A Question of Drawing Skills

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself" (John 12:32).

Jesus said it. What does it mean? Well, first, you need to know why it comes up. You see, some of us believe that God is Sovereign in salvation, that He initiates the saving of the Elect by first changing their natures, that He "draws them" in a far more powerful sense than "woos" or "urges" or "calls" (note that the Greek word used is the word used for drawing water or drawing prisoners to jail -- not much of a voluntary act). Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day" (John 6:44). So, to counter that idea, this verse in John 12 will surface. "See?" they will say, "He draws all people, not just the Elect." And the argument is done.

Or is it? Jesus said it. What did He mean? You see, there are some problems here. Perhaps we ought not to be too quick to nod and move on. Perhaps we ought to think about it more closely.

One of the problems is not from the Reformed, but from the skeptic. "Jesus said He would draw all people to Himself. It hasn't happened. He failed." That's one concern. And there are those who answer the skeptic with "Wait, it will happen. Everyone will be saved." Problem!

There is the claim from Christ that if the Father draws someone, "I will raise him up on the last day." That requires, filtering through John 12, that all people be saved, since anyone who is drawn is raised up on the last day and all people are drawn. Problem!

There is the problem of language. If you examine the words actually used, you'll find an interesting hole in the text. The actual text doesn't say "all people" or "all men" or "all anything". It's blank. It simply says "all". All what? We've filled in "men" or "people" or the like on our own, but it's not there. And the context doesn't tell us what to fill in there. Problem!

I do think it's interesting that the writer himself tells us why Jesus said what He said here. "He said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die" (John 12:33). Wait. So He did not say this to tell the expanse of this drawing? He didn't say this to tell us the result of His being crucified? Hmm. Maybe there's a clue there. Maybe the blanket "all" should simply be interpreted in terms of the manner of His death. That is, He was not telling us what He would accomplish, but how He would die. Thus, the after-phrase simply means "When I die the way I'm telling you in advance that I'll die, I will draw to Myself all that I intend to draw." Or, "My death on the cross will accomplish what I intend it to accomplish."

Some will argue from the lack of a term after "all" that it simply means "all kinds of people" or "people from all nations". "He's talking about drawing more than just Jews here." That kind of thing. Okay. Maybe you like that.

Or, maybe He simply means what so many have thought He meant -- that His death on the cross would serve as a calling for all, a general encouragement for all to come to Him. Of course, this might be problematic on its own. Not everyone hears of His crucifixion, so it's hard to say how they would be "drawn" in this manner. Many people have no interest at all in His crucifixion, so it's difficult to say how they are "drawn" in this sense. And Jesus did say that He would raise up those who are drawn, so that would suggest Universalism again. But maybe those problems don't bother you.

I'm not offering you an answer here. Well, I've offered you possibilities. Pick one. Or make your own. I'm just pointing out that to be too light, too blithe in reading the words of Christ or the rest of Scripture can get you into trouble. Part of loving God with all our minds would include paying careful attention to His Word. God and His Word certainly deserve our careful attention. Let Scripture interpret Scripture, and be sure to be diligent to rightly handle the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15).