Jesus Lifted Up
John 12:27-36
Let’s begin today by reading our scripture passage. We are in John 12. Please follow along in your bibles as I read John 12:27-36.
27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.
31 “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
34 The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
36 “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
The pivotal verse in our text is John 12:32 where Jesus says, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” Jesus’ use of that phrase is loaded with meaning. In his Gospel John has been big on emphasizing Jesus’ sayings that have double meanings. The normal meaning of the word translated “lifted up” is to “lift up on high, to exalt, to raise in dignity and honor.” Jesus uses this word in Matthew 23:12 saying, “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted,” (also Luke 14:11; 18:14). Luke uses this word in Acts 2:33 when Peter preaches about Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven, “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” And again speaking about Jesus in Acts 5:31 he says, “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Jesus will be exalted, lifted-up in honor and glory.
But notice how this glory is revealed. We don’t have to speculate about what Jesus meant by that phrase “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth,” because John explains it to us clearly in John 12:33, “This He said, signifying by what death He would die.” Jesus meant that He would be lifted up on the cross to suffer and die.
Jesus meant the same thing when He used that word as He spoke to Nicodemus (John 3:14), “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” Jesus says it again (John 8:28), “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.”
This double-meaning phrase is central to our passage and colors everything. Jesus is saying that He would be lifted up from the earth on a cruel Roman cross to die like a criminal and the cross would be the hour of His exaltation.
Jesus’ being lifted up on the cross, which was the ultimate in shame, resulted in His being exalted as the Savior of the world. It resulted in God’s glory and Satan’s defeat. The cross became the watershed event in human history and it’s the watershed in your history. How you respond to Christ lifted up on the cross determines your eternal destiny.
First we see how,
I. What Jesus being lifted up involves (27-30)
Jesus says (John 12:27), “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.” Back in John 12:23 when the Greeks came seeking Jesus, He answered saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.” The hour of Jesus’ glorification is also the hour of His death on the cross. Now Jesus knows that hour has come. Jesus has come to earth for this hour. So as Jesus prepares for this hour John shows us that:
A. Jesus agonizes over the cross (27-28)
Jesus says, “Now My soul is troubled.” The word (tarassw/tarasso) means to be “agitated,” “distressed” or “stirred up.” As Jesus stands in the shadow of the cross he confesses a great reality. He is in turmoil regarding the events that lay before Him. Jesus will display the same anguish of soul the night before the crucifixion while praying in the Garden of Gethesemane. His soul is troubled. This causes Him to ask hypothetically, “and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’?” This is similar to His agony in the Garden when He prayed, (Luke 22:42), “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me.” But there He added, “nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Here Jesus adds (John 12:27b-28a), “But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.”
What troubles Jesus about this hour?
Here we peer into the deep mystery of the two natures of Jesus Christ. Being a man, Jesus certainly would not have longed for all the physical suffering that would come to Him as He is lifted up on the cross. The scourging. The crown of thorns. The nails being driven through His hands and feet. The slow suffocation hanging on the cross. The mocking and shame He would endure.
But above all of that, being one with the Father from all eternity (John 10:30), Jesus had never experienced even a split-second break in fellowship with His Father. But when He went to the cross, there was that humanly incomprehensible moment when He cried out (Matt. 27:46), “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” At that moment, God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,” (2 Cor. 5:21). He bore the awful punishment of God’s wrath and the death that we deserved. That’s why Jesus’ soul was troubled as He thought about the cross.
In Jesus’ troubled soul we get a glimpse of the horror of sin. Sin and the deadly separation from God that it brings causes the very Son of God to shudder in distress as He thinks about bearing that sin, guilt and shame in our place. On the cross Jesus becomes sin for us (2 Cor 5:21). On the cross all our sins are laid on Him (Is 53:6). On the cross the righteous will suffer for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18). On the cross Jesus will drain the cup (Mt 26:39) of God’s wrath (Is 51:17) against sin.
But in spite of all of this suffering Jesus will experience on the cross, He is resolved to do the will of His Father. John 12:27, “But for this purpose I came to this hour.” Even though what was coming was causing His soul to be troubled, it was the very purpose of why He came. Jesus came to die. The cross was always God’s plan. No matter the cost Jesus will go to the cross to glorify the Father and to save people.
What did Jesus do with His troubled soul? He prayed. He poured out His soul to His Father. And as He does so,
B. Jesus prays for God’s glory (28)
Jesus prayed (John 12:28), “Father, glorify Your name.” Now something amazing happens. A voice from heaven speaks. Before we hear what the voice says I want us to listen to what the words sounded like to the people. After the voice from heaven spoke, John 12:29 says, “Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”” Thunder is the sound of the voice of God.
David sang, (2 Sam. 22:14; also Ps. 18:13) “The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice.” Job 37:5 says, “God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend.” God challenges Job (Job 40:9), “Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?” Again David sings (Psa. 29:3), “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders.”
The thunderous voice of the Father says, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” God had glorified His name through Jesus’ life and ministry to that point; He would be glorified again through Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension, and His second coming.
If I were to ask, “Why did Christ die?” you might answer, “Christ died to save us from our sins.” That is a biblically correct answer. But this verse reminds us that Jesus died first and foremost to glorify the Father. Jesus was willing to endure the awful agony of the cross in order to glorify the Father’s name. The cross displays the glory of God like nothing else ever could.
There is a two-fold reason for Jesus being lifted up. Here in John 12:28 Jesus is lifted up in order to glorify the name of the Father. In John 12:32 we see the result of Jesus bring lifted is to draw all to Himself. The purpose of the cross is the salvation of men for the glory of God.
While Jesus walked this earth the Father spoke audibly from heaven three times. The first was at Jesus’ baptism when He said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). The second was at the Transfiguration, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Luke 9:35). And now as Jesus prepares for the cross, “I have glorified it and I will glorify it again.” Each time the Father speaks He is verifying the identity and mission of the Son.
And why is the Father speaking? For whose benefit are these words uttered? John 12:30, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.”
Jesus want people to see the glory of God in His death on the cross. But the bible testifies that anyone hung on a tree is cursed by God (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13). As the people will say in John 12:34, it was a common belief from Scripture that the Messiah would not die. Everyone will be tempted to believe that Jesus could not be the Messiah because He will be lifted up on the cross. Before that fateful day people needed to hear that Jesus’ crucifixion was not outside of God’s will. It was for God’s glory.
The Father was glorified in Jesus’ life and the Father will be glorified in Jesus’ death. As we unpack the things that Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension secure it will become even more evident how it is that through the shameful cross the Father is glorified.
II. What Jesus being lifted up produces (31-33)
How is God glorified in the cross?
God glorifies His name on the cross by:
A. Judgment of this world (31a)
About this hour of the cross Jesus states, “Now is the judgment of this world.” The day of judgment comes at the cross. Let’s turn back to John 5 where Jesus talks about judgment and it will shed some light on what this means.
John 5:26-27, “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.” Jesus says judgment is going to happen through Him. The Father has given Him that authority to execute judgment.
John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” So there is a future judgment that’s coming at the resurrection of all people — the good and the evil.
John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” In other words, those who trust Christ to reconcile them to God will not come into judgment. Why? Because they have already passed from the condemned state of death into the justified state of eternal life. Their judgment already happened.
When did it happen? That’s what John 12:31 tells us, “Now is the judgment of this world.” Jesus says it is “Now, this hour of My death.” In other words, the death of Jesus becomes the dividing line between the condemned and the vindicated. If you trust Jesus, you are united to Him and His death is your death (Galatians 2:20), and your sin was judged and condemned at the cross (Romans 8:3).
On the other hand, if you never believe in the name of Jesus for salvation, you stand under judgment, condemned both by your sin, and by your rejection Christ.
But here also is the good news for all those who believe in Jesus Christ. Our judgment has already occurred. The condemnation and guilt caused by our sins have been swallowed and removed by Jesus Christ. Every sin that separates us from God and others has been judged by God and punished by God on the cross. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus because on the cross He took it all on Himself.
So God is glorified at the cross because there He judged the world. And second God is glorified at the cross because,
B. The ruler of the world is cast out (31b)
Verse 31, “now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” In what sense was Satan cast out at the death of Jesus? Isn’t the devil still active in this world?
Yes, but he is a defeated foe. In John 14:30-31 Jesus will say, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.” We know from John 13:27 that Satan entered into Judas in that final hour. Satan was making a final move against Jesus. Satan tried to get Jesus to disobey the command of His Father, and having failed at that the devil worked through wicked men to put an end to Jesus.
But as the resurrection shows, Satan failed and was judged and decisively defeated. Jesus says in John 16:11 that He will send the Holy Spirit to convict the world “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” The ruler of this world was “cast out” or “judged” at the cross. There he suffered the decisive defeat — not the final defeat, but the one that secures and guarantees the final defeat.
Jesus bore our sin on the cross. And in doing so victoriously He stripped Satan of the one weapon that he had that could condemn us: namely, the valid accusation of our unforgiven sin. That weapon is taken from his hand. He is disarmed. We have no unforgiven sin. The blood of Jesus covers our sin — all of it. Therefore the cross was the decisive defeat of the condemning power of the devil.
When Jesus took my sins upon himself and died in my place under my guilt Jesus took the power of sin. He dethroned the ruler of this world. Jesus, according to the rules of God, took away all the devil’s ammunition.
The devil has no claims on you. He has nothing to hold against you. When Jesus was lifted up Satan was thrown down. He is a defeated enemy running for his life; grasping at straws. Do not submit again to his selfishness and foolishness. He has been defeated by the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the world’s true ruler. The cross secured his rightful place.
Thirdly God is glorfied at the cross because there
C. Jesus draws us to Himself (32-33)
Jesus said, verse 32, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
Sometimes preachers use Jesus’ words in verse 32 to mean that if we exalt Jesus (“lift Him up”), He will draw people to Himself. That is true, and as I explained, John probably intended a double meaning. But in verse 33, John makes it clear that by “lifted up,” Jesus primarily was referring to being lifted up on the cross. His death on the cross would draw all men to Himself. But, what does that mean? Does that mean that all people will be saved?
Actually, the verse simply says “draw all to Myself” the word peoples is added by the translators to help the flow of the text. What does Jesus mean by “all”? I think it is clear from the rest of scripture that Jesus does not mean all without exception, but all without distinction. In other words He does not mean that all will be saved, but that all that will be saved will be drawn. The word “draw” is the same word that Jesus used in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” This points to the fact that people lack the spiritual ability to come to Christ unless God powerfully works to open their blind eyes and soften their hard hearts so that they can believe (John 12:39-40). But when He does draw them, they will come to Jesus. It is for all who believe. As Paul put it (Rom. 1:16), “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
The cross produces my judgment and salvation. The cross severs Satan’s power. And the cross draws us to Jesus. If that is what the cross provides let’s look now at,
III. What Jesus being lifted up demands (34-36)
A. The cross demands that we think biblically about Jesus (34)
John 12:34, “The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”” The temptation of that day is still a temptation of today. We latch onto one promise of God concerning Jesus and demand that it be the one defining promise of God that rules out all others.
They latched onto the promise of a forever kingdom ruled by the Messiah. The scriptures certainly promised this.
[2 Sam. 7:13] 13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
[Psa. 72:17] 17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And [men] shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed.
[Psa. 89:36-37] 36 His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; 37 It shall be established forever like the moon, Even [like] the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
[Psa. 110:4] 4 The LORD has sworn And will not relent, “You [are] a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
[Isa. 9:7] 7 Of the increase of [His] government and peace [There will be] no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
[Dan. 7:14] 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom [the one] Which shall not be destroyed.
But that is not all the scripture promised about the Messiah. Isaiah 53 clearly prophesies about the substitutionary death of the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah. The whole chapter is about Christ, but listen especially to this part about His death:
[Isa 53:8-12] 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked–But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor [was any] deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put [Him] to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see [His] seed, He shall prolong [His] days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, [and] be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
Psalm 22 which Jesus quotes from the cross also details the kind of death that He would die (see also Psalm 31). Jesus would fulfill the Old Testament types of sacrifices for sin and the Passover lamb (Exo. 12). His blood would make atonement for sin (Lev. 17:11).
So the people latched onto the promise of a forever kingdom and missed the scriptures about the death of Christ. So when they hear Jesus making messianic claims but also stating that He will die there is a conflict. “We think you’re the Messiah and we’re hearing you say you have to die. But the Messiah won’t die. Who is this Son of Man? Maybe he’s not the Messiah. We’re confused.”
That is why we must study all of scripture to understand what that passage is saying in its immediate context and understand how that passage fits into the whole of Scripture. We get are in grave danger when we refuse to listen to the whole of Scripture and we are in grave danger when we refuse to listen to each passage. The cross demands that we think biblically about Jesus.
What does Jesus demand from us?
B. The cross demands that we believe in Jesus right now (35-36)
35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
36 “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
Jesus’ point is simple. He’s telling us to listen to Him and believe what He is saying. As we continue to follow Him and listen to him He’ll teach us and make Himself ever clearer. As we gaze at Him we’ll be transformed and look more like Him (2 Cor. 3:18).
So he tells the crowd that time is running out, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light.” He’s calling us to believe. We might not have everything figured out. Tomorrow might be very vague. But this much we know. We are drawn to Jesus; drawn to His life that glorified God in every way. We’re drawn to His death that gives us life.
All those that do not go after Jesus are lost: “he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.” He’s confused. Every effort is fruitless. Every turn brings uncertainty. This is the futility of your life without Christ—always going but never getting anywhere.
Note that Jesus emphasizes “light” five times. He is the Light of the world, but in just a few days, He would be gone. They had a narrow window of opportunity to give up their preconceived notions about Messiah being a political savior and to act on the truth that He had given them about Himself. But that truth centered on the fact that they were sinners, walking in darkness, and they needed to come to Jesus as the Light, which implied turning from their sins. The main issue was (and still is), “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light” (John 12:36a).
Right now as the Spirit draws you to Christ, “While you have the light, believe in the light.” Today is the day. Now is the time. Believing in the light makes you become a son of light. The things that characterize Jesus are to become the things that characterize you. The love of the Son for the Father will be implanted in you and begin to grow. As you see Christ through His word He will change you. Your life will become less important and the glory of God will become more important. Serving like Christ and following Christ will become priorities and you will experience joy, humility, and purpose like never before.
Today, while you have the light, while the good news of Jesus Christ crucified, resurrected, and ascended lies in front of you, believe in Him. Reach out to Him. It’s simple but it changes everything. Your sins which nailed Jesus to the cross, repent of them. Tell God that you are sorry that you turned away from Him and put your trust in Christ alone. Believe that His death takes away the punishment you deserve. Believe that His life provides every ounce of holiness that God requires. Repent to God, place your faith in Jesus Christ, and you will become a son or daughter of light. You will have life eternal in that very moment. For those who desire Christ now is the time.
