Looking Ahead: The Week That Changed the World
Month 9: The Road to Jerusalem · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 12:27-32
27 Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him. 30 In response, Jesus said, “This voice was not for My benefit, but yours. 31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”
Memory Verse
“Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.”— John 12:24 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Joel 2-3; Amos 1
Joel promises a day when God will "pour out My Spirit on all flesh" — the very promise Peter says came true at Pentecost (Acts 2:16-17).The Heart of It
Yesterday we looked back at the road. Tonight we look ahead at the week it leads to. The King has entered His city, and the cross is now close. We get to hear Jesus' own heart in this moment. "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour." There it is. The bravest sentence ever spoken. Jesus felt the full weight of what was coming. He did not pretend it was easy. And still He chose it, on purpose, for us. Then the Father's own voice thundered from heaven. This was the second time in the Gospels that He spoke aloud over His Son. "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."
Jesus tells us what the week ahead will do. "Now judgment is upon this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself." That "lifted up" means the cross. And the cross is no defeat. On the cross, Jesus would defeat the devil. He would pay the ransom for sin. And He would fling His arms open wide to draw people from every nation, every age, and every family, including yours. The week ahead would hold a Last Supper, a betrayal, a crown of thorns, three dark hours, and a sealed tomb. But it would end with an empty grave and a risen King. This is the week the whole Bible has been moving toward. We look ahead to it, and we do not feel dread. We feel wonder.
Around the Table
Jesus knew the cross would be very hard. But He still said yes, because He loves us that much. And God the Father spoke out loud from heaven to cheer for His Son!
Let's do it: Stretch your arms out wide, like Jesus on the cross. Then say, "Jesus loves the whole world this much!"
Jesus asked, "Father, save Me from this hour?" Then He chose to go anyway. He said, "It is for this purpose that I have come." What does that teach us about being brave when something is hard but right?
Let's talk: Jesus said being "lifted up" would draw everyone to Himself. Who do you know that you'd love to see drawn to Jesus?
"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself." Jesus' invitation reaches every nation. He died for all, not just a few. The cross looks like the world's worst day. But it is actually the world's rescue.
Let's go deeper: Why is it good news that Jesus felt real dread, and went to the cross anyway?
💬 Conversation Starter
What is the hardest thing you have ever done, even when part of you really didn't want to? How does it help to know that Jesus understands that feeling?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says… "If Jesus was really God, He wouldn't have been afraid or upset about dying." Look closely. Jesus says "Now My soul is troubled," and He still gives Himself over to the Father. That is not weakness. It is the deepest courage there is. He was fully God and fully man. As a man, He felt the real horror of the cross. And He walked into it for love of us. A Savior who felt nothing could not truly stand in our place. A Savior who felt everything and chose us anyway is exactly the one we need ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
John gives us a rare window here into Jesus' inner struggle. It is an echo of Gethsemane that the other Gospels will fill out. Resist any teaching that makes Jesus float calmly above human pain. The Son was truly troubled in soul, and the Father truly answered. That is your model for leading a family through the hard weeks ahead in your own life. Notice, too, how wide Jesus reaches when He says, "I… will draw everyone to Myself." This is the heart of the gospel we hand our children. Christ was lifted up for everyone. His drawing grace truly reaches out to every person, and it invites a real response. No one is shut out by decree. The cross is wide enough for your whole household and every neighbor on your street. As you stand on the edge of Holy Week in this devotional, let the cross do its work on you first. It is meant to draw you before you point your children to it.
Draws on: Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that Jesus felt how hard the cross would be, and still chose it for us. Thank You that He opened His arms to draw all people to Himself, including everyone in this room. Draw our hearts closer to You today. Help us love the Savior who loved us first. In Jesus' name, amen."
The cross looked like the world's darkest day. But it was the day the King opened His arms to draw us home.