John 12:28-29
Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus isn't just asking for His own glory, but for the Father's name to be revealed and honored through His impending suffering. The heavenly response, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again," assures Him that His mission, even through death, is the ultimate display of God's own magnificent character. This highlights that even in moments of deep distress, God's ultimate purpose of revealing His glory remains central.
Jesus, facing the agonizing prospect of his death, cries out in distress to his Father, asking for deliverance but immediately reaffirming his purpose. In response, a voice from heaven affirms that God's name has already been glorified through Jesus and will be glorified even further through his impending crucifixion and resurrection. This divine affirmation is meant to strengthen Jesus and assure the onlookers, though many misunderstand the supernatural voice as thunder.
In the face of immense suffering, Jesus expresses profound distress. Yet, even in this moment, His focus isn't on His own relief, but on God's glory.
Jesus' cry, 'Father, save me from this hour,' reveals his genuine human struggle with the agony ahead. It's not a lack of faith, but a testament to the overwhelming weight of bearing sin. However, he immediately corrects this impulse with, 'but for this cause I came to this hour.' This shows the deep commitment to God's plan. His suffering was not accidental; it was the very reason for His coming, a necessary path to fulfill His mission of atonement. This shows us that even when we feel overwhelmed, we can find strength in remembering God's purpose for us.
A divine voice breaks through the heavens, responding to Jesus' prayer. What does this declaration of God's glory mean for Jesus, and for us?
The Father's response, 'I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again,' is a powerful affirmation. 'I have glorified it' speaks to the glory God has already received through Jesus' life, miracles, and teachings. It validates His Son and His work up to this point. 'And will glorify it again' points to the future: Jesus' impending death, resurrection, ascension, and the spread of the Gospel. This means God's glory is not static; it unfolds through Christ's redemptive work, culminating in His ultimate triumph. This reassures us that God's glory is not just a past event but a continuous, unfolding reality, even amidst suffering.
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The crowd hears thunder, not fully grasping the divine conversation. But Jesus understands: His impending 'lifting up' is the key to God's renewed glory.
Jesus’ prayer for His Father to 'glorify Your name' and the Father's response set the stage for the ultimate display of glory. The surrounding crowd misunderstands the divine voice, hearing only thunder or an angel. But Jesus knows this voice affirms that His suffering and death are central to God’s plan. His 'lifting up' on the cross isn't just a moment of shame and pain; it's the very means by which God will powerfully glorify His name, drawing all people to Himself. This teaches us that what seems like an end or a defeat to the world is, in God's economy, the ultimate pathway to His glory and salvation.
Understand the original words
doxazō · Greek Verb
To make manifest, reveal, or display the true character, majesty, and holiness of God. To glorify God is to bring Him the credit and awe that are His due.
This moment occurs just before Jesus' crucifixion. The divine voice from heaven, responding to Jesus' cry to glorify God's name, reassures Him that His entire life and upcoming death and resurrection will ultimately bring glory to the Father.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, hailed by crowds as a king, fulfilling prophecy.
c. AD 30
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Jesus drives out money changers and merchants from the Temple courts, asserting His authority.
c. AD 30
Greeks Seek to See Jesus
Some Greek-speaking Gentiles approach Philip, wanting to meet Jesus, signaling a turning point towards a wider audience.
c. AD 30
Jesus Predicts His Death
Jesus speaks of His impending death, comparing it to a grain of wheat falling into the ground to bear fruit.
c. AD 30
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays for strength as He faces His imminent suffering and death.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection
Jesus is crucified and then resurrected, the pivotal events fulfilling His mission and God's plan.
At Jesus' baptism, the Father's voice directly affirmed His Son and His name, echoing the 'glorify your name' petition and the Father's response in John 12:28. This shows a consistent divine affirmation of Jesus' identity and mission.
John 17:1-5In His high priestly prayer, Jesus asks the Father to 'glorify your Son,' directly linking His own glorification with the Father's. This passage illuminates the intimate connection Jesus felt between His mission and the Father's honor, as seen in John 12:28.
Hebrews 12:2This verse describes Jesus as enduring the cross 'for the joy set before him.' This mirrors the sentiment in John 12:28 where Jesus, despite His soul being troubled, turns His focus to the Father's glory as the ultimate purpose and reward for His suffering.
Philippians 2:9-11The exaltation of Jesus and the confession of His name come after His obedience, even to death. This speaks to the Father's ultimate glorification of Jesus' name through His suffering and obedience, a theme powerfully present in the divine response in John 12:28.
calvinJohn 12:27-33: "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."
- Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour; but for this cause came I into this hour. 28. Father, glorify thy name. Then came a voice from heaven, I have both glorified and will glorify it again. 29. Therefore the multitude, who were there, and heard it, said that it thundered. Others said, An angel spoke to him. 30. Jes…
henryJohn 12:27-33: "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."
12:27-33 The sin of our souls was the troubled of Christ's soul, when he undertook to redeem and save us, and to make his soul an offering for our sin. Christ was willing to suffer, yet prayed to be saved from suffering. Prayer against trouble may well agree with patience under it, and submission to the will of God in it. Our Lord Jesus undertook to satisfy G…
Jesus isn't just asking for His own glory, but for the Father's name to be revealed and honored through His impending suffering. The heavenly response, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again," assures Him that His mission, even through death, is the ultimate display of God's own magnificent character. This highlights that even in moments of deep distress, God's ultimate purpose of revealing His glory remains central.
Jesus, facing the agonizing prospect of his death, cries out in distress to his Father, asking for deliverance but immediately reaffirming his purpose. In response, a voice from heaven affirms that God's name has already been glorified through Jesus and will be glorified even further through his impending crucifixion and resurrection. This divine affirmation is meant to strengthen Jesus and assure the onlookers, though many misunderstand the supernatural voice as thunder.
Jesus, facing the agonizing prospect of his death, cries out in distress to his Father, asking for deliverance but immediately reaffirming his purpose. In response, a voice from heaven affirms that God's name has already been glorified through Jesus and will be glorified even further through his impending crucifixion and resurrection. This divine affirmation is meant to strengthen Jesus and assure the onlookers, though many misunderstand the supernatural voice as thunder.
"Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”" — Jesus isn't just asking for His own glory, but for the Father's name to be revealed and honored through His impending suffering. The heavenly response, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it aga…
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