John 12:20-33
Lesson Focus
Jesus calls us to live like we are dying, dying to ourselves so that others might find life.
Learning Outcomes
Through this lesson, students should:
Reflect on dying to oneself in the same way Jesus did, discerning its implications for spiritual growth and discipleship.
Reflect on the existential aspect of Jesus' inner turmoil and acceptance of his impending death, contemplating its relevance in facing life's inevitable challenges with faith and resolve.
Grasp the significance of Jesus' teachings on self-sacrifice and its transformative power, leading to a deeper understanding of spiritual life and the glorification of God.
Catching up on the Story
We’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves this week with this passage from John. That’s because John’s narrative is slightly different from our other three versions. In John, Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem for the Passover comes early in the story. Palm Sunday is next week. Still, that’s the backdrop for this week’s story. Jesus has been ushered into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to the shouting and singing of a great throng of people.
They have proclaimed him “the one who comes in the name of the Lord” and “King of Israel.”
For John, the journey to the cross takes a bit more time. That’s ok, though; there’s a richness in the unified diversity we find in all four gospels. And so, we have the beginning of Jesus’ farewell discourse. As we’re about to see, Jesus knows the end is near and what that means for him personally.
Preparing for the End
Jesus certainly knows that his death is near. Imagining what you might do if you knew you only had a few days left is nothing new. Songs have been written about it. What’s that one country song, Live Like You Were Dying? The one where the guy wants to ride a bull named Fu Manchu? It’s not just music but movies and books. Art exploring what it's like to face our mortality is popular because it is so unfamiliar to us.
We live like we’re not going to die. We prepare. Our whole lives seem to be about preparing. We send our kids to preschool to prepare them for school. Elementary school prepares us for middle and high school. And you’d better do well in high school; you better prepare well because if you don’t, you won’t get any scholarship money for college. You’ll have loads of student loan debt if you don't prepare.
By the time you get to college or trade school, you’re preparing for a career. You’ve got to do well preparing for your career because if you don’t, you won’t get a good job. But then you graduate, and maybe you go to more school to prepare more, or perhaps you get a good job.
You start preparing to buy a house, get married, or have kids in those early years. One of the things we’re told we should do as soon as we’re able is to start preparing for retirement!
Yes, all the sound financial advice says the more you save at a younger age, the better off you’ll be when you retire. But that doesn’t prepare you for when the stock market implodes, like the Great Recession or a global pandemic!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I want you to be prepared. You know, “Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” That’s somewhat of a motto around our house. It’s something that wasn’t native to me, so I’ve had to learn. It’s pretty good advice. But when our end is near, all that planning and preparation goes out the window. What matters then is not the future because you won’t be around for it. What matters is now. I should try skydiving, traveling the world, and trying to go 8.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu. Throw caution to the wind and indulge in all of your greatest cravings. Go crazy, folks. Go Crazy.
Jesus Faces the End
As Jesus faces the end, he’s not thinking about any of those things. He’s not trying to soak up as much time with loved ones as he can or indulge in all his greatest desires. He’s focused. His preparation continues. After Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time, some Greeks approached Philip and stated their desire to see Jesus. We don’t know who these Greeks are, though. They could be Greek-speaking Jews from the diaspora who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival. Or, they could be converts to Jerusalem, also in town for the festival. Or, they could be Greek-speaking merchants in the area for business and have heard about Jesus and want to see what all the fuss is about.
They approach Philip, one of two disciples with a Greek name, stating their desires. In John’s simple and consistent vocabulary, to “see” is to place one’s faith in Jesus. These Greeks have found something. We can assume that the Greek’s request makes it to Jesus, but we’re unsure. John never gives us any indication of whether the seekers get to see Jesus or not. With a monologue, Jesus responds to Philip and Andrew, whom Philip had passed the request.
Like I said, Jesus is focused. Perhaps the presence of the Greeks and their seeking after him is a sign of the coming end of Jesus’ mission. Do they represent the coming salvation that Jesus brings for Israel and the whole world?
“The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” There can be no mistaking what Jesus has in mind here. The time has come for Jesus to be glorified, that is, to face his death.
Unlike you and I, Jesus knows what his death will mean. Jesus knows his death will be like that of a grain of wheat, which, once it dies, will rise to new life, producing a crop that’s greater than the single kernel.
Hate your Life
There’s something significant here: dying brings life. And not just for Jesus, either. Jesus expects the same from his followers. “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. whoever serves me must follow me...” To serve Christ means to hate your life. Sometimes, when we hear this kind of language from Jesus, we hear the wrong thing.
Sometimes, I think we hear, “Unless you renounce all the good things in life, you’ll never get to heaven.” Or, “If you’re happy and content with life, you’re not being a very good Christian.” I picked up both of those sentiments somewhere along the line, and at times, they have made me feel guilty about enjoying the very good things with which God has blessed me. But I don’t think that’s what Jesus is saying here. After all, I think as much as Jesus sacrificed, he enjoyed his life. There’s the whole water-into-wine episode at the wedding he went to. I don’t think you’re out to not enjoy life or keep others from enjoying life if you’re turning an awful lot of water into a lot of wine.
So, what is Jesus getting at? There’s a certain kind of denial that Jesus understands to be at the heart of what it means to follow him. It’s a selfless posture toward those around you. It’s a posture that understands that all the good things around are to be enjoyed but not clung to. They’re to be used not only for yourself but for the life and salvation of others. All I have is a gift from God, a gift that’s always to be used in the service of others. And this service is motivated by love, not a sense of duty. Not out of a sense of duty, anyway; that’s just looking out for my salvation.
In John’s gospel, to hate is to reject. I don’t think it’s as harsh as how we usually understand the word. Jesus calls us to reject the broken parts of our nature solely bent toward satisfying our greatest desires. And Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything he isn’t willing or hasn’t already done.
Troubled Soul
Even as much as we might imagine all the experiences that could be sucked out of life if we knew we were going to die in short order, there’s still an existential dread and a fear that comes with the knowledge that we’re going to die.
Jesus is troubled. His soul is troubled. He doesn’t want to die, but he knows that this is the exact reason he’s come here. He wants only to glorify God’s name.
No sooner than Jesus has expressed his desire to give completely of himself so that others may benefit and so that God might be glorified, we hear the voice of God speak, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” This is confirmation that the way that Jesus is living his life is the right way. It’s confirmation that the teaching Jesus offers is the right way. It’s confirmation that self-sacrificial love for others is the right way. It’s confirmation that Jesus has rejected his life. But he knows that in his rejection of a life only concerned with fulfilling his greatest desires, all people will be drawn to him. That is, in lovingly offered self-denial, others find salvation, and God is glorified.
So What...? Live Like you are Dying
It’s true, we spend our life preparing. I even think we prepare for what’s after death by being Christian. But do we truly understand what preparing for life after death means?
It means to live like we are dying. It means that we understand that we’re like a grain of wheat, that unless we fall to the ground and die, we won’t germinate and produce an abundant crop. But we’re not talking about our physical death here. I’m talking about dying to yourself. I’m talking about rejecting your life, a way of life wrapped up in serving yourself.
Unless we die to ourselves, as Jesus does figuratively and literally, others won’t be drawn to Jesus, and we won’t be able to glorify God.
I think that this is what our journey through Lent is really about dying to ourselves. But doing so, knowing that there’s a harvest on the other side of it that outstrips anything we might imagine. And God is glorified.
Discussion Questions
Read the text aloud. Then, read the text to yourself quietly. Read it slowly, as if you were very unfamiliar with the story.
How does the unique timing of events in John's gospel, such as Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, contribute to our understanding of his impending death?
Reflecting on the passage, what parallels can you draw between Jesus' preparation for his death and our own approach to planning and preparation in life?
What do you think Jesus means by "hating" one's life in the context of following him, and how does this concept challenge conventional interpretations?
How do you personally interpret Jesus' statement that "dying brings life," and what implications does it have for our life and spiritual journey?
In what ways do you see Jesus' inner turmoil and acceptance of his impending death resonating with your own experiences of facing challenges or uncertainties?
What does it mean to "live like you are dying" in the context of Jesus' teachings, and how might this perspective reshape our priorities and actions?
How does the idea of dying to oneself intersect with notions of selflessness and service to others, as exemplified by Jesus?
Reflecting on Jesus' rejection of a life solely focused on fulfilling personal desires, how do you navigate the balance between enjoying God's blessings and practicing self-denial?
What role does faith play in embracing the idea of dying to oneself, and how can it sustain us in times of difficulty or sacrifice?
How does the idea of dying to oneself resonate with the Lenten journey, and what practical steps can we take to embrace this spiritual discipline in our lives all year round?
Comments