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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_12:27-36 a
27"Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." 29So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him." 30Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. 31Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." 33But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. 34The crowd then answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" 35So Jesus said to them, "For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.".
Joh_12:27 "My soul has become troubled" This is a perfect passive indicative. The agent (the Father, Satan, circumstances, etc.) is not expressed. It is a strong term used in several ways in the NT.
a. Herod's fear (Mat_2:3)
b. the disciples' fear (Mat_14:26)
c. Jesus' unsettled anxiety (Joh_12:27; Joh_13:21; also note Mat_26:38; Mar_14:34)
d. the Church in Jerusalem (Act_15:24)
e. false teachers' disruption of the churches of Galatia (Gal_1:7)
This was John's way of relating Jesus' human struggle with the upcoming trauma of His crucifixion (cf. Mar_14:32 ff). John does not record Jesus' agony in Gethsemane, but this is the same occasion.
▣ "save Me from this hour" There is much discussion about the exact meaning of this statement. Is this a prayer (i.e., Mat_26:39)? Is this a surprised reaction at what should not be done (NET Bible)?
▣ "for this purpose I came to this hour" Jesus' life unfolded according to a divine plan (cf. Luk_22:22; Act_2:23; Act_3:18; Act_4:28) which Jesus fully understood (cf. Mat_20:28; Mar_10:45).
Joh_12:28 "glorify Your name" The Father responds in Joh_12:28 b. This term "glorify" is very fluid. It can refer to
1. pre-existent glory (cf. Joh_17:5)
2. Jesus' revelation of the Father (cf. Joh_17:4)
3. Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection (cf. Joh_17:1)
See note at Joh_1:14.
▣ "a voice out of heaven" The rabbis called this a bath-kol. Since the time of Malachi there had been no prophetic voice in Israel. If God's will was to be confirmed, it would be done by a voice from heaven. The Gospels record that God spoke three times during Jesus' life.
1. at Jesus' baptism, Mat_3:17
2. at the transfiguration, Mat_17:5
3. here in this verse
Joh_12:29 "So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying" There are two interpretations of what happened: (1) it was thunder. This was used of God speaking in the OT (cf. 2Sa_22:14; Job_37:4; Psa_29:3; Psa_18:13; Psa_104:7) or (2) an angel spoke to Him. This is similar to the confusion about Saul's experience in Act_9:7; Act_22:9.
Joh_12:30 "Jesus answered and said, 'This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes'" This phrase is a Semitic comparison. This means it was not solely for them but primarily for them (cf. Joh_11:42).
Joh_12:31 "Now judgement is upon this world" This is a parallel construction with the following phrase ("the ruler of this world will be cast out"). The time when this occurred is not specified (see Special Topic following).
I surely agree with F. F. Bruce, Answers to Questions (p. 198), that Joh_12:31 is another example of what C. H. Dodd called "realized eschatology." For John, Jesus has already brought both salvation to believers and judgment to unbelievers. In a sense this is similar to a grammatical form called "prophetic perfect." A future something is so certain that it is expressed as already occurring!
▣ "the ruler of this world" This refers to a personal evil force (cf. Joh_14:30; Joh_16:11) known in Hebrew as "Satan" or "adversary" (cf. Job 1-2) or in Greek as "the devil" or "slanderer" (cf. Mat_4:1; Mat_4:5; Mat_4:8; Mat_4:11; Mat_13:39; Mat_25:41; Joh_6:70; Joh_8:44; Joh_13:2; 2Co_4:4; Eph_2:2). These two names are synonymous in Mat_4:1-11 and Joh_13:2; Joh_13:27. He is cast out of heaven so that he cannot continue to accuse/slander Jesus' followers.
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▣ "will be cast out" This is a future passive indicative. Scripture does not indicate the exact time of Satan's fall from heaven. Satan may be discussed in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 in a secondary sense. The prophetic passages deal with the prideful kings of Babylon and Tyre. Their sinful arrogance reflects Satan's (cf. Isa_14:12; Isa_14:15; Eze_28:16). However, Jesus said He saw Satan fall during the mission trip of the seventy (cf. Luk_10:18).
There is a development of Satan throughout the OT. Originally he was a servant angel, but through pride, became an enemy of God. The best discussion of this controversial subject is in A. B. Davidson's Old Testament Theology pp. 300-306.
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Joh_12:32 "and I, if I am lifted up" This is a third class conditional sentence which meant potential action. This term can mean
1. lifted up (cf. Joh_3:14)
2. crucified (cf. Joh_8:28)
3. exalted (cf. Act_2:33; Act_5:31)
4. highly exalted (cf. Php_2:9)
It is this multiple connotation of terms (double entendre) that characterizes John's Gospel.
▣ "will draw all men to Me" This may be an allusion to YHWH's covenant love for Israel in Jer_31:3 which, of course, is the passage on "the new covenant" (cf. Jer_31:31-34). God woos people by His love for and actions toward them. This same metaphorical use of this term is in Joh_6:44 and explained in Joh_6:65.
Here the "all" is the universal invitation and promise of redemption (cf. Gen_3:15; Gen_12:3; Exo_19:5; Isa_2:2-4; Joh_1:9; Joh_1:12; Joh_1:29; Joh_3:16; Joh_4:42; Joh_10:16; 1Ti_2:4; 1Ti_4:10; Tit_2:11; 2Pe_3:9; 1Jn_2:2; 1Jn_4:14)!
There is a significant variant in this phrase. The "all" can be masculine, which would be translated "all men" and is found in the ancient Greek manuscripts P75 (VID), à i2, B, L, and W, while the neuter, which would be translated "all things," is found in P66 and à . If it is the NEUTER it would speak of the cosmic redemption of Christ similar to Col_1:16-17, which would probably reflect the Gnostic heresy so evident in 1 John. The UBS4 gives the masculine a "B" rating (almost certain).
Joh_12:33 "He said this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die" This is yet another editorial comment by John. This is related to Deu_21:23 where hanging on a tree was termed "cursed by God." This was why the religious leaders wanted Jesus crucified, not stoned. Jesus bore the curse of the Law for us (cf. Gal_3:13).
Joh_12:34 "The crowd then answered Him. . .the Christ is to remain forever" This may be an allusion to Psa_89:4; Psa_89:29; Psa_89:35-37. The OT expected only one coming of the Messiah and His establishing of a Palestinian reign of world peace (cf. Psa_110:4; Isa_9:7; Eze_37:25 and Dan_7:14). For "forever" see Special Topic at Joh_6:58.
▣ "Son of Man" The crowd (see Contextual Insights, C) must have heard Jesus teach/preach (possibly in Joh_12:23-24 for the title and Joh_12:30-32 for the verb "lift up") because they use His unique self-designation. This is the only place it is used by others. It was not a standard title or Messianic designation within Judaism.
Joh_12:35 "Walk while you have the Light" Jesus is urging His hearers to respond immediately to His words. His time on earth was limited. He was about to enter His last week on earth. His predestined hour had come (Joh_12:23).
In a sense this phrase (as so much in John) has a historical referent and an existential referent. What Jesus said is true for everyone who hears the gospel (i.e., the Parable of the Soils).
This is the metaphorical use of "walk" as lifestyle (cf. Eph_4:1; Eph_4:17; Eph_5:2; Eph_5:15). This is a present active imperative, which continues Jesus emphasis on belief as an ongoing relationship and discipleship, not just an initial decision (cf. Joh_12:44-46).
Joh_12:36 This theme of Jesus as the light of the world was a major recurrent emphasis in John (cf. Joh_1:4-5; Joh_1:7-9; Joh_3:19-21; Joh_5:35; Joh_8:12; Joh_9:5; Joh_11:9-10; Joh_12:35-36; Joh_12:46). Darkness and light were also contrasting spiritual realities in Jewish Wisdom Literature and the Dead Sea Scrolls.