John 12:27-36

Read John 12:27-36 If I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself

John does not tell the story of Jesus experiencing the agony in the Garden.  In general, he puts greater emphasis on  Jesus’s divinity and gives less attention to his humanity, but not always.  On the one hand, John does not tell the story of Jesus’s birth, even though Jesus’s mother Mary was entrusted to him at the foot of the cross and went to Ephesus with him, so he would have had easy access to those stories.  On the other hand, John is the one who tells us that Jesus wept at Lazarus’s tomb, a very human emotion.

Instead of the whole story of the agony in the Garden, John gives us only verse 27.  How does he say Jesus is feeling?

Here, Jesus is troubled, but he responds quickly.  In the other Gospels, Jesus is in agony, so anguished that his sweat drips like drops of blood, and he prays a long time.

In Matthew, Jesus says, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will but as you will” (Matt. 26:39).  Here in John, he rejects the idea that he should say, “Father, save me from this hour.”  It might be useful to think of Matthew as presenting Jesus’s state of mind at the beginning of his hour of prayer in the Garden and John as presenting his state of mind when he had finished praying and was ready to go forward to his torture and death.  How is it helpful for us to hear both Jesus’s anguish at the beginning of his prayer and the conclusion he reached by the time he finished praying?

Do you ever go through a similar process, where you are in a very unsettled frame of mind when you begin to pray, but by the end of your prayer time you are ready to go forward and face what is coming?  What can you learn from that experience?

What needs to happen in our prayer time to help us move from an unsettled or even anguished starting point to a place of readiness and confidence that with God we can face whatever comes?  What can we do to help get to that resolute endpoint?

Many things can help get us to that point.  It might involve making a conscious decision to let go and give the matter to God.  It might require taking time to listen to God as well as telling God how we feel, being willing to express both our doubts and our faith.  What else might help?

What do you make of verses 28-30?  Jesus asks the Father to glorify his name, the Father responds, and Jesus says the Father spoke for the benefit of the people, not for Jesus.  Why do you think Jesus and the Father do what they do here, and why do you think John includes it in his account?

Jesus wants his followers to have confidence in him.  The Father affirms that Jesus is who he says he is and ratifies what Jesus has been saying.  They do this to give encouragement to Jesus’s followers, which is why Jesus says in verse 30 that he did this for their benefit, not his.

In verse 31, Jesus speaks of two kinds of judgment.  First, he says that what is about to happen serves as a judgment of this world.  How did Jesus’s death on the cross serve as a judgment of the world?

The execution of Jesus shows that the people of the world are sinners who have chosen evil and need to experience judgment.

Second, Jesus says in verse 31 that now the ruler or prince of this world will be driven out (or cast out).  He is referring to Satan.  In what way is Satan driven out when Jesus dies and is raised back to life?

Satan’s power has been defeated by Jesus’s death.  The devil has been despoiled (he has had his power over the world taken away from him).  His favorite tool, death, has been destroyed, and in the end he will be destroyed.  We see these concepts in Colossians 2:14-15; Hebrews 2:14; and Revelation 20:10, 14.  We recognize that this has not been brought to complete fulfilment yet, but we know it is coming.  Jesus Christ defeated the devil on the cross, and although the devil continues a rearguard action against the kingdom of God for now, he will ultimately be destroyed in the Final Judgment. 

How does Jesus’s death on the cross show what kind of judgment he brings to the world?

In John 5:22, Jesus said that the Father gave all judgment to the Son; and in John 8:15, Jesus said that he does not judge according to the flesh – i.e., by human standards or human appearances.  His sacrifice of himself on the cross shows what kind of judgment he brings – a judgment based on love rather than vindictiveness.  He brings the kind of judgment that produces justice.

In verse 32, Jesus says, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”  What does he mean by lifted up?

John notes in verse 33 that Jesus’s reference to being lifted up refers to what kind of death he will suffer: He will be hung on a cross.

In what way did Jesus draw all people to himself by his death?

In verse 34, the people say that they think the Old Testament indicates that the Messiah will live forever.  (They might be thinking of Psalm 110:4; Isaiah 9:6; Ezekiel 37:25; or Daniel 7:14, which imply that the Messiah will live forever.)  Jesus does live forever, even though he died.  But instead of making that point, he returns to the image of light and darkness.  What does he say in verses 35-36?

What do verses 35-36 say to you as you live your life?

We have the light, but we may still sometimes choose to walk in darkness.  What can we do to stay in the light?

In what ways are we “children of the light” (verse 36)?

Some parts of verses 27-36 repeat themes from earlier chapters.  What new points do you see here that are relevant to your life, and how can you apply them in your everyday living?

Take a step back and consider this:

In verse 32, Jesus says, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”  He is not just a victim who is helpless as things are done to him.  He is in control.  He is taking action.  And what he is doing is leading somewhere.  When he has gone through the crucifixion, he will draw all people to myself.

How does Jesus draw people to himself, having sacrificed himself on the cross?

What Jesus says here tells us that his crucifixion is a key part of the story.  People need to know about it, because it is a central element of what will draw them to him.  (His resurrection, which is also a kind of being “lifted up from the earth,” is also a key part of the story.)

When you talk about your faith, how often do you include Jesus’s death on the cross as a key part of the story?

Why is the crucifixion such a central part of the story?