Following the raising of Lazarus from the dead, Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Apparently, Lazarus was with them because the Bible says that many Jews came to see not only Jesus but also Lazarus—word of this astounding miracle had traveled! Then the Bible describes how “a great multitude” gathered having heard Jesus was coming and laid out branches of palm trees crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! The King of Israel!” These were likely common folk, apparently Jew and Greek, that were declaring their allegiance to Jesus as Messiah and King. These are those who saw and heard of His signs and listened to His teaching and believed. Contrary to some teaching, these are not the same ones that yelled “Crucify!” because they are two different groups of people. Today, I want to pick up in the section right after the Triumphal Entry where they shouted “Hosanna!”
In the next section, it begins in John 12:20 saying, “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.” Interestingly, suddenly the focus shifts from Jews to Greeks. Why is this? What is the significance? We can find it in the words of Jesus just after this. So the Greeks asked Philip, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” They may have heard about Lazarus. They wanted to learn of Him. Then Andrew and Philip told Jesus they wanted to see Him. Verse 22 says, “But Jesus answered them, saying, ‘The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.’”
So we see, Jesus begins speaking of His upcoming sacrifice and death right after this stating in verse 27, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father save me from this hour?’ But for this purpose, I came to this hour. Father glorify Your name.” The significance of the Greeks seeking him out is because in the cross, Jesus will draw both Jew and Gentile to Himself. This “hour” that has come for Him to be glorified is the hour of His cross. His glory in this sacrifice is immense. In the cross, He defeats the devil, sin, and death and redeems mankind to eternal life by simple faith in Him. He is the eternal Savior of all man in this ultimate sacrifice, the final Passover lamb slain for the sins of the world. He is the grain of wheat that must fall to the earth and die to produce much grain. If He had given into Satan’s temptation when He went to the wilderness after His baptism and gained glory in the worship of the world by bowing to Satan, He would have remained alone. His death would bear no fruit. But in laying down His life and letting His grain of wheat fall to the earth in courage, obedience, and honor, He gained humankind as family He could welcome to His home in heaven.
Isaiah 53 is dedicated to detailing His sacrifice. Verse 10 says, “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the LORD makes His life an offering for sin, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in His hand.” Colossians 1:15 states, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Therefore, we see that Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers and sisters, and in the cross He will see His “offspring” or His children in faith. By faith, we become children of God. Jesus made this general analogy about a grain of wheat because we, too, produce much grain when we lay our lives down (“he who hates his life”) with Jesus and follow Him as His servant as He said in that verse. The one who “loves his life” lives only for this one fleeting, temporary life on earth that the Bible calls a vapor and a mist, a fleeting breath. He lives for selfish pursuits, pleasure, and earthly glory and pride rather than the eternal life found in serving Christ. He may have what he wants in this life, but he will never gain eternity in the family of God. He will “lose his life,” his True Eternal Life. He will die alone one day and suffer separation from God and family.
In this statement, Jesus warns as He has at other times, that if we aim to serve Him, we must follow Him. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus says, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” In denying ourselves do we “hate” our life and gain eternal life. We live to the priorities and leading of God’s Spirit and not to our carnal human nature with its selfish desires and lusts. We seek the fruits of the Spirit in humility, knowing always our place is at our Savior and Lord’s feet, in gratitude, praise, and worship for His redeeming sacrifice and honor for His just rule and reign. It is these who He claims the Father will honor. Those who honor the Son will be also honored by the Father. For the Father has given the Son the name above all names. Philippians 2:9-11 shows this is the response of the Father to the sacrifice of the Son, stating, “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
This is the glory Jesus spoke of in the verse after the grain of wheat, when He said, “For this purpose I came to this hour (that of His death). Father, glorify your name.” Verse 28 says, “Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’” This voice is understood to be that of the Father, who spoke once before at Jesus baptism blessing His Son, the Beloved, and again at the mount of transfiguration, when He commanded Peter to listen to His Son. The Father is glorified in His Son’s obedience at the cross. Jesus begged the Father the night before His death to take this cup from Him if possible when He said to the Father, “yet not My will, but Your will be done.” Jesus gained glory for Him and His Father through His obedience, even at great cost. This is how we too gain glory for our God, through our obedience to His words and will, even when it may cost us everything, including our lives.
Today is the anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s death. He lived a life of courage and faith, as he wished to be remembered, faithfully pursuing God’s Word and will even when he too, fell to the ground as that grain of wheat that died a martyr and produced much grain. His death galvanized many to dedicate themselves to their faith and pursue God with passion like he did. I know I am inspired by his example to strive for the same excellence, no matter how I may fall short each day. I try to remember those who live with integrity like he did, to be encouraged to follow my Savior faithfully no matter what befall me.
When the voice from heaven spoke, people who heard began commenting that it had thundered. Some said it was an angel. Then, Jesus answered them in verse 30 saying, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” Then John says, “He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.” Satan, the ruler or prince of this world as he is called gained dominion when Adam and Eve obeyed him in the garden. At the cross, Satan was judged and cast out under Jesus and His followers’ feet. That is amazing. The Father revealed His thunderous voice from heaven to move people to faith. People wanted signs to believe. God did not withhold His signs. How hard were their hearts to yet deny Him? How blind were they to miss these signs? Yet, He stated that when He is lifted up on the cross, He will draw ALL people to Himself, even the blind.
In the following verse 35-36, Jesus warns them, “’A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.’ These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.” In other teaching, Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world.” And in the section right after this, John shows that the blind were fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy, which stated, “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed…He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” The blind were warned here by Jesus to “walk while you have light, lest the darkness overtake you.” In other words, while your conscience is yet soft and discerning enough to receive Him at His word, believe and turn from the world to the Savior. If you ignore or deny your conscience and heart long enough, it will harden and become seared, unable to discern truth and turn to it in faith and the “darkness will overtake you.”
Then in verses 47-50, Jesus says something interesting: “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life.” In other words, Jesus reflects the truths and warnings of the Father faithfully. It is these truths themselves that guide us to be justified or condemned. And we know what the Father commands: eternal life. That is His desire and will and command to all of us. Be saved! Be united with your heavenly Father for all eternity in heaven!
So today, let us place our trust and faith in Christ and thank Him for His saving sacrifice in the cross. Let us be that grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies to bear much grain. Let us lay our lives down for God and bear our cross and follow Him that where He is, we may be there also found as His servant. Let us see the day that the Father honors us for loving His Son in a manner worthy of Him. Let us love Him as the law commands—with all our hearts, minds, soul, and strength. Let us hear the voice of the Father booming from heaven and calling out to each of us! Let us live to bring Him glory by our faith in Jesus and with our lives.
If you don’t know Jesus yet or believe in Him this day, be not blind to the light that came into the world for your sake! See Him for who He was and is: Lord and Savior of mankind. Soften and open your heart to receive His love for you. Sear not your conscience, but respond to His call. The Father has a command for you, and it is eternal life! Come home to your Father today and receive His command. Praise You Father for Your good command, for Your faithful love for Your creation and for Your great sacrifice to make us Your children and adopt us into Your family! We love You always! Amen!