Lifted up (Part 2) John 12:20-50
John 12:20-50 | September 28, 2026
discussion guide and verses used below
Sermon Summary
This past Sunday we returned to John 12:20-50 to finish what we ran out of time to cover last week. We opened with a quote from Augustine of Hippo about the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, written around 420 AD: "The new is in the old concealed, and the old is in the new revealed." Jesus said the same thing himself in Luke 24:44: "everything written in the law, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." The entire Old Testament is pointing somewhere, and it is pointing to Jesus.
Last week we walked through prophecy: specific predictions written centuries before Jesus arrived that he fulfilled precisely. This week we added typology: patterns set up in the Old Testament that Jesus comes to fulfill as the new and better version. He is the new and better Adam, whose obedience gained back what the first Adam's disobedience lost. He is the new Moses, whom Moses himself predicted in Deuteronomy 18: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me, and to him you shall listen." He is the new David, whose kingdom Ezekiel promised would never end. He is the true Israel, called out of Egypt just as God called Israel out of Egypt. One story, one thread, all of it gathering in John 12.
Not as I Will, But as You Will
We pick up in verse 27, which pulls back the curtain on what it is costing Jesus to do what he came to do. He says: "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. but for this purpose I have come to this hour."*
The word translated "troubled" carries the sense of revulsion, horror, agitation. Jesus is not putting on a brave face. He knows what is coming, not just physical death but the bearing of the full weight of human sin, the full cup of the wrath of God poured out on him in our place. He could run away. But now the hour is here, and Jesus makes the same choice he makes in Gethsemane: "Not as I will, but as you will."
It is worth sitting with that for a moment. There are things the Lord asks of us that we don't want to do. Go to church when we don't feel like it. Forgive the person who hurt us. Give generously when it costs something. Love someone who's difficult to love. We don't want to. That is the honest version. In his humanity Jesus didn't want to go to the cross, and he went anyway, for the glory of his Father. That is the model we are invited into.
Lifted Up on a Cross, Not a Throne
A voice comes from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd heard it as thunder. Jesus says it came for their sake, not his.
Then comes the statement that gathers everything: "And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." John explains immediately: he said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
We lift our hands in victory. We carry a champion on our shoulders. We put winners on podiums. The corner office is on the top floor for a reason, high is a symbol of power and authority. Isaiah 52:13 declares: "My servant shall be high and lifted up and exalted." But the very next verse tells us what that looks like: "His appearance was so marred beyond human semblance." The exaltation of Jesus is the cross. That is the point of his victory. That is where he destroys the power of Satan, defeats death, and draws people from every nation to himself.
The Wrong Yoda
The crowd pushes back: "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say the Son of Man must be lifted up?"
They had the right categories: conquering Messiah, eternal king, Son of Man receiving an everlasting kingdom in Daniel 7. What they couldn't reconcile was a Messiah who dies. It's a little like Luke Skywalker arriving on Dagobah looking for a Jedi Master and finding a small green creature eating soup. He had a category for what a Jedi Master should look like, and Yoda didn't fit it. So Luke almost missed what was right in front of him.
What category do you put Jesus in? A great teacher you take or leave? A back-pocket emergency resource for when things get really hard? Or Lord and Savior over every part of your life: your mornings, your money, your relationships, what you watch, how you treat people? The crowd had categories. They still missed him. Categories are not enough. You have to let Jesus be who he actually is.
Walk While You Have the Light
Jesus tells the crowd: "Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you." He departs and hides from them. John then quotes Isaiah twice: "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" And: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see and understand and turn."
This is jarring. But it is not capricious. If you read back to Isaiah 1, God says: "Children I have reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me." And Psalm 81: "My people did not listen to my voice. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own counsel." The hardening of chapter 12 is the result of Israel's long, repeated, deliberate rejection. God had been reaching out for generations. Eventually, he stopped reaching.
C.S. Lewis captured the logic precisely: "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'Thy will be done.'"
If God is calling you, now is the time to respond. Not this afternoon. Not next week. Now.
Secret Believers
Even among the religious authorities, many believed, but they wouldn't say so, for fear of being put out of the synagogue. John's verdict on them is plain: "They loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."
Jesus closes his public ministry with this: "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world." But then comes the warning of verse 48: the word he has spoken will be the judge on the last day. The message itself becomes the verdict.
His final word: "His commandment is eternal life." This is what he came to give. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
---
Watch the full sermon on YouTube | Bryant Street Baptist Church
---
Scriptures Referenced
- John 12:27-50
- Luke 24:44 (everything written in the law, prophets, and psalms must be fulfilled)
- Romans 5:14 (Adam as a type of the one who was to come)
- Deuteronomy 18:15 (Moses: God will raise up a prophet like me)
- Acts 3:22 (Peter: the prophet Moses foretold is Jesus)
- Ezekiel 37:25 (David my servant shall be their prince forever)
- Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:13 (out of Egypt I called my son)
- Hebrews 8 (Jesus as the new and better priest)
- Daniel 7:13-14, 27 (Son of Man presented before the Ancient of Days; everlasting kingdom)
- Luke 12:32 (Fear not, little flock; your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom)
- Isaiah 52:13-14; 53 (high and lifted up; marred appearance; pierced for our transgressions)
- John 3:14 (as Moses lifted up the serpent, so must the Son of Man be lifted up)
- John 3:16-17 (God so loved the world; not to judge but to save)
- 2 Corinthians 4:4 (the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers)
- Ephesians 2:2 (the prince of the power of the air)
- Ephesians 6:12 (we do not wrestle against flesh and blood)
- 1 John 3:8 (the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil)
- 1 John 4:4 (he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world)
- Isaiah 1:2-5 (children I have reared, but they have rebelled)
- Isaiah 6:1-10 (Isaiah's commissioning; make the heart of this people dull)
- Psalm 81:11-12 (my people would not listen; I gave them over to their stubborn hearts)
- Romans 10:13 (all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved)
discussion guide and verses used below
Sermon Summary
This past Sunday we returned to John 12:20-50 to finish what we ran out of time to cover last week. We opened with a quote from Augustine of Hippo about the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, written around 420 AD: "The new is in the old concealed, and the old is in the new revealed." Jesus said the same thing himself in Luke 24:44: "everything written in the law, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." The entire Old Testament is pointing somewhere, and it is pointing to Jesus.
Last week we walked through prophecy: specific predictions written centuries before Jesus arrived that he fulfilled precisely. This week we added typology: patterns set up in the Old Testament that Jesus comes to fulfill as the new and better version. He is the new and better Adam, whose obedience gained back what the first Adam's disobedience lost. He is the new Moses, whom Moses himself predicted in Deuteronomy 18: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me, and to him you shall listen." He is the new David, whose kingdom Ezekiel promised would never end. He is the true Israel, called out of Egypt just as God called Israel out of Egypt. One story, one thread, all of it gathering in John 12.
Not as I Will, But as You Will
We pick up in verse 27, which pulls back the curtain on what it is costing Jesus to do what he came to do. He says: "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. but for this purpose I have come to this hour."*
The word translated "troubled" carries the sense of revulsion, horror, agitation. Jesus is not putting on a brave face. He knows what is coming, not just physical death but the bearing of the full weight of human sin, the full cup of the wrath of God poured out on him in our place. He could run away. But now the hour is here, and Jesus makes the same choice he makes in Gethsemane: "Not as I will, but as you will."
It is worth sitting with that for a moment. There are things the Lord asks of us that we don't want to do. Go to church when we don't feel like it. Forgive the person who hurt us. Give generously when it costs something. Love someone who's difficult to love. We don't want to. That is the honest version. In his humanity Jesus didn't want to go to the cross, and he went anyway, for the glory of his Father. That is the model we are invited into.
Lifted Up on a Cross, Not a Throne
A voice comes from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd heard it as thunder. Jesus says it came for their sake, not his.
Then comes the statement that gathers everything: "And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." John explains immediately: he said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
We lift our hands in victory. We carry a champion on our shoulders. We put winners on podiums. The corner office is on the top floor for a reason, high is a symbol of power and authority. Isaiah 52:13 declares: "My servant shall be high and lifted up and exalted." But the very next verse tells us what that looks like: "His appearance was so marred beyond human semblance." The exaltation of Jesus is the cross. That is the point of his victory. That is where he destroys the power of Satan, defeats death, and draws people from every nation to himself.
The Wrong Yoda
The crowd pushes back: "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say the Son of Man must be lifted up?"
They had the right categories: conquering Messiah, eternal king, Son of Man receiving an everlasting kingdom in Daniel 7. What they couldn't reconcile was a Messiah who dies. It's a little like Luke Skywalker arriving on Dagobah looking for a Jedi Master and finding a small green creature eating soup. He had a category for what a Jedi Master should look like, and Yoda didn't fit it. So Luke almost missed what was right in front of him.
What category do you put Jesus in? A great teacher you take or leave? A back-pocket emergency resource for when things get really hard? Or Lord and Savior over every part of your life: your mornings, your money, your relationships, what you watch, how you treat people? The crowd had categories. They still missed him. Categories are not enough. You have to let Jesus be who he actually is.
Walk While You Have the Light
Jesus tells the crowd: "Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you." He departs and hides from them. John then quotes Isaiah twice: "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" And: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see and understand and turn."
This is jarring. But it is not capricious. If you read back to Isaiah 1, God says: "Children I have reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me." And Psalm 81: "My people did not listen to my voice. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own counsel." The hardening of chapter 12 is the result of Israel's long, repeated, deliberate rejection. God had been reaching out for generations. Eventually, he stopped reaching.
C.S. Lewis captured the logic precisely: "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'Thy will be done.'"
If God is calling you, now is the time to respond. Not this afternoon. Not next week. Now.
Secret Believers
Even among the religious authorities, many believed, but they wouldn't say so, for fear of being put out of the synagogue. John's verdict on them is plain: "They loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."
Jesus closes his public ministry with this: "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world." But then comes the warning of verse 48: the word he has spoken will be the judge on the last day. The message itself becomes the verdict.
His final word: "His commandment is eternal life." This is what he came to give. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
---
Watch the full sermon on YouTube | Bryant Street Baptist Church
---
Scriptures Referenced
- John 12:27-50
- Luke 24:44 (everything written in the law, prophets, and psalms must be fulfilled)
- Romans 5:14 (Adam as a type of the one who was to come)
- Deuteronomy 18:15 (Moses: God will raise up a prophet like me)
- Acts 3:22 (Peter: the prophet Moses foretold is Jesus)
- Ezekiel 37:25 (David my servant shall be their prince forever)
- Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:13 (out of Egypt I called my son)
- Hebrews 8 (Jesus as the new and better priest)
- Daniel 7:13-14, 27 (Son of Man presented before the Ancient of Days; everlasting kingdom)
- Luke 12:32 (Fear not, little flock; your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom)
- Isaiah 52:13-14; 53 (high and lifted up; marred appearance; pierced for our transgressions)
- John 3:14 (as Moses lifted up the serpent, so must the Son of Man be lifted up)
- John 3:16-17 (God so loved the world; not to judge but to save)
- 2 Corinthians 4:4 (the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers)
- Ephesians 2:2 (the prince of the power of the air)
- Ephesians 6:12 (we do not wrestle against flesh and blood)
- 1 John 3:8 (the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil)
- 1 John 4:4 (he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world)
- Isaiah 1:2-5 (children I have reared, but they have rebelled)
- Isaiah 6:1-10 (Isaiah's commissioning; make the heart of this people dull)
- Psalm 81:11-12 (my people would not listen; I gave them over to their stubborn hearts)
- Romans 10:13 (all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved)
Sermon Discusion Guide
Message: Lifted Up (Part 2) - John 12:20–50
Text: John 12:27–50
GETTING TO KNOW ME
Text: John 12:27–50
Note to Leaders: You have been provided with more questions than you will have time to cover in an hour. Do not feel pressured to complete every question or take them in numerical order. Choose the questions that best fit your group’s dynamic and stage of life.
GETTING TO KNOW ME
- Think back over your school or sports days: what was one competition, performance, or milestone where you were lifted up, cheered on, or celebrated by others?
- When you hear about or meet an expert, leader, or person of authority for the first time, which of the following tends to be your first impression or expectation?
- A. Dignified, polished, and impeccably dressed.
- B. Quiet, unassuming, and blend-into-the-background.
- C. Charismatic, commanding the room with high energy.
- D. Down-to-earth, informal, and approachable.
- Priming the Pump: Reflecting on the message from John 12:20–50 this past weekend, what point, explanation, or verse did you find most helpful, challenging, or troubling?
- The Cross and the Powers of Darkness: In John 12:31, Jesus announced that His impending death was the decisive hour when "the ruler of this world will be cast out." Read Colossians 2:13–15.
- In your own words, how does the Apostle Paul describe what Jesus accomplished toward demonic rulers and authorities at the cross?
- Why is it significant for our daily Christian walk that Jesus defeated the enemy by bearing our guilt rather than through a physical or political conquest?
- A Second and Better Representative: The sermon highlighted biblical typology—how Jesus came as the new and better Adam (who obeys rather than rebels) and the true Israel. Read Philippians 2:5–11 and Romans 5:18–19.
- What was the attitude of Christ when faced with the suffering of the cross, and how does that reverse Adam’s original disobedience?
- According to Philippians 2:9–11, what was God the Father's response to Jesus’ willing humiliation and obedience unto death?
- The Cost of Hardening the Heart: John 12:37–40 quotes Isaiah 6:10 regarding people who saw miraculous signs yet hardened their hearts. Read Zechariah 7:11–13 and Hebrews 3:12–15.
- According to these passages, what causes a heart to become dull or hardened toward God over time?
- What practical warnings do these verses give about responding promptly to God's conviction rather than putting it off?
- Reframing Our Categories: The crowds in John 12 were confused because their categories for the Messiah did not include a suffering servant who would die on a cross.
- When you face difficult trials, seasons of grief, or unanswered prayers, which inaccurate category or assumption about God are you most tempted to default to?
- "If God loves me, this shouldn't be happening."
- "God must be angry with me or withholding His blessing."
- "I need to work harder to earn His favor."
- "God is distant and uninvolved in the day-to-day details."
- What biblical truth helps you recalibrate when your expectations don't match God's plans?
- When you face difficult trials, seasons of grief, or unanswered prayers, which inaccurate category or assumption about God are you most tempted to default to?
- "Yet Not My Will": Jesus knew the horror of bearing the wrath of God for sin, yet prayed: "Father, glorify your name" (John 12:27–28).
- In everyday life, yielding our will to God rarely involves martyrdom, but it often involves mundane obedience. Which of the following is currently the toughest area for you to say, "Not what I want, but what You want"?
- Extending forgiveness to someone who hurt you.
- Being generous with finances or possessions when money is tight.
- Serving someone behind the scenes with zero recognition.
- Speaking biblical truth at the risk of creating tension.
- Remaining faithful in a difficult work or family situation.
- In everyday life, yielding our will to God rarely involves martyrdom, but it often involves mundane obedience. Which of the following is currently the toughest area for you to say, "Not what I want, but what You want"?
- The Fear of Man: In John 12:42–43, many of the rulers believed in Jesus but would not confess Him publicly because they loved the approval of men more than the approval of God.
- Read Proverbs 29:25. In what spheres of your life (e.g., career, neighborhood, family reunions, friend circles) is the pull to blend in and protect your reputation the strongest?
- What is one small step of boldness God might be asking you to take in that setting this week?
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