Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1391
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, December 30, 1877
“Father, glorify Your name.” John 12:28.
IN the first part of my discourse this morning I shall strictly keep to my text, as the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and endeavor to show what it teaches us with regard to Him. These are His own words and it would be robbery to borrow them until first we have seen what they meant as they fell from His lips. Their most golden meaning must be seen in the light of His sacred Countenance. Then, in the second part of my sermon, I shall try to point out how the petition before us may be used by ourselves. I pray that Divine Grace may be given us that it may be engraved upon our hearts and that each one of us may be taught by the Holy Spirit daily to say for himself, “Father, glorify Your name.”
I would suggest that these words should be to all the Lord’s people in this Church their slogan for another year and, indeed, their prayer throughout life. It will as well behoove the beginner in Grace as the ripe Believer. It will be proper both at the wicket gate of faith as at the portals of Glory. Like a lovely rainbow, let the prayer, “Father, glorify Your name,” arch over the whole period of our life on earth. I cannot suggest a better petition for the present moment, nor, indeed, for any moment of our pilgrimage. Let us close the old year with it and open the door of the new to the same note.
As for the past, “Father, glorify Your name in the present. Fulfill this desire unto Your servants and in the future do it yet more abundantly!”
I. Let us look, then, at the words, first of all, IN RESPECT TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. They occur in the following connection. He had worked a notable miracle in the raising of Lazarus from the dead. The fame of the miracle had attracted many to hear Him. Enthusiastic crowds had gathered and He had become so extremely popular that the Pharisees said, “the world has gone after Him.” The people were willing to have made Him a king—and a great concourse met Him with branches of palm trees and cried, “Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord.”
Our Lord passed in royal but humble pomp through the streets of Jerusalem, riding upon a colt, the foal of an ass. This public manifestation, the renown of the miracle and the general talk of the populace led to strangers hearing of Him and enquiring about Him. And certain intelligent Greeks of a very respectable order—for their mode of address to Philip shows their superior behavior—asked to be introduced to Him. They wished to “see Jesus,” not, of course, merely see Him in the streets, for that they could do if they pleased without applying to Philip. No, they wanted an interview with Him. They wanted to learn more about His teaching and His claims.
I suppose that the sight of these Greeks greatly gladdened the heart of the Savior, for He delighted to see men coming to the light. He seemed to say within Himself, “Behold the nations come to Me. The Gentiles arise and seek their Savior.” He saw in those Greeks the advance guard of the Gentile world. He looked upon the strangers with delight, regarding them as representative men, the first of myriads who, from the ends of the earth and the islands of the sea, would come flocking to Him to behold the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Our Lord rejoiced in spirit! His heart was glad within Him and He began to address Himself to the people round about—and to the Greeks who mingled with the throng.
He would abide alone and bring forth no fruit. He saw the vicarious suffering which lay in His way and His soul was troubled.
Do not imagine that our Savior dreaded death, in itself considered. He was far superior in sacred courage and strength of mind to any of His servants and yet many of them have welcomed death! And others of them, such as the martyrs, have endured it in its most terrible forms, without fear, even expressing a holy delight in glorifying the name of God by their mortal agony. Our Lord was not less brave than these in prospect of His departure. But never let it be forgotten that the death of Christ was a very peculiar one and, in fact, stands alone by itself! His death was the vindication of Justice. It was the death of the Sin-Bearer. It was a sacrificial, substitutionary, expiatory death—and this is very different from the death of a pardoned and justified Believer who passes out of the world resting on the Atonement and supported by a sense of having been reconciled to God by the great Sacrifice.
Our Lord was called to bear the enormous load of man’s transgressions—over His holy soul the dark shadow of human guilt must pass—and on His sensitive spirit must be made to meet the iniquity of us all. His saints’ deaths are blessed in the sight of the Lord, but He must be made a curse for us that we might be blessed in Him! And as the mind of Christ clearly perceived this lying in the way of that triumph among the Gentiles which gave Him joy, there was a struggle in His soul—and that struggle was manifested before the assembled people. The Greeks desired to see Jesus and they did see Him in a very remarkable manner—so that they must have been astounded at the sight! If they expected to see a king, they did, indeed, behold a royal soul, but they saw Him in such grief as falls not to the lot of common men. If they wished to see somewhat of His greatness of spirit and power of mind, they did see it, but it was a power which did not transfigure His face with glory, but filled it with an agony marring all its beauty!