Jesus was refusing to be saved

JESUS WAS REFUSINGTO BE SAVED
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
John 12:27 Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I
say? 'Father, saveMe from this hour'? No, it is for this
purpose that I have come to this hour.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Soul-conflictOf Christ
John 12:27, 28
J.R. Thomson
Only now and againdo we observe the Savior's regard turned inwardly upon
himself, upon his own feelings and anticipations. Usually his thoughts and his
speechconcernedothers. But in this passage ofhis ministry he gives us an
insight into his inmost heart.
I. THE CRISIS OF THIS CONFLICT. The approachof the Greeks marks
"the beginning of the end." Now the Sonof man beganto feel by anticipation
the burden of the cross. Oppositionand persecutionwere at hand. He was
about to tread the winepress alone. Pain, humiliation, sorrow, death, were
close upon him. The "hour" which he had long foreseenwas now nearly

marked upon the dial of his life; it was the hour of his enemies'power and of
the prince of darkness.
II. THE CHARACTER OF THIS CONFLICT.
1. On the one side was personalfeeling, which expresseditselfin the cry, so
human, so touching, so sincere, "Father, save me from this hour!" This was
the voice of human weakness, to be repeatedafterwards in the form, "If it be
possible, let this cup pass from me!" This shrinking from all that was involved
in the sacrifice was real. Our Lord's human nature was reluctant to endure
the anguish of Gethsemane, the agony of Golgotha.
2. On the other side was the perception that all the past experience ofhis
humanity led up to just this distressful burden, the pressure of which he was
now beginning to feel. He had consentedto live in order that he might consent
to die. The baptism of sorrow must overwhelm him, the bitter cup must be
drained to the dregs, in order that his ministry might be complete. The
Incarnation itself contemplated, and virtually included, the sacrifice. The past
would prove to have been endured in vain, if the future should be evaded; and
the life of the Savior, with the cross leftout, if such a conceptionbe possible,
would be all but powerless in the spiritual history of humanity.
3. Hence the distractionof mind evinced in the exclamation, "Whatshall I
say?" The two wishes were inconsistentwith eachother. With which of them
should the deliberate and decisive resolve identify itself?
III. THE DECISIVE CRY OF THE CONFLICT. The issue of the struggle
within the Savior's Spirit was apparent when he uttered the exclamation, the
prayer, "Father, glorify thy Name!" For this revealed the fact that Jesus was
turning awayfrom himself and from his own feelings, and was turning to his
Father. He was sinking the considerationof himself and his sufferings in a
filial regard to his Father's honor, to the Divine purposes which underlay the
whole of his mission. God was exaltedin the completion of the Mediator's
work. Jesus learnedobedience, and displayed obedience, in the things which
he suffered. Our salvationwas assuredwhen the decisionwas reached, when
the cry was uttered, when the Father's glory, by its dazzling brightness, its
burning radiance, consumedall beside.

IV. THE CLOSE OF THE CONFLICT. The solemnity and grandeur of the
crisis is shown by the audible interposition with which the Fatherresponded
to the cry of his beloved, chosenSon.
1. The voice from heavenwas a reminder. How the Fatherhad glorified his
Son we know from the record of what took place at the baptism and at the
Transfiguration. But to the spiritually enlightened and discerning there had
been apparent, all through our Savior's ministry, a moral glory which was
hidden from the thoughtless world.
2. The voice from heavenwas a promise. The further glory of the Father in his
Son was to be manifested in all the events to follow the perfectobedience unto
the death of the cross. Especiallyin the resurrectionof Christ did God "give
him glory." The Ascension, the marvels of Pentecost, the signs accompanying
the preaching of the gospel, were evidences thatthe Divine purposes were in
course of fulfillment. The whole dispensation of grace is "rather" - i.e. in a
superior measure and degree - "rather glorious." The establishment of the
kingdom of God among men, the introduction of a new and higher life into
our humanity, the salvation of untold myriads of sinners, the peopling of
heaven with the redeemed from every nation, - these are signs that the Lord
has seenof the travail of his soul and is satisfied, that the purposes of the
Father are accomplished, that the glory of the Fatheris secured. - T.

Biblical Illustrator
Now is My soul troubled.
John 12:27-29
Lent, a preparation for Good Friday
J. W. Hardman, LL. D.
It has been well said that all Lent should be regardedas a preparation for
GoodFriday and its observance. Justas when we visit some deep and gloomy
gorge amongstthe mountains, long before we reachthe spot where the cliffs
rise highestand the daylight is farthest off, the hills begin to encircle us, the
bright sunshine is lost and the black shadows ofthe stern and solemn
precipices encompass ourpath! Thus, for a considerable time before His
crucifixion, our Lord by His prophetic foresightentered into "the valley of the
shadow of death." And we, in sympathy, should follow His footsteps. When
the greatprehistoric temple of Stonehenge was perfect, a number of huge
stone gateways gave accessto the centralaltar, around which they were
ranged. So our BlessedLord may be pictured as approaching the great
Sacrifice on the Altar of the Cross by passing through diverse portals. We
may look on Him in different aspects ofthe preparation for the first Good
Friday.
I. Forinstance, we see Him passing through the archwayof PAINFUL
ANTICIPATION. He knew what awaitedHim — He told His disciples — "the
Son of Man" was about to be betrayed — given into the hands of strangers —
"scourged,""mocked,""spitefully entreated — insulted — crucified!" All,
like a harrowing picture, was clearbefore His eyes, every detail stoodout
distinctly, and eachday the crisis of His obedience drew closer. "Forthough
He was a Son, yet learned He obedience by those things which He suffered"
(Hebrews 5:8). A middle-aged man said that the most agonizing day he ever
spent was the one day before an operationwas performed on him; he did not

know whether it would be very painful or not, and he was afraid to ask, and
every time his thoughts wanderedto pleasantmatters they came back with a
start to the grim recollectionthat every moment brought nearerand nearer
the horrible instant that he could not escape!
II. Again, we may regard our Lord pressing on to the Cross through the
portal of a brave and RESOLUTE DETERMINATION. "He setHis face to go
up to Jerusalem." WhenHis disciples objected, "Master, the Jews oflate
sought to stone Thee, and goestThouthither again?" the warning cannot stay
His footsteps. When"the powerof darkness" is at hand, He says, with a noble
resignation, "The cup that My Father giveth Me to drink, shall I not drink
it?"
III. Another aspectin which we may observe our Saviour is, that He was
calledon to take His pathway under the gloomyarch of MORTIFICATION
AND FAILURE. The disciples who walkedby His side He knew were about to
forsake Him. Peter, their chief spokesman, was going to deny Him, and Judas
to betray Him, and the multitude were soonto exchange their welcome of
"Hosannah" into grim yells of "Crucify Him!" But none of these things
daunted the resolutionof our Lord. In one golden sentence He summed up His
task.
(J. W. Hardman, LL. D.)
The Saviour's prayer
B. Wilkinson.
I. THE EXPERIENCEOUT OF WHICH IT AROSE. "Troubled" means
tortured, racked, torn, as it were, with intense and various emotions.
1. This trouble arose out of the foresightof the Cross. BetweenHim and His
glory lay Calvary. But the anguish was not on account of the physical torture
or personalignominy He would endure, although extreme; He had tastedthe
bitterness of sin in the intensity and perfection of His redeeming sympathy,
and to pass under the shadow of its retribution.

2. This trouble superinduced a greatconflict in His mind, "Whatshall I say?
Father," etc. Some regard this as a petition; others with more propriety an
interrogationimplying a natural shrinking which it would have been more
human not to feel. Gladly would He have said it but for the stability of His
redeeming purpose. Purpose and feeling thus came into distressing collision.
3. The conflict, however, was but momentary. It gave place at once to a calm
and heroic resignation.
II. THE PURPORT OF THE PRAYER. "Father, glorify Thy name." How
concise, yetcomprehensive:expressive of —
1. Resignation. "Do whatThou wilt so long as Thou be glorified."
2. Fortitude. "The task before Me is a heavy one, but for Thy sake, Iwill go
forward to it."
3. Benevolence. Selfis lost sight of, and the Father's purpose and the
redounding glory is all in all.
4. Faith. "WhatThou hast promised Thou wilt perform."
III. THE ANSWER.
1. How it was given. By a voice from heaven, mistaken as thunder, as the voice
of an angel, but truly interpreted by Christ.
2. What it was. A declaration —(1) That it had been alreadyfulfilled — in the
whole of Christ's life. How this assurancewould animate Christ, and endear
to Him afresh the Father's will.(2) That the end for which Jesus prayed would
be still further attained. Conclusion:Learn to cherish at all times a true and
steady regardfor the glory of God.
(B. Wilkinson.)
A foretaste of Gethsemane
Bp. Ryle.

I see in the whole event here describeda short summary of what took place
afterwards more fully at Gethsemane. There is a remarkable parallelismat
every step. Does ourLord sayhere —
1. "My soul is troubled"? Justso He said in Gethsemane:"My soul is
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death" (Matthew 26:38)
2. "Father, save Me from this hour"? Just so He says in Gethsemane:"O My
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me" (Matthew 26:39).
3. Does ourLord sayhere, "Forthis cause came I unto this hour"? Just so He
says in Gethsemane:"If this cup may not pass awayfrom Me exceptI drink
it, Thy will be done."
4. Does ourLord say, finally, "Father, glorify Thy name"? Just so our Lord
says, lastly, "The cup which My Father hast given Me, shall I not drink it"
(chap. John 18:11). The brief prayer which our Lord here offers, we should
remember, is the highest, greatestthing that we canask God to do. The
utmost reachof the renewedwill of a believer, is to be able to say always,
"Fatherglorify Thy name in Me. Do with Me what Thou wilt, only glorify
Thy name." The glory of God after all is the end for which all things were
created. Paul's joyful hope, he told the Philippians, when a prisoner at Rome,
was "that in all things, by life or by death, Christ might be magnified in his
body" (Philippians 1:20).
(Bp. Ryle.)
Gethsemane in prospect
B. M. Palmer, D. D.
This world is a world of grief. The infant begins its careerwith a cry of
distress premonitory of all it must suffer from the cradle to the grave. Some
suffer more than others — martyrs, e.g. (Hebrews 11:36-38). But one stands
out preeminent for suffering (Isaiah 53; Psalm69:1, 2, 20). It was in the
foresightof His amazing sufferings that Christ felt this perturbation of spirit,
which arose out of —

I. AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITYUNDER THE
TRUST HE HAD ASSUMED. Those mostworthy of responsibility feel its
pressure most. Some rush into office without sensibility or conscience,
prepared to take all responsibility merely to pervert it to private ends. But
men who deserve the trusts of life shrink even from their honours — e.g., the
conscientious physician, advocate, judge, parent. What was Christ's trust? It
was —
1. To represent the sinner (Galatians 5:4, 5; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
2. To represent God. His holiness, justice, truth, in all the bitter experiences of
His Spirit, and that not in His omnipotent Divine, but in His frail human
nature.
II. THE VIEW OF DEATH AS THE PENALTY OF THE LAW. The dread of
death is natural because it formed no part of our original constitution.
Whateverbelongs to our nature God makes pleasant — e.g., sleepand food.
But death is horrible because it has supervened on our constitution (Romans
5:12). But Christ had to die under the Father's judicial displeasure as the
substitute for sinners whom the law condemns. He was made sin for us who
know no sin, which sinlessness addedto the agony. Who that is in any degree
sanctifiedcan help but feelthe pain of the sins with which He is brought in
contact? How then must it have been with the PerfectManwho bore all sin,
and all sorrows that are born of sin, even to the privation of the Divine
presence.
III. THE ANTICIPATION OF CONFLICT WITHTHE POWERS OF
DARKNESS. It was an old quarrel begun when Satan lifted the standard of
rebellion in heaven, continued when Adam fell, and after. We know something
of the terribleness of striving with the devil, and as we advance in the Divine
life it becomes more terrible. What then must it have been for the spotless
Jesus to feel the full brunt of all the forces that hell could muster. Conclusion:
1. All these sufferings are the evidences of Christ's love to us.
2. They show us the awful demerit of sin.
(B. M. Palmer, D. D.)

The internal sufferings of Christ
J. Brown, D. D.
It became Christ to suffer (Hebrews 2:10). His sufferings were many varied
and severe, and His external sufferings, though of no common kind, were the
leastpart of them, as may be judged by the fact that they never extorted a
complaint, whereas His inward anguish wrung from Him "strong crying and
tears."
I. THE SAVIOUR'S INTERNALSUFFERINGS.Whenthe mind is free from
uneasiness it is said to be calm like the bosomof the lake when no breath of
wind ruffles its glassysurface. Whensorrow and terror takes possessionofit,
it is said to be agitated, like the oceanin a storm. The latter was the case with
Christ here, and John 13:21, and Matthew 26:36-46.
1. Its cause(1)not external circumstances.There was no scourge orcross here,
or at Gethsemane. Onthe contrary, there was much to please. The people had
just shouted their Hosannahs to His Messiahship;the Greeks hadfulfilled the
promise of Isaiah 49:6.(2)Not remorse. In no case couldHe wish that He had
thought, or felt, or acted differently from what He had done.(3)Not fear of
impending bodily sufferings (though no doubt they did give rise to uneasy
feelings), for He knew that these would be momentary and would be
abundantly compensated.(4)There is but one way of accounting for it. The
invisible arm of Omnipotence smites Him. On the head of the spotless, perfect
man, Jehovahmade to meet, as the victim for human transgression, the
iniquities of us all, in all their odiousness andmalignity. The more He loved
those in whose room He stood, the more would His trouble be increased, just
as we are affectedmore by the crimes of a friend than by those of a stranger.
And in addition He was exposedto the attack of malignant spiritual beings
whose was that hour and powerof darkness.
2. Its purpose.(1) To "make Him perfect," i.e., fully to accomplishHim as
Saviour. It formed one important part of His expiation. Mere bodily
sufferings could not expiate "spiritual wickedness."(2)To complete His

example. This had been incomplete had He not showedHis people how to
conduct themselves under inward troubles which often form the severestpart
of their trials.(3) To render Him sympathetic with His people under those
trials which most need His sympathy.
II. THE EXERCISE OF OUR LORD'S MIND UNDER THESE
SUFFERINGS.
1. "Whatshall I say?" has been regarded as a further expressionof suffering
— "My sorrows are too great to be uttered in words. Father, save me from my
impending sufferings." Christ's sorrows were indeed unspeakable, but He
could hardly have askedto be savedfrom death when He rebuked His
disciples for attempting to dissuade Him, and when He was straitenedtill the
baptism of blood was accomplished.
2. The words express the deliberating of our Lord's mind as to what course He
should follow — "to what quarter shall I turn for relief. Men are not disposed
to pity Me, and cannot relieve Me. I turn to God: what shall I sayto Him? He
can sustainand deliver Me. Shall I ask Him to release Me from My covenant
engagements?No:for this cause I came to this hour. I will not ask it. I will
say, Glorify Thy name; finish Thy work in righteousness. Letthe end be
gained: I quarrel not with the means."
3. What a display of —(1) Love to God in entire devotedness to His glory!(2)
Love to man in becoming obedient to death.
4. What a call for gratitude, love and devotion from us!
III. THE FATHER'S APPROBATION OF THE SAVIOUR'S EXERCISE OF
MIND UNDER THESE SUFFERINGS. "Ihave both glorified it," etc. The
whole universe glorifies God's name, the whole history of the past and future.
But this refers to the glorificationof God's name —
1. In Christ Jesus. His faithfulness in fulfilling His greatpromise to His
Church; His powerin bringing into personal union, the Divine and human
natures; His mercy in not withholding His only Son. God's glory was seenin
Christ's life, teaching, miracles.

2. In the awful events of that "hour."
3. In the glorious results of Christ's death (Psalm16:10, 11; Exodus 1:1;
Exodus 2:8; Isaiah53:12; Isaiah49:6; Isaiah 40:5). The Resurrectionand
Ascensionof Christ; the effusion of the Spirit; the salvationof an innumerable
company.The subject —
1. Tells the impenitent sinner what he must endure if he refuses to avail
himself of the "redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
2. Bids the Christian rejoice that the cup of wrath he deservedhas been drunk
by Christ.
3. Urges us often to show forth the Lord's death in His own ordinance.
(J. Brown, D. D.)
The soul trouble of Christ
DeanVaughan.
I. THE MYSTERYOF THE SAVIOUR'S SORROW. Itis usual to explain
that the human nature of Jesus shrank from death. But this view lowers Him
below the level of the martyrs, and is inconsistentwith the haste with which
He journeyed to Jerusalemto meet His death; and we cannotthink of Him as
losing courage.
II. SOME LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY. We are apt to take too corporeala
view of Christ's sacrifice. The bodily pain was an essentialpart of the
suffering, but only a part. It was something all His own in dying, from which
He shrank, and the shrinking from which He had to conquer. He saw the sin-
wrought woes and horrors of all the generations before and after, to the day of
judgment, and there was a sense oftheir being upon Him, and enveloping
Him. And so we may hear Him cry, "Spare Me not the scourging, the death
agony," etc., but the being made one with the world in its sin.
III. THE MEANING OF THE PRAYER. This experience had not been
altogethermeasuredbeforehand, and now the agonyof the incorporation of

the sinless with sin is before Him, He prays for deliverance from conscious
sin-bearing.
IV. THE ANSWER TO THE PRAYER. "There came a voice." Modern
unbelief scoffs atvoices from heaven. Reverence will not pass hasty
judgments. One said, "It thundered;" another, "an angelspoke to Him."
Christ alone hears the audible words, and interprets them when He is alone
with His people. "I have glorified it and will glorify it."
V. PRACTICAL LESSONS.
1. "My soul is troubled." Christ is not alone in that experience;but His
troubles were not His own; ours are our own.
2. "Save Me from this hour." Notthat He would not suffer for others;but that
this going fearfully into the very heart of sin seemedterrible. We may pray
this prayer; but let us take care to remember how different is our trouble; and
to add, "Glorify Thy name," whateverit may costus.
3. Can we pray, "Glorify Thy name?" WhateverI suffer for my own sin or for
my brother's, only may God be glorified; only may God be seenas He is in His
powerto save. Maythis thought take root and grow in us!
(DeanVaughan.)
The sorrow and resignationof Christ
T. Kidd.
I. THE HOUR WHICH THE SAVIOUR MET. He names it twice in a very
emphatic manner: and there is repeatednotice of the fact that "it had not yet
come." There have been many important hours, but none like this. It was the
hour —
1. Forwhich time was made.
2. To which all the dispensations referred — Adamic, Abrahamic, Mosaic.
3. Which all the prophets foretold (1 Peter1:11).

4. In which the grandestwork was accomplished, and the grandestvictory
achieved.
5. In which all intelligent creationwas concerned.
(1)Angels were not indifferent spectators,for they were confirmed in their
bliss.
(2)Devils, for they were deprived of their lastexpiring hope.
(3)Man, for a full atonementfor his sin was made.
II. THE AFFLICTION HE FELT. He hardly knew how to express Himself in
the prospect;what then must have been the agonyitself? No one had ever
such reasonto meet death with calmness. He had no guilt, was assuredof
immortality, and saw the blessedissue. Martyrs — mere men — have suffered
with magnanimity and joy. Yet He was troubled. Why? BecauseHe was the
surety for sinners and suffered for sin. Learn, then —
1. The extreme evil of sin.
2. The greatness ofthe love of Christ.
3. The indispensable necessityof faith in His atonement.
III. THE RESIGNATION HE EXEMPLIFIED. "Father, save Me," etc., is not
a petition, but an interrogation. Note that —
1. Christ's undertaking for sinners was voluntary. He "came to this hour,"
which teaches His inviolable faithfulness, and should encourage our trust.
2. He saw this hour in every period of His existence. It was not unexpected —
"Forthis cause."
3. The motives which had influenced Him to suffer were still the same;and as
the hour approachedthey gatheredweight.
4. It was but an hour. The conflict was severe but transient. Such
considerations contributed to work this resignation.

IV. THE PRAYER HE OFFERED."Father, glorifyThy name" is more than
resignation;it is a consecrationofHis sufferings to God's glory. How is the
Father glorified thus?
1. In His perfections. Already His wisdom, power, and mercy were displayed
in the Saviour's mission and miracles:but now He was to display His holiness
and justice.
2. As regards His dispensations.
(T. Kidd.)
The Redeemercontemplating His hour as come
J. Harris, D. D.
I. THE UNIQUE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LANGUAGE.
1. The nature of the hour — the time appointed for the vindication of the
Divine government outragedby man, and for the manifestationof Divine love.
The world had been spared for this hour.
2. The mysterious agitation with which it was approached. This was natural.
Who has not spent anxious days and sleepless nights over an unfinished work,
and who does not know the tension as the hour for its completionarrives.
3. The grand considerationwhich induced Christ to meet this hour — the fact
that all the past was summed up in it to the glory of God, and that the glory of
God would stream from it.
II. ITS APPLICATION TO US.
1. There is an hour in the life of every man, Christian, Church, for which
every previous hour is a designedpreparation.
2. Seasons ofspecialservice and sacrifice have actually occurredin the history
of the Church — Israelon the confines of the promised land; the
Reformation; the mission of Wesley;the greatmissionary movement.

3. Such times of effort should be expected, prayed for, ascertained.
4. The due apprehension of our hour would invest us with a consecrating
sense ofopportunity.
5. On our discharge of impending responsibilities may be suspended
consequencesofunknown magnitude.
6. Is not the urgency of the hour now greaterthan ever?
(J. Harris, D. D.)
The hour of atonement
J. Parsons.
The Redeemer—
I. CONTEMPLATEDAN IMPORTANT PERIOD.
1. As involving intense and infinite agony — betrayal, desertion, ignominy,
corporealtorture, agonyin the endurance of imputed sin.
2. As connectedwith and founding His exaltation (ver. 23).
(1)The glory of His personaldignity in His resurrection, ascension,
enthronement, and dominion.
(2)The glory of the universal efficacyof His atonement(vers. 24, 32; Isaiah
53:10-12).
II. WAS AFFECTED BYA POWERFULEMOTION.
1. He was perturbed with anxiety arising from the prospectof His sufferings,
which incidentally proves that His death was an atonement. How else shall we
explain this intense agitation?
2. He was resolute in determination. "Forthis cause come I to this hour."
3. He was fervent in prayer. "Father, glorify Thy name."

III. RECEIVED A REMARKABLE TESTIMONY.
1. Its mode — a voice from heaven.
2. Its announcement — an approval of the invocation.Conclusion:
1. Honour the hour of atonement by admitting its unparalleled importance.
2. Seek with supreme earnestnessa personalinterest in the redemption this
period has provided.
3. Promote the glory of the Father and the Son by the zealous diffusion of that
gospel which conveys it.
(J. Parsons.)
commentaries
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(27) Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say?—The wordrendered
“soul” is the same word as that rendered “life” in John 12:25. (Comp.
especiallyMatthew 16:25-26.)It is the seatof the natural feelings and
emotions, and, as the fatal hour approaches, our Lord is in that regionof His
human life troubled. There is a realshrinking from the darkness ofthe death
which is at hand. The conflict exists but for a moment, but in all its fearfulness
is real, and then the cup of the world’s woe is seized and drunk to its bitter
dregs. Men have sometimes wonderedthat St. John passes overthe agonyof
the gardenof Gethsemane, but the agonyof Gethsemane is here, and the very
words of Matthew 26:39 are echoed. Menhave wondered, too, that in the life
of the Son of man a struggle such as this could have had even a moment’s
place. Not a few, indeed, would at any costreadthe words otherwise. But they
cannot be read otherwise, eitheron the written page or in the hearts of men.

That troubled soul asked, “Whatshall I say?” Blessedreality! In that struggle
humanity struggled, and in that victory humanity won.
Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.—It
is uncertain whether the first words of this sentence are a prayer, or whether
they should be read as a question. In the latter case the meaning would be,
“What shall I say? Shall I say, Father save Me from this hour? But no: for
this cause came I unto this hour. I cannot shrink back or seek to be delivered
from it.” As a prayer the meaning would be—“Father, save Me from this
hour; but for this cause, that I may be savedfrom it, came I unto this hour.
The moment of agonyis the moment of victory.”
The real difficulty of the verse lies in the words “for this cause,” forwhich a
meaning must be soughtin the context. No interpretation of them is free from
objection, but that which seems to have, upon the whole most probability,
understands them as referring to the words which follow, and reads the
clause, “Father, glorifyThy name,” as part of this verse. The sense of the
whole passage wouldtherefore be, “Father, save Me from this hour; but Thy
will, not Mine, be done; for this cause came I unto this hour, that Thy name be
glorified; Father, glorify Thy name.” (Comp. Note on Luke 12:49-50.)
BensonCommentary
John 12:27. Now is my soul troubled — Our Lord, having uttered what is
above recorded, seems to have paused for a while, and entered on a deep
contemplation of the very different scene whichlay before him; the prospect
of which moved him to such a degree, that he uttered his grief in these and the
following doleful words. For he had various foretastesofhis passionbefore he
fully entered into it. And what shall I say? — Not, What shall I choose? forhis
heart was fixed in choosing the will of his Father:but, What shall I say in
prayer to my heavenly Father? What petition shall I offer to him on this
occasion? Father, save me from this hour — Dr. Campbell reads, What shall I
say? [shall I say,] Father, save me from this hour? But I came on purpose for
this hour; considering the words as containing two questions:the distress of
Christ’s soul first suggesting a petition for deliverance, in which, however, he

is instantly checkedby the reflection on the end and design of his coming. The
passageis understood by Dr. Doddridge in the same sense, who says, “I
suppose few need be told, that the pointing of the New Testamentis far less
ancient than the text. It is agreeable to observe, how many difficulties may be
removed by varying it, and departing from the common punctuation: of
which I take this to be one of the most remarkable instances. Foras the text
does not oblige us to it, it does not seemnatural to suppose that our Lord
actually offered this petition, and then immediately retractedit.” But for this
cause came I unto this hour — For this cause was I born into the world, and
came even to this present hour, that I might bear the sufferings on which I am
entering, and might redeem my people by them; and far be it from me to
draw back from such engagements andundertakings. By praying on this
occasion, ourLord shows us what is the best method of obtaining support and
comfort in deep distress. At the same time, as in his prayer he expressedan
entire resignationto the will of his Father, he has taught us, that although the
weakness ofhuman nature may shrink at the first thoughts of suffering, his
disciples ought not to yield, but to fortify themselves by just reflections on,
and a firm faith in, the wisdom, power, and goodnessofGod, and the happy
end he proposes to be answeredby their afflictions.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
12:27-33 The sin of our souls was the troubled of Christ's soul, when he
undertook to redeem and save us, and to make his soul an offering for our sin.
Christ was willing to suffer, yet prayed to be savedfrom suffering. Prayer
againsttrouble may well agree with patience under it, and submission to the
will of God in it. Our Lord Jesus undertook to satisfy God's injured honour,
and he did it by humbling himself. The voice of the Fatherfrom heaven,
which had declaredhim to be his beloved Son, at his baptism, and when he
was transfigured, was heard proclaiming that He had both glorified his name,
and would glorify it. Christ, reconciling the world to God by the merit of his
death, broke the powerof death, and castout Satanas a destroyer. Christ,
bringing the world to God by the doctrine of his cross, broke the powerof sin,
and castout Satan as a deceiver. The soul that was at a distance from Christ,
is brought to love him and trust him. Jesus was now going to heaven, and he
would draw men's hearts to him thither. There is power in the death of Christ

to draw souls to him. We have heard from the gospelthat which exalts free
grace, and we have heard also that which enjoins duty; we must from the
heart embrace both, and not separate them.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Now is my soul troubled - The mention of his death brought before him its
approaching horrors, its pains, its darkness, its unparalleled woes. Jesuswas
full of acute sensibility, and his human nature shrunk from the scenes through
which he was to pass. See Luke 23:41-44.
What shall I say? - This is an expressiondenoting intense anxiety and
perplexity. As if it were a subject of debate whether he could bear those
sufferings; or whether the work of man's redemption should be abandoned,
and he should callupon God to save him. Blessedbe his name that he was
willing to endure these sorrows, anddid not forsake man when he was so near
being redeemed! On the decisionof that moment - the fixed and unwavering
purpose of the Son of God depended man's salvation. If Jesus had forsaken
his purpose then, all would have been lost.
Father, save me - This ought undoubtedly to have been readas a question -
"Shall I say, Father, save me?" Shall I apply to God to rescue me? or shall I
go forward to bear these trials? As it is in our translation, it represents him as
actually offering the prayer, and then checking himself. The Greek will bear
either interpretation. The whole verse is full of deep feeling and anxiety.
Compare Matthew 26:38;Luke 12:50.
This hour - These calamities. The word"hour," here, doubtless has reference
to his approaching sufferings the appointed hour for him to suffer. Shall I ask
my Fatherto save me from this hour - that is, from these approaching
sufferings? That it might have been done, see Matthew 26:53.
But for this cause - That is, to suffer and die. As this was the design of his
coming as he did it deliberately - -as the salvationof the world depended on it,
he felt that it would not be proper to pray to be delivered from it. He came to
suffer, and he submitted to it. See Luke 23:42.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary

27, 28. Now is my soul troubled—He means at the prospect of His death, just
alluded to. Strange view of the Cross this, immediately after representing it as
the hour of His glory! (Joh 12:23). But the two views naturally meet, and
blend into one. It was the Greeks, one might say, that troubled Him. Ah! they
shall see Jesus, but to Him it shall be a costlysight.
and what shall I say?—He is in a strait betwixt two. The death of the cross
was, and could not but be, appalling to His spirit. But to shrink from absolute
subjection to the Father, was worse still. In asking Himself, "Whatshall I
say?" He seems as if thinking aloud, feeling His way betweentwo dread
alternatives, looking both of them sternly in the face, measuring, weighing
them, in order that the choice actuallymade might be seen, and even by
himself the more vividly felt, to be a profound, deliberate, spontaneous
election.
Father, save me from this hour—To take this as a question—"ShallI say,
Father, save me," &c.—as some eminenteditors and interpreters do, is
unnatural and jejune. It is a real petition, like that in Gethsemane, "Letthis
cup pass from Me";only whereas there He prefaces the prayer with an "If it
be possible," here He follows it up with what is tantamount to that—
"Neverthelessforthis cause came I unto this hour." The sentiment conveyed,
then, by the prayer, in both cases,is twofold: (1) that only one thing could
reconcile Him to the death of the cross—its being His Father's will He should
endure it—and (2) that in this view of it He yielded Himself freely to it. What
He recoils from is not subjectionto His Father's will: but to show how
tremendous a self-sacrifice thatobedience involved, He first asks the Father to
save Him from it, and then signifies how perfectly He knows that He is there
for the very purpose of enduring it. Only by letting these mysterious words
speak their full meaning do they become intelligible and consistent. As for
those who see no bitter elements in the death of Christ—nothing beyond mere
dying—what can they make of such a scene? and when they place it over
againstthe feelings with which thousands of His adoring followers have
welcomeddeath for His sake, how canthey hold Him up to the admiration of
men?
Matthew Poole's Commentary

Now is my soul troubled; by soul is not here to be understood only the
sensitive part of the soul, but his whole human soul. So John 13:21, He was
troubled in spirit. Our inward troubles arise from our passions;and there are
passions ofgrief and fear, which give us most of our inward trouble; fear
respectethsome evil at a distance from us; grief is causedby evil fallen upon
us, or so near that we seemto be already in the power of it. The word here
used is tetaraktai, which signifieth no mean, but a greatand more than
ordinary, degree of trouble. Christ was greatlytroubled, though not so as we
sometimes are, when our trouble leadethus to despair: Christ was capable of
no sinful trouble. Hence two questions arise:
1. Forwhat the soul of Christ was troubled?
2. How such a degree oftrouble could agree to the Lord Jesus Christ?
He tells us, Matthew 26:38, that he was exceedinglysorrowful, so as sorrow
was one part of his trouble; and we may learn from what he afterwardsaith in
this verse, Father, save me from this hour, that fearmade up the other part of
it. He was grieved, and he was afraid; some say it was at the apprehension of
that miserable death he was to die; others say, at the sense of the Divine wrath
which he was to undergo, death being not yet overcome, and his conflictwith
his Father’s wrath for the sins of men being yet to be endured. Though Christ
at this time was in the most perfectobedience to his Father’s will, offering up
a most acceptable and wellpleasing sacrifice unto God; yet he, sustaining our
persons, had a conflict to endure even with his Father’s wrath upon that
account, though not upon his ownpersonal account;for so he was at this time
doing that which was mostacceptable and well pleasing in his sight. As to the
secondquestion, nothing could more agree to Christ than this, both with
respectto his human nature, which had the same natural (though not sinful)
infirmities which other men have; and with respectto his designand end, to
help and relieve his people under their troubles of spirit; and, as the apostle

saith, Hebrews 2:15, to deliver them who through fear of death are all their
lifetime subject to bondage. So as this trouble of spirit agreedto him both as
man and as Mediator. But there must be a vast difference observedbetween
this trouble of spirit in Christ, and that which is in us. Our troubles are upon
reflections for our own sin, and the wrath of God due to us therefore; his
trouble was for the wrath of God due to us for our sins. Our troubles are
because we have personally grieved God; his was because those given to him
(not he himself) had offended God. We are afraid of our eternal
condemnation; he was only afraid by a natural fearof death, which naturally
riseth higher according to the kind of death we die. Our troubles have
mixtures of despair, distrust, sinful horrors; there was no such thing in his
trouble. Our troubles in their natural tendencies are killing and destroying;
only by accident, and the wise ordering of Divine providence, prove
advantageous, by leading us to him, as the only remedy for troubled souls:his
trouble was, in the very nature of it, not only pure and clean, but also sanative
and healing. But that he was truly troubled, and that in his whole soul, and
that such a trouble did very well agree, as to the human nature he had
assumed, so to his office as our Mediatorand Saviour, and the foundation of a
greatdeal of peace, quiet, and satisfactionto us, is out of question. The
chastisementof our peace in this particular lay upon him; and they were some
of those stripes of his, by which we are healed.
And (saith he) what shall I say? It is the natural language of a spirit troubled.
Father, save me from this hour; this hour of my passion;it is the same with
that in our Saviour’s last prayer, Let this cup pass from me; and must be
understood with the same qualifications there expressed, if it be thy will, if it
be possible, &c. By his blessedexample he hath taught us, under the distresses
of our spirits, whither to flee, what to do.

For my love (saith David to his enemies, Psalm109:4)they are mine
adversaries:but I give myself unto prayer; I give up myself to prayer. God
hath bidden us, Psalm50:15, call upon him in the day of trouble; and St.
James saith, Jam 5:3, Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Herein
Christ hath himself set us an example, that we should follow his steps. But
how doth our Saviour pray to be savedfrom that hour, when for this cause he
came into the world? Here was in Christ a conflict betweenthe flesh and the
Spirit; not like ours, which is betweencorrupt flesh and the Spirit, but
betweenhis natural flesh, and the natural affections of it, and his spirit; that
was fully conformed to the will of God, and gets a present conquest.
But for this cause (saith he) came I to this hour: he checks himself, correcteth
the language ofhis natural flesh, acquiesceth, rejoicethin the will of God. I
was not (saith he) forced, I came of my own goodwill to this hour; and I came
on purpose to die for my people.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Now is my soul troubled,.... At the hardness and unbelief of the Jews, andthe
rejectionof them, when the Gentiles would be called, and converted, by which
he would be glorified: and at the conduct and carriage ofhis disciples to him,
he had a foreknowledgeof;at the betraying of him by one, and the denial of
him by another, and the flight of them all from him; and at the devil, and the
furious and violent attack he knew he would make upon him, though he had
obliged him to leave him, when he assaultedhim before, and knew he could
find nothing in him now, and that as God, he was able to destroy him; but this
was to be done by him, as man, and by lying too: he was in his human soul
troubled at the thoughts of his death, though it was his Father's will, and he
had agreedto it, and was for the salvationof his people, his heart was so much
setupon; yet it was terrible to the human nature, and especiallyas attended
with the wrath of God; at the apprehensions of which, his soul was
exceedinglytroubled; not as about to fall on him on his ownpersonal account,
but as being the surety of his people, and as having their sins upon him to
satisfy angry and injured justice for:

and what shall I say? this question he puts, as being in the utmost distress, and
difficulty, as if he knew not what to say; and yet not as advising with his
disciples, what was to be said or done in his case;but is rather used to
introduce another question, as the following words may be formed: shall I say,
father, save me from this hour? as requesting his Father, that he might be
strengthenedunder his sufferings and death, and carried through them, and
out of them; or rather as deprecating them, desiring the cup might pass from
him, as he afterwards did; and then the sense is, shall I put up such a petition
to my Father, to save me from sorrows, sufferings, anddeath? no, I will not:
the human nature through frailty might prompt him to it, and he be just going
to do it, when he corrects himself, saying;
but for this cause came I unto this hour: this hour or time of sorrow and
suffering was appointed for him; it was fixed in the covenantof grace, and
Christ had agreedto it; he was sentinto this world, and he came into it, on
accountof this hour; and was preservedhitherto for this purpose; and was
now come to Jerusalem, and was there at this instant, for that very reason,
namely, to suffer and die. And since this was the case, he would not put up
such a petition to his Father, but the following one.
Geneva Study Bible
{6} Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this
{c} hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
(6) While Christ went about to suffer all the punishment which is due to our
sins, and while his divinity did not yet show his might and power so that the
satisfactionmight be fully accomplished, he is strickenwith the greatfear of
the curse of God, and so he cries and prays, and desires to be released:yet
nonetheless he prefers the will and glory of his Father before all things, and
his Fatherallows this obedience even from heaven.
(c) That is, of death which is now at hand.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary

John 12:27-28. The realizationof His sufferings and death, with which His
discourse from John 12:23 was filled, shakes Him suddenly with apprehension
and momentary wavering, springing from the human sensibility, which
naturally seeks to resistthe heaviestsuffering, which He must yet undergo. To
define this speciallyas the feeling of the divine anger(Beza, Calvin, Calovius,
Hengstenberg, and many others), which He has certainly appeasedby His
death, rests on the supposition, which is nowhere justified, that, according to
the objectof the death (John 1:29, John 3:14, John 10:11-12;Matthew 20:28;
Romans 8:3; Romans 3:25; 2 Corinthians 5:21, et al.), its severity also is
measuredin the consciousness. Bengelwellsays:“concurrebathorror mortis
et ardor obedientiae.” The Lord is thus moved to pray; but He is for the
moment uncertain for what (τί εἴπω), ἀπορούμετος ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγωνίας, Euth.
Zigabenus. First, a momentary fear of the sufferings of death (comp. on Luke
12:50)obtains the upper hand, in virtue of that human weakness, in which
even He, the Sonof God, because He had become man, had His share
(Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 5:7-8), and He prays: Father, save me from this
hour, spare me this death-suffering which is awaiting me, quite as in Matthew
26:39, so that He thus not merely “cries for support through it, and for a
shortening of it” (Ebrard). But immediately this wish, resulting from natural
dread of suffering and death,[109]yields to the victorious consciousness ofHis
greatdestiny; He gives expressionto the latter (ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦΤΟ, Κ.Τ.Λ.), and
now prays: Father, glorify Thy name; i.e., through the suffering of death
appointed to me, let the glory of Thy name (of Thy being in its self-
presentation, comp. on Matthew 6:9) be manifested. The fulfilment of this
prayer was brought about in this way, that by means of the death of Jesus
(and of His consequentδόξα)the divine decree of salvationwas fulfilled, then
everywhere made known through the gospel, in virtue of the Holy Spirit (John
14:16 ff.), and obedience to the faith establishedto the honour of the Father,
which is the last aim of the work of Christ, Php 2:11.
Ἡ ΨΥΧΉ ΜΟΥ] not as a designationof individual grief (Olshausen), but as
the seatof the affections generally. He might also have said τὸ πνεῦμά μου
(comp. John 11:33; John 11:38), but would then have meant the deeper basis

of life, to which the impressions of the ΨΥΧΉ, which is united with the ΣΆΡΞ,
are conveyed. Comp. on Luke 1:46-47.
ΠΆΤΕΡ, ΣῶΣΌΝ ΜΕ, Κ.Τ.Λ.]The hour of suffering is regardedas present,
as though He were alreadyat that hour. To take the words interrogatively:
shall I say: save me? etc. (so Chrysostom, Theophylact, Jansen, Grotius,
Lampe, and many others, including Lachmann, Tholuck, Kling, Schweizer,
Maier, Lange, Ewald, Godet) yields the result of an actualprayer interwoven
into a reflective monologue, and is therefore less suitable to a frame of mind so
deeply moved.
ἀλλά] objecting, like our but no! See Hartung, Partikell. I. p. 36; Baeumlein,
Partik. p. 13 f.
διὰ τοῦτο]Wherefore, is containedin the following prayer, πάτερ, δόξασον,
κ.τ.λ. Consequently: therefore, in order that through my suffering of death
Thy name may be glorified. The completion: in order that the world might be
redeemed(Olshausenand older commentators), is not supplied by the
context; to undergo this suffering (Grotius, De Wette, Luthardt, Lange,
Ebrard, Godet; comp. Hengstenberg:“in order that my soul may be shaken”)
is tautological;and Lampe: to be saved, is inappropriate. The τοῦτο is here
preparative; let only διὰ τοῦτο … ταύτηνbe enclosedwithin dashes, and the
sense is made clearlyto appear: but no—therefore I came to this hour
Father, glorify, etc. Jesus might have said: ἀλλὰ, πάτερ, δόξασον σου τὸ
ὄνομα, διὰ τοῦτο γὰρἦλθον ἐ. τ. ὡ. τ. But the language, deeply emotional,
throbs more unconnectedly, and as it were by starts.
The repetition of πάτερ corresponds to the thrill of filial affection.

ΣΟΥ stands emphatically, in the first place, in antithesis to the reference
which the previous prayer of Jesus containedto Himself. On the subject-
matter, comp. Matthew 26:39.
ΟὖΝ] corresponding to this petition.
ΦΩΝῊ ἘΚ Τ. ΟὐΡ.] The voice which came from heaven: I have glorified it
(in Thy mission and Thy whole previous work), and shall again(through
Thine impending departure by means of death to the δόξα) glorify it,[110]is
not to be regardedas actual, natural thunder (according to the O. T. view
conceivedof as the voice of the Lord, as in Psalms 29, Job37:4, and
frequently), in which only the subjective disposition, the so-attuned inner ear
of Jesus (and of the disciples), distinguished the words καὶ ἐδόξασα, κ.τ.λ.;
while others, less susceptible to this divine symbolism of nature, believed only
in a generalway, that in the thunder an angelhad spokenwith Jesus;while
others again, unsusceptible, understood the natural occurrence simply and
solelyas such, and took it for nothing further than what it objectively was. So
substantially, not merely Paulus, Kuinoel, Lücke, Ammon, De Wette, Maier,
Baeumlein, and severalothers, but also Hengstenberg.[111]Severalhave here
had recourse to the later Jewishview of Bath-Kol (by which, however, only
real literal voices, not natural phenomena, without speech, were understood;
see Lübkert in the Stud. u. Krit. 1835, 3), as well as to the Gentile
interpretations of thunder as the voice of the gods (see Wetstein). Against this
entire view, it is decisive that John himself, the ear-witness, describesa φωνὴ
ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, which was an objective occurrence;that he further repeats its
express words;that, further, to take the first half of these words referring to
the past, as the product of a merely subjective perception, is without any
support in the prayer of Jesus;that, further, Jesus Himself, John 12:30, gives
His confirmation to the occurrence ofan actual voice;that, finally, the
ἌΛΛΟΙalso, John 12:29, must have heard a speech. Hence we must abide by
the interpretation that a voice actually issued from heaven, which John

relates, and Jesus confirms as an objective occurrence. It is a voice which
came miraculously from God (as was the case, according to the Synoptics, at
the baptism and the transfiguration), yet as regards its intelligibility
conditioned by the subjective dispositionand receptivity of the hearers (so
also Tholuck, Olshausen, Kling, Luthardt, Hofmann, Schriftbew. I. p. 391 f.,
Lange, Ebrard, Godetfollowing the old commentators), which sounded with a
tone as of thunder, so that the definite words which resounded in this form of
sound remained unintelligible to the unsusceptible, who simply heard that
majestic kind of sound, but not its contents, and said: βροντὴνγεγονέναι;
whereas, onthe other hand, others, more susceptible, certainly understood
this much, that the thunder-like voice was a speech, but not what it said, and
thought an angel (comp. Acts 23:9) had spokenin this thunder-voice to Jesus.
This opinion of theirs, however, does not justify us in regarding the divine
word which was spokenas also actuallycommunicated by angelic ministry
(Hofmann), since, in fact, the utterance of the ἄλλοι is not adduced as at all
the true account, and since, moreover, the heavenly voice, according to the
text, appears simply and solelyas the answerof the Father.
[109]Which in itself is not only not immoral, but the absence ofwhich would
even lowerthe moral greatness andthe worth of His sacrifice. Comp. Dorner,
Jesusündlose Vollkommenh. p. 6.
[110]The reference ofἐδόξασα to the O. T. revelation, which is now declared
to be closed(Lange, L. J. II. p. 1208), is without any foundation in the context.
[111]See, in answerto him, some appropriate observations in Engelhardt, in
the Luth. ZeitsChr. 1865, p. 209 ff. He, however, refers the δοξάσω to the fact
that the Son, even in His sufferings, will allow the will of God entirely to
prevail with Him. The glorifying of God, however, by means of the death of
Jesus, whichwas certainly the culminating point of His obedience to the
Father, reaches further, namely (see especiallyJohn 17:1-2)to God’s honour

through the Lord’s attainment of exaltation throughout the whole world by
means of His death. As ἐδόξασα refers to His munus propheticum, so δοξάσω
to the fact that He attains to the munus regium through the fulfilment of the
munus sacerdotale.
Expositor's Greek Testament
John 12:27. The distinct and near prospect of the cross as the path to glory
which these Greeks calledup in His thoughts prompts Him to exclaim: Νῦν ἡ
ψυχή μου τετάρακται, “Now is my soul troubled”. ψυχή is, as Weiss remarks,
synonymous with πνεῦμα, see John13:21. A conflictof emotions disturbs His
serenity. “Concurrebathorror mortis et ardor obedientiae.” Bengel. καὶ τί
εἴπω; “And what shall I say?” This clause certainly suggeststhat the next
should also be interrogative, “ShallI say, Father, save me from this hour? But
for this cause (or, with this object) came I to this hour.” That is, if He should
now pray to be delivered from death this would be to stultify all He had up to
this time been doing; for without His death His life would be fruitless. He
would still be a seedpreservedand not sown.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
27. This is a verse of well-known difficulty, and the meaning cannot be
determined with certainty, severalmeanings being admissible. The doubtful
points are (1) the position of the interrogation, whether it should come after ‘I
say’ or ‘from this hour;’ (2) the meaning of ‘for this cause.’
Now is my soul troubled] The word rendered ‘soul’ is the same as that
rendered ‘life’ in ‘loveth his life’ and ‘hateth his life.’ To bring out this and
the sequence ofthought, ‘life’ would perhaps be better here. ‘He that would
serve Me must follow Me and be ready to hate his life; for My life has long
since been tossedand torn with emotion and sorrow.’‘Is troubled’ = has been
and still is troubled; a frequent meaning of the Greek perfect.

what shall I say?]Or, what must I say? This appears to be the best
punctuation; and the question expresses the difficulty of framing a prayer
under the conflicting influences of fear of death and willingness to glorify His
Father by dying. The result is first a prayer under the influence of fear—‘save
Me from this hour’ (comp. ‘Let this cup pass from Me,’ Matthew 26:39), and
then a prayer under the influence of ready obedience—‘GlorifyThy Name’
through My sufferings. But the Greek means ‘save me out of’ (sôsonek), i.e.
‘bring Me safe out of;’ rather than ‘save Me from’ (sôsonapo), i.e. ‘keepMe
altogetherawayfrom,’ as in ‘deliver us from the evil’ (Matthew 6:13). S. John
omits the Agony in the garden, which was in the Synoptists and was well
known to every Christian; but he gives us here an insight into a less known
truth, which is still often forgotten, that the agonywas not confined to
Gethsemane, but was part of Christ’s whole life. Others place the question at
‘from this hour,’ and the drift of the whole will then be, ‘How can I say,
Father save Me from this hour? Nay, I came to suffer; therefore My prayer
shall be, Father, glorify Thy Name.’
for this cause]These words are takenin two opposite senses;(1) that I might
be saved out of this hour; (2) that Thy Name might be glorified by My
obedience. Bothmake good sense. If the latter be adopted it would be better to
transpose the stops, placing a full stop after ‘from this hour’ and a colonafter
‘unto this hour.’
Bengel's Gnomen
John 12:27. Νῦν, now) Jesus had various foretastes ofHis passion, by which
lie prepared Himself for it. This now, νῦν, has greatweight: a secondnow
occurs, John12:31, “Now is the judgment of this world.” [So also ch. John
13:31, “Now is the Son of man glorified.” In both instances there follows after
the ‘now,’ etc., a declarationof the shortness of the time yet left to Him: in this
passage, atJohn 12:35, “Yet a little while is the light with you:” in the other
passage(ch. John 13:31), at John 12:33, “Yet a little while I am with you.”—
V. g.]—τετάρακται, is troubled) A becoming declaration. The horror of death,
and the ardour of His obedience, were meeting together.[320]—καὶ τί εἴπω,

and what shall I say) Jesus immediately sustains [buoys up] His soul in that
very νῦν, now. A double-membered speechfollows this formula; and the
formula itself has this force, that His thought is to be regarded as having
conceivedthe whole idea expressed[sentiment, viz., not only nature’s
instinctive shrinking from suffering, but also full approval of God’s will] in
one moment, although human language could not comprise the full expression
of the whole in one moment; hence, as it were for the sake ofπροθεραπεία
[precaution, lestHis following words should be misunderstood, as though He
were doubting, should He choose suffering], He saith, what SHALL I Say?
not, what shall I choose? withwhich comp. [the rather different experience of
Paul] Php 1:22, “WhatI shall choose I wotnot: for I am in a strait betwixt
two, having a desire to depart.”—σῶσόνμε, save Me) The expression, Let this
cup pass [Matthew 26:39], is akin to the expressionhere.—ἐκ τῆς ὥρας
ταὺτης)from this hour of suffering. Forthe soul of Jesus was vividly realizing
to itself this [hour of suffering], John 12:23.—ἀλλά, but however)Akin to this
is tint expression, πλήν, “nevertheless,not as I will, but as Thou wilt”
[Matthew 26:39].—διὰ τοῦτο,for this cause)Therefore came I to this hour,
that I might come to this hour, and drain its cup of suffering to the dregs. An
elliptical Ploce. [See Appendix. This figure is, when the same expressionis put
twice, once in the simple sense of the word itself, and once to express an
attribute of it.]
[320]Truly both the glory and humiliation of Jesus Christ, the Son of GOD,
exceedall comprehension. Thence resultedthe marvellous attempering
[temperamentum; mixture in due proportions] of the sacredaffections of
mind in the same Divine Being, of His thoughts, words, and whole course of
action, in relation to the Father, to His disciples, and to all other men; whilst
at one time the one state [that of His humiliation], at another time the other
state [that of His Divine glory], claimedto itself the prominent place:with
howeverthis proviso, that in both cases the Becoming, that is, what was
worthy of His ownDivine Majesty, and condescensionto His wretched
brethren, in an altogetherincomparable manner harmonise with one another,
and agree together. To express these with propriety, not either the wisdomor
skill of man would have sufficed: but the altogetherexquisite success ofthe

Evangelists, in this respect, plainly betrays the fact that they used a style
divinely taught them.—Harm., p. 451.
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 27-30. -
(2) The anticipation of Gethsemane. Verse 27. - Now, at this moment, has been
and yet is my soul troubled ("concurrebathorror morris et ardor
obedientisa," Bengel). In John 11:33 we hear that he troubled himself, and
shuddered wrathfully in his "spirit" (πνεύμετι) at the contemplation of all the
evils and curse of death; now his whole ψυχή, i.e. his life centeredin its
corporealenvironment as a man, the self which the Son of God had takenup
into the Divine essence, wasin depth of agony, preluding the strong crying
and tears to which Hebrews 5:7 refers. These perturbations of his soul and
spirit can only be accountedfor by the uniqueness of his Personality, the
capacityfor suffering, and the extent to which he was identifying himself with
the sinful nature with which he had invested himself. Sin is the sting of death.
He had by the nature of his incarnation become sin for us. Martyrs, freed
from sin, delivered from its curse and shame and power through him, face it
with calmness and hope; but there was infinite space in his breastfor all the
curse of it to rain its horrible tempest. He felt that the hour of his extremest
travail had come upon him. And what shall I (must I) say? What is the regal
passionof my heart? What is the right revelation for me to make to you?
What is the prayer for me to offer to the Father? It remains a greatquestion
whether the next utterance is the primary answerof the question itself, or
whether it continues the interrogation - whether, i.e., the Lord lifts up for a
moment the cry of heart-rending grief, Father, save me from this hour! or
whether he said, Shall I say, Father, save me from this hour? The first view
supposes in the first place actual uncertainty and awful bewilderment, and
then a most intense cry (Hebrews 5:7) to him who was able to save him from
death. Save me either from the death itself, or from the fear and horror which
accompanies it(Lucke, Meyer, Hengstenberg, and Moulton). It need not be a
prayer to leave the world unsaved, to sacrifice allthe work on which he had

come. We are told by the apostle (Hebrews 5:7) that he was "heard" (ἀπὸ τῆς
εὐλαβείας)and delivered from human weakness whichmight have rebelled in
the intolerable darkness of that hour. Father, save me from this hour; the
equivalent to the prayer, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me," with its
grand "nevertheless,"etc. If this be its meaning, we have a scene nearly, if not
closely, identifiable with the agonyof the garden. The correctionwhich
immediately follows augments the comparisonwith the scene in Gethsemane
recordedby the synoptists. The R.T. and RevisedVersion have put their note
of interrogation after ταύτης into the margin, and not into the text. Ewald,
Lange, Kling, Tholuck, Lachmann, acceptthis punctuation, and Godet
regards it as an hypothetical prayer, although he does not place the
interrogationafter ταύτης. The self-interrogationofthe previous utterance at
leastreveals the presence of such a desire, but one which vanishes as the
mysterious hour engulfs and wraps him round. If this be the true
interpretation, then the clause that follows must be, Nay this I cannot say, for
on accountof this very conflict - for this cause - only to fight this greatbattle -
I came steadily forward to this hour. I cannotpray to escape from it. If,
however, we have the expressionof an actual though momentary prayer, and
if we give it the meaning, "bring me safelythrough and out of this hour," it
corresponds with the Divine trust in the Father's love which, in the extremity
of the anguish and desertion, he yet reveals, and the ἀλλά becomes equivalent
to "Pray, this I need not say;the end is known" (Westcott). I know that I shall
be delivered, for this cause, viz. that I should encounter and pass through the
hour I came into the world, and have reachedthe final crisis. This is, to my
mind, more satisfactory;the interrogative prayer gives a sentimental
characterto the utterance out of harmony with the theme. Godet thinks that
the factthat, according to the synoptists, our Lord in the garden did actually
offer the prayer which he here hesitates to present, is evidence of the historic
characterof both accounts. Idiffer from him, because the sublime answerto
the prayer here given would seemto preclude the necessityofthe final
conflict. The circumstance that he did offer the prayer as interpreted above, a
prayer which was veritably heard, is in harmony with the narrative of the
agony.
Vincent's Word Studies

My soul
See reff. on John 12:25. The soul, ψυχή, is the seatof the human affections;
the spirit (πνεῦμα) of the religious affections.
Is troubled (τετάρακται)
The perfecttense; has been disturbed and remains troubled. The same verb as
in John 11:33. Notice that there it is said. He groanedin the spirit (τῷ
πνεύματι). His inward agitationdid not arise from personalsorrow or
sympathy, but from some shock to His moral and spiritual sense.
What shall Isay?
A natural expressionout of the depths of our Lord's humanity. How shall I
express my emotion? Some commentators connectthis with the following
clause, shallI say, Father, save me, etc. But this does not agree with the
context, and represents a hesitationin the mind of Jesus whichfound no place
there.
Save me
The shrinking from suffering belongs to the human personality of our Lord
(compare Matthew 26:39);but the prayer, save me from this hour, is not for
deliverance from suffering, but for victory in the approaching trial. See
Hebrews 5:7. The expressionis very vivid. "Save me out of this hour."
For this cause
Explained by glorify thy name. For this use, namely, that the Father's name
might be glorified.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES

BRIAN BELL
John 12:27-50 7-19-09 “The Cross,the Divine Magnet!”
I. INTRO:A. Jesus respondedas though the Greeks weren’teven present.
Jesus is preoccupied with one thing, His death. From vs 23 to vs.50 as His last
public teaching, Jesus concentrateson4 Major Themes:1. The Cross is
Imminent (only 4 days away;vs.23-28);The Pain is Great(vs.27); The Needis
Urgent (35,36);The Response willbe varied (37; 42,43)2. The Cross, was His
final word/His final answer!
II. THE CROSS, THE DIVINE MAGNET!A. LIFTED UP! (27-36)B. (27,28)
My soulis troubled - everything which really counts really costs!1. This went
beyond the physical & emotionalagony that awaitedHim. 2. This was the
result of bearing the weight of the sin of the whole world, as a sinless being. 3.
Yet, while He contemplated praying to God for deliverance, He remained on
the course towardwhat God had willed for Him.
C. He was savednot from the hour, but out of the hour. D. Father, glorify
Your Name - Oh that we would setthe promotion of God’s glory above any
thought of ourselves![May this be the master-principle of our lives!] 1. Bring
glory to YOUR Name Lord!
E. (31) When Jesus is lifted up, Satanis castdown. 1. When heaven bleeds on
the cross, hellis defeatedby its own schemes.
F. (32) In vs.24 we saw the Necessityof the cross;In vs.27 we see the Anguish
of the cross;In vs.28 the MasterPrinciple of the cross;here in vs.32 we see the
Triumph of the cross G. The cross is the divine magnet! And our attitude
toward it shows whatwe are… either steelshavings drawn to it, or ashes that
feel no magnetic draw.
H. If I am lifted up - obviously speaking of His crucifixion (vs.33)1. Yet here,
Calvary is Transformed! - He looks beyond the revolting externals to the
inner glory & ultimate triumph of it.
1

2. His crucifixion became His coronation!3. As Paul said, the Son of God, who
loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal.2:20 4. Yes, Calvary is Transfigured! -
Redeeming grace transforms the Cross into a Throne!
I. The Cross...the mosteloquent word in all the vocabulary of God!1 1. The
tragic, yet magnetic Cross![which draws all peoples to Him!] 2. “Thatwhich
showedhow much He was hated, is that for which He is now most loved!” :) J.
God, the ultimate target of sin! 1. Whatever sin you commit, in its final
meaning it is a wound inflicted upon God. a) Sin is not just a breaking of His
law, but a wounding of His heart!!!!!! b) And that is why He was there at
Calvary, as that broken-heartedsufferer. c) Jesus took our place! (1) {Loves
transfigures Calvary; then Calvary transfigures everything else}
K. Can you see your ultimate triumph beyond your present tragedy? 1.
Illustration: A young Christian student offered his life for overseas missionary
service & labors hard at study to become a qualified doctor, is suddenly
afflicted with an illness the very year he qualifies, & is informed that he can
never go out as a missionary. Is God mocking him? These life enigmas make
our baffled minds & our frustrated longings scream, WHY?2 a) William
Cowper(famous Hymn writer), who had a strange enigma in his own life
wrote, Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence, God hides a smiling face.” 2. That young
medical graduate, who could not go out as a missionary learnedto find his
ultimate triumph beyond his present tragedy. Forhe was used to influence &
train hundreds for the overseasfields;& today there is a large missionary
memorial hospital erectedin his veneratedmemory. a) Puzzled, frustrated,
disappointed Christian? there is a golden lining to the cloud & a hidden good
purpose in that which seems cruel. b) See your ultimate triumph beyond your
present tragedy?
L. (35,36)Walk in the light; believe in the light; & you will become
sons/children of light! 1. It’s real simple...AcceptHim, before it is too late.
2
1 J.Sidlow Baxter;Awake My Heart; pg.297. 2 Ibid pg; 94

M. BLIND EYES & HARD HEARTS! (37-41)N. In His words & works, Jesus
showedIsraelthe light, but they chose to walk in darkness. 1. Jesus tells the
Jewishcrowdtheir unbelief was predicted centuries before by Isaiah.
O. (38,40)BothIsaiah quotes speak of Christ (Messiah)P. Quick Infomercial
on Isaiah: 1. Isaiahis quoted far more in the NT, than any other prophet. 2.
He is mentioned 21 x’s by name. 3. Ch.53 is quoted, or alluded to, at least85
x’s in the NT! Q. Isaiahknown as the Mini-Bible! - 66 chapters/66 books. 1.
The 1st39 chapters are like the OT’s 39 books. 2. The next 27 chapters are
like the NT. a) Ch.1-39 = a messageofJudgment (on immorality & Idolatry)
regarding: Judah; surrounding nations; & whole earth. b) Ch.40-66 = A
messageofHope (Messiahis coming as Savior& Sovereign)To bear a cross,
& to wear a crown)R. Isaiah= “Yahwehis Salvation” (excellentsummary of
the book!) 1. Deutero-Isaiah, or2nd Isaiahtheory (Deuteronomy=2nd Law;
early & later Isaiah) is destroyed here, with Jesus quoting from both “sides”
of Isaiah. a) John said it & he’s a pretty goodbible teacher& contributed a
few books to the NT b) Jesus quoted from Isaiah8 x’s from the early section
& 8 x’s from the later section& eachtime Jesus uses Isaiah’s name.
S. (39) They could not believe - not because their freedom of choice had been
removed from them, but because theyhad purposely rejectedGod & chosen
evil. 1. Thus God turned them over to their own choices.
T. (40) Blinded - What is the only reasonyou cannow see? Becausethe veil
has been lifted! 1. 2 Cor4:3 even if our gospelis veiled, it is veiled to those who
are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that
they cannot see the light of the gospelof the glory of Christ, who is the image
of God.
U. (40) This verse is found 7 x’s in the bible, & eachtime it speaksof
judgment. 1. It is a repeatedwarning that reminds the unsaved not to take
their spiritual opportunities lightly. While you have the light, believe in the
light (36).
3

a) This doesn’t mean much to us who can “make light” (electricityin every
home, streetlights everywhere, flashlights, back up lights, candles, cellphone
lights, etc) b) Back whenwe 1stjoined Harold & Natalie in Haiti (before
generators, before solarpower)we had to rely upon “Hinche Electric” (which
was a giant Generatorin town, that they would run, if & when they had
diesel, & if & when they decidedto run it) (1) We understood, A little while
longerthe light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness
overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
While you have the light, believe in the light, 2. Seek the Lord while He may
be found.
V. Hardened - formation of a callous. W. Habits are formed by the result of
our choices.1. Our day by day choices gradually turn into habits. 2. Example:
Trail through a forest! - A pioneer canbarely see the trail; but when followed
by another, then another, years later it becomes a highway. 3. This works for
both good& bad habits.
X. They did not believe(37)[though they had seenthe evidence for His divine
Sonship] They could not believe(39)[because their hearts had become hard &
their eyes blind] They should not believe(39)[because the had spurned His
grace!]
Y. PRAISE OF MEN, PRAISE OF GOD! (42-50)Z. (42) Remember how
severe this was, putting out of the synagogue meant, separationfrom public
worship & from socialinteractions.
AA.(43) They loved the praise of men - & so do I, & so do you. 1. But, I don’t
want to offend anyone! I don’t want to be a freak!I don’t want to be
embarrassed!I don’t want to be hated! 2. I love the praise of men; I love what
people think of me; I love my glory; I love my reputation; I love myself...more
than God. 3. Jesus receivedpraise from the Fatheraudibly(28), we most likely
won’t. a) Well, we will later “welldone my good& faithful servant”. (1) Can
we wait, or do we need it now? b) Do you want to hear that from our Father
who art in heavenor men on the street?

4
BB.(45)Sees -i.e. Careful observationleading to spiritual insight.
CC.(48)Papertrail - I’m pretty forgetful. What has saved me a number of
times is keeping emails conversations (i.e. a paper trail). 1. What are the
significance ofJesus words? Theywill be the sole criterion at the day of
judgment. Every one of His sentences,eachofHis words, were purely &
simply the reflection of the Fathers mind!
DD.(44-50)The seriousnessofrejecting Jesus is the subject here. 1. Why is it
so serious to rejectJesus? To rejectJesus is to reject the Father. 2. To accept
Jesus is to acceptthe Father, which leads to life everlasting.
STEVEN COLE
Christ Lifted Up (John 12:27-36a)
RelatedMedia
00:00

00:00
October5, 2014
If you’re like me, you hate to trouble someone on your behalf. I don’t like to
ask for help or inconvenience another person unless it’s absolutelynecessary.
But in one instance, I’m very grateful that another personwas troubled on my
behalf. I’m not glad that he had to be troubled, but I am glad that willingly he

was troubled for me when I didn’t even know that I neededhis help. I am
speaking ofthe Lord Jesus, for whom the thought of going to the cross to bear
my sins causedHim to say (John 12:27), “Now My soul has become troubled
....” You and I were the cause ofJesus’trouble. As He states, He came for the
very purpose of being troubled by being lifted up on the cross to die for our
sins.
We’re in the last week ofJesus’life before He was crucified. He is in
Jerusalemat the Feastof the Passover. Some Greeks came seeking Jesus,
which causedHim to say (John 12:23), “The hour has come for the Son of
Man to be glorified.” That hour was the hour of the cross. The gospelwould
now go out from Israelto all peoples. As Paul explains (Romans 11), Israel’s
rejectionof their Messiahresultedin the goodnews going out to the Gentiles.
The main theme of our text is the uplifted Christ, by which Jesus meant, as
John explains (12:33), Jesus’deathon the cross. Jesus usedthe same term as
He spoke to Nicodemus (John 3:14), “As Moses liftedup the serpent in the
wilderness, evenso must the Son of Man be lifted up.” He used it again(John
8:28), “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He,
and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father
taught Me.” Usually the verb means to exalt someone (e.g. Acts 2:33), and I
think John wants us to see a double meaning: Jesus’being lifted up on the
cross, whichwas the ultimate in shame, resulted in His being exalted as the
Savior of the world. It resulted in God’s glory and Satan’s defeat. The cross
became the watershedevent in human history and it’s the watershedin your
history. How you respond to Christ lifted up on the cross determines your
eternal destiny. So the messageapplied is:
Christ’s being lifted up on the cross should cause you to believe in Him while
you still have time.
We see here the anguish, the aim, the aftermath, and the appeal of Christ’s
being lifted up on the cross:
1. The anguish of Christ’s being lifted up was because He would bear God’s
wrath for our sins (John 12:27).

Jesus said(John 12:27), “Now Mysoul has become troubled; and what shall I
say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this
hour.” As Jesus thought about the approaching hour when He who knew no
sin would become sin on our behalf, His soul was deeply troubled. This causes
Him to ask hypothetically, “And what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this
hour’?” This is similar to His agonyin the Garden when He prayed, (Luke
22:42), “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me.” But there He
added, “Yet, not My will, but Yours be done.” Here He adds (John 12:27b-
28a), “But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.”
Here we peerinto the deep mystery of the two natures of Jesus Christ. Being
one with the Father from all eternity (John 10:30), He had never experienced
even a split-secondbreak in their perfectfellowship. As a sinless man, His
time on earth was markedby that same unbroken fellowship. But when He
went to the cross, there was that humanly incomprehensible moment when He
cried out (Matt. 27:46), “My God, My God, why have You forsakenMe?” At
that moment, God“made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf” (2
Cor. 5:21). He bore the awful punishment of God’s wrath that we deserved.
That’s why Jesus’soul was troubled as He thought about the cross. Consider
three applications:
First, the doctrine of justification by faith alone means that our sins were
imputed to Him and His righteousness wasimputed to us the instant that we
believed in Him. We stand totally forgiven and righteous before God, not
because ofany works that we have done, but only because Jesus’blood and
righteousness have been imputed to our accountthrough faith alone. Because
Jesus was troubled for our sins on the cross, we don’t need to be troubled on
judgment day! He bore all our guilt on the cross so that we canenjoy peace
with God!
Second, since our sins causedour loving Saviorso much anguish and pain, we
should hate our sins and fight every day to kill them. All too often, we flirt
with our sins or we try to manage them. But you can’t flirt with or manage an
enemy that seeks to kill you. It would be like our country trying to flirt with or
manage the Islamic extremists who want either to convert us or kill us. The
only way to deal with such an ominous threat is to fight it to the death. The

only way to deal with your sins is to put them to death by the Holy Spirit’s
power(Rom. 8:13).
Third, when you’re struggling with powerful emotions, it is always right to
submit your feelings to God’s purpose to glorify Himself. Our Lord is our
example here in how to deal with our feelings. Jesus hadhuman feelings, but
He was free from all sin. Here, He honestly expresses His revulsion at the
thought of the cross, but He quickly submits to the will and glory of God. We
should do the same. If you’re facing a difficult trial and you’re overwhelmed
with powerful feelings so that you don’t even know what to pray, you can
always pray, “Father, glorify Your name.” Your aim, like Jesus’aim, should
be to glorify the Fatherin all that you do.
The Psalms offer a lot of help here. Often David was overwhelmed with
anxiety or fear or despair over some life-threatening situation. His enemies
were hot on his trail, threatening his life. But he honestly poured out his
complaint to God and then cried out (Ps. 57:11), “Be exaltedabove the
heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth.” So, you can be honest
with your feelings before God as long as you submit them to His purpose to be
glorified through all that you endure for Jesus’sake. Followour Savior’s the
example, who felt such powerful anguish as He facedthe cross.
2. The aim of Christ’s being lifted up was to glorify the Father (John 12:28-
30).
Jesus prayed (John 12:28a), “Father, glorify Your name.” John adds (12:28b),
“Then a voice came out of heaven: ‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it
again.’”
If I were to ask, “Why did Christ die?” you would probably answer, “Christ
died to save us from our sins.” That is correct, of course. But that isn’t the
main reasonChrist died. He died first and foremostto glorify the Father.
Jesus was willing to endure the awful agony of the cross in order to glorify the
Father’s name. The cross showedthe angels and principalities in heavenly
places, along with the whole world, the unfathomable riches of the love and
grace ofGod. Jesus was willing to bear that horrible punishment because He
loved us even while we were yet sinners.

The cross also displayedGod’s infinite holiness and justice. He could not just
brush away our sins without the penalty being paid. His righteous wrath has
to be poured out on sinners. The wagesofour sin is death, or eternal
separationfrom God. That penalty is either on you or on Jesus becauseyou
have trusted in Him. Through the cross, Godcan be both just and the justifier
of the one who has faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:26).
John (12:28b) reports that a voice came out of heaven, “I have both glorified
it, and will glorify it again.” Godhad glorified His name through Jesus’life
and ministry to that point; He would be glorified againthrough Jesus’death,
resurrection, ascension, and His secondcoming in glory.
But then John (12:29)adds, “So the crowd of people who stoodby and heard
it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, ‘An angelhas spoken
to Him.’” John added this verse to illustrate what he will explain further in
verses 37-40:the spiritual blindness of those who reject Christ. Some took a
naturalistic approachto the voice from heaven, saying that it had thundered.
Others took a spiritual approach, saying that an angelhad spokento Jesus.
But they all missed the point that God was authenticating Jesus and His
ministry.
Then John (12:30) adds, “Jesus answeredandsaid, ‘This voice has not come
for My sake, but for your sakes.’” There were three times in Jesus’ministry
that the Father spoke out of heaven: His baptism, transfiguration, and here.
Eachtime He endorsedJesus and His ministry. Jesus didn’t need the Father’s
approval, because He knew that He always had it. The voice was for the sake
of those who heard it. They should have realized that God setHis sealof
approval on Jesus.
But, you may wonder, how could the voice from heaven have been for the sake
of the crowdif they couldn’t understand it? I take it to be similar to Jesus’
admonition, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15). In other
words, if Jesus’hearers would ask Godto open their ears and give them a
heart to obey, they would know the truth. But, tragically, most of them
shruggedoff Jesus’words and missed their Messiah.

But it’s no different today: God has spokenclearlythrough His Word, giving
testimony to Jesus as the only Savior. Yet some explain Christianity in
completely naturalistic terms, like those who said that it thundered, while
others launch off into mystical spirituality, like those who said that an angel
had spokento Jesus. Butboth sides miss God’s testimony to His Son. They
don’t have spiritual ears to hear spiritual truth, even when Godspeaks
clearly.
We’ve seenthat the anguish of Christ’s being lifted up was because He would
bear God’s wrath for our sins. The aim of His being lifted up was to glorify
the Father.
3. The aftermath of Christ’s being lifted up was that the world is judged,
Satanwill be castout, and Jesus will draw all people to Himself (John 12:31-
33).
In these verses, Jesus elaborates onthe aftermath or results of the cross:The
world is judged; Satan will be castout; and all men will be drawn to Jesus.
But at first glance, these do not seemto be true. The world has gone on in its
sinful ways for two thousand years without judgment. Satan seems to be alive
and well on planet earth. And obviously, all people are not being drawn to
Jesus. So, whatdid Jesus mean?
A. The world is judged.
In one sense, the world has been under judgment since Adam’s sin. Exceptfor
Jesus, everyperson has been born in sin, under God’s wrath, headed for
eternal condemnationunless God’s grace breaks into his life. But the death of
Christ represents a decisive judgment on this sinful world. I understand this
to mean that now that Jesus has come, He is the absolute standard of
judgment. He is the Light to which people either come for salvationor run
from because they love their sin (John 3:19-21;12:35-36).
The purpose of the light is not to castshadows,but light inevitably does cast
shadows. Jesus’purpose for coming was not to judge the world, but to save it
(John 3:17). But His coming drew a line that divides all people. What people
do with Jesus determines their eternal destiny. As John 3:18 states, “He who

believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged
already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begottenSon of
God.”
The Jewishleaders thought that they were judging Jesus by crucifying Him,
but by rejecting Jesus they pronounced judgment on themselves. Even so
today, people judge themselves by how they judge Jesus. If they trust in Him
as Savior and Lord, they will be saved. But if they ignore Him or demote Him
to being just a greatreligious teacher, they do so to their own condemnation.
As 1 John 5:9-10 makes clear,
If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater;for the
testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. The one
who believes in the Sonof God has the testimony in himself; the one who does
not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the
testimony that God has given concerning His Son.
B. Satanwill be castout.
By “the ruler of this world,” Jesus was referring to Satan (John 14:30;16:11).
The cross seemedto be a victory for Satan, but it actually was the moment of
his defeat, because Christtriumphed there over sin and death. Satanis active
today, as Paul shows when he says that we must put on the full armor of God
so that we canwithstand Satan’s attacks (Eph. 6:10-20). Peterwarns us that
the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking to devour us through trials
and persecution(1 Pet. 5:8-10). My understanding of Revelation20:1-9 is that
Satanis not bound now, but he will be bound during most of the millennium.
At the end of that time, he will be releasedbriefly to deceive the nations. Then
his final judgment will come, when he is castinto the lake of fire forever (Rev.
20:10).
But Jesus’deathand resurrectionsealedSatan’s doom. He is now a defeated
foe in the sense that through the gospel, the worstof sinners can be delivered
from his domain of darkness and transferred to Christ’s kingdom of light
(Col. 1:13). Because ofthe cross, Satancanno longer successfullyaccuse those
who are in Christ (Rev. 12:10). Through the cross, Jesusrobbed Satanof the
powerof death, so that we who believe are freed from the fear of death (Heb.

2:14-15). We can resistthe devil and overcome him through Christ’s victory
on the cross (1 Pet. 5:8-10;James 4:7).
C. Jesus is drawing all people to Himself.
Sometimes preachers use Jesus’words in verse 32 to mean that if we exalt
Jesus (“lift Him up”), He will draw people to Himself. That is true, and as I
explained, John probably intended a double meaning. But in verse 33, John
makes it clearthat by “lifted up,” Jesus primarily was referring to being lifted
up on the cross. His death on the cross would draw all men to Himself. But,
what does that mean? Obviously, not even close to a majority of people who
have lived since the cross have been drawn to Jesus.
The context helps us interpret this point. The Greeks have just come to Philip
asking to see Jesus. At this point, Jesus announces that the hour has come for
Him to be glorified. Part of His glory (as I explained in the last message)is
that after the cross, the gospelwould now go out to the whole world. So by “all
men,” Jesus does not mean all without exception, but all without distinction.
As Paul put it (Rom. 1:16), “ForI am not ashamedof the gospel, for it is the
powerof God for salvationto everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also
to the Greek.”
The word “draw” is the same word that Jesus usedin John 6:44, “No one can
come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up
on the last day.” This points to the factthat people lack the spiritual ability to
come to Christ unless God powerfully works to open their blind eyes and
softentheir hard hearts so that they can believe (John 12:39-40). Butwhen He
does draw them, they will come to Jesus. As He said (John 6:37), “All that the
Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly
not castout.”
We’ve seenthat the anguish of Christ’s being lifted up on the cross was
because He would bear God’s wrath for our sins. The aim of His being lifted
up was to glorify the Father. The aftermath of His being lifted up was that the
world was judged, Satan was castout, and Jesus would draw all people to
Himself. Finally,

4. The appeal of Christ’s being lifted up is that we should believe in Him while
we still have time (John 12:34-36b).
(By “appeal,” I mean “entreaty,” but that doesn’talliterate with anguish, aim,
and aftermath!) We should understand the crowd’s response in verse 34 to be
a defiant challenge, nota sincere question. (Their “we” and “You” are
emphatic in the Greek text, pitting them againstJesus.)TheyanswerJesus,
“We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how
can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
Apparently, they understood Jesus’words about being lifted up to refer to His
death. Their challenge to Jesus couldhave been based on severalScriptures.
Psalm110:4 says that Messiahis a priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek. Daniel7:13-14 says that the Sonof Man will receive an eternal
kingdom. It’s interesting that Jesus did not callHimself the Son of Man when
He referred to being lifted up, but perhaps the crowd had heard Him say that
the hour had come for the Sonof Man to be glorified (John 12:23)and
connectedthe dots.
Jesus realizedthat answering their question would not getto their root
problem. If their problem had been theological, Jesus couldhave replied,
“Haven’t you read Isaiah53, about Messiahdying for His people’s sins?
Haven’t you read Psalm22 about Messiah’s deathor Daniel9:26, which says
that Messiahwill be cut off?” But the Jews’problem was not theological,but
moral. They were walking in spiritual and moral darkness. So Jesus replied
(John 12:35-36a):“Fora little while longer the Light is among you. Walk
while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who
walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light,
believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”
Note that Jesus emphasizes “light” five times. He is the Light of the world, but
in just a few days, He would be gone. Theyhad a narrow window of
opportunity to give up their preconceivednotions about Messiahbeing a
political saviorand to act on the truth that He had given them about Himself.
But that truth centeredon the fact that they were sinners, walking in
darkness, and they neededto come to Jesus as the Light, which implied

turning from their sins. The main issue was (and still is), “While you have the
Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light” (John
12:36a).
Conclusion
I conclude with three applications:
First, be careful how you ask questions of the Lord. Don’t be like these Jews,
who challengedJesus defiantly. Their minds were made up: “We know, based
on Scripture, that the Christ is to remain forever.” And so they missed the
Light who was standing right in front of them! Ask your questions
submissively, prayerfully, and with a heart to obey the truth.
Second, believe in Christ while you still can! There is an urgency about the
messageyou have just heard. Tomorrow may be too late! The secondhalf of
verse 36 says that after Jesus spoke these things, He went awayand hid
Himself from them. That is a greattragedy, to have Jesus withdraw from you!
Now is the day of salvation!
Third, be willing to let God change you by confronting your sins. I’ve seen
Christians who love to debate theology, but they don’t allow the light of God’s
Word to confront their sins. While it’s goodto gain more theologicallight, we
need to focus on living by the light that we have. Come to God’s Word with
the prayer, “Lord, where do I need to change?”
Application Questions
Some say, “Emotions aren’t right or wrong; emotions just are.” In light of
Jesus’emotions here and the rest of Scripture, is that statementvalid? Are
some emotions sinful?
Some argue that we should “be honest with God” about how we feel, even to
the point of raging againstHim. Agree or disagree?Support your answerwith
Scripture.
What are the practical implications of Satanbeing “castout”? Should we
command evil spirits in the name of Jesus?

Roman Catholics and evangelicalsdiffer over the doctrine of justification by
faith alone. Is this doctrine essentialto the gospel? Is it significant enoughto
divide over?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2014,All Rights Reserved.
F B MEYER
THE TROUBLED SAVIOUR
"Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this
hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."--John 12:27.
IN THESE words the Son of Man lays bare his soul. There is no question of
the resolute spirit, one with Deity itself in the purpose of redemption; but only
a question of the soul, with its sympathetic influence on the flesh. Neverfor a
moment could the blessedLord swerve from his cherisheddetermination to
undo the havoc wrought by Satanin His own fair world. But as He
contemplated the awful costof agony which must first be met by Him, it
seemedas if his human nature could never hold out.
In the garden of Gethsemane this awful agonyreachedits climax. The anguish
there anticipated and borne so oppressedhis holy, yet weak human nature,
that it uttered itself in strong cryings and tears;"and the overflowedsoul
might have given wayto an internal death before the external death of the
body, had He not receiveda strengthening accessionofDivine power, in
answerto prayer." As Luther says, "A beam may be tested beyond its
strength, and may threaten to give waybecause of the weaknessofits nature,
not because ofanything wanting in itself."
This scene is an anticipation of Gethsemane;the penumbra of the great
eclipse. The question of the Greeks hadled the Saviour's thoughts to his death

and burial, reminding Him that He must fall into the ground to die, before He
could bear fruit. He saw, too, the baptism of suffering unto death through
which eachof his servants must pass, and in which He would die many times
again, in sympathy, though not, of course, as Mediator. And as the whole
dread aggregateofsorrow arose before his vision, He cried, "Now is my soul
troubled."
There is a human side in this scene, whichis all that we can understand; but
which may help some of us. We cannot launch out into the great deep; but we
may wade in the shallows. The humblest Levite in the temple may learn
something from the evident anguish of the GreatHigh-Priest, and the way He
bore it; though he may not be able to gauge the pressure of that anguish
through every part of his wondrous nature, capable to depths equal to its-
ascents, ofdownsitting proportionate to its uprisings.
I. THE TROUBLED SOUL
We cannotbe troubled as He was. On us can never rest the weight of the
world's sin, nor even of our own, For us there can never be that lonely
resistance to the onsetof all the powers of darkness;or the hiding of the
Father's face;or the unutterable woe of being made a curse. And yet, who of
us does not sometimes taste of trouble beneathwhich the heart threatens to
break down in helpless collapse?
When the love that had filled our life with music is suddenly silenced, or
passedon to fill other spheres with its song;when the sun that had flooded our
room with light goes offit, and the coldnight settles down; when we have to
tear out of our lives some evil thing, which had entwined itself about them--as
the octopus about the body of the swimmer--and to do it with the anointed
head and washedface;when, at the call of duty, which is the call of God, we
have to turn our faces awayfrom some radiant rapture, which had long
enticed us forward, in order to take a lonelier, rougher path; when we are
misunderstood and misinterpreted, by our dearest, misrepresentedand
maligned; when we see lover and friend stand afar off with veiled faces;when
we are perplexed and baffled at God's dealings;when we are calledto suffer
through the vices and sorrows of those whom we love as ourselves, while we

can do nothing to relieve or save them: then we know what it is to say with
Jesus, though in thinner tones, "Now is my soultroubled."
Abraham said it as he trod step by step the path which seemedall too short to
Mount Moriah, and knew that the hand which had so often rested in the curls
of the darling of his old age must presently strike the knife into his heart. Job
said it when, pelted by the accusations ofhis foes, afflictedwith a loathsome
disease, perplexedat the dealings of God which confounded all his philosophy,
he wished that he had never been born. David said it when he awoke to
perceive how, by his grievous sin, he had shakenthe fabric of his kingdom,
and put into the lips of God's foes a reproachwhich they have never ceasedto
use. Jeremiah saidit, weeping over the disastrous suicide of his nation. The
lovers of Jesus saidit as they saw Him deliberately court death, and as they
coweredtogetherthrough the day which followedhis decease.And these are
but samples of myriads more. Indeed, it is questionable if any fife reaches it
prime, or unfolds all its beauty, unless there have been some dark hours in
which cries of pain have borne witness to the troubled soul.
II. THE RESORT OF THE TROUBLED SOUL
"Father!" When the soulis smitten by a huge wave of anguish, it shivers from
stem to stern, and for a moment questions with itself as to what it shall say:
"Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say?" At such times let us beware
lest we speak inadvisedly. There is a deliberateness aboutspeechwhich
aggravatesthe inner temper. Repress the utterance, and you will often
mitigate the passionof feeling which boils turbulently below. There was no
fear of our Lord speaking the wrong word, but there is every fear of our doing
so;and when once it is uttered, it stamps itself indelibly not only on ourselves,
but on the minds and hearts of others, to go on breeding evil for all coming
time.
But there is one word which can never be unfitting : "Father." Once before,
our Lord had hidden Himself there, when face to face with the mystery of
Divine Providence, whichreveals to babes what it hides from the wise and
prudent. "Evenso, Father!" an expressionwhich might be rendered, "Yes,
Father!" Here, again, in this dark hour, He murmurs that dear name over

Jesus was refusing to be saved

Jesus was refusing to be saved

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Jesus was refusing to be saved

Similar to Jesus was refusing to be saved (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Jesus was refusing to be saved