PONDERING... The King's Proclamation

The King's Proclamation

John 12:20-26  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.

A Little Context (Greeks):

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.  

The language here implies that the Greeks were begging to see Jesus. It almost appears as if their pleas go unanswered, but there is a broader context here. Jesus' time earth is book-ended with visits from Gentiles. After His birth, he is visited by maggi from the East. Now,  within the week of His death, He is sought by men from the West. Jesus' response points to His plan that Gentile will indeed see Him. Not just physically, but on level with His response to the disciples in John chapter 1 (John 1:38-39 ESV - "38 ...And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 He said to them, "Come and you will see." ..."), He's speaking spiritually. Wonderfully, we know it was Jesus' plan to save but the Jews and the Gentiles! 

(Side Note: We don't know if He spoke to them directly or not. Given His track-record, it is very likely. John does not record it because he was more concerned with this response and what followed.)

Transformation of Values

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.

Sound familiar?

Matthew 10:39  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 16:25  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Luke 9:23-24  And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  24  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

Revelation 12:11  And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

These verses echo a message that is key in Jesus' ministry...and the Bible (which makes sense as they are one and the same). It is a message that goes against the grain. Instead of valuing self above all else, we are to value God.

Hour to be Glorified?

All throughout the Gospel, Jesus has been reminding His listeners that His hour had not yet come. This was used, as we've addressed, to speak of His coming death...and the salvation it would bring. In answer to the Greeks' request to see Him, Jesus says this hour has now come. He will die. He will be glorified. We will be saved. The world will see Him.

Dying to live?

We can't pretend that this makes sense on the surface level. It's a paradox. Live by dying? 

1. Planting

Jesus using the illustration of a seed dying and being planted. Unless this happens, new plants won't grow. The same is true of Jesus. He died, to give us new life. 

Why? Because that price needed to be paid. Mankind is sinful and has earned punishment, Hell. Jesus gave Himself as the only, perfect sacrifice. 

2. Priorities

We are not all called to die like Christ physically, but we are called to follow His example (see verse 26). 

Philippians 2:5-8 - "5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Hating Life?

Let's look at the way hate is being use here.

Genesis 29:30-31  So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.  31  When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

Luke 14:26  "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Two passages. Two examples. One usage. Hate, in this sense, is loving less. First, Jacob is not said to despise Leah, but in comparison to his love for Rachel, any affection he has toward Leah is seen as hatred. Likewise, Jesus does not teach us to hate our parents, but to honor them. However, in comparison to our love for Him, any love we have for...well anyone else will appear as hatred.

These verse, and there are many, that tell us to hate our lives are not promoting suicidal thoughts.However, I do not want to water down what He is saying either. Our hearts, naturally, are selfish and self-desiring. We should hate that. These verses are pointing away from self-love and to Christ. We are not to value our lives about Him. Our priority list should go like this: 1. Jesus 2. Everything else. 

Concluding Thoughts:

Jesus, in His triumphal entry, proclaims that He will be glorified by giving up His life; He will save the world by dying on a cross. This is not a typical "Kingly proclamation". He does not promise earthly fame or conquest. He promises life by means of death. Glorification through humiliation.

This is the God we serve. We follow Him by laying down our lives. We will be His witnesses by giving of ourselves.