The hour of Christ's glorification had come. He was standing in the shadow of the cross, and the inquiry of the Greeks showed Him that the sacrifice He was about to make would bring many sons and daughters to God. He knew that the Greeks would soon see Him in a position they did not then dream of. They would see Him placed beside Barabbas, a robber and murderer, who would be chosen for release before the Son of God. They would hear the people, inspired by the priests and rulers, making their choice. And to the question, "What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?" the answer would be given, "Let Him be crucified." Matt. 27:22. By making this propitiation for the sins of men, Christ knew that His kingdom would be perfected, and would extend throughout the world. He would work as the Restorer, and His Spirit would prevail. For a moment He looked into futurity, and heard the voices proclaiming in all parts of the earth, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. In these strangers He saw the pledge of a great harvest, when the partition wall between Jew and Gentile should be broken down, and all nations, tongues, and peoples should hear the message of salvation. The anticipation of this, the consummation of His hopes, is expressed in the words, "The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified." But the way in which this glorification must take place was never absent from Christ's mind. The gathering in of the Gentiles was to follow His approaching death. Only by His death could the world be saved. Like a grain of wheat, the 623 Son of man must be cast into the ground and die, and be buried out of sight; but He was to live again.

Timen var kommen, hvor Kristus skulle herliggøres. Han stod i korsets skygge, og grækernes forespørgsel viste ham, at han snart skole føre mange sønner og døtre til Gud. Han vidste, at grækerne snart skulle komme til at se ham under forhold, som de nu ikke drømte om. De ville komme til at se ham side om side med Barrabas, en røver og morder, som ville blive frigivet i stedet for Guds Søn. De ville komme til at høre folket træffe deres valg under påvirkning af præsterne og rådsherrerne. Og svaret på dette spørgsmål: "Hvad skal jeg da gøre med Jesus, der kaldes Kristus?" ville lyde sådan: "Lad ham blive korsfæstet!" Matt. 27,22.