In John 12:32 Jesus makes this statement, “and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” This statement was confusing to many who heard it because Jesus was indicating to them how He would die. The people thought the Messiah would live forever, so many raised questions about Jesus. When people have a misconception of who they expect you to be, it’s hard to change their minds. This is exactly what Jesus was facing. The purpose for Him to go to the cross was to take away the sin of the world. Then in three days, He would be resurrected from the dead, to let it be known death could not keep Him down. They did not understand He was laying His life down for us, to create an opportunity for us to be saved. Therefore, when the story is told about Him going to the cross, it will draw our attention to His actions. It helps us understand how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father. Jesus came to show us the heart of God, His life was an example of the compassion our Heavenly Father has for the world. Jesus was willing to come and give His life so that we could have the opportunity to receive eternal life.
When Jesus was lifted up on the cross, two things happened. We are able to see the Light and Love our Heavenly Father has for us.
The Light was able to shine in the midst of the darkness. Prior to Jesus coming, the earth was ruled by darkness, because sin was dominating the lives of people. People were so concerned about what they wanted, it didn’t matter how others were treated for them to get it. This is still happening today, people are being abused and killed, for others to get what they want. This is why we have to lift up the Light of the world and allow it to shine to expose the injustices of the earth. Once the Light exposes things, it causes people to take a hard look at how they are living. Then they have to make a decision to continue on the path of darkness by turning away from the Light. Or, they will be drawn to the Light and realize they have to do better with their lives. In order to do better, they have to make the decision to confess the sins in their lives that have been exposed by the Light. Through confession, they become free from the sins that once had them bound in a life of despair. Then they become a witness of the Light and continue to lift up Jesus wherever they go. When this Light is lifted up it gives others a chance to make the decision, to be freed from a life dominated by sin.
The love is displayed through Jesus’s actions, and it allows people to know they are loved. Then this love draws them in because they can come to Him just the way they are. The Light exposes the sin in our lives, and love draws us to Him. Why, because we are loved enough by our Heavenly Father to give us an opportunity to change. However, the love shown to us is unconditional, which means the Lord will not change His mind on how He feels about us. All we have to do is come as we are. When this happens, we are letting the Lord know we are surrendering to His will. This means He will shape and mold our lives to make a difference in this world. Then we are to let people know love lifted us, and that’s why we will lift up Jesus for them to see the Light and love He has for the entire world. Thank you, Jesus, for showing us the heart of God. Continue to walk in your blessings!
