Being exposed to God's word can raise many questions
Examples:
'Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man entering heaven'
'Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life within you'
'Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the pharisees, you will not enter heaven'
John 12:34
Looking at two final questions from John's Gospel
v34 - "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?"
Jesus did not feel this question was worthy of answering
Probably because they were only concerned with theological debate
This was now a critical time for Jesus Christ - "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified" (v23)
He was focussed upon the cross
We are going to look at this
We are not going to answer for Jesus but for ourselves
Why did He need to be lifted on the cross?
What does it mean to be 'lifted up'?
The Bible does not go into the gory details of the crucifixion
Example of sex in the bible
We must handle the Scriptures wisely and carefully
If we understand more about crucifixion we understand all the more how Jesus loves us
This expression speaks of the cross (v32-33)
The people understood it meant crucifixion
What did crucifixion mean to Jesus?
He had already been badly beaten - His face was disfigured
Slapped, beaten, twice spat upon and scourged
He was so weak He could not carry His cross
He was nailed to the cross for 6 hours
People died from asphyxiation, sepsis, heart failure, pulmonary embolism
Jesus gave up His life/spirit
He was in full control
He was mocked
He was almost naked
Yet Jesus said - "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified" (v23)
There was a glory in the cross
Jesus did not stop this - He had come into the world to die
'His hour was not yet' (John 2:4, 7:30, 8:20)
Now His hour had come (v23)
Mental, emotional and physical pain
Why did He need to be lifted up?
John 3:14 - "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"
The incident in the Old Testament: Numbers 21:4-9
The people were grumbling and complaining
They were bit by snakes and many died
God commanded Moses to make and lift up a bronze serpent
God commanded that whoever looked at the serpent would be healed
Jesus refers to this incident
As the Son of Man is lifted up, there will be spiritual healing
He will draw all peoples to Himself
"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself" (v32)
He will draw people to Himself and away from sin
We have the poison of sin with us
Example of the Ten Commandments
Idols - even in our hearts
Taking God's name in vain
Honouring the Sabbath
Honouring your parents
Anger in your heart
Adultery and lust
False witness and theft
We break God's law - we are rebels
Sin brings death
God must punish sin
Yet Christ comes - He overcomes sin and satan on the cross
Jesus has overcome the curse by becoming a curse for us
Jesus took our sin upon Him
Jesus became sin for us - there was three hours of darkness separating Him from the Father
Such is Jesus' love for us
Whoever looks to Jesus Christ lives
Whoever believes in Jesus Christ lives
Whoever has faith in Jesus Christ is forgiven, healed, restored
Jesus is the mediator between God and man
To clean us, forgive us, heal us, restore us
We must simply look at Jesus Christ
Who is the Son of Man?
Jesus used the title for Himself on around 50 occasions
He rarely uses the title 'Son of God'
He often uses the title 'Son of Man'
Daniel 7:13-14
Jesus is the 'new' Man
We are sons of the first man - Adam
We need a new man, a perfect representative
So Jesus comes from God - the Son of Man
This title often speaks about humility and servanthood
It is also a title of glory, majesty and beauty
Daniel 7:13-14 could refer to Jesus first or second coming
Whichever is correct, what is His victory?
Christ overcomes satan and sets His people free
Christ reverses the curse upon mankind
Christ destroys the work of the evil one
All nations will bow before Him - in honour or judgment
