The Hour Had Come…

 Throughout the ministry of Jesus, we are told that His hour had not yet come to reveal Himself as Messiah; His hour had not yet come to be glorified.

  Then… the hour arrived… and some Greeks, who were worshiping at the feast of Passover in Jerusalem, came wanting to see Jesus; they asked around, ‘we want to see Jesus, where will we find Him?’  And they asked Philip, he in turn told Andrew and both of them came and told Jesus. 
(John 12:20-22)

  It was the week of Passover, the feast that many Jews attended, coming from other countries to celebrate this great feast.
  What is important about these Greek seekers?  They had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Passover; they came to worship the living God; they came wishing to see Jesus. 

  As with all seekers of the Lord Jesus, we come seeking the words of God, the words of Jesus that confirmed God’s will for Him.  The hour had come…

  How did Jesus respond to Philip and Andrew when He heard that some Greeks wanted to see Him?
(NASB) John 12:23 “And Jesus answered them, saying, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’”

  The hour had arrived… Jesus told about a grain of wheat that has to die in order to produce a crop… that was an illustration of what Jesus was about to do… to die on a cross and be resurrected so many could live whose faith was in Him.  (John 12:24)

  The hour has arrived… we have to make a choice – to love this life to the exclusion of eternal life in the presence of God.  Or to not love this life, have no regard for this life, not to preserve our lives, because of having no faith in the living Lord Jesus Christ.  (John 12:25)

  The hour has arrived… to serve Jesus by following Him, putting His words into action –today… by serving Him.  (John 12:26)

  Did Jesus fully know and understand what would happen during that Passover week?
Yes!

(NASB) John 12:31-33 “Now judgment is upon the world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
³² ‘And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.’
³³ But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.”

  Yes, the hour had come… for Jesus to die on a cross, all men and women who look to Jesus by faith in Him will live… He was lifted up from the earth on a cross… His hour had come to do just that.

~ Take it to heart ~

  Jesus came to give you the gift of life, life everlasting… have you received that greatest of gifts?  If so, are you living as if you have His promised life within you?

Scripture “Taken from the Comparative Study Bible, NASB, published 1999, used by permission of The Zondervan Corporation.”