John 12: 20 – 36 (NLT)
20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. 26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father, bring glory to your name.”
Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.
30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine.31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate how he was going to die.
34 The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?”
35 Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. 36 Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”
After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.”
Even though these verses begin with some Greek visitors to Jerusalem asking Philip if they can see Jesus, it is not a private meeting. Philip and Andrew took them to where Jesus was talking to a crowd. Jesus talks about his coming death:
“Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.” (v. 23)
“Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to your name.” (v. 27, 28)
“And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this to indicate how he was going to die.” (v. 32, 33)
The people listening weren’t too impressed with his suggestions of death. They assumed the Messiah would live forever, and the Old Testament does refer to an eternal Messiah. What they didn’t realize was that an eternal God would come to earth, live as a human for a short period of time, and then return to Heaven alive forever. I think I would have been confused as well if I were there. Is the Messiah human or divine? Is the Messiah coming to rescue Israel from foreign rule so the nation would exist forever as an important, powerful nation? I suspect that their present circumstances of living under Roman rule clouded their thoughts. And that happens to us as well. What we are going through at any given time does affect/bias the way we think.
The fact that things have occurred that no one can explain also adds to their confusion. They know that Lazarus has been raised from the dead. Many of the people who are listening to Jesus that day are there for exactly that reason. They want to know more about the person who can bring people back to life after death. Then there was a noise that some thought was thunder and others thought was an angel speaking to Jesus. John records it as a direct message from God about His approval of Jesus, something like the message sent at Jesus’ baptism.
Why are they so confused? Jesus is quite clear in his message about his upcoming death. I suspect their confusion is a result of being skeptical of anything they can’t explain. We are certainly like that today – maybe even more so than they were during Jesus’ time on earth. We are very caught up in science and explanations for everything. We don’t accept events that seem to be from some divine or other unexplainable source. So, we really can’t point our fingers at them and wonder why they were so reluctant to accept Jesus. Jesus also gives another reason for their unbelief. Satan is hard at work too. “Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.” (v. 35)
There are some other verses in this section that catch my attention as well. “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” (v. 24, 25) This is certainly a reference to Jesus’ death and the many new people who will become part of God’s family as a result. The Jewish nation will not be the only ones considered to be God’s chosen people; now, that privilege will be extended to all people on earth.
But, I think Jesus is also talking to us. Where are our priorities? We have to die to our love for stuff in our lives. If we value our lifetime on earth more than anything, we will miss out on eternity. How does that pan out in 2022? What are my goals in life? Are my priorities getting ahead in my job? Planning wonderful vacations? Acquiring the latest techie gadgets? Having the most spectacular kids in my circle of friends? The latest fashions, home décor? I don’t think any of those things are bad in themselves. It’s how much time and energy and focus we spend on them.
Let’s look at the other side of the equation. What if my goals have more to do with God? Would my concerns then be something like these? Having regular quiet times with God? Helping others in my family, work place, neighbourhood, church? Teaching my kids about God? Setting an example to my family of the qualities that God loves most (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – Galatians 5: 22, 23)? See how that would shift my goals in life, and how I spend my time? See how that would shift what I worry about most, about what I’m satisfied with?
To be honest, when I look back on my life, I often haven’t put God’s priorities first in my life. I have worried more about all the stuff that makes up this world – my home, vacations, having a good reputation at work, having successful kids, and so on. Again, not that those things are bad, but it’s how much energy and importance I have attached to them. So, these verses today make me stop and think. Are there things I should change in my life right now? Are my priorities focused primarily on stuff of this life, or are they more focused on what God wants me to do?
Our song for today is The Heart of Worship by Matt Redman.