12:27-36
SMALL GROUP STUDYIntroduction (5 min)
Why did Jesus come to die on the cross? Can your group come up with at least 10 reasons in max 5 minutes?
Understand the Text (20 min)1. Jesus says in verse 27 that his soul is troubled. Why is Jesus troubled?
Are there other places in the New Testament where we see Jesus troubled? Read John 11:33; 13:21; Matthew 26:36-46.
Was the source of Jesus’ anguish and sorrow only because of the physical punishment that he would endure on the cross? What did Jesus endure on the cross that he had never experienced before? Read Mark 15:34; 2 Corinthians 5:21; and Hebrews 12:2.
How does understanding the great sorrow that Jesus had leading up to the cross, help you realize the price that Jesus paid to forgive your sin?
What can you do to show your appreciation for the price Jesus paid for you on the cross?
2. What does Jesus say about the purpose for which he came into the world?
When Jesus talks about his “hour,” what is he always referring to? Read John 12:23 & 17:1.
From the sermon: “Now if I were to ask, “Why did Christ die?” You would probably answer, “Christ died to save us from our sins.” And that is correct. But who sent Jesus to die? Isaiah 53:10 “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.”
What is the connection between understanding the Father sent Jesus to the cross and verse 28 and the cross bri glory to God?
3. When God speaks in verse 28, what does he say? Is this the only time that God has spoken audibly during the life of Jesus? Read Matt 3:16-17, and Mark 9:1-7.
How does the crowd respond to the voice of God? What are some explanations they give for the voice of God?
Do people today struggle to hear God? What are some ways that people today explain away the truth of God and miss his message to the world?
4. What does Jesus say about the judgement of this world? Who will be cast out? Who will be lifted up? How are the two events (casting out, and lifted up) connected?
5. In your own words, explain how Jesus being lifted up means victory for you and defeat for Satan. Is this a message that someone you know needs to hear.
Application (10min)Our text today focused on the meaning of why Jesus came to die on the cross. Understanding why Jesus died on the cross is foundational for our behaviour as Christians. This is for example very clear in Paul’s letters. When urging the Corinthian Christians to give generously, Paul points to the cross (2 Corinthians 8:9). The attitude of those in the church of Rome towards those among them who are weak is, according to Paul, to be governed by Christ‘s example (Romans 14:15; 15:1-7). In Ephesians 5, husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25) - again he points to the cross. So, whether the subject is giving, relationships within the church or marriage, the cross forms the basis of Paul‘s teaching.
Take turns sharing an area of your Christian discipleship that you are either struggling in or would like to mature in (such as forgiveness, giving, service, exhorting, evangelism, anger). How is the meaning of the cross the basis and the shaper of your growth in this area?
Closing (Optional)Listen to Keith and Kristyn Getty, “The Power of the Cross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGCISQQ7Zo
SERMON NOTES: Meaning I: To Fulfil “the Hour” v 2“And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
— John 2:4
“21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
— John 4:21; 23
“Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice”
— John 5:28
“6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.
8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”
8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”
— John 7:6;8
“So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
”
”
— John 7:30
“These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.”
— John 8:20
“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.”
— John 13:1
“32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.”
— John 16:32
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,”
— John 17:1
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
— Luke 22:42
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
— Matthew 27:46
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:21
Meaning II: To Glorify the Father vv 28-30
“Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
— Matthew 11:15
Meaning III: To Judge Sin, Cast Out Satan & Draw All People to Christ vv 31-33
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
— John 3:18
“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.”
— 1 John 5:9-10
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”
— John 6:44
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
— John 6:37
Meaning IV: To Lift Up the Son as the Light of Salvation, For a While vv 34-36
“For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
— 2 Corinthians 6:2
46 More Reasons! book recommendation: “50 Reasons why Jesus Came to die”
In is book “50 Reasons Jesus Came to Die” John Piper writes, “the central issue of Jesus’s death is not the cause, but the meaning — God’s meaning.” That is what his book is about. Piper gathered fifty reasons from the New Testament that answer to the question behind the meaning or the “why” of the cross:
“The most important questions anyone can ask are: Why was Jesus Christ crucified? Why did he suffer so much? What has this to do with me? Finally, who sent him to his death? The answer to the last question is that God did. Jesus was God’s Son. The suffering was unsurpassed, but the whole message of the Bible leads to this answer.”
— John Piper
What could be more important for a Christin to study than the meaning of the cross? To this end Piper’s book makes for a very enriching and devotional read. The book can be downloaded and read fro free from the Desiring God (John Piper’s ministry) website:
https://www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die
Three quotes about the cross“I wonder whether Jesus was even aware of the nails and the thorns. He was overwhelmed by the outer darkness. On the cross, He was in hell, totally bereft of the grace and the presence of God, utterly separated from all blessedness of the Father. He became a curse for us so that we one day will be able to see the face of God. God turned His back on His Son so that the light of His countenance will fall on us. It’s no wonder Jesus screamed from the depths of His soul.”
— R.C. Sproul
“The most wonderful thing of all about the cross is that it reveals the love of God to us. It is not surprising that Paul should say to the Romans, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” How do we see the love of God in the cross? Ah, says the modern man, I see it in this way, that though man rejected and murdered the Son of God, God in His love still says, “All right, I still forgive you. Though you have done that to My Son, I still forgive you.” Yes, that is part of it, but it is the smallest part of it. That is not the real love of God. God was not a passive spectator of the death of His Son. That is how the moderns put it - that God in heaven looked down upon it all, saw men killing His own Son, and said, “All right, I will still forgive you.” But it was not we who brought God’s Son to the cross. It was God. It was the predeterminate counsel and foreknowledge of God.”
— Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“We owe all to Jesus crucified. What is your life, my brethren, but the cross? Whence comes the bread of your soul but from the cross? What is your joy but the cross? What is your delight, what is your heaven, but the Blessed One, once crucified for you, who ever liveth to make intercession for you? Cling to the cross, then, Put both arms around it! Hold to the Crucified, and never let Him go. Come afresh to the cross at this moment, and rest there now and for ever! Then, with the power of God resting upon you, go forth and preach the cross! Tell out the story of the bleeding Lamb. Repeat the wondrous tale, and nothing else. Never mind how you do it, only proclaim that Jesus died for sinner.”
— C.H. Spurgeon
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