On this day, Jesus is in Jerusalem. There are several roads we can travel down today. I want to focus on one of them.
John 12: 23-29 States that Jesus knew the time had come for Him to fulfill the mission God had given Him on this earth. The parable He gives is about a kernel of wheat that falls to the ground. When it dies and is buried, it comes back up to produce many more seeds. To give life, if you will, to many. He could have stayed away from Jerusalem, but He chose to go - to go to His death so that we might Live. He goes one to say that His soul (His mind, will and emotions) were troubled, but He knew why He had come to this point in time. He actually praised Father and Father answered in a voice that others around Him heard. He glorified His Name through Jesus and He would glorify His Name again when Jesus rose from the grave.
Jesus then said that "now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” I'm reminded as many people are Numbers 21, the people had once again given in to complaining and such... God sent a plague of snakes - I would say as a kind of discipline. Many people were bit and died. The people repent right quick. The Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole and those who looked at it would be made whole. It was a symbol of their suffering and a symbol of the consequences of their sin. Just as Jesus taking on our suffering was our salvation and the consequences of our sin was His death. It would've been our death if He would not have consented to go through with these final days.
People questioned whether or not He was the Messiah, saying things like "We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
I don't think Jesus even really answered their question. He basically just said either faith to believe that I am the Messiah or not, but there are consequences if you don't.
“You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”
WE are children of the light, because we put our faith in Who He says He is.
Then, when all was said and done, he left to go away by Himself - He wanted to be alone - with Father (He wasn't really alone). If I had the weight of the world about to be put on my shoulders, I would want to be alone also. He was starting to prepare Himself for the coming days - I can't even begin to imagine what was going through His mind and heart. I also believe His mind and His heart wasn't on just Himself, but what was He going to leave His disciples with?
Lift Up the Suffering Symbol - Michael Card
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5E8CmqGVVI
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