It Is Finished

Maybe you have heard a preacher make the following statement from John:

John 12:32 (NIV)  "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."

The next statement goes like this, "So we are going to lift up Jesus here today so that He will draw all men to Himself." You've heard it and so have I. So, let's look at the next verse:

John 12:33 (NIV)  He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

The second statement explains the first. The first taken out of context means that our exaltation of Jesus will cause others to come to know Him. The second statement explains that Jesus death on the cross is actually what draws people to Him. The second statement means explains that the lifting up that Jesus experienced was by the people who would crucify Him. We are responsible for Jesus being "lifted up" since Jesus died for our sins.

I want to lift Jesus up in praise but I don't want to lift Him up to the cross. He will never be on the cross again.

He said it all when He said, "It is finished."