Sunday, May 4, 2014

John 12:20-26

John 12:20-26
And some Greeks were out of the ones who went up in order that they should worship in the temple.  Therefore these ones came to Philip, the one from Bethsaida in Galilee, and they were asking him while saying, “Lord, we desire to see Jesus.”  Philip comes and speaks to Andrew; Andrew and Philip speak to Jesus.  And Jesus answers them while saying, “The hour has come in order that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat should die while falling into the earth it remains alone.  But should it die it bears much fruit.  The one who loves his innermost being shall experience the loss of it.  And the one who hates his innermost being in this world will guard it closely into life eternal.  If someone should serve me, let him follow me.  And where I am there also will be my servant.  Should someone serve me, the Father will honor him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Some Greeks were in Jerusalem.  These would have likely been God-fearing Greeks.  They weren’t born Jews, but they had begun to be taught Jewish ways and had begun to experience relationship with God.  Being designated as Greek, John is likely saying that they had not undergone any Jewish rituals welcoming them officially into Judaism such as circumcision.  Part of John’s point, though, is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone.  Remember in John 3 Jesus spoke with Nicodemus – a Pharisee.  In John 4 Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman.  Now we see that Greeks are attracted to Jesus.  Jesus is there for all who seek Him out wherever they are in their life.

Where has Jesus been to meet you?  Do you think “whether you are good enough to belong” matters to Jesus?

Second Thought:

Another really interesting point about the Greeks is that they come to speak to Philip.  You might wonder why Philip?  Interestingly enough, Philip is a name with its origins in Greek, not the Aramaic typically spoken in Judea.  This could mean that either Philip was born in an area accustomed to being among Greeks or his parents had learned an appreciation for Greeks and named him out of that appreciation.  Either way, these Greeks find common ground with Philip.  The Greeks who are searching for Jesus find Jesus through a follower of Christ that has something in common with them.

Why is this a neat point to consider?   What do you have in common with those who have helped lead you to Christ?  What can you use in your life to build bridges of commonality to others in this life in order to help lead them to Christ?

Third Thought:

Notice Jesus’ perspective here in this section.  We would have expected Jesus to say, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be crucified.  Or die.  Or be rejected.  But this is not what Jesus says.  Jesus says, “to be glorified.”  Even now, Jesus’ focus is upon the glory of the Lord.  It isn’t about Him.  Life is about what God is doing.  This is why Jesus tells us the story about the seed, the seed’s dying, and the seed’s bearing much fruit.  In order to draw close to Christ, life must cease being about the self and it must focus on God, His plan, and His glory.  He who loves his innermost being in this world will lose it.  But he who hates his own being in this life will protect eternal life forever because of their desire to focus upon God’s glory.  Jesus’ teaching cannot be clearer.  He is indeed for everyone.  But you must truly follow Jesus, not just say the right words.

Are you following Jesus?  Is your life about the glory of God?  Do you love your innermost being?


Passage for Tomorrow: John 12:27-33

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