Verses often taken out of context or misused: John 12:32
John 12:32 [32] And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (ESV)
A well-meaning person could use this to encourage worship. As scripture gives us examples of “to lift up”.
Isaiah 24:14 [14] They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.
Psalm 121:1 [1] I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
1 Timothy 2:8 [8] I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; (context is corporate worship in Paul’s instructions).
Psalm 25:1 [1] To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. (ESV)
But the verse is not talking about the same idea. Rather it is about Christs’ crucifixion. The timeline is the last week before His death on the cross, giving us some clue. But this type of verse is why I personally tackled these verse studies. To remind me and teach me to always read and study the context. Let the Word of God tell me what it says, not bring my own agenda to it. Because the very next verse, John tells us what it means:
John 12:32–33 [32] And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” [33] He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. (ESV)
