|
Man of the Hour Story
After the voice speaks from heaven, Jesus says,
"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of
this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all people to myself.” And the crowds respond with the question,
“Who is this Son of Man?”
And this is the question for us today.
“Now is the judgment of this world.” The Greek word for
judgment is literally “Crisis”. Now is the “crisis” of this world.
“Man of the Hour". It was the fall of 1991. I had just
transferred from one University to another in order to continue my football
career. I was joining an established team with a winning tradition. But
they had struggled for the past three seasons with their place-kicker who
was very accurate, but just couldn’t kick the ball very far.
Now you need to know that my “Man of the Hour” experience
didn’t happen in a large stadium under the lights with thousands of fans. It was out on the practice field. As a matter of fact, we weren’t even
wearing our pads, only our helmets. It was my first practice. The return
team was lined up on one side of the field and I was on the kicking team on
the other side ready to kick-off. My adrenalin was pumping and on that
kickoff, I sent the ball sailing through the end zone, through the goal
posts.
The team erupted. They came running over, picked me up, put
me on their shoulders and carried me around the practice field chanting and
cheering. This was my moment of glory. I was the “Man of the Hour”.
Jesus as “Man of the Hour”: Plot Mover
That was my “Man of the Hour” moment. But Jesus’ was very
different. His moment involved being lifted up, but not to cheers of
jubilation, but cheers of humiliation, anger and mockery. In our
gospel lesson we have Jesus mentioning for the first
time that his hour has arrived.
Throughout the first half Jesus is waiting for his hour to
arrive. Everything he does and everything that happens to him points to
this hour when he will glorify the father and the father will glorify him.
He waits for this hour. And it seems like the whole world waits for it
too.
His mother wants him to fix the wine problem at a wedding
party, but Jesus is hesitant because as he says, “His hour has not yet
come”. People want to stone Jesus to death for blasphemy, but Jesus is able
to sneak through the crowd because his hour has not yet come. The religious
leaders want to arrest Jesus, but he makes his way to safety, because his
hour has not yet come.
When will his hour come? When will Jesus finally receive
glory? This is a question that helps move the plot along. And now finally,
Jesus announces that it has come, saying: “The Hour has come for the Son of
Man to be glorified.”
How does he know that his hour has come? Let’s look at the
context. Earlier in the gospel story when Jesus raised Lazarus from the
dead and gained a huge following, the religious leaders made this prophetic
announcement: they said
“The world has gone after him.” Not just the Jews,
but the whole world. And because of this, they wanted to kill him.
This is the sign for Jesus that his hour was here. Some
Greeks approach Philip wanting to see Jesus. We don’t know who these Greeks
were and they disappear almost as fast they appear in the story. But they
are important. The Pharisees words have come true. “The world has gone
after him.”
And now that the hour has arrived, Jesus has a decision to
make: self sacrifice or self-indulgence? Death that leads to life or life
that leads to death. Will he remain true to his identity and purpose?
Identity: Plot Mover
Another plot mover in the gospel of John is the question of
Jesus’ identity. This was the question asked at the end of our text. Who
is this son of man... this man of the hour?
Throughout the first half of this gospel, there is an
unfolding drama between Jesus and the people and Jesus and the religious
leaders. As a result of his teachings, his healings, his ministry, Jesus is
quickly gaining popularity among the people. Many are turning to him for
guidance and leadership. And the religious leaders begin to take notice. Who is this man of the hour?
He himself says very clearly that he was sent by God;
that he
is the Messiah. In argument after argument with the religious leaders: he
tells them:
▪
That his primary aim is to honor his Father in
heaven (that everything he does he does
for the glory of God)
▪
That they should know who he is because of the
things he has done,
▪
That they should know who he is because of the
authority by which he teaches.
But the leaders are divided. Some believe he is the Messiah
but are afraid to acknowledge it.
Some don’t care, but are concerned about his power over the
people. His power is beginning to erode their power and people are
beginning to leave them in order to follow him.
For others, it’s not a power thing, it’s a good versus evil
thing. They believe that he is dangerous; that he’s possessed by a demon. And as shepherds of the flock of Israel, the religious leaders feels as
though they have the responsibility to protect the people.
What are they to do? So they ask him point blank saying,
“Don’t keep us in suspense. Tell us if you are the Messiah.” Which of
course, frustrates Jesus, who has been showing and telling them the whole
time.
Jesus’ Identity? The Crisis
The identity of the Messiah, the Son of Man, is a
puzzle to the religious leaders, a challenge for Jesus, and a crisis for us.
Let’s look at the challenge for Jesus. Jesus knew his hour
had come. He’s thirty three years old. He’s gained quickly in popularity. He knew what God was asking him to do. He knew that soon he would be
arrested, whipped and beaten. He knew that soon he would have his arms
stretched and nailed to the cross. He knew that soon he would suffer
humiliation and death. And this was to be his hour of glory? Exactly!
Listen to how he describes it. Jesus says that his “glory”
will look like a grain of wheat that falls into the earth and dies. He will
be the Good Serpent lifted up on a pole bringing salvation to his people. And this act of self-sacrifice will be much fruit.
The challenge for Jesus was to submit to this bleak but
promising future. And in this moment of crisis, Jesus demonstrates once
more his unwavering allegiance to God and God’s will, saying,
“Now my soul
is troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No
for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify thy name.”
As the “Man of the Hour”, in this crisis, Jesus shows what he
expects of his followers as well.
What about us?
And here is the crisis for us. How do we respond? Jesus says,
“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in
the world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must
follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves
me, the father will honor him.”
Notice first that Jesus is NOT saying that if your life is
great in this world then you’re going to lose it and if you think your life
in this world stinks then you’re going to be stuck with it for eternity. Jesus is
NOT saying that.
What he IS saying is that there is danger in loving your own
life more than loving God and God’s glory. But if you are willing to
sacrifice your life; if glorifying God is your greatest joy even more than
life itself, then you will keep your life forever. And God will honor you
for it.
The Christian life is one of service and sacrifice. During
this season of Lent, have we acknowledged
that?
Do we believe Jesus is the Messiah? Jesus’ act of devotion
and his challenge to us has drawn a line in the sand. Whose side are we
on?
If we affirm his identity as Lord and Savior, we must follow
him on the road of sacrifice. Following him means submitting to him. Submitting to him means serving him. Serving him means doing what he
did; having the same mind or attitude and the same focus. His attitude was
humble obedience. His focus was doing everything for his Father’s glory. Therefore, we should live our lives in humble obedience seeking always to
bring glory to God the Father. All aspects of our life should bear witness
to the gracious loving nature of God.
▪ Do we believe Jesus is the Messiah? Is it important enough
to us that we would be willing
to confess it?
▪
Is it important enough that we would allow this fact to
change the way we live?
▪
Is it important enough that we would be willing to sacrifice
our time, our comfort, our
quest for wealth or fame or pleasure?
▪
Is God’s glory important enough that we should be willing to
forsake all else to follow him
and accomplish
his mission?
▪
Is God important enough to us that we base all of our actions
all of our deeds all that we do, say,
think feel based on this relationship?
▪
Do we believe that God is there?
▪
Do we believe that we live every hour, every minute, and
every second of our lives before God;
in the
presence of God; and does this
shape the way we live, act, and respond to those
around us?
It’s one thing to know about God. It’s another thing to let our knowledge
of God shape how we live. The glory of God is not a lifeless truth we
shelve, like groceries we bring home from the market and tuck away in the
back of the pantry, never again to be seen. As with all truths of the
Reformed faith, the glory of God needs to be preserved, prepared, and
savored, therefore nourishing, strengthening, and sustaining every part of
our being.
In other words, it should bring nutrients to every area of
our lives. It should so transform our lives that the Reformer’s motto “Soli Deo Gloria” (to God alone be the glory) seasons everything we believe and
do.
Halgopian on Living for God’s Glory
When we say that our primary reason for living is to glorify
God, we do not mean that we add more glory to the all-glorious God or
somehow make him more glorious. Instead, God ushers us into his presence to
become so intoxicated, so enamored with his glory that we respond by
honoring him for who he is and what he has done for us and in us as his
people. When we are called upon to glorify him in this sense, we are called
upon to reflect or declare his glory in our very lives. We glorify God in
this sense when we praise him; when we fear and worship him; when we refrain
from sinning against him; when we grow strong in our faith in him; when we
bear much fruit for him; and when we obey him in doing good works. There
are no limits to glorifying God in our lives. We are to do everything with
the purpose of glorifying him. We are live by reflecting and declaring his
glory in everything we believe and do.
And glorifying him in this way involves enjoying him as never
before. If we strive to live for his glory, we will set our sights on him
and enjoy him anew each day. We will proclaim, along with David, that even
amidst failing health, God is the strength of our heart and our portion
forever. Although we are empty in him and insufficient in and of ourselves,
our fullness and sufficiency are found in him and in him alone.
Abraham Kuyper described the Reformed faith as a “high and
holy calling to consecrate every department of life and every energy at its
disposal to the glory of God.” He was fond of saying that there was not one
inch of creation over which Christ didn’t say “mine”. And as a result,
Abraham Kuyper consistently lived his life, as if to say “yours”.
Today on the fifth Sunday in Lent, we are called to reflect, to
repent and to reorient ourselves to God’s way in the world.
We are called to die to ourselves, to hate the ways of the
world, and to reflect God’s covenant of love, grace, mercy and life with our
very lives. Amen. |
