Last Sunday we completed the seventh of the signs recorded by John in his account of the Lord’s life and ministry. There is one more sign that Jesus performed—the miraculous catch of fish. Instead of jumping ahead and considering the significance of the last sign now, I want to go back to the first sign and draw out some themes that are common to the first and seventh signs. I believe this will help us further appreciate Jesus’ ministry to us.

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he in effect signed his own death warrant. The Sanhedrin put out a contract on Jesus’ life. In the following chapter, only a few days before the cross, we see Jesus declaring, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (12:23). With literary brilliance John connects the significance of the first sign with the seventh. But he doesn’t stop there. There’s another connection between the first and seventh signs.

In turning the water into wine, we recall how Jesus let it be known that his hour had not yet come, meaning it was not yet time for him to die. But now that Jesus has raised a man from the dead, the Sanhedrin feels threatened by Jesus, so they plot to kill him. His hour had now come. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, his enemies sought to kill him, but Jesus evaded their grasp because his hour had not yet come.

A short time after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, only days before the cross, we find Him declaring, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (12:23). In anguish we hear Him cry, "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Thy name" (12:27-28a). In the next chapter, we see Christ seated at the table with His disciples for the Feast of Passover. John makes the parenthetical statement, "Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father" (13:1). Again we find the words repeated at the beginning of the high priestly prayer, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee" (17:1). Clearly the themes of Jesus’ “hour” and his “glory” are tightly connected. But there’s one more theme here I want to draw out and focus on for the weeks leading up to Easter. The events of His passion can be summarized in the statement, "Drinking the cup."

There was a firm resolution in the mind of our Lord that He would drink the cup that the Father would hand to Him on behalf of sinners. For all that our Lord faced, came not by chance, but by divine design to fulfill the redemptive plan of God for sinners. Because Jesus Christ drank the cup of death, we can drink the cup of life from His hand.

Every part of our Lord's passion, that is, those events leading up to and culminating with His death, burial, and resurrection, enable us to understand how all of it joins together in His saving work. In the weeks ahead I want to bring to light the significance of our Lord Jesus Christ drinking the cup on our behalf.