John 12:34-36
By Aisha Darwesh
The Word
34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” (ESV)
Aisha’s Analysis
Today’s verses show us the dichotomy between light and darkness as well as the direct results of which we choose to walk in.
Verse 34 starts with what the crowd heard about the Christ (or the Messiah). They thought He would live forever and were puzzled by Jesus’ talk of death. Has that ever happened to you? Have you had an idea of who God is and what He’s going to do, and then He goes in a completely different direction?
That’s what was happening to this crowd. This crowd had heard of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. They broke off palm branches and shouted “Hosanna” as Jesus was entering Jerusalem. Certainly, this was their conquering king, and now He’s speaking of being lifted up on a cross? The idea of Jesus dying on a cross was totally antithetical to their hopes and dreams of being delivered from the oppressive tyranny of Roman rule.
Jesus’ response to the crowd is breathtaking:
“The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
This statement shows us that God gives us a choice. Either we can walk in darkness and be totally lost, or we can walk and believe in the light He gives us and become His children. Only As you reflect on your honest answers to the above questions, take some time to examine the light God is giving you at this very moment. What is God calling you to do right now? You may not know what the future looks like, but you can trust God. Walk in the light He’s given you and remain in Him. Believe the promises He’s given us in His Word and trust that you’re a child of the light. Jesus is a glorious light that leads to life!
One of the things Pastor Chris mentioned last Sunday was the difference between being driven to Jesus and being drawn to Jesus. The Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus and when we meet with Him, we have a choice to walk in the light He offers us (even if it’s contrary to what we previously thought life with God encompassed) or continue in darkness.
In the context of today’s verses, choosing to walk in the light Jesus offered the crowd meant embracing the reality of the Cross. I love the picture Jesus gives the crowd in the previous verses of a grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying thereby yielding a bountiful harvest. Jesus died for us, so that we could be grafted into His family as children of Light.
The people may have viewed the cross as a crushing defeat; however, Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection turned out to be the greatest victory ever won. His cross carried with it a purpose that only He could fulfill.
Application
Are you in a situation in which you’re trying to follow God, but things are not going the way you planned? Does that make you want to push God away or draw closer to Him?
As you reflect on your honest answers to the above questions, take some time to examine the light God is giving you at this very moment. What is God calling you to do right now? You may not know what the future looks like, but you can trust God. Walk in the light He’s given you and remain in Him. Believe the promises He’s given us in His Word and trust that you’re a child of the light.
As you do, the fog will lift, the road will get clearer, and you’ll find that walking in obedience to Christ is exactly where you needed to be.
Prayer
Lord, I pray that I may know You and the power of Your resurrection and the fellowship of Your sufferings, being conformed to Your death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11).