Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 775
Delivered on Lord’s-day Morning, OCTOBER 13, 1867, by, the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.
“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.”- John 12:32.
THE death of our Lord Jesus Christ must have appeared to His Apostles to be an unmitigated misfortune. No doubt they conceived that it would be the death of the cause, a heavy blow and a deep discouragement. Smite the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. Strike the Head and what shall become of the members? But our Lord instructed His disciples that this, which seemed so dreary a circumstance, was really the most hopeful of all the points of His history. He assured them that by His death He would totally defeat the powers of darkness. “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”
He comforted them yet further by the declaration that His Crucifixion, instead of driving men away from His doctrine, would give to that doctrine a peculiar luster and a special charm. The Cross of Christ, with all its ignominy and shame, is no hindrance to His heavenly teaching but is, in fact, a matchless loadstone by which men are attracted to it. There is such a thing as “the offense of the Cross,” and that offense has not ceased. But listen to the Master’s words, “I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” The attractive power of the Gospel lies mainly in the crucifixion of the Gospel’s great Teacher.
The text needs, perhaps, to be illustrated by doctrines which He concealed within itself, and by facts with which it is connected. The Prince of Darkness had drawn away the sons of men by the fascination of flesh-pleasing errors, flattering delusions, alluring pleasures, glittering pomp and outward show. By these he drew all men unto him. The devil led men captive at his will, seducing them from bad to worse. He enticed poor foolish man to his own destruction—as fish are taken by the bait, as birds are lured by decoys—and as ships are wrecked by false lights.
An enormous whirlpool of evil had for many an age sucked into its vortex multitudes who were sailing upon the sea of life. All over the ocean of society the influence of this monstrous whirlpool of evil was felt, more or less powerfully, so that those who escaped from its horrible depths were, nevertheless, much impeded and diverted in their course—and found it hard to reach the desired haven. Even up to the very mouth of the port of peace, the power of this great whirlpool was evidently felt, drawing all men as it could.
Now the Lord Jesus came into the world to produce a counter-attraction, to set in motion a counter-current. Lo, I saw in vision a mysterious hand reaching out of a mighty all-attracting magnet from the sky! It was of so marvelous a power that vessels which were being whirled towards their destruction, were, many of them, suddenly diverted in their course and drawn at once to the magnet and to safety! While others, which did not feel its power to the same saving extent, and became ultimately victims to evil, were nevertheless slowed in their course for awhile, hindered in their desperate folly and prevented from perishing so hastily as they would have done.
Alas, many of them tugged at the oar, or hoisted all sail to escape from the magnet! And so, as they willfully destroyed themselves, they did sad despite to their conscience and perished the more miserably because they despised the great salvation. Just as evil draws all of us, more or less, so Jesus Christ more or less draws all men who hear the Gospel. Some men He draws unto Himself by the effectual drawings of His Divine Grace. These are the “all” here meant—some of all classes, the all for whom he shed His blood. But where His name is preached, even those who do not believe in Him feel some of the influence which Christianity spreads abroad throughout society.
His name leavens the lump. The sweet perfume of His spikenard fills all the house where He is sitting. Bent upon instituting the new and heavenly attraction which should overcome the powers of evil, our Lord Jesus came into this world to be lifted up from the earth—not for Himself—but for the sins of others. Down from the heights of Glory He de-
scended, moved by disinterested love. Not that He had anything to gain, but that He might redeem us from our iniquity, and save us from our fearful perils.
On the Cross He effected the redemption of His people. Nailed there in ignominy, in pain, desertion and death, He worked out redemption for His chosen. But men stood at a distance from their best Friend. That is implied in the text. Why should they need to be drawn to Jesus if they were already near to Him? Some stood so far away from the dying Savior that they made His death the subject of mockery, and even found subjects for jest in His dying groans and pangs. All of us were alienated from God and from Christ, who is God’s express Image. Our evil hearts had piled great mountains between us and the Lord Jesus Christ. By nature we do not appreciate His love. We do not render to Him the gratitude which He deserves. We pass by as though it were nothing to us that Jesus should die.