John 12:20-33
[20] Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.
[21] They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
[22] Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
[23] Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
[24] Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
[25] Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
[26] Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
[27] "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.
[28] Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."
[29] The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him."
[30] Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.
[31] Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
[32] And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
[33] He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
Jesus' struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane doesn't show up in John's Gospel. Instead this is the struggle played out in front of all the disciples and the crowds. And yet, even in that struggle, Jesus is filled with hope.
How could Jesus have hope? Here he was facing the cross. He's already had this conversation with Peter and the disciples. He set his heart and soul on the cross. He knew His own death was just around the corner. And not just any death but a cruel and torturous death.
In the face of what was waiting for Him, how could Jesus have hope? And how could He think about glorifying God when He knew the whole world would turn its back on Him in His greatest hour of need? Even His closest friends would turn away from Him. One would betray Him, one would deny Him and all the rest would desert Him.
How could He glorify God when He knew that darkness would descend upon the earth because the horror of watching the Son of God die on the cross was too much even for God. And because of the deep love for His Son, God would have to close His eyes and turn away, if only for second in God's time. But it would be a second that would feel like eternity. And cause Jesus to cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me."
How could Jesus have Hope? It all depended on what He heard. Was it "Rolling Thunder or the Voice of God?"
I. Signs of Hope
A. The movie Signs, starring Mel Gibson, gives a little insight into the how. If you haven't seen this movie, it's a good one to rent. It's not really about what you think it's about.
The movie begins with the mysterious appearance of large crop circles in the cornfields around Graham Hess's home. Hess is an ex-Episcopalian priest who lost his faith after his wife died in a tragic accident. As a result, six months earlier, Hess left the priesthood. The crop circles, it turns out, were made by aliens in preparation for an invasion.
After spotting an alien outside their own house, Graham tells the family to turn on the TV. Fourteen alien spacecraft are hovering over Mexico City. They watch for hours. Graham's younger brother asks the pivotal question: "Do you think this could be the end of the world?"
Graham's answer tells a lot about his faith: "People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign - evidence - that there is someone up there watching them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck, a happy turn of chance. I'm sure that people in group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation is fifty-fifty, could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own, and that fills them with fear.
"Yeah. There are those people. But there's a whole lot of people in group number one. When they see those fourteen lights, they're looking for a miracle, and deep down they feel that whatever's going to happen, there will be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope. So w hat you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or look at the question this way: is it possible that there are no coincidences?" (1)
I love that scene. And it illustrates HOW Jesus could still seek to glorify God and have hope in the face of the Cross.
B. In the midst of everything going on around him and the eminence of the cross, Jesus saw signs of hope.
Why? Because of His Hope Jesus knew God is in charge. Jesus knew that no matter what the world, the ruler of the world or the Roman soldiers did to Him, God would take care of Him.
Jesus knew that no matter how horrible His death or how forsaken he felt at that moment, if He simply held on to His faith, and was obedient to God, even unto death, God would be glorified. The enemy of this world would be crushed and defeated. And the Cross would become OUR Sign of hope. Jesus knew that the cross would become the symbol which tells the world which group of people we belong to and what we hear: "Rolling Thunder or the Voice of God?"
JESUS SAW SIGNS OF HOPE
II. Signs of Christ
A. What does the world see when they see us? Do they see SIGNS OF HOPE or SIGNS OF CHRIST? In this passage, Jesus says: "when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." And he did.
And every time we lift Jesus up through our Christian actions and deeds, others are drawn to Him. When we take time to listen to God through prayer and worship. When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide our actions, then Christ is lifted up, not on the cross, but lifted up in the sense of being Glorified. Every time we are obedient as Christ was obedient, He is exalted and lifted up and glorified.
People both see and hear and they are drawn to Him again.
B. In 1992, the Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl with an explosive victory over the Buffalo Bills. Seventy five thousand people gathered on the mall between the Capitol and the Washington Monument to cheer their team and Coach. Four days later, Chuck Colson called the Redskins' office to see if any football players could attend a rally at a prison the next day. Many of the players had given their life to Christ. Joe Gibbs the head coach answered the phone and told Colson that all the players had left the city for a well-deserved rest. With his characteristic humility, Joe Gibbs asked Colson, "Will I do?"
Colson immediately accepted the offer by the coach of the championship Washington Redskins. Five days after winning the Super Bowl, Joe Gibbs could have opened any door in Washington DC but he was willing to walk behind the locked steel doors of the penitentiary for the District of Columbia to speak to men about his faith in Christ.
Joe Gibbs stood up to speak to the cheers, whistles and applause of 500 prisoners five days after he had won the most prestigious event in pro sports. He told those men:
"A lot of people in the world would probably look at me and say: Man, if I could just coach in the Super Bowl, I'd be happy and fulfilled... But I'm here to tell you, it takes something else in your life besides money, position, football, power, and fame. The vacuum in each of our lives can only be filled through a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Otherwise, I'm telling you, we'll spend the rest of our lives in a meaningless existence. I've seen it in football players' eyes, and I've seen it in men who are on their deathbed. There's nothing else that will fill the vacuum." (2)
Joe Gibbs listened and heard more than just "Rolling Thunder," he heard the "Voice of God."
He saw SIGNS OF HOPE and was able to help others hear the "Voice of God?" And see SIGNS OF HOPE. And even see SIGNS OF CHRIST as Jesus was lifted up and glorified through his witness.
III. Signs of God's Love
This morning we have our own SIGNS OF HOPE and SIGNS OF CHRIST sitting on the Lord's Table. This morning we can see and feel and taste the SIGNS OF GOD'S LOVE through the bread and the wine of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
Today, as the bread is broken and the wine poured, what once was simply "Rolling Thunder" in our ears, will become the "Voice of God."
It's still just bread and wine, but somehow through what we do and through God's mysterious Grace, we will be fed and we will stand in the very presence of God. A little bit of bread that reminds us of the sacrifice which Christ made for us there on the cruel cross. And a little bit of wine that reminds us of the blood he shed on our behalf. A little bit of bread and a little bit of wine will draw us to the very throne of God, the Creator.
And there we will be welcomed as heirs of the Kingdom, the children of God, joint heirs with Christ, brothers and sisters with our Savior.
For some this morning, the bread will just be bread, they'll hear the "Rolling Thunder." But for others it will be more, and they will hear the "Voice of God."
And a lot of it will depend upon which group of people you're in.
Conclusion
This morning I simply invite you to listen. Listen closely. Let the Prevenient Grace of God open your ears and your hearts so you can hear more than "Rolling Thunder." Listen with your heart and soul. Open yourself completely and let the Holy Spirit unstop your ears so you can hear the "Voice of God."
And let the "Voice of God" drive out any fear in your life. Let the "Voice of God" fill you with the same hope that filled Jesus.
Which group of people are you in? What do you hear this morning? "Rolling Thunder or the Voice of God?"
1. Signs (Touchstone, 2002) Gleaned from Leadership Magazine, Winter 2003, Vol XXIV Number 1
2. Chuck Colson, The Body, (Dallas TX: Word, 1992), 377.