1. THE GOSPEL OF JOHN III. The Opposition to the Son of God (5:1–12:50) A. At The Feast In Jerusalem (Jn 5:1-47) B.During The Passover (Jn 6:1-71) C. During The Feast Of Tabernacles (Jn 7:1 – 10:21) D. During The Feast Of Dedication (Jn 10:22-42) E. Because Of The Death And Resurrection Of Lazarus (Jn 11:1-57)

2. F. Because Of The Triumphal Entry (Jn 12:1-50) 1. The Thanksgiving Dinner (12:1-11) 2. The Triumphal Entry (12:12-19) 3. The Total Sacrifice (12:20-36) a. His Hour Has Arrived (vv. 20-23) b. His Sacrifice Is Explained (vv. 24-27) c. His Father Is Glorified (vv. 28-30) d. His Death Is Revealed (vv. 31-33) RRRRead Jn 12:31. TTTThe movement of thought is important.

3. WWWWhat does all this mean? WWWWe may discern five emphases, all dealing with the significance of the impending passion/glorification: 1) The passion/glorification of the Son is “the time for judgment on this world” (NIV). ~ Judgment is in one sense reserved for the end of the age, for the “last judgment”.

4. ~ But the texts like Jn 3:17, 19-21 also show that judgment begins with the first coming of Christ, climaxing in His passion. ~ The world thought it was passing judgment on Jesus in the cross. ~ In reality, the cross was passing judgment on them.

5. ~ Since Jesus was sent as His Father’s representative, His agent and the supreme divine revelation, rejection of the Son is rejection of God Himself(Jn 5:23). ~ Thus Jesus’ passion/glorification signifies judgment both positively and negatively. ~ As far as “the world” is concerned, however, it can only be negative.

6. ~ D.A. Carson: “There can be no further reprieve, for there can be no hope for those who reject the one Person whose death/exaltation is the epiphany of God’s gracious, saving self-disclosure.” 2) The passion/glorification is also the time when “the ruler of this world will be cast out.” ~ Although the cross might seem like Satan’s triumph, it is in fact his defeat.

7. ~ In one sense Satan was defeated by the outbreaking power of the kingdom of God even within the ministry of Jesus (Lk 10:18). ~ But the fundamental smashing of his reign of tyranny takes place in the death/exaltation of Jesus. ~ cf., Rev 12:11 ~ When Jesus was glorified, “lifted up” (v. 32) to heaven by means of the cross, enthroned, then too was Satan dethroned.

8. 3) The passion/glorification of Jesus is equivalent to Jesus’ being “lifted up from the earth” (Jn 12:32). ~ Jesus is not only “lifted up” on the cross, He is “lifted up” (i.e. “exalted”) to glory. ~ Isa 52:13 ~ In the NT, Jesus’ atoning death and His exaltation come together, with various degrees of explicitness (Phil 2:8-9; 1Tim 3:16; Heb 1:3).

9. ~ Lest the readers think exclusively of exaltation, John in v. 33 makes a side comment to connect the verb with Jesus’ death. ~ But he continues to hint at the point made throughout the passage: Jesus’ death is the pathway to His glorification, indeed an integral part of it. ~ F.F Bruce: “His being glorified is not a reward or recompense for his crucifixion; it inheres in his crucifixion.”

10. 4) The consequence of this passion/ glorification, this death/ exaltation, is that Jesus will draw all men to Himself – not to His cross, considered abstractly, but to Himself. ~ Recall Jn 6:44. ~ In Jn 6:44, the focus is on those individuals whom the Father gives to the Son.

11. ~ Here, “all men” reminds the reader of what triggered these statements – the arrival of the Greeks – and, therefore, means “all people without distinction, Jews and Gentiles alike.” ~ This is the implicit answer to the Greeks: the hour has come for Him to die and be exalted, and in the wake of that passion/glorification they will be able to approach Him freely.

12. 5) This dramatic development twice comes under the powerful “Now” (v. 31). ~ “Now” emphasizes the eschatological nature of the events that are about to happen. ~ The end times have already begun. ~ The decisive step is about to be taken in the death/exaltation of Jesus.