Troubled Soul

John 12:27-36

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the 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”.

Notes

Jesus said that unless a grain of wheat falls and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit (John 12:24). The metaphor reflected His coming death and the result of many others who would receive eternal life. He would continue to speak of His coming death, which would glorify the Father. The Lord would also speak about judgment and drawing all people to Himself.

1. Glorify Your Name

   Jesus said His soul felt troubled, but He expressed determination to fulfill His purpose. His death would glorify the Father. Then He prayed for the Father to glorify His name. The Father would then speak to the Son, but the others only heard thunder.

   
   27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine (John 12:27-30).

   Application: Glorify God in Christ Jesus in life and death. The Father already glorified His name through Christ. We should continue to glorify the Father by believing in Jesus, which also means serving and following Him.

2. Judgment and Gathering

   Jesus spoke about judgment and casting out the ruler of this world in relation to His death. The immediate context did not reveal who the ruler of the world was, but the larger context of Scripture attributes it to Satan (2 Cor. 4:4).

   31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die (John 12:31-33).

   Application: We must understand that the good news is bad news for those who do not believe in Him. We must also understand that through His death, He draws people from different languages, ethnicities, and nationalities.

3. Jesus and the Crowd

   The crowd expressed their knowledge of Christ as eternal based on their Scriptures, the OT. But they did not know about the suffering Messiah (Isa. 53:5,12). Jesus repeated His claim that He is the light and that the people should believe in the light.

   
   34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the 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” (John 12:34-36)

   Application: Have a more complete view of Christ. The crowd knew something about Christ, but their understanding was incomplete. Therefore, we must know Him comprehensively through His Word and make Him known through His Word.

Reflection & Discussion

1. What is the connection between the “hour” and glorifying the Father?

2. What is the connection between His death and judgment?

3. What did the crowd know about Christ, and what did they not know?