John 12:23-26 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.… Why should this be such an hour of trouble and glory? How should the appearance of a few strangers have led to a discussion respecting the falling of wheat into the ground, and its death — the saving of life and the losing it? You will remember that when our Lord spoke of those "other sheep" He connected the formation of the one flock with the death of the one shepherd. The assertion is in strict harmony with the prophecy of Caiaphas. If you turn from St. John to St. Paul you will find that the breaking down of the wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles is effected "in the body of Christ's flesh through death." If you reflect on these passages, that which we treat as though it were only an accident — the calling in of the Gentiles — the unfolding of a universal society, will be seen to be that wonderful event to which all God's purposes, from the beginning of the world, had been tending — the unveiling of the deepest mystery of all, in the relations of God to man, in the Being of God Himself. Without sacrifice Jews and heathen had been taught there could be no unity among the members of a race. Sacrifice must bind them to God and to each other. Only he who can give up himself — so the heart of mankind testified — is a patriot; only he obeys the laws; only he can save his country when it is falling. There had been, then, a sure conviction that any larger union must involve a mightier sacrifice. As the conscience was awakened by God's teaching more and more clearly to perceive that all resistance to God lies in the setting up of self, it began to be understood that the atonement of man with man must have its basis in an atonement of God with man, and that the same sacrifice was needed for both. One thing yet remained to be learned — the most wonderful lesson of all, and yet one of which God had been giving the elements, line upon line, from the beginning: Could sacrifice originate in God and be made, first, not to Him but by Him? All our Lord's discourses concerning Himself and His Father — concerning His own acts as the fulfilment of the Father's will — concerning the love which the Father had to Him because He laid down His life for the sheep — had been bringing these mysteries to light; had been preparing the meek to confess with wonder and contrition that in every selfish act they had been fighting against an unselfish God — that in every self-sacrificing act they had been merely yielding to Him. And so far as they had any glimpses of the accomplishment of God's promises — that He would bring all into one — that the Gentiles should wait for His law — that He would be a Father of all the families of the earth — so far they had the vision of a transcendent and Divine sacrifice. (F. D. Maurice, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.WEB: Jesus answered them, "The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. |
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