I WANT TO REVISIT some of the first things we learned as we launched into our study of the Gospel of John.

Transcription

1 MP3 itunes XML Metro Calvary Roseville CA Richard Cimino October 24, 2010 GREEKS AND GLORY John 12:20-23 Jesus has made His way into the city of Jerusalem on the Sunday before Passover the very day predicted by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 9) 173,880 days from March 14, 445 BC. 173,880 days from March 14, 445 BC also happened to fall on the 10 th of Nisan the very day on which the Israelites presented their Passover Lambs to the priests for inspection in order assure that it was 1 year old; without spot and without blemish and thus fit to be slaughtered in remembrance of the original Passover Lamb (Exodus 12) that was slaughtered, and whose blood redeemed them from death and bondage in Egypt. So His entrance into the city on THAT day IDENTIFIED Jesus as the King who was a Lamb. Last week saw that Jesus entered the city on a colt, the foal of a donkey fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. The very way Jesus entered the city also IDENTIFIED Jesus as the King Who Came To Make Peace. 20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus I WANT TO REVISIT some of the first things we learned as we launched into our study of the Gospel of John. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all wrote the same story. They were giving eyewitness, or first hand accounts of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Central to their records were the facts that Jesus is God Incarnate, born of a virgin, lived a sinless 1

2 life, died for our sins and rose from the dead to conquer the greatest enemies of all mankind sin and death, ascended into heaven and is coming again to judge the world. Though they were writing the same story each was writing to a different audience. Because of that, each chose to emphasize and highlight certain moments and events in the life of Jesus that would best communicate Christ to their audience. MATTHEW Wrote to a predominantly Jewish audience. The Jewish reader would want to know how Jesus related to the Old Testament and to the promises God had made to Israel by way of the prophets concerning the Messiah. That s why Matthew begins his account of the life of Jesus by tracing the genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham and David. That s why we find Matthew saying on a number of occasions Matthew 2:17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: Matthew 26:56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. MARK Mark wrote to a predominantly Roman audience. Romans weren t concerned about connecting Jesus to some guy named Abraham, or some king of Israel named David. Their empire swallowed nations and peoples. They weren t too concerned if you were Jewish or Greek all they wanted to know was were you a good Roman colony? were you getting the job done for Caesar and Rome? So there s no genealogy in Mark. It just dives into the ministry of Jesus! Mark s Gospel is SHORT and it s packed with ACTION. The phrase and immediately is all over Mark s account of the life of Jesus. Mark s account is filled with active present-tense verbs it s all about what Jesus DID. Jesus on the move Jesus teaching Jesus healing. The big idea of Mark s Gospel is Jesus got the job done. He died for our sins, rose from the dead. It s all done. It s also interesting to note that Roman Empire had a huge slave population and in Mark s Gospel we see Jesus as the PERFECT SERVANT. LUKE Luke was not writing to a Jewish audience. He was writing to and for 2

3 the non-jewish reader. Again they would not be interested in the relationship of Jesus to Abraham. So Luke s genealogy of Jesus traces Jesus back to Adam showing that Jesus is a man one of us. But Luke wants to show Jesus as more than one of us He is the perfect man He is the man who claimed to be God. FINALLY THERE IS JOHN His account was the last written. He s writing it primarily to a Greek audience. Unlike Jewish culture, the Greek world was not obsessed with theology; it was obsessed with philosophy. Carried along by the Holy Spirit, John wrote his biography of Jesus in the Greek language and began with a concept that was at the heart of Jewish theology and Greek philosophy John opened his account of the life of Jesus by giving to Jesus the title the WORD = the Greek word LOGOS. In the beginning was the LOGOS, and the LOGOS was with God, and the LOGOS was God. And the LOGOS became flesh and dwelled among us. To the Hebrews, the Word of God was the presence and action of God breaking into human history with unparalleled power and authority. The father of Greek philosophy, Heraclitus ( B.C.), taught that the creation of the world, the ordering of all life, and the immortality of the human soul were all made possible solely by what he called the word (or logos) the invisible and intelligent force behind all that was seen in this world. John wants his Greek audience to see that Jesus is the one true God and that eternal life is to be found solely in Jesus and only by faith in Jesus. THAT is the theme of John s Gospel. HERE S THE POINT OF THIS MINI-REVIEW 1.) It important to know your audience so that you can talk TO them in a way that they understand. God the Holy Spirit was very careful to do that! In order to best communicate the Good News of Jesus to the Jews He inspired Matthew. In order to best communicate the Good News of Jesus to the Romans He inspired Mark. In order to best communicate the Good News of Jesus to the Gentiles He inspired Luke. In order to best communicate the Good News of Jesus to the Greeks He inspired John. THE FIRST THREE Gospels have a lot in common. By contrast to Matthew, Mark and Luke, 90% of John is unique to John. The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is recorded in ALL FOUR of the Gospel accounts. But it is John alone who 3

4 includes who records the appearance of the Greeks. John was writing to a Greek audience, and he wanted those readers to now that there were Greeks that loved Jesus there were Greeks who were curious about Jesus and came to learn about Jesus came hoping to meet Jesus. 2.) WE DON T WANT TO MISS THIS God loves THE WORLD. God loves EVERY PEOPLE GROUP. We should have a PASSION for REACHING the world for God because GOD has that passion! If God is our Father we should share His passions! QUOTE: C. S. Lewis We may think God wants actions of a certain kind, but God wants people of a certain sort. The news about Jesus reached these men! We should want to see the Word of God go out as MUCH and as OFTEN and in as MANY WAYS as possible. That leads us to our 3 rd point 3.) You never know who is looking for Jesus! As the Good news of Jesus Christ goes out, people are attracted to him that you would never think could or would be attracted to Jesus that s exactly what John tells us. I like what J.C. Ryle pointed out. QUOTE: J.C. Ryle; Expository Thoughts On the Gospels; vol. 4 There is more going on in some people's minds than we are aware of. The case of the Greeks before us is a remarkable proof of this. Who would have thought when Christ was on earth, that foreigners from a distant land would have come forward in Jerusalem, and said, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus"? Who these Greeks were, what they meant, why they desired to see Jesus, what their inward motives were--all these are questions we cannot answer. Like Zaccheus, they may have been influenced by curiosity. Like the wise men from the East, they may have surmised that Jesus was the promised King of the Jews, whom all the eastern world was expecting. Enough for us to know that they showed more interest in Christ than Caiaphas and all his companions. Enough to know that they drew from our Lord's lips sayings which are still read in one hundred and fifty languages, from one end of the world to the other. 4.) Just how radical a work it is when God draws a man or woman to himself. For these men to be at Jerusalem for the Passover means that they would have been CONVERTS to Judaism. A man had to be pretty committed if he wanted to become a Jew. For these Greek men to become converts to Judaism would have 4

5 meant that as adult males they would have to circumcise themselves! IMAGINE if that were a requirement to be a member of Metro. How many men would say Neat! Where do I sign? THAT is a lot of commitment. On top of that you would be signing on for everything in the Law of Moses that set the Jews apart from the rest of the nations all of the customs; all of the rituals of purification and washing; all the feasts; all of the dietary laws; all of the giving. These men would have begun as God Fearers. To go from God Fearer to converting to Judaism so they might worship the One, True and Living God was no small commitment. But here they are! God had been working in their hearts and lives drawing them to this very moment so they could hear about this Jesus and here they are asking to see him! 20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Isn t that awesome! Just a couple of guys saying We d like to see Jesus. Let me say this to you You will be surprised at how many of those people are around you. They re asking the same question just not with those exact words! EXAMPLE: A post Valerie got on Face Book this Wednesday. Subject: Long ago, and far away... but thought of you today! Valerie, When I first met you and Richard, I was living with my girlfriend in a garage under her Mom's apartment. (2636 Orion-- Costa Mesa, Ca. Otherwise known as *Gospel Gulch!*:) I remember asking Richard what the 'fish symbol' was that you displayed on the bumper of your car.(blue Honda...?) He graciously explained its origin and significance and I'm confident that that one encounter led to many prayers on my behalf-- and on behalf of Lorraine as well! (If your memory is starting to percolate, you may remember the outcome of your prayers!:) I was birthed into the Kingdom shortly thereafter-- and Lorraine followed shortly after that. (Richard immersed both of us at Corona Del Mar!) It has now been 25 years since my initial 'question' to Richard and I just wanted both of you to know that I'm truly grateful for your faithfulness in prayer-- and in ministry. LITERALLY These men kept asking Philip for the privilege of an 5

6 interview with Jesus. Philip finally told Andrew. From the very start of John s Gospel Andrew was the guy CONNECTING people to Jesus. Andrew no sooner met Jesus and he brought his brother, Simon Peter, to Jesus. Andrew is the one who CONNECTED the boy with the 5 barley loaves and three fish to Jesus. The guys ask Phillip but it is ANDREW who brings Philip and goes to Jesus for them. There s a bunch of stuff for us to learn from these Greek men. FIRST They were persistent they kept asking Philip. SECOND They were unconcerned with the risks involved with being seen with Jesus. THIRD The Jews would say We want to see a sign! (Matthew 12:28; 1 Corinthians 1:22). By contrast these men said, We want to see Jesus! Jesus was the attraction not the signs/miracles. This is very relevant to us this morning as so much of Modern church culture is littered with men and women who are looking for Jesus stuff, more than they are looking for Jesus. FOURTH At the very moment the religious leaders of Israel are plotting His death, these non-jewish men are begging for the opportunity to see Jesus. Here we are getting a peak at the SCOPE of the Gospel it was not just for Israel and we get a preview of Romans 11. There in Romans Paul says that at this moment in history except for a remnant Israel as a whole rejects their Messiah. Romans 11:25..I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. There is one last point in History where God is going to turn again to the Israel as a nation. It is the last 7 year period prophesied by Daniel Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Seventy, 7 year periods are determined upon ISRAEL. Daniel 9:25-26 tells us that 69 of those seven year periods would transpire up to the coming of the Messiah, and then the Messiah would be cut off for the nation. Jesus entered 6

7 Jerusalem on the 10 th of Nisan, 32AD just as Daniel predicted and within days Jesus was cut off for the nation. There is ONE 7 year period left concerning the nation of Israel. From the Cross of Jesus forward God has hit the pause button with Israel. Romans 11:25 IS that pause. At this time in history God is dealing with the non-jewish peoples of the world. Some refer to this period in history as the Church Age. The Church does not replace the nation of Israel. Rather we are co-laboring with God laboring to see the fullness of the Gentiles come to Jesus. What an amazing privilege! I pray that we might SPEND and BE SPENT in it! QUOTE: There was a famous evangelist called Christmas Evans who was always on the move preaching for Christ. His friends besought him to take things easier but his answer always was: "It is better to burn out than to rust out." (From William Barclay s commentary on John 12) QUOTE: Joan of Arc When Joan of Arc knew that her enemies were strong and her time was short, she prayed to God: "I shall only last a year, use me as you can. THINK ABOUT THIS There are going to be men and women living in the presence of God forever because of people who recklessly spent their strength and gave themselves to God. 23 And Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. We have seen time and again that Jesus always operated on heaven s timetable. At one time in His ministry leading up to the Feast of Booths, John 7:3-8 So his brothers said to him, Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world. 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come. Jesus would go up to the Feast but at the time appointed by the Father. But 7

8 Jesus was also constantly referring to a specific hour. THAT hour refers to nothing less than the appointed time for the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. Up to this point, the hour has always been future. John 7:30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. John 8:20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. But NOW The hour has come John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. for the Son of Man to be glorified. We would have expected Jesus to say, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be crucified. Instead He says The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. the Son of Man In Matthew s, Mark s, and Luke s accounts of the life of Jesus there is usually an either/or meaning in the title Son of Man it is either in connection with his sufferings or in connection with his coming in glory. But here John makes a direct connection between the suffering of Jesus and the glory of Jesus. Without a doubt, the death of Jesus is the first stage on his way to receiving glory the first stage on his way to returning to the glory he had with the Father before the world began (17:5). QUOTE: F.B. MEYER In the first instance, the Father raises the Son from the dead, and gives Him glory; and then raises Him to his own right hand, investing Him in his human nature with the glory He had with Him before the foundation of the world (John 17:5). Then, when Jesus is glorified, the Holy Spirit is given; and He glorifies the Lord BUT HERE John wants us to see that His death on the cross was itself the 8

9 supreme manifestation of Jesus glory. QUOTE: D.A. Carson; Pillar New Testament Commentary It is not just that the shame of the cross is inevitably followed by the glory of the exaltation, but that the glory is already fully displayed in the shame. 1 HUGE The death of Jesus could not add to His intrinsic glory. QUOTE: F.B. MEYER But the death of Jesus could and did promote his glorification--that is, it opened up to the view of men and angels qualities of his character and attributes of his being which had else remained for ever concealed. A prism can t add to the brilliance of the sun but it reveals to the human eye the glory, if-you-would the colors contained in light. So too the death of Jesus on the cross, revealed to us something of the inherent glory of God that we can t see in His creation, can t see in His healing power. The suffering and death of Jesus on the cross revealed the glory of God s condescending love the glory of God s sacrificial love the glory of God s grace the glory of God s mercy! In my minds eye as I thought of every time Roman scourge tore flesh from the body of Jesus I pictured the glory of His love bursting forth by way of that wound. As His beard was torn from His face as the thorns pierced His brow as the nails pierced His hands and feet as the spear pierced His side the glory that He always possessed shined through! AGAIN we are drawn back to the Prologue 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. The glory of Jesus revealed in His suffering. The glory of the Son SENT by the Father to be the wrath appeasing sacrifice for our sin. The glory of His grace. The glory of His truth That He is holy and just and true As I was thinking of the glory of Jesus being revealed by way of His suffering and Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (437). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter- Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans. 9

10 death I was reminded of the words of Paul Colossians 1:24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. I believe that there is a way in which something of the glory of Jesus is revealed still today by way of our suffering as we suffer in His will and for His sake and the sake of His bride, the Church. 10