John 12:20-50: “Some Greeks
Seek To Talk With Jesus, Jesus Teaches His Disciples And Appeals To The
Multitude Of Jews One Last Time”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study we looked at verses 12-19 of chapter 12.
1.1.1. This was the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into
1.1.2. Jesus and His disciples headed for Jerusalem and the
Passover feast, most likely in the morning so that they would be ceremonially clean
for the events), and Jesus had His disciples go and find a donkey so that He
could ride her in Jerusalem. Throughout
his ministry, Jesus had tried to get everyone to keep quiet about the things He
did as well as who He was as the Messiah.
However, at this Triumphal Entry of Jesus we saw that Jesus was in
control of the events that occurred and that He was setting Himself up to be
accept and hailed as Messiah and King over the nation of Israel as He came into
Jerusalem.
1.1.3. The disciples placed their coats under Jesus on the
donkey and then the multitude began to place their coats and palm branches in
the road for Jesus to ride on them as He made His triumphal entry into
1.1.4. Instead of allowing the multitude hailing Him as King
and Messiah to take Him and make Him king over the nation, we saw that Jesus
instead went and made a scourge of the temple, driving out those selling things
and the money changers. Then, Jesus
began to heal those with physical needs in the
1.1.5. We saw that this Triumphal Entry of Jesus into
1.2.
In our
study today, we are going to look at verses 12-50 of chapter 12.
1.2.1. We will see in this study that Jesus is still at the
feast of Passover and that some Greeks come who want to speak with Jesus, and
the disciples will come and ask Jesus if He wants to meet with them.
1.2.2. Jesus will then teach His disciples reminding them of
some important basic discipleship concepts that those who believe in Him are to
apply in their life.
1.2.3. Jesus will finally end up appealing one last time to
the Jews to try to get them to believe in and commit their way to Him.
2.
VS
12:20-22 - “Now there were certain Greeks among
those who were going up to worship at the feast; these therefore came to Philip, who was from
Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to
ask him, saying, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus’.
Philip came and told Andrew;
Andrew and Philip came, and they told Jesus.” - Some Greeks come to the feast and talked with
Philip asking him if they could see Jesus
2.1.
The Greeks that wish to see Jesus may have been
Gentile proselytes, or they may have been Jews who lived in
2.2.
I’ll bet that these disciples seeing these Greeks
coming to meet with Jesus were thinking that now that Jesus had ridden
triumphantly into Jerusalem as Messiah and King that this visitation was surely
part of God’s plans to immediately come and place Jesus as ruler over Israel
and the nations, as was prophesied by the prophets for the Messiah. Philip and Andrew were probably filled with
excitement and anticipation then about these Greeks wanting to meet with
Jesus. The popular concept of the
Messiah coming as a political Messiah still permeated the disciples thinking at
this time.
2.3.
Andrew and
Philip relay the wishes of these Greeks to Jesus.
2.4.
It does not
appear that Jesus at this time actually met with these Greeks, and this most
likely occurred because it was not the time yet for Jesus to be preparing to
establish His kingdom and invite in the Gentiles. Rather, Jesus was now preparing His disciples
for His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Jesus will one day establish His kingdom but
not on this day and not in the way that everyone on this day thought that He as
Messiah would do so.
3.
VS
12:23-24 - “And Jesus answered them, saying, ‘The
hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of
wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit’”
- Jesus tells His disciples that the
hour has now come for the Son of Man to be glorified and that just as a grain
of wheat must die in order to produce fruit, so too must He die in order to
bear the fruit for God’s kingdom that was intended
3.1.
The disciples ask Jesus if He wants to meet with these
Greeks, however we see here that Jesus instead answered the question He wanted
to answer. Jesus begins to tell them
instead that the time for His glorification is very near.
3.2.
Using the illustration of a grain of wheat, Jesus
tells His disciples that He must first fall to the earth through crucifixion,
and die alone, before He can bear much fruit, i.e. before His glorification can
produce its desired effect in producing salvation in the lives of lost but
repentant souls.
3.3.
The good of
the life of Jesus is only able to be gained by us through His death on the
cross for us. Jesus’ death allows us to
be able to die to self, and it brings life to us
3.4.
Jedidiah Polosaari from Seattle recently wrote the
following in his journal on his web site, “Everywhere we look in creation,
death brings life. It is only by the death of millions of microbes that I can
live, or the death of a few big oxen that end up on my plate. Cells had to die
in order for me to first form in my mother's womb. Because of limited resources
only a certain number of organisms can survive in any particular environment.
As some die, others are able to develop into the new spaces, and develop into
new ways. Jesus referred to this idea when he said that "unless a seed
falls to the ground and dies it can not produce life". He calls us all to
give up the old man or woman, to pick up our crosses, and follow Him.”
3.5.
I am told that many times a forest fire actually will
in the long run correct ecological damage that existed prior to the fire, and
thus life comes out of death. If some types of insects have infested forests
they make the trees dry out and be prime for a forest fire. The only correction for this problem is a
forest fire that burns down the old infested trees. I have been amazed also at how quickly forest
has grown back after a forest fire had destroyed everything combustible,
sometimes even within 5 or 10 years significant recovery has occurred. The same is true in our lives, death to self
is the only remedy for our lives and the only way to have regenerated life put
in us.
3.6.
I often tell people in counseling when they come with
a marriage crisis, a family crisis, emotional crisis, etc., that what needs to
happen in their life is a death in order for healing to occur. They must first die to self and then the Lord
can begin to restore their lives and bringing healing in their situation, but
without their first dying to sin and self no change of significance is really
going to occur.
3.7.
Russell M. Nelson once said, “We were born to die and we die to live.
As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in heaven."
3.8.
Each of us as
Christians must die to our old sinful nature and be raised up and walk in the
newness of resurrection life in Christ, for in this way we will glorify our heavenly
Father and be able to bear the fruit He desires to produce in our lives.
4.
VS 12:25 - “‘He
who loves his life loses it; and he who
hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal’” - Jesus tells His disciples that the one who
loves his life will lose it and that the one who hates his life in this world
will keep it.
4.1.
The one lesson that Jesus teaches over and over to His
followers is that those living for this life and the things of this life are
living a life of futility. People thinking
like this would be wise to begin to live for the things that have eternal
value.
4.2.
There are two interesting paradoxes taught by Jesus in
this verse:
4.2.1.1.When Jesus
says, ‘He who loves his life loses it,’ He means that if we live our
life for the things of this world, we will in the end lose our life for
eternity.
4.2.1.2.However, if
we value the things of the eternal and live for these things, then we ‘hate
our life in this world’ and thus ‘shall keep to life eternal.’
4.3.
Jesus once taught His disciples a parable about a man
who built bigger barns only to have his life taken from him, and, this man was
a fool because he had not stored up any treasures in heaven. Jesus also questioned if a man gained the
whole world and yet lost his own soul, what should it benefit him?
4.4.
Are you today storing up riches upon earth or riches
in heaven? Are you the fool who is
building bigger barns while storing up no treasures in heaven? If you don’t stop living for the things of
this world and start living for the things which are eternal, you will lose our
own soul for eternity!
4.5.
In saying
that it is when we “hate” our life that we will keep it unto life
eternal, the Lord does not mean “hate” in the sense that we in our
culture use this word. The point is not
to detest our life as such but simply not hold onto or value our life as
something that is more important than the Lord and His plans for our life.
4.6.
In Matt. 10:37-39, Matthew adds some other things to
this saying of our Lord, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me
is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross
and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever
finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find
it.”
4.7.
In Matt. 16:24-26, Matthew records a similar saying of
Jesus, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after
me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he
gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in
exchange for his soul?”.
4.8.
In Luke’s account of this story, Luke 9:23-35, we read
Jesus saying, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow me. For
whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me
will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the
whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”
5.
VS
12:26 - “‘If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also
be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will
honor him’.” - Jesus tells
His disciples that if anyone wants to serve Him let him follow Jesus, and, that
if anyone served Him the Father would honor him
5.1.
Those who claimed to serve Jesus, He challenges to
follow Him wherever He leads them. In
specific, Jesus is saying that His disciples must also share in His death upon the
cross, and die to self. His disciple
must follow Him and His leading, even if it means to follow Him to a cross of
our own!
5.2.
Up till
this point in time, we have seen multitudes of people in this gospel of whom it
was said that they believed in Jesus.
However, their belief was one only of mental assent. Most in this group were afraid or refused to
confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior, bowing to the fears of men. However, Jesus in this last section of
chapter 12 begins to lay the line down concerning those who believed in
Him. True saving faith requires a person
to confess Jesus and to be a follower of His.
5.3.
The Lord also adds a word of encouragement to those
who follow wherever He leads: the Father
will honor them as a result!
5.4.
Are you truly following Jesus wherever He leads you to
go? Are you dead to self and alive to
Jesus, so that you are also sharing in His sufferings, death, and resurrection?
6.
VS
12:27-28 - “‘Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘’Father, save Me from
this hour?’’ But for this purpose I came
to this hour. Father glorify Thy
name’. There came therefore a voice out
of heaven: ‘I have both glorified it,
and will glorify it again’.” - Jesus tells
His disciples here that His soul has become troubled, then He speaks to the
Father asking the Father to save Him from that hour, when He tells the Father
to glorify His Name, the Father replies audibly to Him
6.1.
This incident here records words very similar to
Jesus’ words in the
6.2.
Jesus knew at this point in time that He, having never
known sin, was going to be made sin for us.
This is what Paul writes in 2 Cor. 5:21,”He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Becoming “sin” was perhaps more difficult for Jesus to bear than
the physical pain of suffering which He went through on the cross. When Jesus was on the cross and cried out, “Why
hast Thou forsaken Me?” He was expressing for the first time what it felt
like to be separated from God by sin. He
had always had intimate fellowship with the Father, yet now it was interrupted,
and the spiritual nakedness and depravity that He felt at that time must have
been horrible for Him to bear.
6.3.
A pastor I know once made the assertion that the
reason that the sun became dark during the hours that Jesus hung on the cross
was that God was unwilling to look on His Son as He hung bearing the sins of
all men.
6.4.
In any case, Jesus is beginning to foretell His
imminent death, which will occur in less than six days. And in doing so, He is expressing that His
soul is troubled as He ponders what is soon to befall Him. But Jesus is also courageous, and He says
that since it was for going to the cross that He came to earth, then He shall
not shrink back from this duty put before Him from all eternity.
6.5.
Jesus tells the Father to glorify His name, and the
Father replies. Someone has written that
when the Father answered back to Jesus audibly that He has glorified His name
and that He will glorify it again, that it was the case that the Father could
not but answer Jesus.
6.6.
The Father spoke audibly in affirmation of Jesus as
His Son at Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist, as well as at the Mount of
Transfiguration. Here however, the
Father answers Jesus audibly (so that all could hear) when Jesus speaks to Him.
6.7.
If Jesus was willing to go to the cross, knowing
beforehand the agony that He would experience, cannot we entrust our very lives
to Him today? The love that He has for
us is greater than the love that any person could ever have. He truly is always looking out for our
best. Therefore, we should yield
ourselves to Him to do what is best for us!
6.8.
Someone once said, “If you were the only person
ever to have sinned, Jesus still would have gone to the cross for you!” We should always keep in mind that it was for
‘me’ that Jesus suffered and died on that cross. It was because of His great love for me...
7.
VS
12:29-30 - “The multitude therefore, who stood by
and heard it, were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, ‘An angel has spoken to
Him’. Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice
has not come for My sake, but for your sakes’.” - The multitude that was present at this time
with Jesus had a mixed reaction to the voice of the Father speaking to Jesus,
with some saying that it had thundered or that an angel had spoken, in response
Jesus tells them that the voice occurred not for His sake but for their’s
7.1.
The
audience here is described by John as being a ‘multitude,’ and this
points to the fact that we do not really know the setting for this teaching by
Jesus in chapter 12. Some have made the
point from this that this set of teachings by Jesus recorded in chapter 12 was
actually a conglomerate of teachings that John wanted to record.
7.2.
It is interesting here that some people actually heard
the words that the Father spoke to Jesus, and that others just thought that it
thundered. I wonder if the difference in
the hearing of some as opposed to others is comprised of the fact that some
people are more receptive to God speaking to them than others are?
7.3.
Jesus tells those who are standing by that He didn’t
need this word of encouragement from the Father, but rather it was spoken for
their benefit and to bolster their faith in Him. Jesus was always fully convinced of His
relationship with the Father, and the fellowship that He had always known with
Him. Jesus didn’t need this sort of sign
or encouragement.
8.
VS
12:31 - “‘Now judgment is upon this world;
now the ruler of this world shall be cast out’.”
- Jesus tells the multitude that
judgment is now upon the world because the ruler of this world shall be cast
out
8.1.
Jesus indicates to this multitude that Satan is to be
dethroned from ruling this world by Jesus’ death and resurrection. We know from the book of Revelation that at
the Second Coming of Christ that the Devil
will be cast into the Lake of Fire to be judged for all eternity. The Devil is simply awaiting the certain
judgment He is now to receive.
8.2.
Jesus is revealing to the people in this verse that
the world is to be judged when He is crucified and dies on the cross for their
sins. However, He shall pay the penalty
for all the sins of men if they will but receive the gift of salvation which He
will provide to them.
9.
VS
12:32-33 - “‘And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men to Myself’. But
He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.”
- Jesus tells the group that if He is
lifted up that He would draw all men to Himself
9.1.
John clarifies to us here in verse 33 that in this
saying that Jesus’ speaking of His being ‘lifted up’ referred to His
being ‘lifted up’ upon the cross for our sins.
9.2.
Jesus was also referring here to His ascension to
heaven after His bodily resurrection.
9.3.
The
“Universalists” misinterpret this verse to say that because of what Jesus did
on the cross for mankind that all people will now come to Him and be
saved. They refer to a handful of other
verses and interpret them according to this point of view also. However, if we look at the rest of scripture
we see that it is made very clear to us that if a person does not accept Christ
as his Lord and Savior that he will spend eternity in hell.
9.4.
The ‘all
men’ that Jesus refers to here is not inclusive of every single human being
but only ‘those who will respond to His offer of salvation.’
9.5.
After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, He began to
draw all men to Himself. While on earth,
He only drew a limited number of people to follow Him. However, in saying this to the people Jesus
was inferring that after being raised up to heaven He would begin to draw
people from all over the earth (from all people groups) simultaneously to
Himself.
10.
VS
12:34-36 - “The multitude therefore answered Him,
‘We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘’The Son of Man must be
lifted up?’’ Who is this Son of
Man?’ Jesus therefore said to them, ‘For
a little while longer the light is among you.
Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know
where he goes. While you have the light,
believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light’. These things Jesus spoke, and He daparted and
hid Himself from them.” - The
multitude question Jesus about how that He could be saying that the ‘Son of
Man’ would be lifted up when their scriptures taught that the Messiah would
remain forever when He came, plus, who was this ‘Son of Man’ Jesus referred to
anyway, and, then Jesus answered them telling them to walk and believe in the
light so that they darkness might not overtake them
10.1.
The multitude did not completely understand the Old
Testament prophesies. They didn’t
understand the many verses that prophesied the Messiah suffering and dying upon
the cross, such as Ps 22, Isaiah 53, etc.
They did understood that when Jesus spoke of being lifted up that He
meant that He would die, however they asked how His dying would be reconciled
by the many Old Testament Messianic prophesies concerning the Messiah’s reign
upon the earth which would last forever?
10.2.
For the second time in this study, we see Jesus
answering the question that He wants to answer (something He did occasionally
during His ministry). Jesus does not
answer the question posed by this multitude, instead He tells them that while
they have the light, they ought to walk and believe in it. If they do not walk in the light, then they
will walk in the darkness and as a result they will not know where they are
going.
10.3.
This history of the Jews since this time has been the
fulfillment of what Jesus stated here.
Because the Jews refused to believe in Jesus and thus walk in His light,
they have ever since walked in darkness.
You would think the 2,000 year history of the church and the resurrected
Christ would have opened the eyes of the Jewish nation to believe in Jesus, but
sadly that day has not yet come (see
10.4.
We as Christians do not need to know all of God’s
plans in order for us to be where God wants us to be. We ought to walk in the light that we do
have, and though we pray for more light, we ought to never avoid doing God’s
will today because we don’t see God’s whole plan. God has revealed all that we need in order to
walk this day, and as a result we ought to simply not worry about what tomorrow
may bring as we are obedient to His leading today!
11.
VS
12:37-38 - “But though He had performed so many
signs before them, yet they were not
believing in Him; that the word of Isaiah
the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, ‘Lord who has believed our
report? And to whom has the arm of the
Lord been revealed?’” - John
comments here that though Jesus had performed so many signs before the Jews
that they still were not believing in Him but that this occurred because the
prophesy of Isaiah the prophet was being fulfilled who foretold that many would
not believe when Messiah came
11.1.
Jesus had performed eight wonderful attesting miracles
as recorded by John in this gospel (the other gospels reveal even more miracles
Jesus performed) :
11.1.1.He turned the water into wine.
11.1.2.He cleansed the temple.
11.1.3.He healed the Nobleman’s son from a
distance.
11.1.4.He healed the paralytic at the Pool of
11.1.5.He fed the 5,000.
11.1.6.He walked on the water.
11.1.7.He healed the man who was born
blind.
11.1.8.He raised Lazarus from the dead.
11.2.
As G. Campbell Morgan has written, there were also the
signs with His words (the “I am” statements we have studied so far) ,
such as:
11.2.1.I am the Bread of Life.
11.2.2.I am the Light of the World.
11.2.3.Before Abraham was I am.
11.2.4.I am the door.
11.2.5.I am the Good Shepherd.
11.2.6.I am the Resurrection and the Life.
11.3.
Yet in spite of all of the signs which Jesus had
performed, the multitudes were not believing in Him. This just shows the blindness and hardness of
heart of the people.
11.4.
John quotes from Is. 53:1 in these verses as he shows
that the scripture prophesied that not everyone would believe and accept God’s
Messiah when He came. To those who
didn’t believe, the arm of the Lord which can give salvation was not
revealed. They didn’t have the faith so
as to believe in Jesus for salvation, and thus they were lost in their sins.
11.5.
When we Christians read God’s word concerning all of
the wonderful works that Jesus performed while on earth, do we see that if He
did all the works which are written of Him, that He can also save us out of our
problems and sin which we find ourselves in?
Do we see that we need to be saved from sin every day? And, do we not see that Jesus has the power
and can save us from every harm in our lives?
12.
VS 12:39-41 - “For
this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, ‘He has blinded their
eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest
they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted, and
I heal them’. These things Isaiah said,
because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.” -
John comments and tells us hat Isaiah had prophesied that not everyone
would believe on the Messiah when He came for some would have blinded eyes and
hardened hearts
12.1.
The Lord hardens the hearts of those who harden their
own hearts. The gospel is always open to
all who will believe, however God knows who will and who will not believe.
12.2.
The one who insists upon not believing the Lord will
give over a reprobate to a reprobate mind, as Romans chapter 1 describes. He hardened the heart of Pharaoh, but only
after Pharaoh had hardened his own heart.
12.3.
It is very interesting that John refers to Isaiah chapter
6, which is the vision that Isaiah had of the exalted Lord sitting upon His
throne in heaven as referring to Jesus:
Isaiah 6:1-8: “1 In
the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and
exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim
stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with
two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out
to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord
of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4 And the
foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out,
while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Woe is me,
for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people
of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew
to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with
tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has
touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” 8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who
will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am
13.
VS
12:42-43 - ‘Nevertheless many even of the rulers
believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him,
lest they should be put out of the synagogue;
for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.’
- John tells us that many were believing
in Jesus but not openly confessing Him at this point because of fear of the
Pharisees and being put out (excommunicated) from the synagogue
13.1.
Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, among many others
of the rulers, was a secret disciple of Jesus.
The leaders however had said that if anyone confessed Jesus that he
would be excommunicated, so these ones remained secret disciples of Jesus.
13.2.
Sadly, the ones who were not openly confessing Jesus
loved what men thought of them more than what the Lord thought of them. Jesus was clear when upon the earth that
salvation will only be granted to the one who is willing to confess Him before
men :
Matthew 10:32-33, “32 “Therefore
everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father
who is in heaven. 33 “But whoever
denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”
13.3.
Not only
were many secret believers, but they also were more interested in people having
a good opinion of them than they were of God having a good opinion of
them. In other words, they were more
interested in pleasing men than they were of pleasing God.
13.3.1.We as Christians need to be freed from
the desiring to have the approval of men instead of the approval of God. We ought to be like Paul who said in Romans
1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
14.
VS
12:44-45 - “And Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who
believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me. And he who beholds Me beholds the One who
sent Me’.” - John tells
us that at this time Jesus cried out and said that they one who believed in Him
believes not in Him but in the One who sent Jim
14.1.
We saw previously that Jesus’ public ministry ended in
chapter 11 of John, beginning the second part of His ministry, His private
ministry to individuals. These verses at
the end of chapter 12 are really the very last of Jesus’ public ministry, and
in one last appeal He is crying out in hopes of bringing anyone who is willing
into personal relationship with Himself.
After this chapter until Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, the gospel of
John will only deal with Jesus away from the public and alone with His
disciples.
14.2.
You can see in these verses the genuineness and
honesty of His person as He simply is stating that to believe in Him is to
believe in the Father, and to behold Him is to behold the Father.
15.
VS
12:46-50 - “‘I have come as light into the world,
that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness’. ‘And if anyone hears My sayings, and does
not keep them, I do not judge him; for I
did not come to judge the world, but to save the world’. ‘He who rejects Me, and does not receive My
sayings, has one who judges him; the
word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on My own initiative, but
the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what
to speak. And I know that His
commandment is eternal life; therefore
the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me’.”
- Jesus tells the multitude that He has
come as a light into the world that whoever believes in Him might not remain in
the darkness, then, He repeats what He said in John 3:17 that His mission into
this world was not to condemn and judge it but to save it
15.1.
Jesus again is crying out seeking to persuade anyone
willing to listen that He has come as a light to the world to deliver men from
darkness.
15.2.
Note three implications in this teaching of Jesus
here:
15.2.1.There is coming an end of this world as
we know it, for Jesus speaks of a ‘last day.’
15.2.2.There is a coming day of judgment for
all the people of this world.
15.2.3.Jesus’ word will judge people on that
day of His return.
15.3.
The result of what Jesus did and said while on earth
shall be that men who refuse to believe in Jesus shall be judged by Jesus’
words. However, that is not the direct
effect that God intended in sending His Son to the earth.
15.4.
In seeking to persuade anyone to come to Him for
salvation, He says that His purpose initially in coming was not to judge
anyone, but rather to save the world.
15.5.
We as people would be wise to always remember that the
Lord does not delight in judging anyone who lives in sin, for He would much
rather give them life.
15.6.
Jesus’ word shall judge men because that word came
directly from the Father, not from Jesus.
16.
CONCLUSIONS:
16.1.
Are you daily
dying to your old sinful nature and being raised up to walk in the newness of
resurrection life in Christ ? Remember,
it is in this way that we will glorify our heavenly Father and be able to bear
the fruit He desires to produce in our life?
16.2.
Are you
losing your life and thus gaining it?
16.3.
You who
claim to believe in Jesus, are you truly following Him wherever He leads you in
your life?