John 12:20-36

Hey everybody, back in the Gospel of John, thanks for joining us

as we continue here through chapter 12.

A little bit of a, and not, not filler

because the content is important, but, sort of a bridge.

Today we're trying to get through a couple passages here.

Let me read the first to you.

We're starting in verse 20.

Read a few verses here.

Kind of see what we can make of it.

Now, among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.

They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida

in Galilee, and said to him, sir, we wish to see Jesus.

Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew told him.

Then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

Jesus answered them, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

I tell you the truth,

unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains a single grain.

But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Those who

love their life and those who hate their light will lose it.

And those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am there will be my servants also.

Whoever serves me, the father will honor.

Off the top of my head, Michael,

I can't think of a corresponding passage like this in the other gospels.

And I think we should see this as an extension

of what was said.

Yesterday we ended the passage we looked at in verse

19 with the Pharisees saying, look, the world has gone after him.

Now we get a passage about outsiders, Greeks, Gentiles

coming to want to see Jesus, to want to hear Jesus. So,

none of the gospels go as far down the Gentile path

as certainly the book of Acts and Paul's writings.

But John here, I think, gives us,

gives us a, a pre look, a little bit of

a preview at some of the places that the gospel story is going to go.

Now, it's interesting that Jesus,

we don't know if Jesus goes and meets with them or not,

but what Jesus does say and is, the thing we've been talking about.

The hour has come my time.

We've seen this over and over.

Jesus did something, but it wasn't his time yet.

My hour is not here.

That's the first thing he told his mom at the wedding at Cana.

Now we have this idea.

The hour has come.

So when we connect these things, what do we learn?

That what Jesus has in mind for his mission

and his time is being connected

here with the broader context that goes beyond the Jewish

people themselves, that that reaches out, that that Jesus is

finding a

hearing in people outside his own tradition.

And again, we want to be careful with that, Michael.

I mean, obviously,

this doesn't take it as far as other parts of the Bible are going to.

But but I think, I think it's a, a thing that John is trying to,

at least highlight as he tells the story this way.

There's absolutely Johannine distinctiveness

and the inclusion of this kind of story, because

ultimately what John's interested in is the revelation of Christ.

And yes, that revelation has a way of both drawing people and repelling people.

But it's not just the Jewish people.

And I think it's worth noting that as we turn to this text

that there is this, movement in the ancient world, there were Greeks,

there were Gentiles who were interested in the morality of the Jews.

There was certainly compelling the idea that these people would like,

keep strict order in their lives.

And, you know, there were many people who were very inquisitive

about that, for sure.

And many people did go to worship in Jerusalem,

or at least go to check it out in Jerusalem.

It drew more than just the Jewish worshipers themselves.

So the context here is we have people

coming from a wide geographic region.

Certainly we have that teased out in the book of acts, right?

Where is actually people with all of these different languages that

that have begin to understand each other by the power of the spirit.

But here in this story, you have emphasized the fact

that these Greeks, as John calls them, comes to the disciples.

And specifically we have here comes to fill up.

And, you know, commentaries make note no real reason to know why Philip,

except Philip may have the most Gentile sounding name, the most Greek

sounding name, and also the idea that Bethsaida isn't far from the,

the Decalogue.

Cities. Now, what are they?

That, This is something cities.

Sorry that I can look that up here, but ultimately,

let's say this not far from some Greek settlements and cities.

So the idea that there might be some interplay and relationship

there, is significant and possible.

What what I think is fascinating is how we see John

telling us about Jesus's encounters here with,

the people who are not in the circle, per se, but people who

you might think of as being, kept out.

And the barrier sort of separating them from the inner life of worship in Israel.

And here we have this very cryptic teaching

and this idea,

that, the grain of wheat has to fall into the earth and die,

but if it dies, it will bear much fruit.

And then this language about if you love your life, you're going to lose it.

Those who hate it, will keep it for eternal life.

This is an amazing kind of move in which Jesus is prophesying,

using this spiritual mystic teaching about what he is willing to do.

Right?

He's willing to be that grain of wheat that dies so that new life can

come on the other side.

Jesus is teaching resurrection for himself,

even as he has demonstrated resurrection power as it applies to Lazarus.

And why are all these people interested in Jesus right now?

Why, in that last text was it said that the world is coming after him?

Well, because Jesus has done

this spectacular, over-the-top, death defeating kind of miracle.

Well, what Jesus is doing here is making it clear.

And John, in red leather of power, is making sure that we know

that Jesus is teaching not just about the power

he has over death, but what he is willing to do

to undo the power of death that Jesus Himself is willing to take on.

That that's the amazing turn of the story, is

that Jesus does not separate himself from death itself.

He has the power to resurrect Lazarus.

But yet Jesus is going to succumb to death by his own choosing.

And that's the important turn theologically that John is making here. And,

I before we push on, I

want to make sure that we mention here

it's important that the text like this clinched

have been used in some really negative ways, that the idea of those

who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

I think we need to be very careful taking a text like that out of context

and applying it to ourselves and saying that it's a lot about goal

to hate the life that God has given to us, that

that needs to be put within a much broader theological construct.

I think Jesus is teaching something here.

Thank you.

It's very much revelation about what he is willing to do.

He's willing to even give up his life so that life might be eternal.

I think we need to be very careful when we find people taking small little

sections of text like this and applying it in literalist ways towards themselves.

I think that's against what John is intending.

I certainly don't think that's what Jesus was teaching.

I'd have to do some word study, Michael, but if I remember

anywhere correctly, the word hate has to do with the turning away from.

And so the idea here that

those who turn away from selfishness, those who turn away from worldly things,

this is certainly not

calling for self-hatred or self-flagellation.

This is, this is a discipleship text.

It's a commitment text.

And I think it can only be read that way.

Before we move on, just one one quick note.

If you've been with us through the study, you may remember that it was Philip

who was called and then went to get someone else.

And so Philip has, even in this book, a little bit of a reputation

of facilitating meetings between Jesus and others.

And if you know the book of acts,

somewhere in the early, maybe eighth chapter or so,

you would find a story in which Philip encounters

an Ethiopian eunuch, a man who in various ways is outside

of the mainstream and outside of the norm, and preaches the gospel to him. So,

the the presence or the naming of Philip here,

I think, is intentional and certainly fits within a broader narrative.

Obviously, we have to be careful not to make too much out of it, but

there may be a good reason that John highlights this story

with Philip in it, because Philip has done these kind of things

in other places as well.

And as we turn here, the 27, just a note to fill in that gap

I left there, it's Decapolis is next to this same.

So there we go.

So let's let's jump in there.

Another interesting section here, that allows us to continue on verse 27.

Now my soul is troubled in what should I say, father, save me from this hour.

No, it's for this reason I've come to this hour.

For our father. Glorify your name.

Then a voice from heaven said, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.

The crowds standing there heard it and said it was thunder.

Others said, an angel has spoken to him.

Jesus answered, this voice has come for your sake, not mine.

Now is the judgment of the world.

Now the ruler of the world will be driven out, and I,

when I'm lifted up from the earth, will draw people to myself.

He said this to indicate the kind of death he would die.

The crown answered, we've heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever.

How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up?

Who is this son of man?

Jesus said to them, the light is with you a little longer.

Walk while you have the light, so the darkness may not overtake you.

If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you're going.

While you have the light, believe in the light

that you may become children of light.

This is very dense passage.

Lots of stuff packed in here.

Notice that this is,

you know, where in John, when you see a verse like this.

Well, what would I say, father, save me from the hour.

No, this is why the hour has come.

Again, evidence of what we've said

many times in John's portrayal of Jesus.

Jesus is ready for what he has to do.

He wants to do it.

He has no doubt. He has no fear.

He has no hesitation.

And and I think we see that in these words here, though,

we have what is kind of, the baptismal narrative

in other places.

A voice speaks and some hear it

and some don't know they've heard it, some think it's thunder or something else.

And again, Jesus says, look, the voice is for your sake.

I already know what the voice is telling me.

I already have that figured out.

I don't need the voice, but it's good for you to hear it.

And then Jesus begins and we'll see this,

we'll

see this repeated in the next several chapters.

Jesus begins to have

increasingly upfront conversations

about his upcoming death,

and about what it means to be lifted up, to be sacrificed,

and what the impact that is upon believers and upon the world.

And for John, that is a two fold reality.

Jesus saving of the believer is also Jesus judgment of the world.

Not not only true in the Gospel of John, but very true

in the Gospel of John and and passages like this.

I think when we combine them down the road with other passages, we'll see.

They really cement that theme.

I think, Michael.

If you want to put in your imagination the idea that this kind of hearing,

the voice is connected

with baptism in other places, I do think it's really meaningful.

And it's worth noting here that Jesus in this text is using this language of,

the Son of Man being lifted up.

And then ultimately that this idea of the cross being foreshadowed in

this text is really significant.

And the Johannine emphasis,

you have to see this here when he turns back to this idea and Jesus

talks about the light is with you while it's here, walk in light, right?

This connects back to the beginning of this book.

It connects to even the telling of the narrative where we've seen darkness

used as a context or a set up for a story.

We've talked about how that has something to say about the characters in that story

and, and their ability to understand the revelation of Jesus that that is

what makes this telling of Jesus's life.

I think so rich is the reality that at each and every stage,

John is showing us that that Jesus

is not only upfront from day one about the truth of who he is.

He is not only confident about who he is, but we get to see though

Jesus is in a sense, on changing the way that people

are changed by his revelation is the subject of this book

that that when you hear the voice of God, Jesus is unfazed by it.

Jesus says, I don't need to hear the voice of God, but but now you have.

And what difference will that make for you?

And and ultimately, that's this very kind of powerful movement

that happens throughout the story is that that Jesus continually reveals

what is going to happen and at its core, what that means about who he is

and the and the business he's here to be about.

But but at this moment, here,

Jesus is making it clear that this

this salvation letter is addressed to.

And we want to point this out in verse 32.

All people will be drawn to himself.

Right.

And this connects to John, of course, the famous John 316

and that sort of communication of purpose, we just have in spades here.

I think this demonstration that Jesus over and over and over again,

whether or not you are a Jew in the synagogue hearing Jesus preach

or whether you are a Gentile coming to Jesus,

along with the hordes of people worshiping in Jerusalem,

at the end of the day, Jesus will be lifted up,

and the purpose is to draw those who will look to him

to to the truth of his salvific work, to the truth of what he's come to do

for the sake of the world.

And and ultimately, Jesus is saying at the end of this text

that while he's still there, while the light is still living,

it's good for you to walk with that light because the day is coming

or darkness will once again, live.

But there's hope in the idea that there's children of light

that that we might be those even the church who receives the Gospel of John

would have imagined themselves to be light bearers in the world

that Jesus had called them to.

And this kind of text forms and fashions the imagination to understand that.

Light and dark have been important themes since the first chapter of this book,

and I think it's very interesting that that language comes

at the end of a question. Right.

We've heard from the law of the Messiah.

We've heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever.

So how do you say that the Son of Man would be lifted up?

Who is the Son of Man?

And rather than engage in the questions,

Jesus says, walk in the light.

While you have the opportunity, come to me while you can pay attention.

We've we've said it over and over in this book.

John understands the work of Jesus

to be self-evident as to who Jesus is.

And Jesus says it here don't be in the darkness.

Walk in the light while you have the light.

Believe in it that you might become children of light and fascinating.

I think, Michael, that rather than get into some theological argument,

really, even rather than answer their questions,

Jesus simply says, make the main thing the main thing, do the right thing,

believe and walk in a way that reflects that belief, literally

that is in the light and that I think if we're going to,

you know, mind a

passage like this for some discipleship implications.

That's a that's a good one in my estimation.

Well, and we actually see a little bit of disagreement in this text,

when we see how our Bible here breaks out

and, you know, switches, you see that bold heading, the unbelief of the people.

But those who were making the chapters in verses have a disagreement that

it ends there.

They include in verse 36, after Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.

And I think that's significant.

There's a way in which I think there's wisdom in Jesus talks about,

you know, walking in the light while the light is still there.

And then Jesus hides from them that kind of revelation language.

And that's that is not, an accident.

The way that that plays out, that Jesus is talking about revelation.

But then there's hiding there,

Jesus will do this great miracle, and then he will retreat.

And and we see that that's kind of this movement that happens

with the revelation of Christ, that that there's a step forward

and then there's always something unexpected that comes with it.

And I just think that's what makes John's account of Jesus

so compelling in so many ways is it isn't just one thing.

It is always encompassing some form of mystery which, if you take

John's seriously, what he's talking about is a defied person.

Humanity and deity combined.

And so it makes sense that there would be mystery

and there would be some complication within the story.

John tells it that way.

And I think it's just fascinating that, you know, even in the way

that this particular Bible breaks it out or the new category unbelief, the people,

chapter and verse, people who broke that out

left a little bit more of that in there.

And I think that that's there's a real connection there.

As you finish the, the verse itself.

Yeah.

And I would say that in the next couple passages, again, we get a turning point.

And then as we move into chapter 13, we really

very much,

center ourselves on Jesus

work as he moves toward the cross.

And so, I hope you can continue

to be with us, grateful that you'd be with us today. Hope

you can join us next week as we continue through the next parts of the gospel.

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