Here’s where we’re at. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and in humility and worship, his sister Mary washes Jesus’ feet with her hair and expensive perfume during a supper together. The people who were with Jesus when He called Lazarus out of the grave shared the details of that miracle with others. Now crowds want to see this Miracle Worker they’ve heard about. The religious leaders want to kill Jesus and Lazarus for all the attention they are receiving after this miracle resurrection. The next day, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people praise him as Messiah, Hosanna, the One who comes in the name of the Lord. Now the religious leaders REALLY want to kill the miracle and the Miracle-worker.
Come One, Come All
Verses 20-21 Among those who came to town for Passover were some Greeks (Gentiles) who worshipped the God of Israel as well. They identified with Judaism, but they also believed Jesus was the Messiah. They came to town for the Passover feast, but they also wanted to see Jesus and honor him with their presence.
This should be the great desire of all of us; to see Jesus. Jesus came to be Savior to all (John 3:16)
When our desire to see Jesus leads to action, it glorifies Him.
Verses 22-23 There are only a few days left for Jesus on earth. When He hears of the Greeks who have traveled to see him, Jesus says, “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Any time believers multiply in a gathering, it magnifies the Messiah. But the way to glory for Jesus is not what they expect. The people believe He will conquer Rome with human strength, which is not what Jesus meant at all.
A Great Harvest
Verse 24 Jesus is the wheat in this verse. Here’s what this is saying. If we do not plant a seed by putting it in the ground, allowing it to die to itself, and sprout into a new thing- a plant- then the seed remains alone. When we plant a seed and it sprouts, it produces more seeds that are also planted, grow, and reproduce. This is a harvest.
Salvation is not possible without the sacrifice of the Messiah’s life. Jesus came into the world to die as the substitution for our sins. Then they put him in the grave. But just as a single seed sprouts new life and spreads with a great harvest, so Jesus’ death yields a harvest of believers as well. Because of Jesus’ death, God saves many and opens the gates to His kingdom.
With his death, Jesus plants His Truth in our hearts. When that Truth sprouts as we share it with others, it produces a crop of believers receiving eternal life. A spiritual harvest.
The salvation of souls is only through the death of this Seed of David, Jesus. The only way to salvation, being saved from the penalty of our sin, is through the blood of Jesus on the cross. He took our place. His resurrection from the grave gives us the promise of new life. This glorifies God.
‘For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 6:23) Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
The gift of salvation saves us and glorifies Jesus.
If we believe everything about Jesus except his death on the cross for our sins, then everything else is meaningless. A lot of religions believe Jesus was a man and walked this earth. They believe he did miracles and taught great spiritual lessons, but they don’t believe He is the Messiah, the one to come and save us. They do not believe his death on the cross is the substitution for our sin, and that salvation is only through faith in Him.
The Christian belief hinges on Jesus’ death on the cross for our sin, and his resurrection that gives us new life with his indwelling Spirit when we say we believe. This is Christianity. And this is how we can separate other religions who might call themselves Christian from what we believe. Do they believe Jesus died on the cross for our sin? Do they believe He raised to life and gave us His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, so that when we say we believe, it might take up residency in us and help us walk in the way He has called us to. It helps us walk in obedience to His Word.
Loving Life
Verse 25 If we love our own lives, if we cling to our selfish wants and desires more than we love Jesus, we will lose our lives.
To hate our lives means throwing off selfishness and seeking to serve God and others before ourselves. When we live like this, Jesus will reward us in this life and in the life to come.
Those who prefer the favor of God in their lives, who are interested in living according to His commandments, His will, and for his purposes, will gain life for eternity. We must continually wean ourselves from this world and live for Jesus.
Jesus stands opposed to this world overrun with sin. This was once a perfect place, but sin snuck in and has lured many from God’s design. So we have a choice to make. When we live for our own happiness, pursuing riches, honor, and pleasures that give us a fleeting moment of excitement, indulging in our every appetite whim, we lose the life that Jesus came to give.
The Personal Pursuit of Happiness
Creation will always fall short of settling the soul. Our Creator is the answer to every longing and desire the soul seeks.
Creation will run out, break down, and never fulfill the craving for God that He created us with. Jesus holds steady peace, long-lasting joy, contentment, and security for our wanting hearts. He settles the sea of impulses that tosses us back and forth between consequences.
Living a self-centered existence is the enemy’s lure from a fulfilling life serving Jesus and others. This lie says life is all about our personal pursuit of happiness and finding who we really are. Sadly, we will lose the very thing we are trying to hold on to.
Jesus Is Our Advantage
Jesus holds the rest for our souls that we truly need. He is our advantage in our life.
Verse 26 To serve the King, we must follow the King. The Greeks desired to see Jesus (v. 21), but Jesus lets them know it was not enough to see him, they must serve him. He came into the world to be an example that is practiced by all who receive Jesus as their King.
To follow Jesus means we think, speak, and act as he did. We share the gospel to comfort those who are hurting, encourage any who are downcast, direct those who are lost, set captives free, and open the eyes of the blind. We love others as Jesus loved people. If Jesus serves, we must serve (Mark 10:45).
The second part of this verse says, “where I am, there will my servant be also.”
Jesus tells us in Matthew, ‘For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.’ (Matthew 18:19-20)
Jesus is where his Church is. He’s in gatherings, in the teaching of his gospel, so we should also have our minds on him in our conversations. We should place our thoughts in heavenly places where Jesus lives now.
The last part of this verse says Jesus will reward our faithfulness in serving him and suffering for him. The same joy and glory that came to him in heaven are coming our way when we follow in his footsteps. God the Father will honor us and make up for the pain and loss.
‘“Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!’ John 12:27
Verses 27 The suffering that would be required of Jesus troubled His soul. This suffering was for our sins.
The physical anguish of the torment he would endure was not what troubled Jesus’ soul. It was the thought of being separated from the Father. He would endure divine wrath and spiritual suffering. It was a terrifying reality.
The agony of the sinless Son of God was that the wrath of God would judge him. God would condemn Jesus for sins He did not commit, the sins of all who would ever believe, like you and me. This tortured His soul with fierceness.
And yet, the trouble in His soul would be the redemption and comfort of our souls. His suffering and saving of many ultimately glorify God.
He would die for the sins of the world, enduring separation from His father, yet this grief didn’t cause him to flee from the cross. Enduring suffering and defeating death was His purpose.
To suffer and die for sinners is why Jesus came
“Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” Matthew 26:53-54 NLT
No matter what we may face, divine wisdom and love remind us “but for this purpose, I have come to this hour” in our lives. Nothing is happenstance, coincidence, or on accident. God knows of it all and appointed us in this place, for this purpose, for his glory to shine.
Living out our purpose glorifies God.
In the book of Esther, the king of Susa selects a Jewish girl, Esther, to be his queen. Long story short, the king’s second in command sets out to destroy all the Jews (because one Jewish man refused to bow down to him) and Esther’s uncle petitions her to step up and save her people. He says to her, “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14 NLT
We are all called to this very hour, the tough circumstances we are in, the hard decisions we face, and the suffering we must go through to give God glory in it.
Verse 28 Jesus commits Himself to the will of God. Now is the time for him to enter his glory and die. His purpose for coming to earth to die is to glorify God the Father and produce a spiritual harvest. Jesus prays in this verse, “Father, glorify Your name.” Jesus’ love for his Father desires obedience until death. God’s will is for his own glory. The wrongs we commit against God diminish his glory in our lives. We cannot hurt him except to rob Him of his glory.
How does Jesus’ death glorify God?
What The Cross Means To Us Changes Who We Are In This World
On the cross, we see God’s love and mercy for broken and disobedient souls when He assigned His Son to take our place. Glory to God!
Hanging on the cross, Jesus took on the judgment and justice for our sins. His substitution for our sins bears God’s wrath and vengeance in our place. We are incredibly grateful that we do not get what we deserve! We’ll never have to hang on a cross for our disobedience. Jesus did that once and for all. Glory to God!
Calvary (where Jesus died) points to God’s wisdom as we realize He had a plan from the very beginning of time. Jesus’ death proves every prophecy and affirms God’s Truth. The cross radiates God’s righteousness and power. Glory to God!
By Jesus’ death, God can redeem humanity and bring them to heaven to glorify Him forever.
When Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify Your name,” he gets an immediate answer. A voice responded from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
The voice said His Son already glorified God. How?
God was already at work in Jesus, displaying His miracle power over demons and diseases on earth. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He glorified God the Father through his teachings, miracles, love, and compassion. God also validated Jesus’ ministry through the resurrection of Lazarus.
Jesus’ life and ministry glorified God.
Does your life glorify God?
A Life & Ministry That Glorifies God
Throughout Jesus’ whole ministry, God put His power and glory on display through him. The second part of verse 28 says “and I will do so again,” meaning God will glorify His name through Jesus’ death as well. Jesus further glorifies God’s power, justice, grace, holiness, Truth, and goodness through his death and resurrection; the demands of a broken law (from our sin) satisfied.
Jesus satisfies the offense of sins committed toward God and God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice, declaring Himself well pleased. The Savior’s death on the cross conquered Satan. The cross was an act of judgment on the ruler of this world.
At the very beginning of time, God gave Adam and Eve the responsibility to rule the world on his behalf, but they disobeyed the Creator and listened to the serpent, granting the rule of the world to Satan.
Now Satan rules over the world with the things of this world.
He lures us to bow down to feelings of anger, anxiety, depression, fear, lust, and lies to us with the idea that we have the power to control our destiny through murder, adultery, stealing, gossiping, idolizing, judging, disrespecting, and worshiping what we want more than honoring God.
Satan loves to crush sinners with accusations of their wrongdoing. This condemnation keeps sinners stumbling in shame and darkness, far from God.
God endorses what brings him glory
This should encourage us. We can expect him to uphold his righteousness and equip us with the Holy Spirit to obey his Word. He will provide for generous giving, the ability and time to serve and seek the good of others, and the resolve to remain faithful. The Almighty God will plant faith and give us confidence in the face of fear. His Spirit will strengthen us with his fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – Galatians 5:22-23) for every situation. He protects us and encourages us to draw out prayers and praise for the glory of His name.
We are always competing between God’s glory and our own desires. But when we learn to trust God, our desires will glorify God.
Glorifying God In Our Own Lives
In those moments when my child weaves in and out of my legs, bangs her toys to the point of irritating, or disobeys me… again, I must come back to the cross and put my flesh to death. “For this purpose, I have come to this hour…” for the purpose of dying to myself and glorifying God. This is my opportunity to praise God that I have a child who is filling the emptiness of a home or my heart with sounds, who I’ve been called to guide, equip, and enjoy! And so it is with our spouse, our extended family, spiritual family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.
Every heart is God’s beautiful creation, knit with careful thought and intention for His glory. When someone or something irritates us, it’s easy to get angry and think, “God, save me from this.” We might even use our perceived authority to end the disruption to our lives. But if we could only sink deeper in our frustrated spirits to recognize, “for this purpose I have come to this hour” to die to our flesh (as Jesus died in the flesh on the cross), to move past our desires and see what is worth glorifying God at this moment.
Prayer
Jesus, help me every hour. Holy Spirit, awaken my heart and help me stay sensitive to your Word. Help me let go of my desires and die to the flesh so that my days will live for glorifying you. Jesus, I need your Word daily to remind me of these opportunities to praise you. The devil tries to frustrate me and tie up every emotion in anger or fear, but your Word reminds me to set myself aside, my to-do lists and desires, and praise you for the opportunity to get past myself and see you, Jesus. I want to move even further than just seeing and actually serving You, Jesus, in these moments, to be your hands and feet and set an example for my children. Father, I know you will reward every suffering my flesh goes through. Holy Spirit, lead my thoughts and realign my focus to your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.