The Hour has Come

[31] “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. [32] It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. [33] “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. [34] No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (‭‭‭‭Jeremiah 31:31-34)

[20] Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. [21] They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” [22] Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. 

[23] Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. [24] Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. [25] Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. [26] Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. [27] “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. [28] Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (John 12:20-28)

‭‭[1] In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, [2] and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:1-2)

[14] Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, [15] and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14)

[7] And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  (Matthew 10:7)

[1] Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (‭‭John 13:1)

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[1] Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, (John 17:1)

And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ ” (Matthew 26:18)

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[14] When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. [15] Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; [16] for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” [17] Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; [18] for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” [19] And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” [20] Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." (Luke 22:14-20)

"Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners" (Matthew 26:45)

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village. (Luke 9:51–56).

 

[8] Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. [9] And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (Hebrews 5:8-9)

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God prophesied through Jeremiah that the days were coming when a new covenant would be made with the people of Israel and with Judah. Unlike the old covenant which His people broke, under this covenant, God would put His law in their minds and write it on their hearts. He would be their God, and they would be His people. No longer would they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they would all know Him, from the least of them to the greatest, because He would forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.

When John the Baptist came preaching throughout Judea, He said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

"After John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples to the lost sheep of Israel, He instructed them to say, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand', as they went.

When something is at hand, it is close! Jesus began building His kingdom when He was on earth, just as He said, and His disciples are continuing to do so today!

Jesus said that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24), but when some Greeks came to see Jesus, He said, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. He went on to describe what His disciples must do to follow Him, and then that He had come for this hour to glorify God's name. God responded that He has glorified His name and that He will glorify it again. No longer would His covenant only be with the house of Israel, but now it would include both Jew and Greek who have faith in Him. They would all know Him, from the least of them to the greatest, because He would forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more. He would be their God, and they would be His people. 

Before the Passover, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart this world to go to the Father. He knew that He had loved His own who were in the world to the end.

Because "My time is at hand", Jesus sent His disciples to see a man about using his house to eat the Passover.

When the hour had come, Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples, and taking the cup He said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." Jesus sealed the new covenant that was prophesied by Jeremiah, by His blood, and He inaugurated it in the Upper Room during the Last Supper.

After eating the Passover and implementing the new covenant, Jesus prayed, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You."

Then, Jesus said, "Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners", and He was arrested and taken to the Sanhedrin.

Jesus suffered terribly, and "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him."

Jesus learned obedience through His suffering. Just as He said regarding the Greeks who came to him, whoever hates their lives in this world will keep it for eternal life, will serve and follow Him, and in return will be honored by the Father. Those who obey Him are in a covenant with Him and will inherit eternal salvation because of their faith in Him.