Episode 84 - The Whole World is Going After Him - John 12:12-26

John 12:12   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,

John 12:15   “Fear not, daughter of Zion;

behold, your king is coming,

sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

John 12:16   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.”

John 12:20   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.

It would be easy to handle this Scripture in multiple sections. However, I have a purpose in treating this as a whole. That purpose is to help you see the consistency of prophecy given to prophecy fulfilled. When we see how often God reveals something that will happen and then later fulfills it, it should increase our confidence and trust in the God of the Bible. 

The historical context is the very first Palm Sunday. We celebrated that a few weeks ago. But, it is worth reviewing in order to see what unfolds from that event. Jesus has recently raised Lazarus from the dead and the report of this sign is spreading among people in and around Jerusalem as they arrive for the Passover celebration. It’s created excitement and faith in Jesus among many. But, it’s also fueling the hatred and rejection of his antagonists. 

John records that people are coming out to see Jesus as he enters the city because of this miracle. Furthermore, they are waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (v. 13) Why is this important? First, the palm branches were symbolic of the nation of Israel. As a people who are under the thumb of the Roman Empire, they are looking for hope of deliverance from that. The cry “Hosanna!” is a verbal expression meaning “Save us!” The cry is the crowd citing Psalm 118:25-26. Then, they add, “even the King of Israel!” This is not from the psalm. But, just like the crowd who had been miraculously fed and wanted to make Jesus the king, so this crowd wants Jesus to be their Messianic King. In this, we see how the people understand Jesus’ miracle as evidence that he is the One who God has sent to fulfill His prophetic promises from long ago. 

Jesus’ response also fulfills the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 which says, “Zech. 9:9   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.”

What’s important is that Jesus is not coming into Jerusalem riding on a horse like a conquering king, but one who is humble, righteous, and bringing salvation. It’s not what they expect. Even John records that his disciples did not understand the significance of what he was doing until later. But, God is fulfilling His promises.

In response to the crowd that was going to see Jesus, the Pharisees (his antagonists) respond, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” (v. 19) I love how John records people saying things out of their own evil motives, yet God superintends the words to reveal a significant truth. In this case, this statement reveals that all the efforts of mortal mankind against God’s purposes will “gain nothing.” Furthermore, in the greater context of this book, their hyperbole that “the world has gone after him” is proof that God is accomplishing his purpose. Earlier in John’s gospel we read, “For God so loved the world . . . “ (3:16) That was the point in sending His own Son into the world is for the world to come to him. So, is it true? Is that prophecy fulfilled? Look at the beginning of the next paragraph.

In verses 20-23 John records that there were some Greeks at the feast requesting to see Jesus. The Greeks represent “the world.” They are not Jews. They are not among “his own” as suggested in John 1. However, they are representatives of the outsiders who God is making His own. John records this to help us see that everything is falling into place of God’s plan and promises. We know this because when Jesus is told that these Greeks are seeking him, he recognized the significance and says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (v. 23) Jesus is telling us that the Father is fulfilling his word. He understands that the Father’s time for him to go to the cross is very near. 

In view of this, Jesus speaks his prophecy about his own death that will soon happen and the significance to those who follow him. To summarize Jesus’ point in this teaching, he is not calling his followers to be suicidal. When he says, “whoever hates his life in this world” is drawing a comparison of our attempts to seek fulfillment in this life/world compared to the eternal and perfect life he calls us to. In that respect, our priorities upon God’s plan and God’s eternal kingdom and the eternal life he offers us should negate our desire and obsession to only find pleasure in this short, mortal life. 

When we realize that the God of the Bible has revealed His plans and consistently does what He says, it should give us confidence and awe, and desire to serve Jesus and align our priorities with His eternal plans. 

Episode 44 - The True Bread that gives eternal life - John 6:22-34

John 6:22   On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

John 6:25   When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

There is so much here that we could probably write multiple episodes about the response of the people who’ve been miraculously fed. But, let’s see if we can focus on a few important things that we can draw from this section. First of all, remember how these people recognize the significance of Jesus’ miracle of which they had received the benefit. They correctly deduced that Jesus was the prophet like Moses. We also see in verses 22-24 that they’d observed the disciples leave in the boat without Jesus, that Jesus was nowhere to be found where they’d last seen him, and the next day had followed the disciples over to Capernaum. When they arrived they were shocked to find Jesus there and wondered when he’d gotten there. They see things with their eyes. But, the significance of these things is not having the appropriate impact on their lives. Jesus calls them out on this.

In verse 26 he responds to them that they were only following him because they were interested in having their stomachs full. They wanted to make him king because they viewed him more as a free food plan than the God who could give them eternal life. Jesus tells them their priorities need to be set on “food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” Personally, I see this as a clear claim to these people that he is the Son of Man. I would argue that the crowd understands this claim as is evidenced in their response. Essentially, they are saying if you are the Son of Man sent from the Ancient of Days who has been given this eternal kingdom where we are to serve you, tell us what God expects from us; “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” (v.28) 

Remember back in chapter five, verses 28-29 Jesus also claimed to be the Son of Man who would someday speak and the dead would rise and he says, “those who have done good to the resurrection of life.” (5:29) I asked the question then if Jesus were suggesting that salvation was by good works. This crowd seems to think it does. But, Jesus’ response in chapter six, verse 29 is “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” You see, this makes it clear that the priority of God for us is not attempting to please God through our own efforts. The most important thing is to believe in Jesus. 

This is the point where they should respond positively. But, instead, they ask for another sign so that they can believe in him. They even suggest what he should do by referring to Moses and the manna in the wilderness. They want more food to put in their mouth. They may believe that he has power to work miracles. But, they really don’t believe he is the Son of God. They want him to be subject to their own desires and not for themselves to be subject to the will of God.

Jesus tells them that it wasn’t Moses who really gave them the bread, but that his Father has sent the true bread that gives life to the world. In a manner reminiscent of the Samaritan woman, they ask him for this true bread. But, do they really want it?

The thing that strikes me most about this section is mankind’s need to not approach God with a spirit of looking to get from God what we want or think we need. We just need to trust that Jesus really is God’s Son who knows best about what we need. It is only by faith in him that we have eternal life and everything we truly need.

Episode 39 - Son of God AND Son of Man

John 5:25-29

John 5:25   “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

In verse 25, we observe the third “Truly, truly . . . “ statement. Think about how bold of a statement it is; “the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” How many of us think we can go to a cemetery and call out the name of a loved one and expect for them to hear us? But, if that weren’t enough, how many of us would expect that person to return among the living? If you do believe you have that kind of power, you probably don’t share that belief with anyone, knowing that they will think you are crazy. Is this what Jesus is claiming?

In this section Jesus uses the term “Son of God” and “Son of Man.” Bible scholars are quick to point out that the Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. Old Testament) spoke of God’s anointed king as His Son. Read Psalm 2:4-9 for an example of this. The point is that the people of that time prior to the time of Jesus did not necessarily equate the term “Son of God” with deity. Yet we just recently read how the Jewish rulers wanted to kill Jesus not only for breaking the Sabbath according to their rules, but for calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. My point here is that what Jesus has communicated already about his own identity has been understood by others that he’s not just claiming to be a king. It seems to me that with John already having made that known to us, then John is showing us here that Jesus is claiming to have the power to raise the dead back to life simply by speaking. Notice that the emphasis on the Word of God speaking and something happening has already become a theme in this book, hasn’t it?

If there is any ambiguity concerning what Jesus means, he seems to clear it up in the next few verses. Notice in verses 26-27 when Jesus says that the Father has granted the Son to have life in himself AND to execute judgement. Jesus’ audience believed that the Father had power to give life. They had read Genesis 1. Jesus is claiming to have been granted the same authority and power by the Father. This statement continues to emphasize the perfect harmony of will and purpose within the Godhead. 

In Daniel 7, (vv. 9-14) Daniel’s vision is that of a heavenly court scene and one “like a son of man” is led before the “Ancient of Days” and is granted authority to judge and rule in a kingdom that will never end. Jesus is saying to his audience, “You know about the son of man from the prophet Daniel. I am telling you that the son of man is one and the same with the son of God.” John is leading his audience to understand that Jesus is making a claim to be God with all authority and power to perfectly judge humanity and to give them life or condemn them. But, John has already pointed out in John 3:18 , “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.” The judgement is neither arbitrary or partial. 

Jumping down to the last two verses of this section when Jesus says, “Do not marvel at this . . ,” he’s saying (my paraphrase) “Don’t be surprised when the dead come out of the tombs alive.” No, this is not a prophecy of a Zombie apocalypse. This is a prophecy of the end times when the Son of God/Son of Man returns to earth and speaks and the dead will rise. ( I told you this was a bold claim.) This can only happen when the One who is God and has power to give life and perfect judgment for good and evil returns to affect just that. Notice the statement about the judgement of all these called forth. Those who have “done good” to a resurrection resulting in life. But, to those who have “done evil” to judgment. 

This is one of those passages that people like to argue over. Don’t many Christians say, “All have done evil. The apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans, ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’” (Rom. 3:23) That’s true. So, are all without hope? This text would seem to indicate that there is hope. How so? The other argument some might make is “See this Scripture tells us that salvation and hope of eternal life is based upon our good works and that if we’re good enough, we will be given eternal life.” But, again the Scripture tells us that there is “none righteous, not one.” (Rom. 3:10) This is one of those times when I going to jump ahead in our study and show you the answer to this dilemma that comes straight from Jesus himself. In the very next chapter (John 6:28-29) Jesus is speaking to people whom he has fed by a miracle. They come to him and ask him what works of the Father they must do. Essentially, they are asking Jesus what they can do to please God. His response in verse 29 is, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 

This is the bottom line. We must trust God about who Jesus is because he is the one whom the Father has sent. He is both the Son of God with all qualities of deity and he is the Son of Man who is given authority to judge humanity, but was  “lifted up” (crucified) (John 3:14-15) so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Episode 27 - The Son of Man must be lifted up

John 3:9-15

John 3:9   Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

We pick up where we left off in the middle of a conversation between a man named Nicodemus, who was a religious leader of the Jews, and Jesus. Nicodemus has approached Jesus, addressed him as Rabbi and acknowledged that he is a teacher who is from God. He says “We know that you’ve come from God because no man can do these things you’re doing unless God is with him.” 

But, Jesus takes the discussion to a different level by explaining that everyone needs a spiritual birth from God to even see God’s kingdom.  Nicodemus does not understand what Jesus is explaining to him and we come to this point where Jesus is not just indicting Nicodemus, he’s indicting those who consider themselves the authority of God’s word to the Jews. When Jesus says “you” in verse 10 and the first part of verse 11, it is in the singular. However, it can mean a group of people. This becomes evident in verse 11 when he says, “You do not receive our testimony.” The verb is clearly in the second person plural meaning the indictment is against the people whom Nicodemus represents. Jesus then explains that if he ( or others ) cannot believe truths he’s giving them in the earthly context in which they live and their physical senses perceive, how can they believe in things of heavenly and spiritual nature? This is Jesus’ answer to Nicodemus’ question. 

The other element of this dialogue that fascinates me is how Jesus also begins to speak in the first person plural “we” and “our.” Just like Nicodemus has said “We know . . . ,” Jesus does the same thing when he says in verse 11, “we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.” The question here is, “Who is ‘we’?” Some scholars believe that Jesus is referring to his disciples as well as himself. That’s entirely possible and reasonable. However, I’m inclined to believe that He is speaking of God the Father, the Hebrew Scriptures, John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit, and the signs that he is working. But, we’ll hold off on developing that idea right now. I’ll attempt to point out my support for this view in future episodes. At the very least, however one takes this, the text is communicating that Jesus is not alone in his testimony. He has support. He has witnesses. But, Nicodemus and the religious rulers do not believe all the testimony.

Perhaps as you read this and think about it you are asking yourself the question, “if Jesus doesn’t believe Nicodemus can believe his answer, is it fair to come down so hard on him?” To answer that, you may want to look at passages like Isaiah 32:15-20, Isaiah 44:3, Joel 2:28 and Ezekiel 36:25-27. These are passages that Nicodemus and other religious rulers would have been familiar with and they speak of God pouring out His Spirit upon people for the purpose of spiritual cleansing and restoration. Look at the Ezekiel passage for instance:

Ezekiel 36:25-27 

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules

Does this not speak of mankind’s need for God to bring spiritual renewal and His promise to do so? If so, how was it that Nicodemus, as “the teacher of Israel” had such a difficult time with Jesus’ words? It sounds like Nicodemus is still in “the dark” and he has not understood the Light. 

Verse 13 says, “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” It’s important to know that this term, “Son of Man” is a term used in Daniel 7:13-14 in which the Son of Man is given authority and an eternal kingdom from God the Father. Nicodemus has already said, “We know that you are a teacher come from God.” This verse is suggesting that if Nicodemus and others recognized that Jesus was from God, they should recognize that he is the Son of Man prophesied in Daniel and therefore by implication, they should believe everything he says. But, there is more information that is important about the Son of Man that follows.

In verse 14-15, John writes, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” It’s not absolutely clear whether these are Jesus’ words to Nicodemus or John’s words explaining what was important for them and us to believe about the Son of Man. He uses the story from Numbers 21 when the Israelites were in the wilderness complaining against God and God sent venomous serpents among them. Then when Moses interceded for the people, God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent. Moses did that and put in on a pole. If people looked at the serpent, they would live. (Numbers 21:4-9)

In John 3, this story is recalled because it is interpreted not only as a historical event and God’s mercy to the Israelites but also as a prophecy of the crucifixion of the Son of Man.  Everyone who would look to him in faith would live. Jesus is claiming to be the Son of Man.

As you can tell there is quite a bit to take from this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. Don’t worry about getting it all. Think about it and we’ll move on. As you return to this gospel later on, more things will catch your attention.

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