TEXT:                              John  12: 20

SUBJECT:                 “HOW COULD JESUS HAVE HOPE?”

I READ ABOUT A SCHOOLS SYSTEMS THAT HAS A PROGRAM TO help young people who are hospitalized  --- to help children to keep up with their work.  ONE TEACHER WAS CALLED UPON  to assist a boy who was slow on his nouns & adverbs in his class.~~  TEACHER ENTER HOSPITAL ROOM, UNBEKNOWING the boy had been burned and was in great pain .. and depressed. The teacher did her best, but felt when she left she hadn’t accomplished much.

      BUT THE NEXT DAY, A NURSE ASKED HER: What did you do to that boy?”  The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize.  “No, no,” said the nurse. “You don’t know what I mean.  We’ve been worried about that  boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed.  He’s fighting back, responding to treatment.  It’s as though he’s decided to live.”

    TWO WEEKS LATER THE BOY EXPLAINED  that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived.  Everything changed when he came to a simple realization. He expressed it this way: “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?”

JESUS STRUGGLE IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE DOESN’T SHOW UP IN John’s Gospel. Instead this struggle was played out in front of all the disciples and the crowds.  AND YET,  even in that struggle,  Jesus Is Filled With Hope.

       HOW DO YOU DEFINE HOPE? To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.  We hope our children will carry on our family tradition ---- a source of help in a time of need.  But how could Jesus have ‘hope."

HERE HE WAS FACING THE CROSS ---- HE’S ALREADY HAD THIS CONVERSATION with Peter and the disciples.   He set His heart and soul on the cross --- He knew His death was near --- it would be a torturous death --- how could Jesus have hope? How could He glorify God when He knew that darkness would descend upon the earth because of the horror of watching the Son of God die on the cross was too much even for God.  And because of the deep love for His Son, God would have to close His eyes and turn away, if only for second in God's time. But it would be a second  that would feel like eternity.   And  cause  Jesus   to  cry  out, "My God, my  God, why have you forsaken me." How could Jesus have Hope? It all depended on what He heard. 

IN THE MIDST OF EVERYTHING GOING ON AROUND HIM AND THE EMINENCE OF THE CROSS, JESUS SAW SIGNS OF HOPE.  Why? Because of His Hope Jesus knew God is in charge.Jesus knew that no matter what the world, the ruler of the world or the Roman soldiers did to Him, God would take care of Him.

     Jesus knew that no matter how horrible His death or how forsaken he felt at that moment, if He simply held on to His faith, and was obedient to God, even unto death, God would be glorified.   The enemy of this world would be crushed and defeated.  And the Cross would become OUR Sign of hope.   Jesus knew that the cross would become the symbol which tells the world which group of people we belong to and what we hear:    “JESUS SAW SIGNS OF HOPE.”

WHAT DOES THE WORLD SEE WHEN THEY SEE US?   DO THEY SEE  SIGNS OF HOPE or SIGNS OF CHRIST?~ In this passage, [vs..32] Jesus says: "when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself."    And he did.

       And every time we lift Jesus up through our Christian actions and deeds, others are drawn to Him. When we take time to listen to God through prayer and worship--  when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide our actions, then Christ is lifted up,  not on the  cross, but lifted up in the sense of being Glorified.   Every time we are obedient as Christ was obedient,    He is exalted and lifted up and glorified.

    People both see and hear and they are drawn to Him again.