One of the things that was quite striking when we were in Canada recently was the change of colours in the trees. We found that as the 3 weeks we had there went by we saw more and more red and yellow. Now of course we have leaves changing colour here in Australia in autumn, but I don’t think it has the same significance here as it does over there. We were listening to the radio on September 21, the day they consider the first day of fall, and there was almost a note of despondency in the air at the prospect of winter to come. They were saying things like, "Get out and enjoy the sunshine while you can." For them the changing of the leaves’ colours wasn’t just something to marvel at, like it was for us. For them it was the sign of winter on its way; of short days and bitter cold; of the end of warm days and sunshine.
A few days before the passover in Jerusalem, some Greek believers came to talk with Jesus. They first spoke to Philip who went to consult with Andrew, because he wasn’t sure what to do, then together they went and told Jesus.
When Jesus hears their request he immediately recognises it as a sign that the final fulfilment of his mission on earth is drawing near. He says: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." The coming of these Greeks to speak with him is like the turning of the leaves in Autumn. It’s a sure sign that the end is drawing near.
Now 2 questions arise immediately from this incident. Why did they come and why did Jesus react in this way?
It might just be that they’ve been drawn by the same sort of curiosity that drew people to him after the raising of Lazarus. On the other hand it might be that they’ve witnessed the cleansing of the Temple, described in Mark 11, when Jesus declared the Temple to be a place of prayer for all nations. So they’ve come to find out more about this teacher who seems to be questioning the inferior status of Gentiles before God.
Now that’s all we hear about these Greeks. It seems that their significance lies primarily in what they signify to Jesus. Perhaps a clue to what that is, is to be found in the contrast between the attitude of the Pharisees and the High Priests in the previous passage where they reject Jesus and the attitude of these foreigners who come seeking him. In any case Jesus makes it clear how significant their coming is by the way he responds. He says "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified."
Now up until this point in John’s gospel Jesus’ hour has always been in the future. So in John 2 at the wedding at Cana, he says to his mother: "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." In John 7 we’re told, "Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come." In John 8 we’re told: "He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come." The ’hour’ is the time appointed by God for Jesus’ death and resurrection, and for his exaltation. And now the coming of these Gentiles to seek out Jesus heralds the arrival of that hour. Now is the time for the Son of Man to be glorified.
But what does it mean for Jesus to be glorified? How is he going to be glorified? Let’s look at what it says.
First, Jesus glory will come through his death and resurrection. He likens it to a grain of wheat. There’s not much to a single grain of wheat is there? It doesn’t look much. You can’t do much with it. But put it in the ground so that it dies and comes to life again and you discover its glory as it bears much fruit. So too, Jesus’ death and resurrection will bear much fruit as we’ll see in a moment.
Second, Jesus’ glory comes about through the Father being glorified. Its as though with the coming of these Gentiles, Jesus is suddenly hit by the harsh reality of what he’s about to face. So he says "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say--’ Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name." His glory is totally dependent on the Father being glorified. His glory comes from his willing submission to the Father’s will. Jesus is about to sacrifice his life in order to bring glory to God. Again we’ll see how that will happen in a moment. By the way, have you ever thought that when you obey God it both brings glory to God and to you at the same time? You might give that some thought next time you’re deciding whether to obey God or not.
Thirdly, Jesus glory comes about as he’s lifted up from the earth. But this exaltation isn’t what we might at first have thought. John explains for those of us who are a bit slow on the uptake. Being lifted up is a euphemism for crucifixion. His glory comes about through him being crucified.
And Fourthly, his glory comes about because his being lifted up has a profound effect: 32"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." Jesus death isn’t just an act of sacrifice with some vague inherent value. It isn’t some vague dying for the sake of others, the way you night infer from the Primates comments at the recent seminar here in Melbourne. No, he dies for a purpose: to draw all people to himself. He dies in their place so that all might come to the Father on the grounds of his saving death, irrespective of race or gender or social standing. In his death he takes on himself all the shame and guilt of the whole world, Jew and Gentile alike, and in the process drives the prince of this world from his throne.
Here’s the significance of the Greeks coming to see Jesus at this moment. They’ve come to seek out the salvation he’s bringing for all the world. But notice that when he’s raised up, what will happen isn’t that people will seek him out. Rather he will draw all people to himself.
So we see it all coming together. Jesus’ glory comes about as he dies and rises again to bear much fruit to the glory of God. The fruit that he bears is the lives of men and women from everywhere who are drawn to him as a result of his saving work on the cross, where he takes on himself all the shame and guilt of the whole world, Jew and Gentile alike, and in the process drives the prince of this world from his throne. And God is glorified in this because by it the promise he made to Abraham all those years ago, that through his descendant all the peoples on earth would be blessed, has now been fulfilled.
But having said that, we immediately discover that although Jesus came to draw all people to himself, individuals don’t necessarily respond.
Those in the crowd who have heard what he’s just said are a bit surprised by it. Their understanding was that the Messiah was going to come to restore the kingship to Israel and establish his reign forever. That was why they welcomed him into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday the way they did. But here he was talking about being lifted up on a cross? That didn’t seem like the sort of Messiah they had in mind. They didn’t want a leader who would give himself up to death. They wanted a conquering King. And so in the end, just as Isaiah had foretold, most of them rejected him.
But first Jesus gives them this warning: "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." Just like that radio announcer telling us to make the most of the sunshine and warmth while we could. They need to take advantage of Jesus’ presence with them while they have it. This is in fact the third time he’s given this warning in the last few chapters, but this is the last time they’ll hear it. In fact this is the last they’ll see of Jesus in his public ministry. Their opportunity has gone. The hour has come. The light is about to leave them and they’ll be left in darkness. And so John, as he so often does, makes a simple but profound statement that carries a huge load of meaning. "After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them."
Jesus public ministry is over, and they won’t see him again until his public trial and execution. The suddenness of his going is like an acted parable showing just how short the time is.
For us too, the warning is here: time is short. You don’t know how long you’ll have to respond to Jesus. So act before it’s too late. Don’t be like those whose eyes are blinded and whose hearts are dead. Instead turn to Jesus for healing, for cleansing. Ask him to give you his light to show the way through the darkness. Believe in the light, so that you may become children of light
Look at vs44-46: "Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness." Times of darkness may overtake us but there’s no need to live in the darkness when Jesus offers us the light of the knowledge of God.
This is the message of Christmas isn’t it?: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined."
So let me encourage you if you are one who has believed in Jesus, if you are one in whom the light is shining, to be bold in telling others about him this Christmas time. There’s just a slight rebuke, and perhaps a hint of disappointment in the report of v42. There were some who believed in Jesus, even some of the leaders of the people, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. One wonders how they felt later when Jesus was raised from the dead. Was their joy tainted just a little by guilt over their fear of the Pharisees; over their failure to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and Lord?
And notice Jesus’ final public statement in vs47-50. It’s similar to the words of John 3:17-21. He hasn’t come into the world to condemn anyone. He’s come to save people. This final warning isn’t meant as a judgement on people. Rather it’s to make sure they understand the seriousness of their position. That’s because you can’t just listen to Jesus words and ignore them. They don’t allow that. You either believe them or you reject them. And in the end that decision determines whether you live in light or darkness. "The Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. 50And I know that his commandment is eternal life." The choice is to believe or to reject. It’s to be in the light, to know where you’re going, or to be lost in the dark. It’s to enjoy eternal life or lose your life forever.
I want us to pray now first that at every point in our lives we might choose to believe Christ’s words and so walk in the light and second that the light of Christ would fill our lives to show us the way to serve him better, so that we too might bear much fruit to the glory of God.
