A.For many people, “lifting up” Jesus means praising and exalting Him before men.However, when Jesus spoke of being “lifted up,” He spoke of His death on the cross.
1.There is nothing wrong with saying that we should lift up Jesus in reference to giving Him praise.
2.However, we must understand that this is not what Jesus meant when He said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (John 12:32).
B.Let us read the full text where Jesus spoke of being lifted up, which is John 12:20-36.
1.The text records the Lord’s answer to a request by some Greeks that wanted to see Him.
2.In His answer, the Lord taught some very valuable lessons to the multitudes that were present with Him and to us as well.Presently, let us consider the Lord’s answer and His lessons.
II.THE SON OF MAN MUST BE LIFTED UP
A.When Philip and Andrew informed Jesus that the Greeks were seeking to see Him, Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (v. 23).
1.The Greeks had come seeking Jesus presumably because they had heard of His glorious works and teachings, but an even greater glorification was about to come upon the Son of Man.
a.These Greeks were proselytes (Gentile converts to Judaism) who came to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast.
b.Their request to Philip was, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”Truly, they did not know what wonderful things would soon be seen in Jesus, for His glory was about to be revealed in His death and resurrection.
2.The glorification of which Christ spoke could only be accomplished through His death on the cross according to the Father’s purpose.
a.Jesus used the example of a grain of wheat that must fall into the earth and die before it bears fruit (v. 24).He likewise would have to die before He could fulfill His Father’s purpose.
i.Lest we should think that this ordeal was easy for Jesus because of His divine nature, He said that His soul was troubled in anticipation of the coming events (v. 27).This shows His humanity.
ii.Nevertheless, He would not expect the Father to spare Him, but He submitted to the Father’s purpose for Him.This is evident in His prayers in Gethsemane when He prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matt. 26:36-46).
iii.The coming events were all according to the Father’s purpose.Many attempts to take Christ’s life had been made before, but He had evaded death until the time appointed by the Father (see John 10:17-18).
b.It was a paradox that the hour of Christ’s death was also the hour of His glorification.
i.Whereas death on a cross was most shameful in the eyes of men, Christ’s death was glory to the Father because it accomplished His will to atone for man’s sins.
ii.After the shame of the cross and the glorification of the Father through the fulfillment of His will, Christ was raised up and restored to the glory He had with the Father before the world existed (John 17:1-5).
3.When Jesus called upon His Father, a thunderous voice was heard from heaven.
a.Christ called upon the Father to glorify His name, to which the Father answered, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again” (v. 28).
b.This voice spoke from heaven for the benefit of the multitude so that they might believe in Jesus (vv. 29-30).
B.Jesus also explained the reason why all men would seek Him – “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (v. 32).
1.Verse 33 tells us plainly that when Jesus said “lifted up from the earth” He referred to the kind of death by which He was to die, which was crucifixion.
2.The full meaning of this saying is simple – because Jesus became a sacrifice for the sins of all men, all men who would be saved from sin will come to Jesus for salvation.
a.Because judgment and the casting out of Satan will be coming upon the world (v. 31), sinners stand in danger of eternal condemnation.
b.Therefore, all men will be drawn to Jesus because of the salvation He offers through His glorious death on the cross, just as the Greek proselytes had been drawn to Him because of His glorious works.
III.PRACTICAL LESSONS
A.“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” (John 12:25)
1.Just as Christ gave up His life so that we might live eternally, so also we must give up our lives in this world in order to gain eternal life.
a.The illustration of the grain of wheat in verse 24 applies to us as well as Jesus.We must die to the world in order to bear fruit for God.
b.Just as the cross was a paradox for Jesus, so also the life of a Christian is a paradox.The paradox for us is that eternal life is gained by letting go of temporal life.
2.This is not a matter of dying for Christ, but rather we must live for Him.
a.Notice Romans 12:1-2 – “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
b.Also notice Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
B.“But for this purpose I came to this hour.” (John 12:27)
1.The Lord had a purpose for being in this world, and He served that purpose with every effort.
a.Notice John 8:28-29 – “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”
b.When Christ accomplished all that His Father purposed in Him and was dying on the cross, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
2.We likewise have a purpose in this world, and we should likewise serve that purpose with all of our efforts.
a.This purpose is stated succinctly in Ecclesiastes 12:13 – “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”
b.Today, that purpose is fulfilled through faithful obedience to the gospel of Christ, which is the will of God for every person (Rom. 1:16; 2Pet. 3:9).
c.Therefore, let us pursue our purpose in this world by following the example of the Lord.
C.“While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” (John 12:36)
1.The Jews failed to seize the opportunity God gave them when they rejected Jesus as the Christ.
a.The Light of which Jesus spoke was Himself.He said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12).
b.Sadly, the Jews did not accept Him: “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:9-11).
2.We also have an opportunity in Christ that is limited by time.We must seize that opportunity before it is too late.
a.Jesus said, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4).
b.Time and opportunity are limited.Life will end or the Lord will return, and then our chance to believe will be gone.
c.Therefore, let us take hold of the opportunity laid before us, become sons of Light, and have the hope of eternal life.
