Everything Jesus did and said was intentional. Paul told us, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5). At the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry He declared, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Three years later, at the end of His public ministry, five days before His crucifixion, having fulfilled what He was sent to accomplish, Jesus entered Jerusalem to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). In John 12, Jesus’ public ministry draws to a close. In this sermon we shall see what Jesus said and did as He prepared Himself and His disciples for His sacrifice.
The Final Entry (12:12-19)
Five days before Passover, Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time during His public ministry. Whereas before He would instruct people to not declare His identity as the Messiah publically, now He knows it is the right time to do so. He had instructed His disciples to find a young donkey so that He may fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy of the Messiah. Zechariah had prophesied that this coming king shall “speak peace to the nations” (Zch 9:10), “set your prisoners free” (Zch 9:11), “protect them” (Zch 9:15), and “save them” (Zch 9:16). The people understood that Jesus was claiming to be the coming king, the Messiah. When they spread their cloaks and leafy branches on the road before Him they were acknowledging His kingdom and submitting themselves to His rule. When they shouted “Hosanna” they were literally saying, “Save us, please!”
The Fruitful Grain (12:20-35)
The crowd had gathered because the news of Lazarus’ resurrection (7th Sign) traveled far and wide. The Pharisees, however, were indignant about the people believing in Jesus. In fact, we are told “there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus’ ” (12:20-21). When Jesus was told these Gentiles wanted to see Him, He replied, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified” (12:23). Jesus used an illustration to describe His death as a means of bringing life. Just as a grain of wheat must be buried in the ground (death), the wheat plant grows out of the ground (life) and “it produces much grain” (12:24). Jesus would die and be raised to life so that we who believe in Him should also die and be raised to life.
Jesus said concerning His death: “for this purpose I came to this hour” (12:27). His purpose was to die and be resurrected to glorify the name of the Father (12:28). In response, the voice from heaven said, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again” (12:28). The voice sounded like thunder to those who were present but Jesus said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (12:32). John adds, “This He said, signifying by what death He would die” (12:33). Jesus’ death is a substitutionary sacrifice that was foreshadowed by Passover.
After Jesus spoke of His upcoming death, a question was asked: “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how is it You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?” (12:34). Jesus answered, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you, for he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” Many believed in Him, yet many did not. Jesus has sufficiently shown the people who He is through His signs, yet they persist in questioning Him. You must believe in Jesus in order to be saved.
The Fulfilled Prophecy (12:36-41)
Jesus departed and was hidden from them (12:36). At this point, John provides us with some important information. John writes, “but though He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe” (12:37). Lest we think that this unbelief somehow thwarted God’s plan, John shows us that this was in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy from Isaiah 53:1 and Isaiah 6:10. While it may sound surprising to us, we learn that it was God’s plan to have the Jews reject Jesus so that Jesus would be put to death. Also Jesus said the reason He spoke to the crowds with parables was so that “seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled…” (Matt 13:13). In John 6:44, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” He plainly told the crowd of Jews “you do not believe because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:25-27). Jesus told those who did not believe, “You are of our father the devil” (John 8:44) and “He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear them, because you are not of God” (John 8:47).
It is the will of God that Jesus be put to death as a sacrifice for our sins and for the Jewish nation to be partially hardened (Rom 11:25) and therefore reject Him (see Isaiah 6 and Isaiah 53). Luke records Peter’s sermon after Jesus’ resurrection, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourself also know–Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death, whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it (Acts 2:22-24)”. Later the disciples prayed, “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You have anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done” (Acts 4:27-28). Jesus was the stumbling stone by which the Jews fell (Rom 9:32-33; 1 Peter 2:6-8; Is 8:14; 28:16). Paul, in Romans 11, tells us that Israel rejected Christ, but God has not “cast away His people” (Rom 11:1). He has “a remnant according to the election of grace” (Rom 11:5) and the rest were hardened “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom 11:25).
The Faithful Response (12:42-50)
Everything Jesus did and said was intentional. In John 12, Jesus’ public ministry draws to a close and He calls for those who hear His voice to follow Him. Throughout this section Jesus refers to Himself as the light that has come into the world. He said that His death will “draw all men to Myself” (12:32) and that they should “walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you” (12:35). Come to Jesus and be saved! Walk in the light while it is available, otherwise there is nothing left but darkness. He said, “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life” (12:25). Come to Jesus and be saved.
First Baptist Scott City, MO 
You must be logged in to post a comment.