“The hour has come”

Bulletin

Dan Peters
06/02/24 - Discipleship

“The hour has come”

Jesus was born for the hour, it was his mission, his purpose. He said, “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.” (John 12:27). What hour has he been talking about during his preaching tour? His bride, the church, would drink in memory of that hour (John 2:4) every Sunday (Acts 20:7, 1Cor. 11). When they came close to killing him during his teaching, John will comment, “So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.” (John 7:30).
In the next chapter, when they were angry enough to stone him to death, “These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.” (John 8:20).
The hour has a special meaning for Jesus. You might think it is the hour of his shame (Hebrews 12:2), but Jesus despised the shame. In John’s gospel, it is the glory hour. I know it seems odd to think of his cross as his glory, but he said so. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:23-24). In the hour he dies, like wheat, is the hour the Son of Man “to be glorified”. Jesus asks us to join him in his hour (12:25-26).
Now his hour to die, is the hour of his glory. So what does he pray for? “… lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,” (John 17:1). Meaning something like, “I got this”, “I can do this”, “this is my hour”, “let me go and do this”, “I can handle this”, this is why I came. And the Father let him, amazing!
The most painful obedience ever recorded is when Jesus went to the hour of the cross, willingly. Willingly. Why is it so hard sometimes when I must obey? How can I look at Jesus and ever feel like it is hard to obey? If I love God, I too want to glorify God. But how have I failed! “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23), but Jesus partially made up my lack of glorifying God. Remember he calls me to also “die”, “like wheat” with him, and bear much fruit - willingly.

Will you today? Die to your own will, to do His? Will you do so willingly? “I got this”, “I can do this” - willingly he went to his hour of glory. It’s now our turn. Be born again of his water and his spirit (John 3:1-5), immersed into water to have your sins (unglory) washed away (Acts 22:16). Then meet with us every Sunday, when the hour comes when his bride is to remember the hour of his glory. He is worthy.
Dan Peters