John 12:20-36 is our Gospel for the Fifth Sunday in Lent.

The hour for Jesus’ suffering is upon him. He could ask to be delivered from this hour, but he knows this is why he came. What lies ahead is necessary and when Jesus is finished, the Father is glorified and the kingdoms of this world will fall.

Here is the issue: Those kingdoms are still around. So… what is up?

He will glorify his name: because those who have usurped God’s rule in the world, those who have laid it waste and trampled on the poor and exalted themselves as kings, lords and even as gods—all of them are now going to be condemned. ‘Now is the judgment of this world! Now the world’s ruler is going to be thrown out!’ But it won’t look like that. This was the language lots of people were expecting. It was the sort of talk you would associate with a would-be Messiah. The next thing you knew, he’d be telling you to sharpen your sword and help him attack the Roman garrison beside the Temple.

But Jesus wasn’t that sort of Messiah. He was aiming to overthrow the kingdom of the world, all right, and replace it with the kingdom of God. But the victory was to be of a totally different sort. It was all about his being ‘lifted up’, exalted—on a pole, like the serpent in the wilderness (3:14–15). That’s how the world would be rescued. That’s how God, the true God, the God of astonishing, generous love, would be glorified. Swords don’t glorify the creator-God. Love does. Self-giving love, best of all.

 Wright, T. (2004). John for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 11-21 (pp. 33–34). Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.

We are in a caldron of political heat and fire this year. Christian Nationalism and just straight up white nationalism is at a fever pitch and in position to not make the same mistakes of 4-8 years ago.

There is a faction that wants power because they truly believe that is “God’s way.” They are helping Jesus bring the sword of judgment.

Here is the problem: that is not the way of Christ.

When he pronounced judgment on the ruler of this world, he didn’t turn to people and command them to take up their swords and storm Herod’s Palace or the Antonia Fortress sitting on one corner of the Temple Mount. It was what could be expected. Jesus doesn’t just go that way.

So, if he declared the ruler of this world judged, why is that dude still hanging out and wreaking havoc?

What we fail to understand is that the enemy knows his days are numbered. We forget that, so we want to take matters into our own hands. This only perpetuates our problems and feeds into the enemy’s ability to prolong his final disastrous days.

Swords don’t glorify God.

Our “might” isn’t the answer.

Love, self-sacrificing love, is the answer.

The way of Christ will not be found in “dismantling government,” whether that is from the “right” or the “left.”

The way of Christ will be found in self-giving love that will heal the marginalized through the power of the Kingdom of God. The enemy has an expiration date. We just don’t know what that date is… and we’re frustrated. But instead of taking “power” in some way we need to see the way of Christ. His sacrifice would deliver the fatal blow to the enemy.

This is the way for us to follow.