27 “Now I am very troubled. What should I say? Should I say, ‘Father save me from this time of suffering’? No, I came to this time so that I could suffer. 28 Father, do what will bring you glory!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have already brought glory to myself. I will do it again.”
29 The people standing there heard the voice. They said it was thunder.
But others said, “An angel spoke to him!”
30 Jesus said, “That voice was for you and not for me. 31 Now is the time for the world to be judged. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. 32 I will be lifted upa from the earth. When that happens, I will draw all people to myself.” 33 Jesus said this to show how he would die.
34 The people said, “But our law says that the Messiah will live forever. So why do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
35 Then Jesus said, “The lightb will be with you for only a short time more. So walk while you have the light. Then the darkness will not catch you. People who walk in the darkness don’t know where they are going. 36 So put your trust in the light while you still have it. Then you will be children of light.” When Jesus finished saying these things, he went away to a place where the people could not find him.
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“He wanted them to be his disciples.” Piper, 6
“Because he loves them.” Calisha, 7
“Because if you can be the light, the light will be you.” Vivian, 7
“Jesus draws people to himself because of the miracles he does. One sad thing saved us: He died on the cross for our sins. The guy on the cross got saved. That is how Jesus draws people to him.” Hannah, 9
27 “Now I am very troubled. What should I say? Should I say, ‘Father save me from this time of suffering’? No, I came to this time so that I could suffer. 28 Father, do what will bring you glory!”
The hour or time of Jesus’ suffering was now upon him. Jesus knew that he would soon be arrested, falsely accused, whipped and crucified on a wooden cross.
God has placed within each of us the desire to live. Jesus admitted that he was troubled. He was having a spiritual battle within himself. He wanted to survive, but he wanted to do God’s will of suffering for our sins by dying on the cross.
It wasn’t easy, but Jesus said “No” to the selfish desire to save his life. Jesus obeyed God when he prayed, “Father, do what will bring you glory!”
“It is the hour of His death, but He calls it the hour of His glory!” writes Bible scholar Warren Wiersbe.
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have already brought glory to myself. I will do it again.” 29 The people standing there heard the voice. They said it was thunder.
But others said, “An angel spoke to him!”
God spoke to Jesus in a voice where everyone could hear him. But the crowd did not understand the voice of God. Some thought it thundered.
It’s very rare for God to speak in a voice from heaven that everyone can hear. Most of the time, he speaks to his people in a quiet voice. If you ever hear God speak to you, what he says will never go against what has been written in the Bible. This is called God’s revealed will.
If you really do sense that God is leading you to do something, your friends might tell you that you didn’t hear from God. Be careful about sharing what God has shown you. A lot of people will not understand. When you are sure that God has shown you his will on something, don’t worry about what other people think. What God shows you in the light, don’t doubt in the dark.
30 Jesus said, “That voice was for you and not for me. 31 Now is the time for the world to be judged. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. 32 I will be lifted up from the earth. When that happens, I will draw all people to myself.” 33 Jesus said this to show how he would die.
Even though most did not understand what the voice from heaven said, everyone knew that something important had happened. This makes what Jesus said next to be very important.
Even though Jesus was innocent and had not committed any crime, this world was about to pass judgment on him. The cross was the place where God judged Jesus for our sins. To those who yelled “Kill him on a cross,” at Jesus’ trial, the cross looked like total defeat. When Jesus rose from the grave three days after his death, defeat turned into victory!
When Jesus died on the cross, Satan thought he had defeated Jesus. But the cross proved to be the defeat of Satan. Even during Jesus’ ministry, Satan was being defeated as Jesus healed the sick, set people free from demons and preached the gospel of grace.
Now that Jesus has risen from the dead and has been glorified by God in heaven, Jesus is drawing all people to himself. He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell his people and to convince people that Jesus is the only way to God (John 16:8-11).
Jesus is the savior of the world. All who believe in him will live with him forever in his kingdom. Those who reject Jesus will experience the judgment of God. They will be separated from God and his kingdom forever (John 3:16-18).
What the devil thought was his greatest victory has turned into his greatest defeat. Jesus defeated death! Satan’s final defeat will come when Jesus returns to Earth to set up his forever kingdom. No sin, evil or devil will enter God’s eternal kingdom.
Remember what the Apostle John wrote about Jesus at the beginning of his Gospel: “In him there was life, and that life was a light for the people of the world. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated it,” (John 1:4-5).
34 The people said, “But our law says that the Messiah will live forever. So why do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
The crowd understood Jesus to be speaking of his death. After seeing him ride into Jerusalem on a donkey with people praising God and waving palm branches, they expected him to set up his kingdom and rule forever.
Some in the crowd were probably thinking of Daniel 7:13-14 where it says the Son of Man will come in the clouds to set up his everlasting kingdom. It says all peoples and nations will serve him. They couldn’t understand how God’s messiah could be killed.
The crowd needed to think of what the prophet Isaiah wrote about the messiah: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all,” (Isaiah 53:5-6, NKJV).
35 Then Jesus said, “The light will be with you for only a short time more. So walk while you have the light. Then the darkness will not catch you. People who walk in the darkness don’t know where they are going. 36 So put your trust in the light while you still have it. Then you will be children of light.” When Jesus finished saying these things, he went away to a place where the people could not find him.
Jesus ignored their question about the Son of Man. He might have answered it earlier in his ministry, but not now. The cross was before him. The time had come.
Jesus warned them that they would only have him for a short time. He is the light of the world. In other words, trust Jesus while you can. If you fail to trust Jesus as your savior, you may find that the darkness of this world will overtake you. If you are a Christian, learn to trust Jesus with your problems and difficulties. Like the good shepherd that he is, Jesus will lead you to places where you will thrive.
If the darkness and confusion of this world control your life, you will not know where you are going. You will have no purpose in life. Without purpose, you cannot live a meaningful life. Only the light of Jesus Christ can give you purpose and meaning.
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