The Hour has now Begun - Mitch Levingston

John 12:20-41

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

“He has blinded their eyes
    and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
    nor understand with their hearts,
    nor turn—and I would heal them.”

Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

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TRANSCRIPT

 

Hey, welcome to the Centre podcast. We're a church based in Dural, Sydney, who loves Jesus. And so want to make him the center of our lives, community and world. We pray that you, blessed by this word and that it reveals God's love for you in a new way.

Here we are, back again in our Lent series. And if you kind of can't remember or it's your first time here, the last few weeks we've been looking at just different moments leading up to Jesus death. And so the last time I was up here on stage, we looked at John 11, which was when Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, which was actually a way of beginning, I guess, triggering the events that led to his death.

And last week Mary looked up, which is also in John 12. But he looked at the moment that Jesus is anointed from by Mary in Mark chapter 14. And so today we have sort of skipped ahead to the entrance of Jesus. We'll look at that next week and looking at quite a profound moment, profound moment where Jesus tells his followers, unless a kernel of wheat can die, I unless you're prepared to give up something, give up your own life, you cannot produce fruits.

You cannot produce eternal life. It's a profound, paradoxical statement. In order to find life in Jesus, you have to die. And if you're not prepared to die, then you can't have life. And so I guess the the morning's plan is I'm going to teach you some facts around John's gospel, and particularly his use of the prophet Isaiah. You might have noticed Sarah as Maurice was reading, John makes reference to a couple of passages from Isaiah, Isaiah 53 one and Isaiah 610.

But he basically this, this passage is just riffing off a desire so much. So we going to be looking at that and then going give us some practical tools, tools that you can walk away with this to hopefully help you in your Christian walk. Now I don't have it here on the screen, but John chapter 12, verse 19 says these words.

So after Lazarus resurrection and the news of this has spread, the Pharisees and the religious leaders are seeking to kill both Lazarus and Jesus. And it's quite interesting here. They say this, this is the Pharisees say, see, this is getting us nowhere that's trying to kill Jesus. Look how the whole world has gone after him. Just keep that in the back of your mind for a second.

Look how the whole world has gone after him. Now in John chapter 12 and verse 20, who are the group of people that come to Jesus? Kind of remember the nationality that was there? Greeks. Okay, now this is right. Quite bizarre. If you're not used to understanding John's gospel and how he's using Isaiah, is that Jesus response to this group of Greeks coming along and wanting to have an audience with Jesus is, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

They might be wondering how is a group of Greek, I guess, followers? God fears wanting to see Jesus. The moment of the hour to begin. Now, if you do go home and decide, I want to read through John's Gospel, which I highly, highly recommend. It's probably one of the easiest to read, but one of the tenses? There's so much to unpack in there.

But if you pick up John's Gospel and read along, you start to notice this theme of our Jesus will often say, hey, my hour has not yet come. In fact, he said it to his, his mother Mary at that wedding in canon when she goes, hey, you know, the winds, there's no more wine. Jesus responds, woman, my hour has not yet come.

This thing comes up a lot. The hour, the hour, the hour. So why now, when this group of Greeks come to Jesus, has the hour began? And this is where you need to know the prophet Isaiah. So hopefully I'll explain this in a way that you can understand, and it won't go over your head too much if it does, you can listen to banter or really listen to this message.

But now I'll put up a couple of passages there on the screen. There we go. Here's two passages from Isaiah. Is this what's John is using? John Jesus is using it to build up. I guess he's teaching to the disciples. So read the first one there. Isaiah 42 3 to 4 in faithfulness he will bring forth justice.

He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teachings. The islands will put their hope. Okay, well, we'll come back to that in a minute. And the second passage she says here, 52, 13 to 15. See, my servant will act wisely. He'll be faced and lifted up and highly exalted, just as there were many who were appalled at him.

His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being, and his form marred beyond human likeness. So he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him for what they were not told. They will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. Okay, you might be thinking, how on earth is any of that have to do with John?

Chapter 12? So let's look here at the first passage there. It's a little bit random, but see how it says there at the end. In his teachings, the islands were put there. Hope. Now a prophet, Isaiah, he's here in Israel. Where do you think the islands from his perspective would be? What do you think other the regions. Yeah.

So the islands in Scripture came to represent the other nations? Yeah. The nations that aren't in Israel. And so here it says that he's going to establish justice on all the earth. And his teachings, the islands, that is the other nations will put their hope. Okay. So what's happening here is that the Messiah and Jesus will talk about this and you can see it there.

Now, a passage from Isaiah about being lifted up. He's going to draw all people. Now, the Pharisees have just complained bitterly that all the world is coming to see him. Now, this is happening, this moment when the Greeks are coming to see Jesus. This is the moment. This is the moment when the snow has come, when the Son of Man will be lifted up and gather all the nations to him.

Maybe Isaiah 52. It's probably a bit easier to understand. See, it says talks about him being raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Probably the part for us as Christians around the crucifixion. Verse 14. It's quite like it's quite scary just how much it predicts Jesus death, just as there were many who opposed him, his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being, and his form marred beyond human likeness.

There is a sire, as I uses this expression of lifting up to describe Yahweh's glory. It is Yahweh who is high and lifted up. He is the exalted one. And every time you read it in Isaiah, you meant to think that when the prophet sees Yahweh glory, and coming in in this vision, it means like, wow, Yahweh is highly exalted.

He's high and lifted up. That's how it's used most of the time in Isaiah, except for this one moment. It's one moment here in chapter 52. Yeah, he he's going to be high and lifted up. He's gonna be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. But people are going to be appalled at him. He's going to have this appearance.

It's it's going to be so disfigured. He's going to look inhuman. He's not gonna even look like a human being anymore. And so this is what Jesus is using. He's using these passages, and I guess the apostle John, to help us understand his mission and his purpose. And in John's gospel, John. And he uses this idea of being lifted up, this idea of being crucified.

So hopefully you can understand all that. Hopefully that makes sense to you, how these Greeks coming to see Jesus triggers the events for the hour to come, for the islands to put their hope for? It's I didn't go into it, but for he will sprinkle many nations, i.e. he will cleanse people. It's through him being lifted up. All the world is saved.

All right. These words again. Consider the frightening, the frightening. What is what Jesus said? He says, very truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of weight falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it. Well, anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Whoever serves me must follow me and where I am, my servant also will be. My father will honor the one who serves me. I love that image. I love it, and we can just have it there on the screen. Thanks, Jeremy. Should be there somewhere. I just want you to look at that and reflect on that. Is that in, I guess, to look like ancient first century Jewish people didn't know how seeds work, but but I guess the idea is that love that unless the kernel of wheat dies.

Unless it's buried in the ground. The singles say it looks like it's no longer alive. That's how harvest is produced. And, friends, that's what Jesus is calling us to do. Are you a kernel of wheat has prepared to fall to the ground and die? Do you love your life? Are you prepared to lose it because you love it so much?

Or do you hate your life? Are you willing to keep it for eternity? That's what Jesus is describing. He's describing what's going to happen to him, but ultimately to all of us. We. In order to experience true life that Jesus offers, needs to become like that kernel of wheat that dies in order to bring an abundant harvest. And what Jesus is going to go through, it's not easy.

In verse 27, Jesus says, these words, now my soul is troubled. What shall I say, father, save me from this hour. Now it was for this very reason that I came to this hour now in banter whenever mine, I decide to call it out. We're going to talk about some of the other nerdy Greek things about this passage.

So if you're into learning more about how how Greek is structured because it could be a question or could be a statement, but we'll look at that later. That's for a banter conversation. But I'll say this, that in that sentence there it says, now my soul is troubled. What shall I say, father, save me from this hour. Now, in the Greek it uses this word.

It says in our translation, no, it says Allah. But. And that's a strong adversity. There you go. There's a bit of Greek for you there, a strong adverb. This is a strong contrast. No, my soul is troubled. I don't want to go through with this. I'm terrified of what's about to happen. Am I going to pray?

Father, save me from this hour? No. This is the very reason that I came, was to experience this hour. Jose experiences turmoil. This is what he's about to endure. The hour he's about to experience leaves him emotionally distressed. Remember when he looked at Lazarus resurrection? Jesus also had his soul feel troubled when he was standing outside the tomb of Lazarus.

John paints in us in his gospel. It's very, very human Jesus that feels these very, very strong emotions chasing just some robot that's just traveling through life. Oh, I'm going to die. And this isn't this great. He feels this immense pain, this kind of lay. It gets to that the toolbox for us to draw from the Jesus response.

To this pain to his soul. Being troubled is to pray a four letter prayer. It's just four letters. Father, glorify your name. That's it. Glorify your name. Father, glorify your name. It's not about Jesus. Well, it's not about his will being done. It's about his Heavenly Father's. And he submits to that even though he knows the hour. It's going to be so traumatic, even though the hour leaves him distressed and troubled.

He prays those four words like God's will be done, father, glorify your name. And in a very profound moment, I mean, any couple of times that God the Father's voice speaks in the Gospels, Jesus baptism, it's the Transfiguration. And here, this moment in John's account, a voice from heaven answers the prayer. I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.

And I guess what's quite distressing about this passage is the crowds just don't understand it. There's just this misunderstanding. Either way, they are unable to accept Jesus identity. And, they just don't. They just can't comprehend it. But whatever reason it is, they think, oh, maybe, you know, it was thunder, maybe an angel. Whatever it is, I still don't understand fully what is happening.

And Jesus ends here with these words. You guys. The voice was not was was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world. Now the prince of this world will be driven up. And when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. Then John makes this comment for us to understand.

He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. If you remember way back when we started this series, in the 40 days that Jesus was in the wilderness. In Luke's gospel, at least, the the second temptation that the Satan brings, Jesus that tempts Jesus with is he takes him to a high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world and says, hey, I'll give you all this if you bow down and worship me and Jesus.

Responses I began, Satan, but you shall worship the Lord your God only. It's really interesting here that at this moment in time when the Greeks are calm, Jesus is recognizing this is triggering the hour of his death when he would draw all people to himself. This is the hour when the Prince of the world is kicked out on the demonic strongholds and forces that hold this planet enslaved a broken, Jesus by being lifted up, draws all people to himself.

Now, as I've been doing of late, I've been loving kind of looking at early church fathers and sharing their knowledge with us. And so has some wisdom here from the great church, Father Athanasius, and I love this image in quite there on the screen, which hopefully there is just hopefully. And so actually, a side note, if you're looking for a great book to look at for free Athanasius on the incarnation, just brilliant stuff.

Say Lewis recommended it as the book that all Christians should read, but I digress, as Athanasius says here, for it is only on the cross that a man dies with his hands spread out. So it was fitting for the law to bear this also, and to spread out his hands that with the one he might draw the ancient people, and with the other from the from the other those from the Gentiles, and unite both in himself.

What a wonderful description of that as Jesus hanging on the cross. It's like in one hand he's bringing the Jews in, with the other hand bringing the nations together. When I read that, I imagine, like, strangely like the crosses being like this hug, this hug, drawing people in. It's a profound image. It's a paradox. The whole in order for us to have life, there needs to be death.

Now, I promised before that I teach you a bit about John's gospel that links him with his higher. But let's let's go a bit practical now. Let's let's give you some tools to walk away with to help you in, in your journey with Jesus. And so I have just I have a couple more quotes there on the screen.

So here we go. Perfect friends. In those moments of hardships when we do have moments of hardships, let's look to Jesus. And that four letter prayer. Might not just be a template for how you approach things. It's a simple prayer. It takes about 10s to pray, but to do that requires an enormous amount of faith and humility. You have to have the faith to say, father, glorify your name.

Essentially no way of saying, I want your will to be done in this situation. It's a prayer of humility, because perhaps, father, glorify your name means that your name isn't glorified. Perhaps the outcome that you silently desire isn't what will glorify the father's name. And, quite a Saint Ambrose of Milan, he says, when Christ asks, father, glorify your name, he's demonstrating his humility, for he does not seek his own glory, but that of his father.

Very wise, profound things that we can take away mirror Jesus humility with this prayer. Sincere. All of Alexander said the grain of wheat. Though it seems to be destroyed in death, he's not truly lost, but is transformed into something greater, bringing forth many saints. So to Christ's death on the cross brings forth an abundance of life for all of us.

In this strange way, friends, when suffering is part of life. But. But now, if Jesus, suffering isn't just for for randomness. Because life is just full of meaningless pain in this strange world, we're united to Jesus. Our pain and our suffering takes on a deeper theological significance. Because. Because we're walking with the one who was prepared to have his body lifted up in order to draw all people to himself.

So therefore, every time you're insulted at work, you have an injury, this sickness, you have pain from a broken relationship instead of complaining, which is, you know, quite natural and something that I have a tendency to do or getting angry. What this passage reminds us is to we can unite ourselves with Jesus and His suffering. Unless a kernel of wheat dies, I can't can't produce any fruit.

So we unite our souls in that suffering with Christ and a way to. We can produce fruit for others. And going forward, you might be thinking, okay, that's that's cool. I kind of get that, but but how can I do that? And here's the second toolbox tool I've got from our toolbox for today. So the first one is pray that for let a prayer father, glorify your name.

Second is it comes from a book, called Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adel. Our book call him. And so this exercise here is what she has called solidarity in Jesus suffering. And actually I've got it in the small group studies for this week if you're interested in going forward. So I've sort of modified it a bit. And the purpose of this exercise is to connect you with the trials and temptations and hardships of Jesus.

And so what you're supposed to do is take a passage of Scripture where you see Jesus suffering, or Jesus being mocked or betrayed. Where is something that resonates with you in this season of life? And imagine yourself, along with Jesus suffering in that. Then look at how Jesus responded to that conflict, to that suffering, and then trust him with the pain.

And then as you do that, you can pray. Pray for some things that the Lord can help you just hey, for some fellowship which is in the midst of trials, be compassion for those who suffer. See the ability to hold pain without bitterness. The ability to forgive, the ability to be patient in difficulties and trust that somehow Jesus will redeem all things.

Now these are just tools, and they're there to help and to guide you in that. So if you find yourself resonating with, oh, I'd love to do that practice of just stepping into Scripture, stepping in with Jesus into that moment and kind of draw out how I can respond like Christ did. I encourage you do it. If that's doesn't float your boat, that's cool.

That's why I love that four letter prayer. Father, glorify your name takes 10s to pray. And who knows what the Lord will do with that? I'm gonna pray over us friends, would you join me as we pray together? Now, father, just as Jesus prayed, glorify your name. We want to bring glory to you in our lives. Lord, show us this morning where we need to die to ourselves so that we can bear much fruit.

And Lord, we pray boldly that we offer our lives to you and ask for your strength to follow you wherever you lead us. And we pray this now in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Thanks so much for joining us. Don't forget to write and subscribe to help others discover this channel. Check out the description if you want to find out more or get in touch with us at the center. But in the meantime, praying for God's hand over you as you continue to step into everything Jesus has in store for your life.

Be blessed.