Scripture: John 12:27-36 (ESV)
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. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 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?” 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. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
If you put a nicely barbequed lamb chop in front of me on one plate, and a beautifully steamed piece of broccoli on the other and offered me a choice I would undoubtedly choose the lamb chop. But if my father put the two in front of me and said I had a free choice but that it would somehow give him great glory if I chose the broccoli, then I would probably choose the broccoli. Not because I wanted the broccoli, but because I wanted to honour my dad.
That is exactly what Jesus is doing in this passage. His soul is troubled. He knows what’s coming. He knows he is about to face betrayal, suffering, and death on a cross. And he has a choice. He could ask his Father to save him from the pain, to take away the suffering hHe is about to endure. But instead, he chooses the harder path, the path of surrender, because it will bring glory to his Father. “Father, glorify your name,” Jesus says, even when it means enduring the unthinkable.
Interestingly, God responds to Jesus’ surrender in an amazing way. A voice comes from heaven saying, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd hears it but doesn’t fully understand. Some think it’s thunder, others think an angel has spoken. But Jesus makes it clear to them, he explicitly says that this voice wasn’t for his benefit, it was for theirs. God was showing his approval of Jesus’s choice to submit to the Father’s will. He shows everyone around Jesus, that Jesus was choosing the right path.
Then things turn a bit strange and all of a sudden Jesus talks about light and darkness. He knows that his time with his disciples is short, and in fact within a week Jesus would be on the cross. “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.” In John’s Gospel, Jesus has already told us that he is the light of the world and now in this statement Jesus invites people to walk with him. To believe in him, before his light is snuffed out.
But choosing the light isn’t always easy. We often prefer the darkness and in fact Peter, would deny and abandon Jesus in just a few short days. The truth it is it a lot easier for us to stay comfortable, to avoid following Jesus when it gets hard, and to “keep God out” of the areas of our lives we want to keep hidden. But Jesus has a message for his disciples and for us. He says, “Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When we choose to follow Him, we live as “children of light.” Instead of hiding in the comfortable spiritual darkness, we instead become people who bring light into dark places. Like the Sunday School song says, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!”. When we follow Jesus as he chooses to glorify the Father rather than going his own way, we shine our light to others around us. And to do that, we need to trust him. We need to believe that his way is better, even when it’s hard.
So that leaves us with a question. Where are we today? Are we still clinging to the darkness? Are we still refusing to follow Jesus’s as the light of the world? Are we being held back by the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth?
Or are we ready to say with Jesus “Father, glorify your name”?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to follow in your light today, even when it’s hard. Give me the courage to glorify your name in all that I do. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Spiritual Challenge:
Choose to sacrifice something for Jesus today as a way of following him and living in his light. It could be an act of kindness or trusting God with something you’ve kept hidden. Whatever it is, take one step today to grow in the light.
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