John 12-13 - An unexpected road of honour

The realisation that Scripture has an honour-shame dimension as well as a guilt-innocence dimension, is an eye-opener …literally!

It is like my eyes see words and phrases in Scripture that I didn't even realise were there. I read the words but missed so much of the meaning and significance! I missed the relevence of subtle nuances as well as bold statements.

As I learn truth in fresh ways in my own quiet times with the Lord in His Word, and share a now much greater awe of God, I am challenged that I should share my gleanings in a wider way.

I don't purport to be an expert theological scholar, nor am I attempting to provide an academic analysis of the text and any related theological debate. Please do your own study to weigh up what is worth taking away to think on further. Please always weigh it up in the light of your own ongoing study of Scripture. As pilgrims on a journey together I trust and pray that some of what I share might be useful, helpful and encouraging. My goal is to simply highlight some of the honour-shame elements I see in the pages of our bible.

So from time to time, I hope to share such posts in this blog, 

So in our calendar, as we arrive at Palm Sunday, here is the first of these posts, in relation to John chapters 12-13 which were the events immediately following that first Palm Sunday….

A New Lens: John 12:20-13:17

Outsider Greeks

The Palm Sunday triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem has just occurred, where Jesus received much praise and glory from the people. A time when many would have presumed that to be the start of Jesus beginning his overthrow of oppressive powers and showing his greatness.

However, the next thing that John records is that some Greeks want to see Jesus.

Now we might read quickly over that word, but it is a little word with a greater contextual meaning.  The Greeks represented the 'outsiders', the 'sinners', those who were not part of God's chosen people—the Jews. To the Jews they were not part of God's honoured ones, nor His priority.

Those group of Greeks found Jesus' disciple Philip, who then found Andrew, who then approached Jesus, who then spoke to them all.

Don't miss it….

This is a significant and pivotal point in Jesus' life.

Up until this point he has used a phrase 'my hour has not yet come', (John 2:4, 7:8, 8:20) but suddenly here, when the outsider Greeks are seeking him, he says 'the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified'.  Once again Jesus is doing what is least expected in choosing to give acknowledgement-honour to those who are not normally honoured, and choosing such a time to announce the time for his life's purpose to be fulfilled.

Glorified?

Now here is the next thing not to miss! - this word 'glorified'.

As Western Christians, if you are like me, the immediate thought in your mind is that this is the beginning of Jesus' time leading to his ascension to the Father's right hand back in heaven - so we think that 'glorify' means go to heaven.

Let me suggest that it does not mean this at all.

Unfortunately even when you look at the commentaries there is that thought in some that 'heaven' equates with 'glory' (such as Ellicots) .  But some suggest that this is not talking about something leading to later glory at ascension, but it is talking about his death (such as Pulpit Commentary) - 'His death is but his glory'. …his honor.

Jesus hasn't yet mentioned death as glory…but he is about to...

Jesus is trying to tell the listeners that what is about to happen might look like the opposite of glory and honour, but glory and honour it is. 

He goes on to speak of the metaphor of a grain of wheat, which unless it dies it will not produce what it was meant to produce. There will be no life of a plant or its fruit if the seed doesn't first die. 

He goes on to tell them that if they were to be followers of Jesus then they were going to have to lose their life like a seed seems to lose its life. If they love their life now and try to hang onto it they will lose it, but if they are willing to have such disregard for their life that it is like hating their life in this world, that they will in fact keep it for eternity.  

He was trying to tell them that God's idea of glory and honor requires an eternal perspective because from an earthly vantage point it will mean death - death physically and death relationally (we'll get to that in a minute)!

And if you wonder if this really is all about honour, he reminds the listeners that if you are willing to serve Jesus, then the Father will honour you.(v26)

Although the listeners probably still haven't grasped the meaning of all this talk of wheat seeds yet, its linked with seeking one's honour from God rather than the world.

But, Again, don't miss the significance here…..of all the times to choose when to say that this is the time now for his honour, the time when he says it is when the 'excluded' Greeks want to come to him!

The type of honoured King the Jews were looking for was not one that took time or significance regarding 'Gentiles'! But Jesus' salvation and kingly rule was going to come the same way in which people saw him live his life - not following the expected honour codes!

For the Father's Glory

Next up in John's narrative he records that Jesus was troubled. 

Suddenly the weight of 'the time has come', has impacted his very being. His humanity says 'Father save me from this hour'. He knows what is coming and there is a very real part of him that doesn't 'want' to do it. But in the same breath, he tells himself that despite his human fears and divine awareness, it is for this very hour that he came into the world. He is about to fulfil his purpose, and the Father's purpose for him…that in him and in his death the Father would be glorified/honoured, and he wants this most of all. So he prays 'Father glorify your name'.  And just like at his baptism, the Father spoke from heaven, saying this time: "I have glorified it and I will glorify it again". Despite the horror of the upcoming days, Jesus could be assured that nothing was going to overpower or overthrow God's purpose in it all to glorify Himself through it all.  This was also going to be the death-knell of Satan.

But then here comes the next part…

Lifted Up

Jesus says clearly for his listeners in v 32 that 'And I when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself'

Again, don't be like me and jump to a conclusion on what this means from commonly held understandings.

'Lifted up from the earth' is not his ascension.  It is reference to the cross. As 12:33 says Jesus said this to show what kind of death he must die - just as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, the Son of Man will be lifted up.  This is also what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:14-16 And these listeners seemed to understand what 'lifted up' referred to because they were now confused how the Christ who they understood would remain forever, could die, as that would mean he would come to an end? How could he rule with kingly honour and power, if he died?

But they didn't understand he would rise again.

The Honour of No Distinction

But there is a second part to his statement.  This bit I only realised recently while reading an old Scripture Union Daily Bread notes from back in 1957 by the Rev Guy King. He raises the issue that 'all people' is maybe not meaning 'all people without exception' but 'all people without distinction'!

Remember, right back at the beginning of this passage it wasn't the Jews that came to Jesus, but the Greeks - the excluded ones. These Greeks are part of his listeners here.

If we consider this, then Jesus is saying in the presence of Jews that the Christ has come to save the Greeks as well as the Jews, and the way it is going to happen is that he will have to die a shameful death.  He is going to have to lose his life to be able to give his life, he is going to have to go to a place of shame in order to come to the place of honour before the Father and to bring honour to the Father and to bring the opportunity of restored honour for all people irrespective of race or ethnicity. He is thus teaching his followers that to follow him means to be willing to lose your life in an earthly sense to gain it in an eternal sense, and that the the road to eternal honour before God is the road of death and shame before people.

Loving which kind of glory?

If you have any doubt about this theme of the need to seek true honour that Jesus is trying to teach, go over a few verses, to chapter 12 verse 43 where Jesus talks about some of the Jewish leaders who 'believed' but were not prepared to confess their belief in him because 'they loved the glory[honour] that came from man more than the glory[honour] that comes from God'. They did not want the shame of being thrown out (excommunicated/rejected/excluded) from the synagogue.

This is why we are told that to be saved we have to be willing to both 'confess with your mouth and believe in your heart'. Confession that is simply profession without belief, and done to impress, is not salvation. Neither is 'belief' that is not willing to confess and endure shame and lose their life on earth, in order to gain eternal life.

For the conclusion of this story, even before the cross, Jesus doesn't just talk about this road of shame in order to know true honour and give God true honour, he demonstrates it. 

True honour demonstrated

Chapter 13 begins with him taking the role of the lowest of servants and picks up a towel to wash his disciples feet.  Not only does he take that role to wash feet, but he as their Teacher lowers himself to 'under' them and wash their feet. - an act that not only shames himself, but shames them (because it is shameful to let a Teacher in your presence to do such a task that would be considered 'below' his dignity and honour and position). That is why Peter didn't want him to wash his feet.

Then not only did Jesus do that, but he then told the disciples to be willing to wash one another's feet.  If they were truly going to be Jesus' disciples, it was not about basking in the glory of being with the popular teacher, it was going to mean a road of shame in the eyes of people around who would not understand the attitude and actions of true servants of Christ.  Honour in God's eyes was going to mean shame in the eyes of people.

The Christian life is not about honour for those who think they are in a position of honour in the world and already love the honour of the world or religion. It is about honour in Christ, through faith in Him, for everyone of all ethnicities. It's also not about wealth and propsperity and popularity and honour on this earth. On this earth we can expect no more than the very opposite.  But if we are willing to lose our life on this earth - we have the reward of eternal life - a life that glorifies and honours God, and is honoured by God beyond this earth.

How does a greater understanding of the honour that Jesus was talking about and lived out, not least in these few days leading to the cross, impact your own life and witness?