JESUS’ DETERMINATION
By: Frank Tunstall, D. Min.
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth,” Jesus said, “will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32).
Please, my reader, please capture the determination in those words. Jesus would not turn back. Calvary was not an “if;” there is nothing conditional about it.
Heart Surgery with Two Backup Plans
I grew up on a farm in South Carolina alongside three brothers and one sister [Rose is now in heaven]. We were a family of five.
A couple of years ago, Jim checked in at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, for a 10:00 A.M. heart valve replacement surgery. On the scheduled morning, two surgeons walked into the pre-op holding room. One of them said to my brother, “We’ve shared with you this surgery has serious, life-threatening risks. Do you still want to go through with it?”
“Doctor,” Jim responded, “I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. Now you do what you’re supposed to do, and I’ll depend on God to do what only He can do.”
The surgeon’s goal was to give Jim some hope, so he responded, “We want you to know we have two back-up plans. If we need to we’ll go to back-up number one. If that doesn’t work, we’ll go to number two.”
When our Lord faced the cruelties awaiting Him, including crucifixion, He was fully aware there was no alternative plan. Jesus knew His crucifixion was a certainty with no backup at all; none, not even one Plan B.
A two-fold prophecy flowed out of Jesus’ heart. I wish I could have been there and felt the strong determination in the Lord’s voice: 1) “When I am lifted up” 2) the result will be “I will draw all men unto me.” His death would be by crucifixion and Jesus knew it. But crucifixion did not make Jesus change His mind. He was fully resolved so that He did not need even a single back-up plan. Jesus was aware the outcome would be His resurrection and a world-wide harvest of eagerly waiting people, like some Greeks, who had come to the Passover feast hoping to visit with Jesus (John 12:20-21). These Gentiles had a nagging emptiness in their hearts and were hungry for peace with God.
Please, dear reader, hold that verse in your heart until you can feel its force and authority. Please drink into your heart your Lord’s determination.
“I will…” Jesus was unequivocal. He spoke with a voice full of boldness.
“I will draw.…” The Greek word for draw, here, helkuso, communicates the idea of a fisherman pulling in a net full of fish. Jesus knew a heaven-delighting harvest of millions of people was ahead. This would happen because the love of God would be the gospel magnet. The gospel attracts with Jesus’ love, His faithfulness, His goodness, and His patience (John 3:16; Romans 2:4; Psalm 52:1; 1 Corinthians 1:9). The Holy Spirit woos, but His love is too deep to coerce; indeed, coercion ceases to be love.
“I will draw all men…” The gospel call will go out to all nations, peoples, and tongues.
“I will draw all men unto me.” All who repent and accept Jesus as the Son of God will receive the eternal reward.
“Don’t you realize how patient [God] is being with you?” Paul asked the church in Rome some twenty-five years after Jesus’ resurrection. “Or don’t you care? Can’t you see that he has been waiting all this time without punishing you; to give you time to turn from your sin? His kind- ness is meant to lead you to repentance” (Psalm 52:1; Romans 2:4 TLB).
THINK ABOUT IT: We are not told if the Greeks who visited Jesus stayed for the discussion that followed. But in any event, considering everything they had experienced in those few moments in Jesus’ presence, can you imagine what they had to share when they arrived back home? Perhaps it was akin to this: We got to meet Jesus! Can you believe it? He’s wonderful! Made us feel totally welcome. And we heard the voice of God speak out of heaven! Heard it with our own ears. The voice was clear and determined. It sounded like the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard in my life (John 12:28).
How to reach the masses,
Men of every birth,
For an answer, Jesus gave the key:
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
Will draw all men unto Me.”
Lift Him up, lift Him up;
Still He speaks from eternity:
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
Will draw all men unto me.
By: Johnson Oatman
Jesus, The Rejected Messiah
The glory of the moment was short lived, however. It always seems to be true: the same revelation that gives such glory to God and blesses people of faith, gets a quick reaction of unbelief from those who are hard-hearted and self-righteous.
March 6, 2022 12:45 am|
Thank you, Dr Tunstall for this beautiful reminder of the price Jesus so willingly paid for each of us. I’ve had you and Lu on my mind a lot recently. I hope you are doing well.
April 12, 2022 2:06 pm|
Thanks so much for writing, Sherry. All is not well at our home. My BabyDoll is in Stage 7 of seven stages with Alzheimer’s. Thanks for your prayers. I surely do miss Greg. I know you do too, but I miss him. May the blessing of the Lord continue to rest on you.