Jesus says, 'And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.' John immediately comments that Jesus says this to indicate what kind of death he will die.
The evangelist therefore explicitly anchors the image in the cross.
Jesus in Context
When I Am Lifted Up From the Earth
John explains Jesus' promise to be 'lifted up' as a reference to the manner of his death, while the same verb also carries the Gospel's paradoxical theme that crucifixion is Jesus' exaltation and glorification.
Introduction
Historical and Cultural Context
The Greek verb hypsoo can mean to lift up physically and to exalt. In Roman crucifixion a condemned person was literally raised upon a cross, and John has already used 'lifted up' in connection with the Son of Man and the bronze serpent. At the same time, the Gospel repeatedly treats Jesus' approaching death as his 'hour' of glorification.
The double force should not be split into unrelated meanings: John's theology joins the shameful lifting of crucifixion with Jesus' exaltation.
Why It Matters
John's own explanation guards against interpretations that make the verse refer only to preaching, resurrection, or ascension. The immediate reference is to Jesus' death.
Yet the language also reveals John's great reversal: the cross, an instrument designed for public degradation, becomes the place where Jesus is glorified and begins drawing people to himself.