John 12:20-26

John 12:20-26 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Many pastors and evangelists have delivered passionate messages using we would like to see Jesus as their text, developing the theme that as the Greeks wanted to see Jesus, we also should desire to see him. Usually these sermons emphasize Jesus as Savior, Miracle Worker, Healer, Restorer, Teacher, Deliverer, Giver of Life: all that He is to us. However, Jesus does not respond to the people's request on this particular day by pointing to his attributes. He declares: The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. In other words, the time has come for Jesus the Son of Man to be known as the Lamb of God, the Perfect Sacrifice, the offering for the sins of all mankind. In speaking of the kernel of wheat, Jesus tells the disciples, "I must die, that others might live." Most assuredly the Greeks did not seek a sacrificial lamb when they asked to see Jesus. They were among those who went up to worship at the Feast. Perhaps they longed for freedom as they saw people waving palm branches and heard them

shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!”

(John 12:13) This man, this Jesus, was someone they wanted to meet. They wanted to be near such a one as He, to be identified with his group--people who might be world-changers. And what does He say? He talks about seeds falling into the ground and dying and people losing their lives, becoming servants.

For modern believers, we do not appreciate Jesus talking about dying much more than the Greeks wanted to hear what Jesus had to say that day when they came looking for him. Often we look for earthly ease, a ticket to security or a way out of our predicaments and troubles. As new believers, we rejoice in Christ our Savior, our Messiah, our Everything, that He promised never to leave us or to forsake us. But we hesitate a bit when we hear his call, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24) We welcome him into our lives as the Overcomer, the Protector, who delivers us from death and destruction; but He is more than that: He is Lord of All. Jesus implicitly points us to the cross where we must identify with his death and his resurrection: The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. Children of God walk in abundance, but it is the abundance of a life fully surrendered to their Lord. Only this death to self and resurrection in Christ brings life and light. Countless scriptures confirm this truth. Paul wrote: Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:3-7)

We walk in the Spirit, allowing the new creation to come forth, as God perfects us and conforms us into the image of his Son. Our lives become more abundant with fruit that lasts. We do not have to fear the Master coming back and judging us as unprofitable servants, taking away what little we have because we lived only for ourselves as inactive, unproductive servants who buried our talents in the ground. As we walk in the light of Christ's love, sharing that love with others, we grow in grace. Every step we take by faith claims new ground for God's kingdom and causes us to shine more brightly for him, as we walk by faith in Christ our Redeemer. Rather than easily falling into the pits of this world or allowing Satan to distract us with sinful lusts and foolish time wasters, we say to those who try to lead us astray, "Don't you know, I must be about my Father's business? Come and join me. Serving Jesus is a wonderful life, a rich life! Follow me as I follow Christ." Every man, woman, and child who answers the call of Christ by taking up the cross and following him will lose his or her life in this world. Each believer will have to make the choice to die to self and to come alive to Christ. But in that dying comes life eternal: wonderful, glorious, amazing life everlasting; joy unspeakable and full of glory--a peace the world does not know and cannot give. The Greek worshippers may have wanted to find a miracle-working Deliverer that day; instead, they found a man who talked about dying. We can find that same Jesus today: He says, Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! (Isaiah 55:1) Jesus says, "Sit at my Father's table; He has a place prepared for you. He will honor the one who serves me."