Easter

The hour of Christ’s glory was not the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, although it looked like it was.

“The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. ¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’ ¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: ¹⁵‘Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’” – John 12:12-15

While the city stirred, the disciples pondered.

“At first His disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about Him and that these things had been done to Him.” – John 12:16

Discernment wouldn’t dawn on them until after Christ’s glorification. This wasn’t the time. But it sure looked like the mass of people were honoring Jesus as the Messiah. And the hearts of the disciples were with the crowd; they, too, were hoping this event would usher in the kingdom of God led by the Anointed One. But no one knew God’s plan.

“Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸Many people, because they had heard that He had performed this sign, went out to meet Him. ¹⁹So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!’”” – John 12:17-19

This had to be the time! After all, who else could do what Jesus did? If He can raise Lazarus, God is with Him and no authority can stop Him. It’s time!

And in a strange fulfillment of the Pharisaical quip, the world began to go after Jesus.

“Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. ²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like to see Jesus.’ ²²Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.” – John 12:20-22

Jews lived all over the Roman Empire; they spoke Greek and knew the customs of the Gentiles. (We call them “Hellenistic Jews.”) Those among the Hellenists who were loyal to their faith would make pilgrimages to Jerusalem for holy festivals such as Passover and Pentecost. 

Philip had a Greek name, so he was someone this group could identify with. And since Philip was a follower of Jesus, he could arrange a visit on their behalf. It made sense to ask for his help.

Jesus seemed to welcome the request.

“Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’” – John 12:23

That would get their hopes up! The disciples could interpret this to mean that the kingdom of God was now here; Jesus would rule from God’s city Jerusalem and all the nations would come under His dominion. 

But Jesus wasn’t finished.

“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. ²⁵Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me.” – John 12:24-26

What was going through the minds of the disciples? “We’re about to gain everything, and Jesus is talking about us dying! Will establishing the kingdom cost us our lives? I suppose it’s worth it.”

But Jesus still wasn’t finished! He takes a dark turn.

“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. ²⁸Father, glorify Your name!’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’” – John 12:27-28

What was upsetting Jesus on what appeared to be His hour of triumph? Establishing God’s kingdom on earth glorifies God! In the minds of everyone around Him, all He has to do is get started!

And God answered Him. More proof that Jesus is the Messiah and it’s time for God’s glory to fall!

“The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to Him. ³⁰Jesus said, ‘This voice was for your benefit, not Mine.’” – John 12:29-30

The people didn’t have the heart to hear God. They could make out certain sounds, but without surrendered souls, they couldn’t understand what God was telling them. The intended benefit never materialized.

“Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” – John 12:31

So now we’re back to glory! The crowd was right about one thing–Jesus was going to change the world. He would do it by dethroning the devil. The Jews had Rome on their minds more than Satan, but they’d take whatever victories Jesus would secure. And that sounded glorious to them.

“‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.’ ³³He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.” – John 12:32-33

So much of this had already come to pass. The crowd had exalted Him; they treated Jesus as their Redeemer. Hellenistic Jews wanted an audience with the soon-to-be-installed King. But Jesus bases all this splendor on His death.

And not just any kind of death.

Crucifixion.

Under Roman governance, the Jews weren’t allowed to sentence anyone to death. And according to Roman law, citizens of the empire were not subject to crucifixion. But non-citizens were vulnerable, and most of those in Judea weren’t citizens. They’d seen Pilate crucify many Jews who suffered for days several feet above the ground, nailed to crosses. They knew what Jesus was talking about.

“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”?’” – John 12:34

Christ’s words contradicted their knowledge and their hopes. Even the Scriptures themselves seemed to oppose what this miracle-worker was suggesting. What was He talking about? Or rather, who was He referring to?

“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. ³⁶Believe 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.” – John 12:35-36

The solution to darkness is light. The longer people listen to Jesus rather than tell Him who He is, the more they’ll learn.

And so it is with us. In many ways, Good Friday is a dark day. But it’s the supreme demonstration of Christ’s commitment to the will of God. The cross was His hour of glory. Without His death, none of us would qualify to enter the kingdom Jesus was launching. We’d remain on the outside, looking in.

But when we accept the fact that the King allowed Himself to be executed as a criminal, we can’t help but thank Him. In light of His sacrifice, and the power of His resurrection, we exalt Jesus our Lord. He atoned for our sins, vanquished the devil, and brought all who trust Him into a life of service filled with resurrection hope and power.

Praise the name of Jesus forever!