20 And there were certain Greeks
among them that came up to worship at the feast: 21 The same came therefore to
Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we
would see Jesus. 22 Philip cometh and telleth
Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, saying,
The hour is come, that the Son of man should be
glorified. 24 Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his
life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it
unto life eternal.
26 If any man serve
me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any
man serve me, him will my Father honour.
27 Now is my soul
troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this
cause came I unto this hour. 28 Father, glorify
thy name.
Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will
glorify it again. 29 The people therefore, that stood
by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. 30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
31 Now is the
judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32 And I, if I be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33
This he
said, signifying what death he should die. 34 The people answered him,
We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou,
The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? 35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye
have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness
knoweth not whither he goeth. 36 While
ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.
These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. (John 12:20-36)
The life of Jesus was a continual Epiphany beginning at the coming of the
Gentile Magi and continuing here with the Greek proselytes to the Jewish faith
represented in today's text. Unlike Zacchaeus, these Greeks did not come out of
mere curiosity to see Christ - neither did the early Magi. They came bearing
the germinating seed of faith planted by what imperfect news they had heard of
the Lord Jesus Christ. They came to the Temple to the Court of the Gentiles. It
is likely that our Lord was in the inner court where these men would not have
been permitted. So they come to Philip. "And there were certain Greeks
among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to
Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we
would see Jesus." Philip was a disciple that was open in approaching
the Lord. The desire to see Jesus is a spiritual imperative not born of the
independent desire of man, but results from a work of the Holy Ghost moving in
the hidden chambers of the heart. It is an act of God and not of man.
Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
Bringing men and women to Christ is not usually a result of the action of a
single witness, but someone else may have sowed the Gospel Seed long before.
The Seed lies in darkness over the ages of the growing season, germinates, and
may burst forth into the Light of Day at a future day. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another
reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye
bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. (John
4:37-38) So both
Philip and Andrew (who brought also his brother Peter to Christ) bring these
men to introduce them to Jesus.
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is
come, that the Son of man should be glorified. So these men would
see Jesus, would they? They have come at a moment in which Jesus shall be
viewed in a light far different than all hithertofore for His crucifixion is
approaching. Jesus knows that these men have come to know Him, and He has
little time remaining for teaching as He has done the past three years to His
disciples. So He expresses as much truth as can be packed into a short sentence
by the Divine Mind of God. He is telling these men that the time of His
glorification is at hand, but these men may not perceive the dimension of that
glorification on a crude cross at Calvary, so He adds - Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat
fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth
forth much fruit. He that loveth his life
shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto
life eternal. If any man serve me, let him
follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me,
him will my Father honour.
Only could the amazing and Creative Mind of God encase so much life in a tiny
seed, but He does so. The seed is small and hard and demonstrates in its
properties everything but life; yet, when planted in the soil of faith and
nourished by the waters of the Holy Ghost, how vividly does life spring in
abundance from that seed. It multiplies the life that it has by producing ten,
fifteen, and hundredfold its own capacity. If we cherish the seed - and not its
fruit - we may save it but lose it through mold and decay. But if we plant the
seed (lose it to the soil of God's Garden) then we gain all. If we hold tightly
to the physical attractions of this world, we will lose all, but if we lose all
in the world and claim the treasures of Heaven, those treasures cannot be lost.
27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father,
save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28 Father, glorify
thy name. The
overwhelming dread and hurt of His impending Passion is far more painful to One
who knows all of it beforehand. Jesus knew precisely the humiliation and pain
to come. He was deeply troubled. If He were not so troubled, then His sacrifice
would have been diminished. Yet, even those dreads of such horrible suffering
did not diminish the Lord's intentions to perform the Will of His Father. We
are often confronted with discomforts, or even great sacrifices, in this life
that we know we should rightfully confront; but do we not often surrender to
the easy way out and, by so doing, reject the Will of God in our lives?
Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and
will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said
that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. You may be sure God
will send some sign of His seal on your life when persecution and tribulation
arises. Unfortunately, our ears are often dulled by the irreverent voices and
music of the world so that we can little perceive that Voice. "Jesus
answered and said, This voice came not because of
me, but for your sakes." Jesus needed no confirmation from the
Father that His name was glorified in Heaven, but you and I often need assurances
from Heaven. Now is the judgment of this world:
now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Just
as the brazen serpent was lifted up on the pole by Moses in order that all who
were bitten by that Old Serpent (Satan) would live upon beholding that serpent
on the pole, so would men who looked unto Christ crucified for their redemption
might also have life eternal.
Our Lord gave this above example for a purpose! This he said, signifying
what death he should die. The people answered him, We have heard out of the law
that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be
lifted up? who is this Son of man? These men within hearing could not
conceive of Christ crucified for God could not die - and He did not in the
sense of death of the unrighteous. They could not comprehend the import and
purpose of the crucifixion when viewed from the other side of the cross. But
after the resurrection, they surely must have known it.
Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is
the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you:
for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be
the children of light. Jesus speaks with such simplicity and yet
profound truth. Jesus is the Light of the World. If we are going on a march
through the Marshes of Glen, do we choose to undertake such trek during the
hours of darkness. The marshes of life are already dimly lit and need to be
done during the greatest light of day available. Would we walk the mountain
heights in stark darkness. If we did, our steps would be few. Suppose we have a
maze of dangerous traps and snares through which we must walk. We have only a
lantern to guide our foot. Would it be conceivable for us to extinguish the
fire of the lantern and try the course in darkness? We must trust the Light of
God above our own feelings and inclinations. His Light is true, and the lights
of the world are deceptive.
If we remain in the darkness of false philosophies and religions too long, we
will grow the same scales over our eyes as fish kept in the caverns beneath the
earth for centuries. Those who are intentionally blind are not able to see the
Light of God.
These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
These men could not see the Light that Jesus revealed to them. They were
blinded by old superstitions and deceptions. Our Lord has warned us that
rejecting the Light will result in its being taken away - so, our Lord departed,
and did hide himself from them. What a tragedy for the Lord to be hidden
from us for our lack of faith!
While your spiritual eyes are able, be sure to seek and hold the Light of
Christ!
