The last seven verses of John 12 conclude Jesus’ public preaching. Afterward, he would spend his remaining time prior to the cross focused on preparing the disciples for their future ministries. So, in this final discourse to the crowds, he passionately raised his voice and issued one last call to faith.
He started off by clarifying that to believe in him meant believing in the one who’d sent him. Then, he reminded them of the three things he’d done to help them do that. He’d shown them what the Father is like, reflected his light into their darkness, and declared to them his words warning that those words would one day serve as their judge if they rejected him.
And with that, it was over. There was just no more to say. It was time for them to make their choice and he left them to it. But I’m deeply intrigued by that succinct-yet-profound, three-fold description of the Lord’s ministry and how it impacts all of us.
First, he showed us what the Father is like. We don’t have to wonder or guess. The maker and master of all things pressed his glory into human flesh and lived among us (John 1:14) putting his love, wisdom, power, authority, tenderness, kindness, and holiness on display. God is not a philosophy to be debated, a concept to be shaped, a mystery to be solved, or a mythology to be embellished. He has a very real and indelible face, name, and history in Jesus of Nazareth. And although he’s infinitely greater than flesh and blood could ever contain (Romans 11:33; 1 Timothy 6:16), the incarnation made it possible for him to be seen, touched, followed, studied, emulated, and ultimately believed on with a faith anchored in facts (1 John 1:1-3).
Second, he reflected the Father’s light into our darkness. He made it possible for us to recognize our need. We’re so accustomed to and enveloped by the inky depths of our sin that we’re unaware of our spiritual blindness until the shining example of the righteousness of God in Jesus breaks through revealing the impassible chasm between us and him. But then, like a rising sun illuminating a new day (Luke 1:78), Jesus also reveals the bridge across that divide opened for us through his love and sacrifice.
Finally, he declared the Father’s words to us. He made it possible for us to hear God. Through the things Jesus said, the folly, distortions, lies, and deceptions that poison, ruin, and enslave us are exposed and undone as God’s truth sets us free (John 8:32). His teachings also inspire, instruct, nourish, and guide us. But his words not only contain the power and wisdom of God, they reveal his heart. In them, we hear the sound of his voice.
When someone speaks, they’re engaged in two streams of communication at once. There’s what they say and how they say it. The first stream provides the informational content, the second supplies the relational context. And we all know what it’s like when they don’t match, when what’s said informs but wounds in the process. But the words of Jesus always contain divine truth wrapped in the love of God. Even when his message seems confrontive and hard to receive, we always hear the unmistakable sound of our loving Father speaking life to us and caring enough to say what we need to hear.
The Lord’s final public sermon was a call to faith. And an exploration of what he said that day elicits a response too. It’s just not possible to leave a consideration of the wonder of these three aspects of his life and ministry without ourselves being drawn to a fresh expression of belief that results in a renewal of devotion. Let’s offer him both.