Jesus has entered Jerusalem. He has ridden into the city triumphant on the colt, the foal of a donkey and come meekly into the Holy City upon the cloaks and palm branches of the joyous crowds. But no one gets it. No one understands. No one perceives. Not even the disciples. Jesus is troubled. Does that trouble you? Jesus is frightened, disturbed, unsettled. Does that frighten, disturb and unsettle you? Mark Jesus' words: “My soul is troubled and what shall I say, 'Father save me from this hour?' But because of this hour I came into the world.” The “hour” that Jesus speaks of is the time of His suffering and death. The hour of suffering. The hour of His glory. Does it trouble you to learn that the Savior is troubled? It should. It should bother us greatly. It should cause us to squirm and fret that it is because of our sins that Jesus is about to undergo such suffering. It ought to frighten us that Jesus could call upon His Father to save Him. He could. The Father would. But Jesus has not come to be snatched from a cliffhanger ending by His Father. He has come to suffer His hour of glory. A time not of praise and worldly glory but of mocking and abuse. A time not of triumphant defeat of His human enemies but of His letting Himself be taken and killed by those very enemies. This is God's glory, to crush His Son for the sins of the world. “Father glorify your name!” “I glorified and I will glorify it” says the Father, because Jesus goes to His death.
And in that death is our salvation. Jesus' words: “Now is the judgment of this world; now is the ruler of this world thrown out. And the Son of Man when He is lifted up will draw all men to Himself.” Here is good news! Remember way back to the beginning of Lent when we heard Satan tell Jesus that He could have the whole world if He just bowed down and worshiped him? Now we learn that Old Satanic Foe is being thrown out! Jesus WILL save this world but not by doing what the devil wants. Rather, He does what the Father wants: He offers Himself as a sacrifice. This is how the Father glorifies His Son: by killing Him in the place of sinners. And by that death the Ruler of this world is cast out. The judgment of this world is accomplished. What is the judgment of this world? The judgment is that the Son of God's death will count for YOUR sins. Upon His Son on the cross, God the Father pours out all of His wrath and judgment against sin. All of His hatred for iniquity and His sorrow over having made human beings is unleashed upon Jesus. And it kills Him. And that death counts for you. That death blots out all your sins. If you ever for a moment thought that you could not be a child of God because of something you've done then behold Jesus and see that the Father has made you His Son by slaying His only-begotten Son!
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Jesus says that when He is lifted up He will draw all people to Himself. How is this done? In the Holy means of Grace, all of which join us to Jesus and what He has done for us and deliver to us what He has accomplished. In Holy Baptism you are united with Christ in His death and resurrection. You are drawn to the cross at the font and what was done on the cross becomes yours. In the Holy Absolution, the Judgment of God upon sin that was carried out on Jesus is now declared to your ears: Sins forgiven; sinner pardoned; prisoner goes free. And at the altar, the same flesh which was pierced on the cross and the same blood which flowed from the wounds of Jesus feeds you and forgives you and gives you eternal life. Do you see? In all the of the holy means of grace, we are taken to the cross of Jesus and the fruits of His suffering and death on the cross are given to us. And in that way, the ruler of the world is cast out and Christ is glorified.
Now is the judgment of the world. The judgment over sins when Jesus is judged for our sins. The judgment declared to you that you are forgiven and free. Your sins have been judged dear Christian. And the verdict is “not guilty” in Jesus who paid the price for them. Behold your Savior lifted up on the cross and now lifted up to the right hand of God where with the Father and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns forevermore, where you too will be lifted up in Him. Amen.