John 12:27 - Meaning and Application

Honour is given to Christ here by his Father, in a voice from heaven. It came because of what Jesus had just said, and it led to further talk with the people. In these verses, we see Christ speaking to his Father because his spirit had become troubled.

“Now my soul is troubled” (John 12:27). That is a surprising thing to hear from Christ, especially at this moment, when several hopeful thoughts were before him. You might expect him to say, “Now my soul is glad.” Yet trouble of soul can come after great spiritual joy. In this changing world, joy is often followed by a low point. When Paul was caught up to the third heaven, he also had a thorn in the flesh.

Notice Christ’s fear of the suffering ahead: “Now my soul is troubled.” The dark part of the scene was beginning. His soul was entering its first deep pain, and his agony was starting. The sin of our souls was the trouble of Christ’s soul, because he came to redeem us and make his soul an offering for our sin. And his troubled soul was meant to calm our troubled souls. After this, he told his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). Holy sorrow can exist with spiritual joy, and it can even lead to lasting joy. Christ was troubled for a time, but not forever. That is a comfort to believers in their troubles too, because their grief is only for a while and will be turned into joy.

Then Jesus says, “And what shall I say?” This does not mean he was asking advice from anyone else. He was thinking through what was fitting to say in that moment. When our souls are troubled, we must be careful not to speak carelessly, but to think about what we should say. Christ speaks here as if he is at a loss. There was a struggle between the work he had taken on, which required suffering, and the human nature he had also taken on, which shrank from it. He paused between these two thoughts and said, “What shall I say?” Calvin notes this as a great sign of Christ’s humility, that he would speak like one at a loss. The more the Lord of glory emptied himself, the brighter the proof of his love for us. In this way, he was tempted in every way as we are, so that when we do not know what to do, we can look to him.

Then comes his prayer to God in this hard moment: “Father, save me from this hour.” The phrase means, “Save me out of this hour.” He was praying not so much that the hour would never come, but that he would be brought through it. This was the language of innocent human feeling, poured out in prayer. It is both our duty and our good in trouble to go to God in faithful, earnest prayer, and to come to him as Father. Christ willingly went into suffering, and still prayed to be saved from it. Prayer against trouble can go together with patience under it and submission to God’s will.

He calls his suffering “this hour,” meaning the events now close at hand. That tells us the time of his suffering was fixed, set to an hour, and he knew it. He had twice before said his hour had not yet come, but now it was so near that he could say it had come. It also shows that his suffering would be short. An hour passes quickly, and so would Christ’s sufferings. He could look through them to the joy set before him.

Yet he immediately agrees to his Father’s will. He corrects himself, as if taking back what he had just said: “But for this cause I came to this hour.” His human feeling spoke first, but divine wisdom and love had the last word. If we want to speak rightly, we should often think twice. The one who complains speaks first, but if we want to judge fairly, we must hear the other side. On his second thought, Christ steadies himself. He does not say he must suffer because there is no way out, but because he came for this purpose. It was part of his own willing commitment, and it would be the crown of all his work. If he turned back now, all that had been done so far would be wasted. This points to God’s own plan for his suffering, by which he had to submit and suffer. That should help us accept the darkest hours of our lives, since they were already included in God’s purpose for us (1 Thessalonians 3:3).

Then Christ shows his concern for his Father’s honour. After setting aside his first request, he offers another one that he stands by: “Father, glorify your name.” This has the same sense as “Father, your will be done,” because God’s will is always for his own glory. But this says more than simple submission. It is a dedication of his sufferings to the glory of God. It is a mediatorial word, meaning spoken by him as the one who stood between God and us, our surety who had taken responsibility to satisfy divine justice for our sin.

The wrong we have done to God through sin is a wrong to his glory, his public honor. That is the one way creatures can truly injure him. We could never make satisfaction for that wrong, and no creature could do it for us. So nothing remained except that God should take honor for himself in our ruin. At that point, the Lord Jesus stepped in. He took on the work of satisfying God’s injured honour, and he did it through his humiliation. He gave up the honors due to the Son of God made flesh, and he accepted the deepest shame. Now he offers that satisfaction as our equal payment: “Father, glorify your name. Let your justice be honored on the sacrifice, not on the sinner. Let the debt be charged to me. I can pay it, the debtors cannot.” In this way, he restored what he did not take away.

Then comes the Father’s answer to this prayer. He always hears him, and still does. The answer came by a voice from heaven. The Jews spoke of a Bath-kol, or “daughter of a voice,” as one of the ways God had spoken to the prophets in former times. But we do not find this kind of direct voice given to anyone except our Lord Jesus. It was an honour kept for him (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5). Here, too, that audible voice was likely joined to some visible sign, perhaps light or darkness, since both have often carried the display of God’s glory. The answer itself follows.

This was an open answer to that prayer, “Father, glorify your name.” God had already glorified his name, and he would glorify it again. When we pray as Jesus taught, “Our Father, may your name be honored as holy,” we can take comfort in this answer, given to Christ here and, in him, to all true believers.

God’s name had already been glorified in Christ’s life, in his teaching, his miracles, and every example of holiness and goodness he gave. It would be glorified even more in Christ’s death and sufferings. In that death, God’s wisdom, power, justice, holiness, truth, and goodness were all shown clearly. The demands of a broken law were fully met, the insult done to God’s rule was satisfied, and God accepted that satisfaction and showed that he was pleased.

What God has already done to glorify his own name encourages us to expect what he will still do. He who has secured the honor of his own glory will continue to guard it.

III. The people standing by gave different opinions about this voice (John 12:29). We may hope that some among them were so ready to receive a message from God that they understood what was said and gave witness to it. But the passage also notes the stubborn ideas of the crowd. Some said it thundered. Others, seeing that it was clearly an intelligible voice, said an angel had spoken to him.

This shows, first, that the event was real, even in the judgment of those who were not favorably disposed toward Jesus. Second, it shows how unwilling they were to accept such a clear proof of Christ’s divine mission. They would rather say it was this or that, or anything at all, than admit that God had spoken to him in answer to his prayer. Yet if it thundered with clear sounds (Revelation 10:3, 10:4), was that not God’s voice? And if angels spoke to him, are they not God’s messengers? Still, God speaks once, yes twice, and people do not notice it.

IV. Our Savior himself explains this voice. First, he tells why it was sent (John 12:30). “It came not because of me,” meaning, not merely for my comfort and encouragement. If that had been the only purpose, it could have been whispered to me privately. “It came for your sakes.” It was given so that all who heard it might believe that the Father had sent him. What is spoken from heaven about the Lord Jesus, and about the Father’s glory in him, is spoken for our sake, so that we may submit to him and rest in him.

It was also meant to encourage his disciples, who would follow him in suffering. They were to draw comfort from the same supports that upheld him. This should encourage them to give up even life itself for his sake, if called to do so, because it will bring honor to God. The promises and support given to our Lord Jesus in his sufferings were meant for our sake. For our sake he set himself apart for that work, and for our sake he strengthened himself.

Second, Jesus explains what the voice meant. He, who lay in the Father’s bosom, knew the voice and its meaning. God intended two things when he said he would glorify his own name. One was that Satan would be defeated by Christ’s death (John 12:31). “Now is the judgment.” He speaks with holy joy and triumph. “Now the time has come to break the serpent’s head and strike a final blow against the powers of darkness. Now that great work is to be done, the work long planned in God’s counsel, long promised in Scripture, and long desired by the saints and feared by demons.”

The meaning of that triumph is this: now is the judgment of this world. If we take the word in a medical sense, it means the turning point of a disease. The sick world is now at the critical moment, the day when the scale will turn toward life or death for all people. Anyone not rescued by this will be left helpless and hopeless. Or, if we take it in a legal sense, it means that judgment has been entered, and execution is about to be taken against the prince of this world.

The death of Christ was the judgment of this world in three ways. First, it was a judgment of discovery and separation, a testing and sorting of people. The cross shows what the world is like, because people are judged by how they receive Christ’s death. To some, it is foolishness and a stumbling block. To others, it is the wisdom and power of God. The two criminals crucified with Jesus were a picture of this.

Second, it was a judgment of favor and pardon for God’s chosen people in the world. On the cross, Christ stood between a holy God and a guilty world as a sacrifice for sin and a surety, that is, one who takes responsibility for others. When he was judged, when sin was placed on him, and when he was wounded for our sins, it was as though judgment had passed on this world, because an everlasting right standing before God was brought in, not for Jews only, but for the whole world (1 John 2:1, 2; Daniel 9:24).

Third, it was a judgment against the powers of darkness. See John 16:11. Here judgment means vindication and deliverance, the claim of a right that had been invaded. At Christ’s death, there was a great contest between Christ and Satan, between the serpent and the promised seed. The dispute was over the world and who had authority over it. The devil had long ruled among human beings, from ancient times. He now claimed the right by long possession, and also by the loss mankind had brought on itself through sin. He was even willing to make a deal, as in Luke 4:6, 7. He would have given Christ the kingdoms of this world if Christ would hold them from and under him. But Christ would settle it by death. By dying, he removes the guilt before divine justice, then fairly contests the claim and wins it back in heaven’s court. Satan’s rule is shown to be a takeover without right, and the world is given to the Lord Jesus as his rightful possession (Psalm 2:6, 8). The judgment of this world is that it belongs to Christ, not to Satan. So let us all become Christ’s tenants.

The other part of this triumph is this: now the prince of this world is cast out. This is the devil, called the prince of this world because he rules over worldly people by means of worldly things. He is the ruler of the darkness of this world, that is, of this dark world and of those who walk in darkness (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:12). He is said to be cast out, now cast out, because everything done before to weaken his kingdom was done through the power of a Christ who was yet to come, and so it is spoken of as happening now. Christ, by reconciling the world to God through the merit of his death, broke the power of death and cast out Satan as a destroyer. Christ, by bringing the world back to God through the teaching of his cross, broke the power of sin and cast out Satan as a deceiver. The bruising of his heel was the breaking of the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15).

When Christ’s word was silenced, his temples left empty, his idols left hungry, and the kingdoms of the world became Christ’s kingdom, then the prince of this world, Satan, was cast out. You can see that by comparing this with John’s vision in (Revelation 12:8-11), where the victory comes through the blood of the Lamb. Christ’s repeated casting out of demons from people’s bodies was a sign of the great purpose of his whole work.

Notice how confidently Christ speaks here about victory over Satan. It is as good as already done. Even when he gives himself up to death, he triumphs through it.

Christ also teaches that his death would bring souls to God, and this too would be the casting out of Satan (John 12:32). He says, “If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” Here we should notice two things. The first is the great purpose of the Lord Jesus, which was to draw all people to himself, not Jews only, who had long been outwardly near to God, but Gentiles too, who had been far away. He was to be the desire of all nations (Haggai 2:7), and to him the peoples would gather.

What his enemies feared was that the whole world would go after him. Yet he would draw people to himself anyway, despite all opposition. In conversion, Christ is all in all. It is Christ who draws: “I will draw.” This is sometimes said of the Father too (John 6:44), but here it is said of the Son, who is the arm of the Lord. He does not drive people by force. He draws them with human ties and loving kindness (Hosea 11:4; Jeremiah 31:3), as a magnet draws iron. The soul is made willing, but it is willing in a day of power.

It is also to Christ that we are drawn. He draws us to himself as the center of our unity. The soul that was far from Christ is brought into close knowledge of him. The person who was cautious and suspicious of him is brought to love and trust him. We are drawn into his terms, and into his arms. Christ was about to go to heaven, and he would draw people’s hearts there too.

The second thing to notice is the strange way he would carry out this purpose, by being lifted up from the earth. To avoid any mistake, John explains that Jesus meant the kind of death he would die, the death of the cross (John 12:33). They had planned to stone him, but he would die by crucifixion. The one who was crucified was first nailed to the cross, and then lifted up on it. He was lifted up as a sight for the world to see, lifted up between heaven and earth as though unworthy of either. Yet the word used here also means honor or exaltation, so Christ spoke of his sufferings as his honor.

Whatever death we die, if we die in Christ, we will be lifted up out of this dungeon, this den of lions, into the regions of light and love. We should learn from our Master to speak of dying with calm joy, and to say, “We shall then be lifted up.”

Christ’s drawing of all people to himself came after he was lifted up from the earth. First, it followed later in time. The church grew greatly after Christ’s death. While Christ was alive, we read of thousands being fed in a miracle from one sermon, but after his death we read of thousands being added to the church from one sermon. Israel also began to multiply in Egypt after Joseph’s death.

Second, it followed as a blessed result of his death. There is great power in the death of Christ to draw souls to him. The cross of Christ is a stumbling stone to some, but to others it is a magnet. Some take this as a picture of fish being drawn into a net, and Christ’s lifting up as the net being spread (Matthew 13:47-48). Others think of a standard raised up, which gathers soldiers together. But it may better point to the bronze serpent lifted up in the wilderness, which drew to it all who had been bitten by fiery serpents, as soon as they knew it had been lifted up and had healing power in it. What a crowd came to it! So too people flocked to Christ when salvation through him was preached to all nations, see (John 3:14-15).

Perhaps this also points to the way Christ was crucified, with his arms stretched out, as if to invite all to himself and embrace all who come. Those who put Christ to that shameful death thought they would drive everyone away from him. But the devil was outdone by his own plan. Out of the eater came something to eat.

The people then objected to what Jesus said and argued against it (John 12:34). Though they had heard the voice from heaven and the gracious words from his lips, they still raised objections and found fault. Christ had called himself the Son of man (John 12:23), which they knew was one of the Messiah’s titles, from (Daniel 7:13). He had also said that the Son of man must be lifted up, which they understood to mean his death, and he had likely explained it in that way. Some think he repeated what he had said to Nicodemus, “So must the Son of man be lifted up” (John 3:14).

They answered him by appealing to Old Testament passages that speak of the Messiah’s lasting rule, saying he should not be cut off in the middle of his days, but be a priest forever (Psalm 110:4), and a king forever (Psalm 89:29), with length of days forever and ever and years through all generations (Psalm 21:4; Psalm 61:6). From this they argued that the Messiah should not die. Great knowledge of Scripture, if the heart is not made holy, can be used to support unbelief and to fight against Christianity with its own weapons.

Their mistake becomes clear when we look closer. First, when they used Scripture to prove that the Messiah would remain forever, they ignored the passages that speak of his death and suffering. They had heard from the law that the Messiah abides forever, but had they never heard from the law that the Messiah would be cut off (Daniel 9:26), pour out his soul to death (Isaiah 53:12), and have his hands and feet pierced? Why then should they be so surprised at the Son of man being lifted up?

We often fall into serious error and then defend it with Scripture, by separating what God’s word has joined together and setting one truth against another under the claim of protecting it. We have heard from the gospel what magnifies free grace, and we have also heard what commands duty. We should hold both together with full hearts, not divide them or make them enemies.

Second, when they objected to what Christ said about the sufferings of the Son of man, they ignored what he had said about his glory and exaltation. They had heard from the law that Christ abides forever, but had they not heard the Lord Jesus say that he would be glorified, that he would bear much fruit, and that he would draw all people to himself? Had he not just promised lasting honor to his followers, which already pointed to his own eternal reign? Yet they passed all this by.

Unfair disputers often oppose only part of an argument, while the full truth would leave them no room to argue. In Christ’s teaching there were deep truths that offended corrupt minds, like Christ crucified and yet glorified, lifted up from the earth and yet drawing all people to himself. The same kind of people then asked, “Who is this Son of Man?” They did not ask to learn, but to mock, as if they had beaten him in argument.

What bothered them most was Christ’s lowly condition and poverty. They would rather have no Messiah than a suffering one. But the objection was weak, and they could have answered it themselves if they had thought honestly. Human beings die, yet still endure forever, and so it is with the Son of Man. Instead of arguing with fools on their own terms, Christ gave them a serious warning: do not waste the little time you have on empty debates (John 12:35, John 12:36).

We see here Christ’s care for people’s souls, even for those plotting against him. He warned them gently to look after themselves, while they were planning evil against him. Even as he suffered the insult of sinners, he still sought their conversion. He also used a meek and patient way of dealing with opposition, teaching those who set themselves against him (2 Timothy 2:25).

If people truly felt concern for their eternal state, and if they remembered how little time they have, they would not spend so many thoughts on useless arguments. Christ reminds them that they had a great privilege: they had him and his gospel with them, but only for a short time. “Yet a little while is the light with you.” Christ is that light, and some early teachers thought he was answering the objection in this way. His death on the cross was no more against his lasting rule than the setting of the sun is against its continuing course. His kingdom lasts as surely as the sun and moon, which God has fixed in the heavens, even though they rise, set, and are sometimes hidden (Psalm 72:17; Psalm 89:36, Psalm 89:37).

At that moment the Jews had the light among them. They had Christ’s bodily presence, heard his preaching, and saw his miracles. In the same way, Scripture is a light shining in a dark place. But that light would not stay with them long. Christ would soon leave them, their outward church life would soon be broken up, and the kingdom of God would be taken from them. Darkness and hard-heartedness would come on Israel. We should all think about how short a time we have the light with us. Time is short, and the chance may be shorter still. The lampstand may be removed, and we ourselves will certainly be removed soon. We have only a little while of life, a little while of gospel light, a little while of grace, and a little while while the Spirit of grace still strives with us.

Because of that, Christ tells them to make the best use of their privilege while they still have it: “Walk while you have the light.” Like travelers, they should move forward while daylight lasts, so they are not caught in the dark. Traveling at night is unsafe and unpleasant. So we too should be wise for our souls, since we are moving toward eternity. Our work is to walk onward toward heaven and grow more fit for it. Life is only a day, and we have a day’s journey to make.

The best time to walk is while the light is still shining. Day is the time for work, and night is the time for rest. The right time to seek grace is when the word of grace is being preached and the Spirit of grace is working on us. We must use our chances well, because our day may end before our work is done. If darkness comes before we finish, we may lose the chance forever. That darkness means a terrible loss of all ability to secure salvation, which leaves the careless sinner in a sad state.

Those who have sinned away the gospel, and who have come to the end of their day of grace, walk in darkness. They do not know where they are going or where they will end up. They do not understand the road they are on, or the end toward which they are moving. Anyone without the light of the gospel, and without its guidance, wanders through errors, mistakes, and many crooked paths without even realizing it. Take away Christian teaching, and we know very little of the difference between good and evil. Such a person is moving toward destruction and does not see the danger. He is like someone sleeping or dancing at the edge of a pit.

From all this, Christ draws the duty and benefit of every one of us: “While you have the light, believe in the light” (John 12:36). The Jews then had Christ’s presence with them, and they should make use of it. Later, the apostles would make the first offers of the gospel to them wherever they went. This was a warning not to miss their chance, but to accept the offer when it came. The same warning comes to all who enjoy the gospel.

It is our duty to believe the gospel light, to receive it as God’s true light, to accept what it shows, and to follow where it leads. Christ is the light, and we must trust him as he is revealed in the gospel, as a true light that will not deceive us and a sure light that will not mislead us. We must do this while we still have the light, taking hold of Christ while the gospel shows us the way to him and guides us in it. Those who believe in the light will become children of light, known as true Christians, children of light and children of the day (Luke 16:8; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).

Those who have God as their Father are children of light, because God is light. They are born from above, heirs of heaven, and children of light, because heaven is light.

Christ then withdrew from them. After saying these things, Jesus said no more at that time. He left them to think about it, and departed and hid himself from them. He did this, first, to convict and awaken them. If they would not pay attention to what he had said, he would say no more to them. They were fixed in their unbelief, like Ephraim clinging to idols, so he let them alone. Christ rightly takes away the means of grace from those who quarrel with him, and he hides his face from a stubborn people (Deuteronomy 32:20).

Second, he did this to protect himself. He hid from their anger and fury, likely going back to Bethany, where he was staying. This shows that what he said only upset and enraged them. They became worse through what should have made them better.