John 12:34-36 (NIV)
The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
The crowd fully understood from Jesus’ words that He was predicting His own death. Many believed Him to be the Messiah (they were right), but these words didn’t go along with what they had always been taught about the Messiah. Traditional teaching included the concept that the Messiah would be immortal and would reign forever. And, if that was the case, if Jesus was killed wouldn’t that mean that He wasn’t the Messiah?
Like most prophecies, though, the prophecies about the Messiah were best understood by looking back to see how they were fulfilled in Jesus rather than looking forward and trying to understand what might happen to fulfill them, squinting through the darkness that always obscures the future from human sight.
The fact is, the Messiah was prophesied to live and reign forever. But He was also forecast to suffer and die for the people BEFORE He lived forever. These two conflicting ideas were almost impossible to hold in one’s theology at the same time, so the vast majority of teachers jettisoned the concept of the Messiah suffering and dying, and simply taught that He would live forever.
Jesus, on the other hand, knew precisely how that would all work out in His own life. He would indeed suffer and die as a sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. But then He would rise again on the third day and live eternally from that moment forward.
All this was going to take place in just a few days, and Jesus warned the people that their window to hear and learn from Him was short. Before long, His light would be snuffed out. Even after he rose from the dead, He would not be seen and heard by everyone, but only by a relative few. So, they needed to be willing to lay their theology aside and to receive the light of truth while it was available.
John tells us that Jesus then left and hid Himself from them. He was not hiding out of fear, but out of prudence. He left town and went to the private garden on the slopes of the Mount of Olives where He had set up camp, a place that was known only to His followers. In a few short days, however, Judas would lead the temple guards to that same hidden spot in order to arrest Him.
Father, how often do we allow our theology to blind us to Your complete truth. Once we get an idea into our heads, even if what we have been taught is incorrect or incomplete, it affects how we see everything else. And it limits what we are willing to believe to that which goes well with what is already present in our theology. Lord, help us to see Your words with clear eyes, and not allow our present beliefs to limit what we are willing to accept from You. Help us to know and understand the real truth of Jesus, who He is and what He wants from us, so that we can follow Him into all truth as it is in Him. Amen.
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