Union

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die."
John 12:27-33

Throughout Jesus earthly ministry, He most certainly drew all kinds of people to himself. His amazing teaching, miraculous signs, and magnanimous personality drew everyone from children, to women, to Jews and Gentiles, to Pharisees and Tax Collectors - sinners and saints alike made intimate company with Jesus. Many people, from all different walks of life were drawn to this God-Man and moved to give up everything to follow Him.

Jesus says here in predicting His death, "when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." For Jesus, the purpose of the cross, in which He was lifted up in glorious suffering for all to see, was to draw all people to himself. It is interesting (at least to me) to note that historically speaking, Christ's crucifixion did not draw all kinds of people to him. In fact the Scriptures will tell you that those masses who shouted "Hosanna" on Palm Sunday shouted crucify him a few days later. Those same people who waved palm branches in jubilant joy as he past them, would later hurl insults and spit upon him. Even those in His closest circle left him and went into hiding as he hung on the cross. Only the brave Mary's and disciples in Pharisee clothing Joseph and Nicodemus, stuck with him 'til the end. Jesus death on the cross did not draw all people to himself like his earthly ministry - His crucifixion left Him all alone, an object of scorn.

So, was Jesus wrong in predicting that the cross and His suffering would draw all people to Him? Not at all. The cross was the event in which Jesus united all of humanity to Himself. Even though we rejected Him, scorned Him, spat upon Him and left Him alone in His suffering...He died in order to draw us to himself for eternity.

His suffering and death defeated our sin, removing the one barrier that existed between us and Him. Now we do not merely draw near to Him as one might draw near to a charismatic athlete or actor signing autographs. We draw near to Him in an intimately miraculous way - fully united to Him in His death and resurrection. As the author of Hebrews reminds us, "let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Jesus death does much more than allow us to be drawn into His presence (and really wouldn't that have been enough!) - His death unites us in Spirit with Him for eternity.

We who left Him alone in His sufferings on the cross. We who sinned with great aplomb and selfish indulgence. We who would rather draw people to ourselves than be drawn to Jesus...It was for us, that Jesus journeyed to the cross.

May this awesome reminder of God's grace in our special union with Christ encourage to you worship and glorify Him in such a way that others are drawn to Him too.

Be God's, Scott