Lenten Series
Week 5 | Sunday, March 17th
John 12:20-33
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, 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. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, 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. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
As Jesus approached the last few days of his earthly life he knew His death was impending. He knew “his hour” had come. This hour was the culmination of his earthly life, the reason he set aside the glories of heaven and humbled himself be born as a helpless babe, taking the form of man. His hour was the cross and all it entailed. As his time ran out on this earth he could feel the weight of that hour bearing down upon him. He was laser focused. He had his eyes on the goal, the reason he came to earth. Even as he acknowledged “My soul had become troubled.” He also knew “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
The writer to the Hebrews gives us more details. Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame. We must never think this was easy for him, he despised the shame of it. But He endured and persevered when the sins of the world were pressed upon him and the full force of the judgment of God came down. He endured because of the joy set before him. What was this joy set before Him? There have been chapters written in commentaries over the centuries speculating about what the joy was… sermons abound. Was it the joy of setting the captives free, of securing our salvation? The joy of victory over the enemy of our souls? The joy because he persevered and didn’t give up, the joy of crossing the finish line?
I spent last Saturday at our granddaughter’s track meet. I have a simple suggestion of what the joy was that got Jesus through the cross. After our granddaughter finished her well run race, when she finally had a second to herself, she looked through the stands to reunite with her parents to share a moment of pure celebratory joy. I wonder. Was the joy set before Jesus the joy of reuniting with His father to celebrate together all He had accomplished through the cross?
If you are a believer, Jesus has called you into the race. The stands are full of a cloud of witnesses cheering for you. You’ve got this! Run the race with your eyes fixed on Jesus. Run so that you will bear fruit. Run for the joy of your heavenly celebration!
The writer to the Hebrews gives us more details. Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame. We must never think this was easy for him, he despised the shame of it. But He endured and persevered when the sins of the world were pressed upon him and the full force of the judgment of God came down. He endured because of the joy set before him. What was this joy set before Him? There have been chapters written in commentaries over the centuries speculating about what the joy was… sermons abound. Was it the joy of setting the captives free, of securing our salvation? The joy of victory over the enemy of our souls? The joy because he persevered and didn’t give up, the joy of crossing the finish line?
I spent last Saturday at our granddaughter’s track meet. I have a simple suggestion of what the joy was that got Jesus through the cross. After our granddaughter finished her well run race, when she finally had a second to herself, she looked through the stands to reunite with her parents to share a moment of pure celebratory joy. I wonder. Was the joy set before Jesus the joy of reuniting with His father to celebrate together all He had accomplished through the cross?
If you are a believer, Jesus has called you into the race. The stands are full of a cloud of witnesses cheering for you. You’ve got this! Run the race with your eyes fixed on Jesus. Run so that you will bear fruit. Run for the joy of your heavenly celebration!
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the wondrous humility and perseverance of the Lord Jesus who although he was God Himself, laid aside the prerogative of diety and came to earth to die for us. Thank you that you loved us so much that you gave your son. Help us this week to grasp the immeasurable love you have for us as seen in the cross of Christ. Help us to pick up our cross and die to self as we follow you this day.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Thank you for the wondrous humility and perseverance of the Lord Jesus who although he was God Himself, laid aside the prerogative of diety and came to earth to die for us. Thank you that you loved us so much that you gave your son. Help us this week to grasp the immeasurable love you have for us as seen in the cross of Christ. Help us to pick up our cross and die to self as we follow you this day.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen