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John 12 English Standard Version (ESV)

Some Greeks Seek Jesus

²⁰ Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. ²¹ So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.²⁵ Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

²⁷ “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”²⁹ The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”³⁰ Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 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. ³⁴ So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵ So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶ While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

REFLECTION

• Read over this passage a few times slowly. If time allows, read the whole chapter.
• Jesus realized it is time for Him to make the final sacrifice. He went on to explain why He was willing to face death. Just as a seed will never become a plant unless it “dies” and is “buried” so the death and burial of Jesus is necessary to His glorification. Before there can be resurrection power and fruitfulness, there must be death.
• We are called by Jesus to hate (disregard) our life in the sense that we freely give it up for God. We are to disregard our life in this world, seeing instead that we are mere pilgrims and sojourners, with our home in heaven instead of earth (Hebrews 11:13-16).
• If we are Christians, we must follow Jesus in this path of others-centered and heaven-centered living. This path will lead us to the way of the cross, but it will also take us to the resurrection glory of the empty tomb.
• In your own life are you more interested in earthly acclaim and glory or are you willing to lose your life for Christ’s sake? Examine your direction and life goals in the light of Jesus’ commitment to do the will of the Father.

PRAYER

Lord, thank You for enlightening me, allowing me to draw the most profound truth in life from today’s scripture: that is, to gain Your eternal life from imitating Your death! Lord, I picture myself at this moment as a grain of wheat, lying quietly in an urn, with the soft kernels and germ inside, and the hard outer shell. The grain of wheat is very willing to lie down like this all the time, because it is comfortable and safe. However, if the grains of wheat are not scattered in the soil, how can they accomplish their destined goal? After a long time, it will die and can no longer germinate and grow. Lord, though I feel pain and trouble, I beseech You to sow me in the ground in time, and let my outer shell be broken—these are but the lust of my eyes and the pride of this life, which will hinder my growth. Lord, I want to grow and bear many seeds; I want to take up my cross to follow You, and save my life to eternal life by denying myself. Help me grow and give You all the glory, Amen!

HYMN

Living for Jesus – youtu.be/Jn-czHr13FE