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JOHN 12:32 “AND, I, IF I BE LIFTED UP FROM THE EARTH, WILL DRAW ALL MEN UNTO ME.” (KJV)
“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” (NKJV)
“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” (NASB)
“But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” (NIV)
Jesus said, “If I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me.” I always took that to mean that it is my job to lift Him up. He will draw men unto Himself. However, if you look at the next verse, you can see that He was showing the kind of death He was going to die. Literally, Jesus knew the cross was going to lift Him above the earth to His death and, by doing so, He was going to draw all men unto Himself. Jesus knew the cross was ahead of Him and He went there anyway…for you and me.
This was one of only a few examples when God spoke in an audible voice from heaven. In verse 23, Jesus said it was time for the Son of Man to be glorified. In verse 28, He says, “Father, glorify your name!” and God’s voice came from heaven in answer: “I have glorified it, I will glorify it again.”
Now, if it was me, I think after that I would have believed in Him implicitly. However, after all the miracles, after all the voices from heaven, after all of His teaching, verse 37 tells us, “they still would not believe in Him.” What a testimony to the frailty of our understanding and faith in God! Apparently, if it was me there, I would not have believed in Him any more than His disciples did.
Jesus did “lift Himself” up by submitting to crucifixion on a cross just a short time later. His death, burial, resurrection and ascension all followed, documented not only in the Bible but in recorded history as well. For the next two thousand years, He has been lifted up and has drawn all men unto Him as He said He would. Most still choose to not believe. But all have been drawn unto Him. No man or woman will stand before Him with excuse of not being drawn.
Despite the literal interpretation of what He said in verse 32, which we memorize today, I believe Jesus was prophesying of our role in lifting Him up too. It is not a bad thing to lift up pictures of what can be assumed to be a facsimile of Jesus, like the photo above. I don’t criticize those who choose to wear a cross. That can lift up Jesus to others. Thousands of disciples and missionaries over the last two millennia have given their lives lifting Jesus up to those around the world. They lifted Jesus up. He drew men and women unto Himself.
I take John 12:32 to be a challenge to my life as a follower of Jesus. Yes, He spoke of it as a fact of His sacrifice for me and you. Now, it is my job to lift Him up any way I can, so by the Spirit He will continue to draw all men unto Himself.
Despite the pictures, despite the cross/jewelry, despite all the preaching and teaching I can do, I think the most important “lifting” I can do is to look so much like Jesus to everyone around me that all they see is Jesus. In our world, we do everything we can do every day to lift ourselves up. We compete, we promote ourselves, we do everything we can to make ourselves look better. What Jesus is calling us to do is show less and less of ourselves and more and more of Jesus…in ourselves.
Back in John 3:30, John the Baptist made a very short statement that will be a memory verse of ours very soon. He said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Can you say that? I have spent a lot of time in my adult life trying to make that truth true in me.
The world looks for those who promote themselves. We call people leaders who naturally draw people to follow them. What Jesus calls us to do is lift Him up. If you do that, you might just have to stop lifting yourself up. You might need to be more humble, more serving, more like Jesus.
He lifted Himself up by going to the cross. He drew all men unto Him. Now, He tells us to lift Him up. If we do, He always draws men unto Himself. And that is our goal as disciples…lift Him up, watch Him draw all men unto Himself. How are you doing with that?
Questions to ponder: Who do you promote more? You or Jesus? What traits best model Jesus in us? What traits in you do not show Jesus is alive in you? How easy is it to serve others before yourself? If you could eliminate one specific non-Christlike aspect of yourself, what would it be? Who are some examples of the most Christ-like persons you know? How have you seen the Lord show you what traits in you most need to be decreased to become more like Him?
Other Scriptures to Consider: John 3:30, James 4:10 “Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” He will lift me up? 1 Peter 5: 5-6 “Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” James 4:6 “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Ephesians 4:2. Mark 9:35, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
 
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