John 12:27,28 - For this reason

12:27

Unlike the synoptics, John’s gospel contains no account of what happened in Gethsemane. If one assumes that John was written after the synoptic gospels then the reason for this is that John knew what accounts were already circulating and wanted to add to these, rather than merely repeating what was already known. However, his account is entirely consistent with the synoptics, and here we see that Jesus was deeply troubled in His soul at the prospect of what was about to happen. We see here how the divinity and humanity of Jesus work together, and it also helps us appreciate how life works for us as Christians. The prospect of the cross caused genuine torment for Jesus, and the experience of the cross was completely real.

Now one might say Jesus is God, He knew that He would be raised from the dead, He knew what the purpose and necessity of the cross were, therefore it would not have troubled Him. The premises of this argument all absolutely correct, but the conclusion is clearly wrong, as here and the Gethsemane accounts show. Likewise, there are those who promote a teaching that says if only we had enough faith we would have no troubles, or that since we are forgiven and born again we should never have a battle with sin, or similar types of teaching. We are saved, but we are also fully human, and we are still fallen creatures. There will be battle and conflict within ourselves.

In the final part of this verse we see the solution “for this purpose I have come”. Jesus was dedicated to doing the Father’s will. Likewise, we must be dedicated to following Jesus, this is vital in helping us to overcome.

12:28

Jesus then prayed to the Father, “glorify your name”. Prayer is powerful, but we do not always feel the power. Some of the most important and powerful prayers we utter can seem to be the weakest, and can be uttered at our weakest points. We can be experiencing a real struggle, painfully aware of our weakness and going through torment. In the midst of these circumstances prayers of commitment to Christ can be uniquely powerful.

God declares that He has glorified it and will do so again. Glory includes many things, but among these are moral excellence and significance. God has always been morally excellent, and of overriding significance. He brought the universe into being in the first place, for one thing! The cross proves the moral excellence and significance of God all over again. The cross was an exercise in justice. God’s forgiveness and justifying of us is not a merely emotional response, not just an act of kindness. The cross makes it the absolutely right thing to do, it means that justice has been done. The cross and the resurrection are the most significant events in history. The whole of life is different because of them, and the whole of your life and my life can be different because of them.