Pastor Timothy Patoka 5 Sunday In Lent – March 18, 2018 Jesus’ Death Glorifies God (John 12:20-33) th
1) Jesus’ willing death glorifies the Son of God 2) Jesus’ guilty death glorifies God’s name 3) Jesus’ death shares God’s glory with his children When you were in school, how many trophies or certificates of achievements did you receive? Whether it’s sports or extracurricular activities, just about everyone gets these visible signs of glorification. I remember how as a kid I would lie up my soccer trophies and medals on my dresser just right to make sure that when a person entered my room, they saw all the glorious things I did. In the Student Union at my college was the display case with all its trophies. And guess which trophy was right in the middle? The biggest, the best-looking one of them of all. Sadly this year’s March Madness trophy will not be with our Wildcats. But thankfully they have other trophies to show their glorified sports program. Why is it that we make a big deal out of trophies or certificates of achievements? It’s because of what they represent. That this person, this team, this organization, has made it to the top. When you look at those trophies or certificates, you see the person glorified for their accomplishments. But suppose God were to have a display case of his own trophies and certificates. What would you expect to find right in the middle? Would it surprise you if it was the cross with Jesus on it? That’s what our verses for this morning from the Gospel of John chapter 12 show us. Because it is through Jesus’ death on the cross we see how God is glorified – his Son, his name, and his children. When we come upon Jesus in John chapter 12 we see him in the final days of his earthly ministry. He’s in Jerusalem during Holy Week and it’s crowded because of the coming Passover Festival. Jewish believers from all over are coming to Jerusalem including some Greeks who want to see Jesus for one reason or another.i They ask Andrew, one of the 12 apostles, who in turn asks Philip, who in turn together go to Jesus. But instead of answering with a simple yes or no, Jesus shows us how his coming death would glorify God’s Son. He tells us, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 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” (John 12:23-24). Jesus would glorify himself by dying on the cross. And he illustrates it with a kernel of wheat that falls to the ground, dies, and produces many seeds. Now I may not have a green thumb, but I did some research on wheat to understand Jesus’ illustration.ii When the wheat plant is fully grown, it looks like dry tall grass. It’s brown, it has a skinny hollow stem, and it’s topped off with a bushy head of full of kernels, full of seeds. Assuming you don’t harvest it, those kernels of seeds will eventually fall to the ground, die, and produce many seeds so as to 1
Pastor Timothy Patoka 5 Sunday In Lent – March 18, 2018 give life to future wheat plants. If the wheat kernel never leaves the plant, it will never produce additional plants. th
Now, how does Jesus’ death on the cross glorify himself like a kernel of wheat which falls to the ground? Well, look back to the wheat plant. What would happen if it never lost its kernel of seeds? It would be a fine—looking wheat plant. You could get up close and personal with those amber waves of grain we fly over in planes. You could take a selfie with it and show the kids back here where bread comes from. But as long as its kernel stays attached, you can’t do much else. Let’s draw the connection to Jesus. Who would Jesus be if he never died on the cross? A great teacher! A miracle healer! A perfect neighbor! But what good would that be for your eternal life? None. It is only by Jesus’ death on that cross that have life in him. It is only by his self-sacrifice on the cursed tree that we have the guarantee of heaven. As a kernel of wheat must die to give future life to wheat plants, so Jesus must die to give future life to sinful people. Jesus’ death glorifies himself because that is how he gives spiritual life to sinners like you and me.iii But what do you think about that? Do you agree that Jesus glorifies himself through his death? It goes completely against natural logic! When we look at the Bulls’ upset victory over our Wildcats last Thursday where they won 89-68,iv we don’t consider the Wildcats glorified in any way. We celebrate the accomplishments, not the losses. When the sinful mind looks at Jesus’ death on the cross, so too we are tempted to chalk it up as a failure. Jesus came to be the Savior, he tried his hardest, but evidently he messed up somewhere along the way because look where he ended up – dying a criminal’s death by way of crucifixion. Yet, as Jesus shows us with the kernel of wheat, it is only by his death that we may have life. And it is his willing death that truly glorifies him. Not only do we receive spiritual life because of it, but because Jesus willingly endured it for us. He later tells us in our verses, “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” (John 12:27). Jesus knew what was going to happen to him on Good Friday and he was rightly reluctant to go through that immense pain and suffering. Yet he was willing to go through all that for our sake. Because that is why he came into this world. Not to be a celebrity figure, not to gain the people’s acclamations for his enlightening words and healing hands. He came to die on a cross so that we might have life. And as Jesus’ death glorifies himself, so it also glorifies God’s name. If you remember back to your Catechism or Grow In Grace days, God’s name is more than what we simply call him by. God’s name is his titles and everything else he has revealed about himself in his Word.v Last week, Pastor Koehler showed us how God reveals his grace as told in Ephesians chapter 2. In our earlier reading from the book of Hebrews, God reveals himself to be our eternal High Priest who ushered in the new covenant prophesied in our Old Testament reading of Jeremiah 2
Pastor Timothy Patoka 5 Sunday In Lent – March 18, 2018 vi chapter 31. This is a small sampling of the different titles and revelation about God. And as the front cover of our worship folder tells us, God was going to glorify his name again with Jesus’ death on the cross. But which aspect of God’s name was going to be glorified? th
That God is just and he will judge all people equally.vii As Jesus told the crowds after they heard God’s voice from heaven, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, [that is, lifted upviii on the cross, I] will draw all people to myself” (John 12:30-32). Who is included in this divine judgment? The prince of this world – Satan himself – and all those who live in the world. What will they be judged on? Whether or not they have sins staining their name, staining their reputation. For Satan and all those who reject that Jesus is the Savior of the world God’s judgment is this – guilty. Whether a person has sinned as much as Satan or as little a newborn babe, God’s judgment of guilty is the same. But there was someone else included in the guilty judgment that we would not expect – Jesus Christ himself. Not because of any sins he had committed for we know from Scripture that Jesus lived a perfect life from start to stop. But when Jesus was lifted up from the earth on that cross, he had our sins credited to his account. The one who had no sins was considered sin itself for our sake. And this takes on special importance when we get to the cross. When Jesus died on that cross, he received the punishment for our guilty judgment – death itself. And again we see how Jesus’ death on the cross glorifies God’s name. For he is just and will judge all people equally. A judgment that extends to his very own Son. Does God’s guilty judgment scare you? It shouldn’t. Because not only does Jesus’ death glorify God’s name, it shows how we too receive God’s glory. When Jesus died on the cross, he suffered the punishment for your sins – all your sins. So guess what God has in store for you now? It’s blessings. It’s comfort. It’s promises that he will surely keep. Because his judgment for you, me, and everyone else who calls Jesus Christ their Savior from sin is this – not guilty. Although we sin every day, we will not be punished. Although we deserve to suffer forever in hell, we will live in the glory of God himself in heaven one day. And how can all this be true? Because when the hour came for Jesus to die on the cross, he willingly endured that guilty judgment from God so as to glorify God’s Son, God’s name, and God’s children. It may seem strange for Jesus’ death on the cross to be the means through which God is glorified. But there truly is nothing better to do this. Jesus’ willing death glorifies the Son of God. As a kernel of wheat must fall to the ground and die before producing many seeds, so Jesus must die so that there may be life for those who believe in him. Our Savior did not have to endure that painful cross. And yet he was willing to do that to save us from our sins. It is Jesus’ guilty death that glorifies God’s name to show that he is just and will judge all people equally. For those who have sin staining their names, his judgment is guilty. But for those who have 3
Pastor Timothy Patoka 5 Sunday In Lent – March 18, 2018 their sins washed away by Jesus’ blood, God’s judgment is not guilty. It is because of Jesus’ death on that cross that we see how wonderful God’s glory is. Because it is a glory that he shares with us now and we will one day see in heaven itself. Amen. th
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Pastor Timothy Patoka 5 Sunday In Lent – March 18, 2018 th
End Notes i
There is a question as to the intent of the Greek believers asking to see Jesus. Some commentators understand their request with the best construction – that they believed that Jesus was the Messiah and so wanted to see him with their very own eyes. Other commentators understand their request to be like many of those who came to Jesus in his 3-year earthly ministry – to see the celebrity miracle worker in the flesh. The Apostle John does not tell us what the intention was of the Greek believers. Ultimately it does not matter as Jesus shifts the focus to his coming death in the following verses. It is also my opinion that Jesus did not meet with the Greek believers based on the final sentence of verse 36 where Jesus left and hid himself from public view. ii For much more information on all things wheat related, look at https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/wheat.htm. (Accessed March 16, 2018) iii Caution must be taken to keep within the confines of the illustration for every illustration limps. Jesus’ point with the kernel of wheat is to show the glorifying importance of his coming death. If we were to stretch the illustration and say that Jesus is the wheat plant, then we would be going too far. Wheat is nothing compared to sinful human beings. To imply that Jesus is below sinful human beings is to deny his deity and perfection. All wheat plants will eventually die whether or not they lose their kernel of seeds. Yet Jesus would never have died if it were not for his own choice. There are other misunderstandings that must be guarded against so that we don’t fall into doctrinal error. Safest course of option when it comes to understanding biblical illustrations? Look for the point that is meant and limit yourself to that. iv This game took place on Thursday March 15, 2018 where the #13 seed Buffalo Bulls defeated the #4 seed Arizona Wildcats 89-68. You can find a video recap at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1DsUN4tkII&feature=onebox/ (Accessed March 16, 2018). v This is how the Glossary from the 1998 Luther’s Revised Catechism defines God’s name. vi The specific verses for all these references are as follows. Ephesians 2:4-10; Hebrews 5:7-10; and Jeremiah 31:31-34. vii This is also the historical name for this Sunday in Lent – the Sunday of Judgment. As explained in the sermon, this judgment is itself another method for glorifying God for judging his Son guilty for our sins. Because God has judged Jesus “guilty” he judges us “not guilty.” viii In verse 33 John explains that Jesus was talking about his physical crucifixion with the phrase “lifted up from the earth.” But there is also intentional wordplay. The phrase “lift up” was common in Greek literature to be a synonym for “glorify.” So with this understanding you can see that Jesus has a double meaning in “I am lifted up from the earth.” He is first of all referring to the physical mode of his execution, that is, his crucifixion on Good Friday. Secondly he is saying that the act of him dying on the cross is how he is glorified as well. With the 20/20 hindsight that comes from the eyes of faith, we can see how both meanings are true. Whether Jesus’ immediate audience caught on to the 2nd meaning is another question though. 5