John 12:20-33.                   The hour of glory is near???                            22/3/15

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

²³ Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ 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. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.

²⁷ “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. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”²⁹ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

³⁰ Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. ³¹ Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

Here again we have another important message for us not only in the midst of Lent, but also in the midst of a broken, troubled and mixed up world. As we recognise the difficulties of what is going on in the world and in our sinful selves we look for that which is good and helpful and which will bring glory into the situation. We desperately would like things to be well for us and to have that which is important.

But what is that? What is important? What is it that is truly great? What is it that Jesus is really all about that is helpful and good for us? Where do we find the answers that we need? These are some of the question that we are faced in the midst of the troubles and brokenness of our world and our lives.

Well here we have that message that answers all of these questions. Here we have a message that is good, helpful and glorious. But before we go into that I will say that it is a message that we all have trouble with, because it doesn’t fit with  what we would like it to be. It does not fit with how we think everything should be fixed and work for good.

But Jesus reminds us all that the hour has come for all to be revealed and which will show where real glory is at. Easter is almost on us where all of this is fully revealed, but we have swamped that weekend with all kinds of messages which seek to hide that which is truly important.  It is a long-weekend holiday: It all about chocolate and Easter bunny: it is about butterflies and eggs: it is about sport and family gatherings. We have made it about everything but what it is really all about.

Here Jesus hits us right between the eyes when he says: Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. The things I just mentioned about what we think and make of Easter tells us very clearly we love our life in this world. Despite the clear evidence of troubles, tragedies and death in our life, we want out of this life what we want; and God had better come to the party and give it to us.

Here we in the church all too often join in focussing on this life and the enjoyment that should be ours. We focus on what is nice and appealing. The Christian message is all about us and what we make of life; and of our programs, witnessing and doing. After all surely God wants us to be healthy, wealthy, happy and successful.

Yet what did Jesus just say: if we want to keep our life and have eternal life, we are to do what? Hate their life in this world. Now that is a challenging call to our world today. It is even a huge call to us as Christians today. All too often we don’t like to acknowledge that we are sinners and that we don’t get things right. However God’s word is quite clear that we are far from being the people that we would like to think that we are.

As we listen carefully to God and his word we very quickly recognise that we and our world are far from what we should be: and we should hate it: we should long to be free from it; we should want that which far, far better. We should want Jesus and what he has for us, rather than to live our failed and failing lives. Despite all of the money and gadgets that we have we still have our hurts and shortcomings with which we struggle greatly: we long for something better.

We too should surely “like to see Jesus.”  To see and know Jesus as he wants us to see him. Not as we would like to see him. We too need to take seriously what Jesus says here: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. And then he goes on to say: “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.  Father, glorify your name!”

Yes he knows what is in front of him. He knows what is important for him to do. And he knows what will bring glory to God. And he knows how terrible it will be, what he has to go through. Then he goes to Jerusalem and to the cross. There we have that which is of utmost importance for God, for our world, and for us. There in that seemingly most horrific of events we have the most important event to have ever happened for the good of our world. There we have that which is a truly glorious event, despite its ugliness.

Despite the horror of the event that he is about to go through. His soul is troubled, but he does not shirk away from what is absolutely necessary. This is what he came into our world for. Not primarily to perform miracles and to give wonderful teachings, but to die on the cross, so that God’s name might be glorified: by saving us from the hopeless situation that we have gotten ourselves into through our desire to live our own lives.

So there on the cross we see Jesus as he needs to be seen. There we see what is important for us and for our lives. Even though it looks and seems all wrong to our human way of thinking, there we have that which brings good into our world and into our lives: there we have a sure hope in the midst of a hopeless world.

There on the cross we see the time for judgment on this world. Just as God promised at the very beginning of sin into our world that sin had to be and would be punished with death and hell. Here at Good Friday it is to happen. All our sin, failures and short-comings, and troubles that have been inflicted on us; they will get the punishment that is due to them.

Knowing each of our own sins and the terrible things that have been done to us, we only begin to see how horrible this event truly is. God is bringing the punishment for it all to bear. But instead of us, and those who perpetrate these atrocities receiving this punishment, Jesus is taking this punishment on himself. In turn he offers us forgiveness, life and salvation.

But Jesus also says that there on the cross the prince of this world will be driven out. No longer can he accuse us, and bring guilt to bear on us. Jesus has paid the price necessary. Sure while we still live here on this sinful earth, the devil, the world and our sinful will continue to cause trouble and hardship; even for Christians. But now we, who believe, know that there is forgiveness there for us, and we know that he is now allowing them so that he can bring good through them. So the devil has lost is power over us, to make us guilty and condemn us.

 How magnificent this is, that God should put his Son there on the cross to achieve all of this for us. No wonder this is a glorious event. No wonder this is the greatest thing to have ever happened in our world. No wonder the Christian world continues to celebrate this great and glorious day, year after year. No wonder they do not let the aberrations of our present Easters to distract them from giving glory and honour to him for what he has done for us. 

For two thousand years now he and what he has done for us on the cross has drawn people to him. People all over the world have believed in him and have received his gifts of forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Sadly it is in more recent times, with the affluence and arrogance of our western world that there has been a great falling away there. However across the globe Christianity continues to grow rapidly. So glory and honour continues to go to our great God for all that he has done for us through his death and resurrection.

But for us here today the challenge is for us to see that this Jesus and his death on the cross is the most important thing to have even happen for our lives. Surely we do not want to hang on to the fleeting things of this world that let us down when we need them most of all. To love this life for what it promises me today and to in the end lose our soul.

To turn our backs on Jesus and ignore him and what he has done for us is to lose all these wonderful things that he has won for us through his death and resurrection. We lose forgiveness of sins, life and salvation; and above all lose out on being with our Lord for all eternity in heaven.

However for those who do not hold to the things of this world as being all important; and who struggle with the pain and heartache of all that sin and this world inflicts on; there is now hope and a great future. Those of us who see Jesus and his death on the cross as being all important, will receive all the wonderful blessings that he promises and has won for us. With that we then are free to go forward to live life with confidence and hope. Giving all glory and honour to our great God for all that he has done and won for us through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. He truly is all important. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish