Day 28
March Madness is here, and I’m not referring to the crazy weather we experienced this past week in the southeast. Of course I’m talking about the annual, single-elimination NCAA Division I basketball tournament, affectionately known as “March Madness” featuring 68 men’s and 68 women’s teams competing in March and early April to determine the national college basketball champion. Known for chaotic upsets and thrilling “bracket” contests, the tournament includes rounds of 64 teams, then narrows to 32. Next comes the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and the Final Four. The 2026 March Madness tournament began with selections last Sunday, March 15. Games kicked off with the first rounds on Thursday and yesterday and will continue through the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4 and 6. The time clock has started and nothing can stop it. There will be college teams that are shocked to make it into the tournament, while other powerhouse basketball schools will be devastated when they are upset by a Cinderella team.
In today’s reading we witness Jesus acknowledging that the time clock of redemption has started. There is still much to do to fulfill the Messianic prophecies, but in keeping with the Father’s pattern at major transitions in Jesus’ life, He speaks exactly what His Son needs to hear.
Read John 12:20-50
You may have noticed I skipped over reading John 12:12-19, describing Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem to celebrate His last Passover in the holy city. We’ll jump back to that section of John’s gospel on Saturday, March 28, in preparation for Palm Sunday.
Today’s quite lengthy passage concludes the first major part of John’s Gospel, narrating Jesus’ mission to the Jewish people. The arrival of some Greek Gentiles signals to Jesus that this part of His mission is quickly coming to an end. These were God-fearing, nonJews who had come to Jerusalem to worship at the festival and were so excited to meet Jesus! Before Jesus can fully reach out to the Gentiles, He first must die for the sins of everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike. When Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” (v 23) He was acknowledging that the clock on God’s plan of redemption had started. There was no undoing it now. Little did these God-fearing Gentiles know what the next week would mean for them, that Jesus would sacrifice His life so that they could have equal access to God. They wouldn’t have to remain in the Gentile Court of the temple much longer. God was making a way! The Apostle Paul described it this way:
“But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.” (Ephesians 2:13-15)
Jesus then begins talking about His upcoming death, first comparing it to that of a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, yet germinates and produces much fruit. Second, He claims that “if I be lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself.” (v 32) indicating that He would be lifted up, hung on a cross and crucified. Any who would follow after Jesus would also need to exhibit self-sacrifice, or as Tim Keller described, self-forgetfulness. In his book, The Freedom of Forgetfulness, Keller describes the essence of gospel-humility as “not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.”1 The clock is counting down to Jesus demonstrating the supreme self-sacrifice at the cross.
Tick…tick…tick. As the clock begins counting down, Jesus is troubled in His soul. He is courageously honest with His disciples, “What should I say - Father, save me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour.” (v 27) Jesus was determined to accomplish His Father’s will even though his heart was already anxious as the agony of Gethsemane and the misery of Calvary drew closer. He then prays, “Father, glorify your name.” (v 28) Immediately the Father spoke from Heaven and said, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (v 28) The voice of God resounded audibly from the sky! Such divine vocalizations are rare in Scripture, occurring most notably at defining moments in Jesus’ ministry. Remember at His baptism, the clouds parted and a Voice came from heaven and said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:17) And then on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured, the Father verbalized his affirmation again and added, “Listen to him!” (Matt 17:5)
Don’t think for one second that Jesus needed reassurance. “This voice came, not for me, but for you.” (v 30) Knowing what horrors were to come, Jesus also knew his disciples would need all the assurance they could find to keep believing in Him during those dark hours. When God’s voice boomed directly from the sky, you would think everyone would have been thrilled and skeptics convinced. However, the startled crowd began to search for alternative explanations. “The crowd standing there heard it and said it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’” (v. 29)
Events of eternal consequence were occurring in the unseen spiritual realm, but when those unbelievers with Jesus heard the manifestation of them - the very voice of God speaking from heaven - they misinterpreted them as natural events, revealing their spiritual blindness. Tick…tick…tick. The Light of the World would only be with them a little while longer. Jesus passionately invites them, “While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become children of light.” (v 36)
Jesus came into the world as light that shines in the darkness, and the time clock was counting down, but there were still mixed reviews. Even though He had performed multiple signs and miracles proving His divinity, most did not believe. Then there were those who “did believe in him even among the rulers, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, so they would not be banned from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than praise from God.” (vv 42-43)
Tick…tick…tick. John writes that Jesus then cried out to all those standing within earshot that belief in Him was really belief in the One who sent Him. You can hear the urgency in Jesus’ words, “And the one who sees me see Him who sent me.” (v 45) The clock is ticking…please don’t wait for the final buzzer!
Big Picture Questions for Today:
How would you have reacted if you had been in the crowd that day? Some of the bystanders looked for a naturalistic explanation - thunder. Instead of hearing the voice of God, they simply thought it was going to rain. Others came up with a flawed supernatural interpretation - an angel’s voice.
Many today struggle to hear God’s voice amidst the stormy rumblings of modern day. Some opt for naturalistic explanations, explaining away everything from the creation of the universe to human freedom as the product of nature alone. Others are fascinated with angels and vague spirituality, but refuse to recognize Jesus as Lord.
Pray for ears to hear the tick…tick…tick of the second clock of glory, when Jesus will return for His church. In 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, the Apostle Paul describes the timing this way: “For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
Tim Keller, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness. (10Publishing: LaGrange, KY) 2012.
