We are in the 12th chapter of John’s gospel. When the chapter is over, Jesus’ direct ministry to His people will be over. The next chapters after this will show us an intense last-minute ministry to His disciples and then will come the end: the fulfillment of His mission. Last time I quoted that passage from Isaiah where God the Father, talking to the Son, tells Him that His mission is not only to restore the preserved of Israel but also to be a light to the Gentiles; to be the Salvation of the whole Earth. Which means that when Gentiles start to see the light, we know the end is near. Which is why this next passage in John 12 is so significant.
John 12:20-22 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
Have you ever wondered why they approached Philip? Most likely because of his Greek first name: Philip, as in Philip of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great. (Can’t get any more Greek than that.) This is confirmed when he goes and gets Andrew; for that apostle also had a Greek name. Philip does this either by instinct or it is something he learned when Jesus sent them out two-by-two: The first step for successful evangelizing is to find that common ground between you and that stranger that tomorrow may be a brother or sister in Christ.
And this is a good thing to remember…
Even though throughout this study I repeatedly point out the difference between this world and the Kingdom of God – and that where we truly belong is in the Kingdom – the undeniable fact is that we are born into this world by the will of God. Just like Jesus was born into this world by the will of God.
It is in this world that the children of God first step into His creation; and it is for the sake of those children of this world that God the Father forged the plan of Salvation. And as Jesus will soon tell us, He has chosen to send us into this world the way He was sent, with the same mission. Which means that whatever circumstance we are born into, whatever ethnic group we belong to, whatever the gifts and talents that He poured into our lives before we were born, all of that is meant is to be marshalled for the cause of that mission… Even your name, in God’s hands, can open a door for the sake of that mission.
How do you want to serve?
Philip and Andrew took the Greeks’ request to Jesus. I wonder if they had already considered that passage in Isaiah. Surely, they had discussed among themselves the fact that Jesus had, several times, ministered to Gentiles… not to Jews alone. If that passage in Isaiah had come up, would they look at this request by Greek proselytes as the beginning of the fulfilment of the prophecies in Isaiah?
But we know that the disciples – like the Pharisees – did not comprehend how those prophecies would be fulfilled. And so, we can bet Jesus’ reaction is going to surprise them.
John 12:23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
Glorify? That is mentioned in that passage of Isaiah, in the verse before the one we cited!
Isaiah 49:5 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.
Glorify sounds good… But what does it mean when it says – just before that – though Israel be not gathered? One speaks of the success of the mission, the other would speak of its failure. You can’t have both, can you? If you ignore that apparent contradiction and you race through that passage in Isaiah, full of restoration language, all the way to the end, you get to see the victory declared:
Isaiah 49:25-26 But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
So, is the mission a success? That ending sounds like the victory of the same warrior-Messiah that the Pharisees desired. BUT you cannot rush down to the end of the passage without realizing what had to come before it… namely, the beginning of the whole passage.
Isaiah 49:1-3 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
Indeed, the Son will glorify the Father. But look at the words the Son speaks as the prophecy continues in the next verse:
Isaiah 49:4a Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain…
That is precisely what it would look like that coming Friday at the cross… like it was all in vain. In hindsight, from our vantage point, there is no contradiction. Yes, it could look like failure; but it was all part of God’s plan:
Isaiah 49:4b yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.
Which is why it said in verse 5 that even though on that day Israel may not be gathered, the Son would still be glorified. God’s plan would be fulfilled at the cross. So, Jesus continues with an answer that was not at all what Philip and Andrew were expecting.
John 12:24-26 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
That is Jesus’ answer for the Greek believers: If you have chosen to serve me, then you know what to do: pick up your cross and follow me; it is not going to be easy, but you will receive your reward.
Nothing more…
For all the prophetic significance of those Greek believers’ reaching out to Jesus, their presence there, at that point in time, serves only one grand purpose: to proclaim that Jesus’ job is finished. They received no new instruction, no confirmation of their faith, no blessing from Him. He has completed His mission. And their job was to be the signposts that declared that fact.
I wonder how Philip and Andrew felt when they returned to those Greek believers, as it were, empty handed. I wonder how the Greek believers felt.
How would you have felt? Ignored? Unimportant?
But what if you realized that you had been there by divine appointment… that being a signpost was your mission that day?
John 12:27-28 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
Jesus understands the meaning of it all and He understands that, now, whatever comes is out of His hands. But as the Father has confirmed, it will never be out of the Father’s hands. Nevertheless, from here on it is all inexorable consequences… consequences that will take Him all the way to the cross.
John 12:29-30 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
Imagine being one of those Greek believers.
Maybe at first, when Philip and Andrew came back and gave us Jesus’ answer it could have seemed that Jesus was brushing us off. But then we hear the thunder, maybe even understand the words. And then we stop and look at that crowd, suddenly focused on Jesus again. Maybe it won’t hit us that day but, later, we may come to understand that – all that – was precipitated by our request… that we were ordained to be the signposts that day for our generation.
Is there anything wrong with that?
If my appointed role of service is to be a signpost, no more, no less, who am I to object?
What’s in it for me?
I think the problem is that sometimes we can look at the ministry of the Kingdom the same way the world has taught us to look at everything else: always framed by the question: “what’s in it for me?”
But if we understand the meaning of the verb to serve, if we understand that the word used in the days of Jesus for servant is almost always bondservant = slave, then that question is impossible to ask. There is nothing in it for me except the chance to serve my Master. And if He wants me to serve as a signpost for my generation, what is wrong with that?
And I hope you understand what I mean… You see, a signpost does not speak. In fact, most of the time it is ignored, almost invisible; until someone happens to drive up to it and notices the warning written on it or sees the arrow silently pointing which way to turn. And then that person either heeds the warning, follows the instruction, or not. But whatever they do, they utter not a word to you. And even if they were saved from danger by the warning, even if they took the right turn that bettered the rest of their life, they went on from there without a thank you to you and, probably, promptly forgot all about you.
If you have chosen to serve… then serve.
Do we really expect anything else?
One of my favorite passages from the gospel of Luke is the time that Jesus tells the disciples that if someone wrongs them and then asks to be forgiven, they must forgive… even if that happens seven times in the same day.
And the disciples said, ‘We need more faith to do that!” To which Jesus essentially answered, you already have more than enough faith. You think it needs to be bigger? If it were as big as a mustard seed, that would be enough to uproot a tree at your command… what more do you want? You don’t need any more… And then Jesus added a small parable:
Luke 17:7-10 But which of you [is there] who, having a bondman ploughing or shepherding, when he comes in out of the field, will say, Come and lie down immediately to table? But will he not say to him, Prepare what I shall sup on, and gird thyself and serve me that I may eat and drink; and after that *thou* shalt eat and drink? Is he thankful to the bondman because he has done what was ordered? I judge not. Thus *ye* also, when ye shall have done all things that have been ordered you, say, We are unprofitable bondmen; we have done what it was our duty to do.
In other words: it is not a matter of faith; it is a matter of obedience (and the attitude thereof.)
Do we need anything else in this world beyond knowing that we have done as He asked us to do? That is the challenge to us.
There are two sides to this challenge.
The first one has to do with our relationship with the Father. Do we trust that we have everything we need to do our job? If the answer is not clear, let’s ask the same question a different way: Do we need some sort of “sign” as confirmation that we are doing the Father’s will? You see, they are the same question. Because if the Father has given me a mission – if I know what His will is for me right here, right now – then He surely has given me the power to carry it out. (Otherwise, it would be a cruel joke.) The bondman in Jesus’ parable has no doubt who he is working for, does he? Furthermore, he knows his job includes ploughing and shepherding and making dinner. So, what do we think we are missing? Jesus’ direction is simple: Do your job.
This is where the disciples were on that question of forgiveness. And Jesus’ answer is like saying: What part of forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us didn’t you understand? Ok… Then do your job.
The second side of this challenge has to do with our self-worth. Being here in this world, where all our physical senses are engaged daily, tends to lull us into thinking that we belong to it. And this world delights in measuring the worth of people: be it by power, by riches, by beauty, or by notoriety. So, without noticing it, we can begin to measure ourselves the same way. We can begin to long for accolades.
But to expect to receive accolades, or any kind of worldly reward, for carrying out the work of the Kingdom is a non-sequitur. All we have to do is go back to the Sermon on the Mount and see how vastly different the measures of success in the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world are. Therefore, if we are hoping for even a pat on the back to confirm to us that we are indeed doing the job the Father has called us to do… well, we are going to be sorely disappointed. (Again, read that little parable in Luke.)
Does that mean the work of the Kingdom is thankless?
In this world… Yes. We ‘d better hope it is.
Otherwise, we run the risk of stumbling and being misled by people of this world.
But then how do I know that I am doing God’s will? Shouldn’t I be able to verify? Well… nothing prevents us from praying and asking for guidance. But sometimes I am afraid that we are being a little facetious when we ask that question… After all, do you think the bondservant in Jesus’ little parable in Luke 17 did not know what his job was?
This is why I like thinking of my job as being a signpost: My job is to testify to the world about the Word, by deed and speech, and then expect nothing more in return or in reward. That’s my job. And if I need any assurance that I have done what needed to be done, all I need to do is remember:
Isaiah 55:10-11 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall do that which I please, and it shall accomplish that for which I send it.
You see? A signpost may appear to be a passive, powerless thing in this world. But it is not. Because there is nothing more powerful than the Word of God. It may sometimes feel to me like my ministry is accomplishing nothing, but that’s OK because it is not my job to “accomplish something”, that is God’s job. His Word, once poured out into the world will not return to Him void. And that is all that matters.
Paul understood this full well:
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 Who then is Apollos, and who Paul? Ministering servants, through whom ye have believed, and as the Lord has given to each. *I* have planted; Apollos watered; but God has given the increase. So that neither the planter is anything, nor the waterer; but God the giver of the increase.
The irresistible power of a signpost
Now, let’s go back to John 12, the people’s attention has been drawn again to Jesus, and He is about to give them their final warning, which will turn out to be nothing new. All this He has told them before.
John 12:31-33 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.
Given that thunder from Heaven, and the testimony about the resurrection of Lazarus, some in that crowd thought that maybe He was suggesting that He was the Elijah that had been prophesied to come, and that He would be taken away, like the first Elijah was taken away to Heaven in a fiery chariot. And the people object:
John 12:34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
Now we need to stop here for a moment because in this response we can see how “double-minded” the people had become. On the one hand, they have repeatedly demanded signs from Heaven and repeatedly refused to believe Jesus could be the Messiah (for that would require them to believe on Him) and yet here they readily reply: Well, if you are the Son of Man, and we understand from the prophet Daniel that the son of Man is the Messiah, how can you be taken away?
It sounds like they are using a logical argument… in the form of: If premise A is true then B must be true… and it could be, except for the fact that when you state such an argument, by definition, you should be willing to accept that the premise A may or may not be true. You cannot make up your mind ahead of time. They, of course, have rejected premise A: this Galilean itinerant preacher cannot possibly be the Messiah. So, they claim to have found a contradiction in His words.
But Jesus has already told them what He means. He told Nicodemus…
John 3:13-15 And no one has gone up into heaven, save he who came down out of heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus must the Son of man be lifted up, that every one who believes on him may [not perish, but] have life eternal.
That is what He is talking about… not just of the manner of His death and its import but also of the fact that he will no longer be walking among them. He already told them this would happen… back when He spoke about being the bread of life…
John 6:38, 61-62 For I am come down from heaven, not that I should do *my* will, but the will of him that has sent me…But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmur concerning this, said to them, Does this offend you? If then ye see the Son of man ascending up where he was before?
And he told them again, when the people saw that even though their leaders wanted to seize Him and kill Him, He kept preaching right in front of them and no one dared to do anything to Him…
John 7: 31-36 But many of the crowd believed on him, and said, Will the Christ, when he comes, do more signs than those which this [man] has done? The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers that they might take him.
Jesus therefore said, Yet a little while I am with you, and I go to him that has sent me. Ye shall seek me and shall not find [me], and where I am ye cannot come.
The Jews therefore said to one another, Where is he about to go that we shall not find him? Is he about to go to the dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What word is this which he said, Ye shall seek me and shall not find [me]; and where I am ye cannot come?
It has already been said.
And yet, Jesus repeats it, because the end is near:
John 12:35-36 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
In the immediate moment of those words, the light Jesus was talking about was His physical presence. He was telling them, ‘You have the chance now, while all this is fresh in your mind, while you cannot deny that you have seen and heard all that I have said and done, you have the chance to choose to believe, to choose to follow Me. If you don’t, if you let this moment pass, then you will probably forget and eventually, when you realize you need someone to follow, it won’t be Me… Because in the darkness it is hard to see Truth.’
It is not much different for us, living over 20 centuries later. His words and His deeds still stand. And we all know that His light is still around. And competing with that light is the darkness of this world. So, we have exactly the same opportunity to choose the Light now; and the urgency is the same… Because every time we delay it for one more day, the darkness gets a stronger hold of our life.
What keeps us from making the choice today?
We think we still have time…
But there is an end coming
Again, we are no different from the people of Jesus’ day. We have the same evidence; we have the same choices before us. And like them, our time is limited.
For many of them that moment of final decision was only days away. By Friday morning many in this crowd would be shouting “Crucify him!” How many of them do you think would recover from crossing that line? You and I know there is one who crossed the line and never came back… one who even spent three years in ministry with Him. But he did not make his choice while he had the light. So, when the darkness came, Judas Iscariot ended his own life.
It is easy to look at those events as being in the past. And, maybe, because Jesus is not walking physically among us, we have trouble seeing that we are living today in one of those days of light. And you could tell me that I don’t know how hard your life is today, that I don’t know the tragedy and the heartbreak that marks the passing of your hours. But, if today you still have the power to choose between following Jesus and rejecting Him forever, then I know the Light is still shining in your life.
Listen then to what Jesus says… Don’t count on that light being there forever. Because the end is coming. And I am not talking about the end of your life, or my life, or even the end of the world. We always tend to assume that that is what we are talking about and then it is easy to leap from there to think, “well, there’s always at least one more day: tomorrow”.
But the end of the world or the end of our lives is not the terrible end. That terrible end is the day when we have rejected the light one time too many… the day that we let our heart turn to stone.
Look at John’s editorial comment that now follows:
John 12:37-43 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Did you notice the section I underlined? Does it give you pause? Read it again…
I keep saying over and over again throughout this study that we have a choice to make, a choice. But this passage makes it sound like those people had no choice, that God blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they could not believe. And if you think maybe the apostle got it wrong, then let’s go to Isaiah and read the original passage.
This happens the day that Isaiah saw the Lord in the Temple. And he, knowing his own sinfulness and that of his people, fears for his life. But God sovereignly forgives his sins and then He asks:
Isaiah 6:8-10 …Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I [Isaiah] said, Here am I; send me. And He said, Go; and thou shalt say unto this people, Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and healed.
God’s command to Isaiah is to go to his people and make them blind and deaf so that they will refuse to repent. Because if they repented then God would have to forgive them… But God had already determined that they would reap the punishment they deserved.
Does this shock you? Is God forcing them to be unrepentant sinners so that He can destroy them? What happened to free will? But, maybe, we should ask first the obvious question: How is Isaiah going to fulfill his mission? What power does Isaiah – a mere man – have that can force these people not to repent?
The answer is there at the very beginning: All Isaiah will need to do is speak to them the Word of the Lord. And, in fact, the Word he will speak to them is a Word of warning, of call to repentance. He is going to tell them: “Look, I am going to tell you how to survive this judgment. If you obey, if you repent, you will be saved; but I know you will refuse to listen to me!”
Can you believe that? Warned up front that there is a way out… warned up front that the way of salvation is as simple as saying ‘I am sorry’, as simple as bowing down and asking for forgiveness… they will still refuse. And that day will be their end; they will have crossed the point of no return.
So, what caused them to refuse? Would you believe: human nature?
Yes.
You know it’s true. That’s the way we are. We know deep inside that there is a choice to be made. God has been speaking to us all our lives. He has placed signpost after signpost on the road of that life trying to get our attention. But we are going to put it off as long as we can by pretending there is no choice to be made. But one day will come when God decides I have had enough time. And on that day, He will force me to see that the signpost in front of me, holding up that choice, is real and that I must decide which way to turn. I must decide Yes or No.
Is that a violation of my free will? How can it be? He is not forcing my answer! But because He made me, because He loves me, He sovereignly will remove the blinders and the excuses and even render mute the mindless chatter of the world… all, so that I might see the signpost, understand His Love, and choose to be saved.
But there is a danger here, that seeing it all clearly, being stripped of every excuse, I may choose what, really, I had been choosing all along in the dark, and finally say it out loud: No!
That is the terrible end.
John12:44-50 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
This is the bottom line: God is God, and I am not. For in spite of all the lies I tell myself and all the lies the world tells me, it is plain to the most casual observer that I did not create myself, and that I did not create this universe. And if that burning in my heart that I call a conscience, if that thirst in my mind that drives me to seek Truth, if that longing in my heart that I have for Love, are all real… and I know that they could not possibly have arisen out of the meaningless randomness of so-called “evolution”, then there must be someone infinitely bigger than I who placed all that inside me.
He is the author of the signposts. And He placed them there for a reason. And if He is telling me: this is the way of Hope and Life… does it make any sense to reject it?
