His Elevating Power

Text:   John 12:32

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

I have always found this passage, John 12:32, to be one of intrigue. For though the writer John provides commentary, there still seems to be something awry. In the following verse, John clearly states, “This he said, signifying what death he should die.”  Yet in recounting the words of Jesus, John quotes him as saying, “if I be lifted up.”   Here in lies the dilemma. When was Jesus’ crucifixion ever an issue of question, or one entertained as uncertain by the Lord or prophets?

In fact, Christ’s crucifixion is found in scripture as being absolute. In this very discourse, Jesus states, “but for this cause came I unto this hour.”  In Matthew 16:23, he sharply rebukes Peter for bringing the theme up for debate. Isaiah foretells the death of the Messiah when he says, “he was cut off out of the land of the living…and he made his grave with the wicked.”  So, after a quick check into the Greek, verifying its presence in the original text, we are seemingly left without an answer to the usage of the word “if.”  But there is one.

In the laws of hermeneutics, there resides a principle called the “law of double reference.”  This principle simply states that though a particular prophecy may apply to an immediate historical event, a further fulfillment may also exist. As an example, I would suggest that the prophecies of Joel 2 not only applied to the Pentecostal event in Acts 2, but also to the more recent 20^th century. Due to the wording in John 12, it is unreasonable to assume that he was referring solely to his passion. Therefore, we conclude that this passage reveals in conjunction with history, that “if…(Christ)…be lifted up…(he)…will draw all men unto” himself.

In Mark 12:30, we find the complexity of man’s nature revealed in the scripture. This and other passages clearly reveal that man is comprised of a heart, soul, mind, and body. I highlight this, for it is imperative to say that the resurrection of Christ Jesus provides the power to raise us in every aspect of our being. Therefore, if Christ be lifted up, not only on the cross but also in obedience, worship, and service, he will draw man and all that he is, unto himself. When Jesus raises us, we are elevated in our entirety.

When the woman caught in the act of adultery was brought before Jesus, imagine the crushed heart (center of emotion). Picture the embarrassment and shame she must have felt, to be brought before this man. It is probable that she had heard about him, even as one sent from God. Furthermore, considering that her accusers were the social elite, yet were seeking counsel of Jesus, did nothing to make her feel any more comfortable. But, oh, the elevated heart, the ray of light that heightened her, when she heard the words he spoke, “neither do I condemn thee.”  Consider the emotional transformation that took place that day. The advisor of scribes, the sinless man, did not condemn her. She experienced the elevating power of Jesus Christ.

And then, there is Saul. Born in Tarsus, he was doubtlessly educated in its celebrated schools of Greek literature. Surely as a child he acquired knowledge of Greek authors and philosophy. Later, he testifies to have sat “at the feet of Gamaliel and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers.”  And yet he states, “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…and do count them but dung.”  Saul experienced the elevating power of the resurrected Savior. Shortly after his conversion, he spent three years in the Arabian Desert, receiving by divine revelation the gospel that he preached. He mentioned having once been caught up and hearing unspeakable words, not lawful to be uttered. Saul, the most highly educated of all apostles, was elevated in his mind through Christ Jesus.

Time does not permit elaboration on the more obvious elevating effects of the Lord Jesus. Nevertheless, may we never fail to mention the elevation from sin that can be accomplished through his blood. For without the shedding of blood there is no remission. And need we be reminded of the innumerable miracles that Christ preformed, pertaining to the physical man. Oh, how true it is. Jesus elevates us!

I was bucking the crowd at a recent General Conference, when a voice halted me, and a hand grabbed my sleeve. After a moment of staring, recognition swept my mind. It was Leighanne. I first met her years ago when she walked into an apostolic service, drawn by a flier handed to her days earlier. Her life was in taters in every aspect imaginable.

She was born with a severe birth defect—Epstein’s anomaly—and the doctors questioned whether she would ever surpass her teenage years. Her boyfriend had just been jailed after wounding someone in a narcotic trade gone sour. The mother of her incarcerated “significant other” was pressing her to move out of her son’s home. So, running scared with no money, no home, poor health due to the birth defect, and a sinful lifestyle, she sought the Lord and his elevating power.

Now, years later, I stood there in that conference hall as she introduced me to her husband and minister of the gospel. With a radiant smile she proudly displayed her beautiful miracle, a 9-year-old daughter. I rejoiced to hear that her health was better than ever, with a positive prognosis for the future, and all because of the elevating power of Jesus Christ. Do not ever think that serving God will degrade you. Do not ever allow the devil to say that you could do better by rejecting the elevating power of Jesus. For nothing, absolutely nothing, could be farther from the truth.

So, I close with this. Paul in his writing to the Ephesians states that Christ has risen from the grave, and sits on the right hand in heavenly places, far above…and has all things under his feet. And though this is wonderful, it does not stop there. For he goes on to say that even though we were dead in sin, God hath quickened us and raised us up to sit together in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let it be known, that we can reside in the Lord Jesus Christ and in his elevated posture for all eternity. Rejoice, for in Christ Jesus, we find elevating power.