March 27

Read: John 12:20-36

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.”

Devotion:
How often do you pray for God to change your circumstances instead of praying for Him to be glorified through them? He is capable of doing both things, but do you trust Him in both?
Do you serve God faithfully despite what life with Him looks like? As you are going through these devotionals leading up to the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection, how have you personally connected with the Lord? Are you making time for God in your daily life, in your thoughts, in your conversations, with your family? If it has been a while since you have truly connected with the Lord, take a moment to pray and be still in His presence before reading through this devotional.

Before we get too deep into this passage, let’s figure out the context in which this section is placed. This is right after the triumphal entry, where all the people gathered in the streets to wave palm branches while Jesus rode into town on a donkey. This is significant because many of the Jews that are doing this, just about all of them, are believing that Jesus truly is the Messiah...except not in the way He actually came to save. They believe that the Messiah was coming to be a great political or military leader and overthrow the Roman empire and free Israel from their captivity there, however, Christ had a very different plan. We will get into that, but we also want to highlight the great divide in people groups: the Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles are essentially anyone that isn’t a Jew, which is any descendant of a tribe of Israel. These groups don’t get along well because the Jews believe that as the chosen ones, they were the only ones who would get the benefit of salvation, telling the Gentiles there is no hope for them. Keep this in mind as we get into the passage today.
As we open, we see in verses 20-21 that the Greeks here are desiring that hope of a Savior in their lives, and they feel inadequate, so they ask Phillip if they can see Jesus. This is important, and it will be dealt with eventually when God calls Paul to preach to the Gentiles, but for now, Jesus has His “face like flint” (Isa. 50:7) on the crucifixion to come. Why is this though?
Jesus tells us in verses 23-24: “for the Son of Man to be glorified...[and] bear much fruit.” This explains the significance of Christ’s death. If one kernel of wheat dies, it produces many other seeds. This is painting an image of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Jesus died so that many could come to know the Father and be saved through Him and Jesus’ death on the cross. He repeats and elaborates on this in verses 27-30 as well, so it is important that we don’t miss that. He knew that this death wouldn’t be easy, or comfortable, He would suffer, but it was out of love for us. Jesus had His eyes set on the cross with “suffering love”, and He emphasized it, so why aren’t we?
God honors those who choose to serve Jesus over the world. As Christians, we must prioritize God and His plans for us over our own desires. This can be such a difficult tug of war with our flesh for the things of this world. However, if we love the safety of our home, the idea of a nice vacation, and the desire for a bigger salary more than we love our Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for us, then we have misplaced our priorities. Jesus says the one who fails to do this loses his life. On the contrary, the one who hates their life in comparison to who God is and to all that He has to offer will gain eternal life.
He continues in verses 25-26 and verses 35-36 to explain what we are called to: hate this life you have been living in selfishness and vanity, obey God’s commands to follow Him, and walk in the light for as long as you live. This is our call, and we need to do this with our eyes focused on the cross. We follow in the footsteps of Christ, meaning that He is calling us out to a life that might be hard, a life that might hurt, a life that might cause us suffering. However, this life we live isn’t for us, it is for His glory, and the love we have for those around us. If we truly love our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, then we need to reflect that light that Christ calls us to walk in (which is Christ, the Gospel).
We are going to have a lot thrown at you if you are walking in the Light, Jesus makes sure to address this (Matthew 16:33). However, as long as God has given you breath to breathe, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to live for the world, and allow yourself to get swept up in the temporary pleasure that it offers, or will you allow yourself to suffer in love, just like Christ did on the Cross, for your neighbor as long as you walk in “the light”? The result of this new life in Christ is one that gives complete glory to Him, as he explains in verse 28: so let His glory be the goal, not our own. As you go throughout this week, and getting closer to Easter Sunday, think how you are living a life that reflects “suffering love” that Jesus displayed on the cross.

Reflect:
● What do you think suffering love looks like?
● Do you feel like you are walking in the Lord’s light, or is your walk darker than you’d like it to be right now?
● What are you doing daily to ensure that your relationship with God is growing stronger?

Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank You for this time to sit and reflect on Your scripture, and we thank You that it pierces our hearts in whatever situation we find ourselves in. As we go through this season, no matter what emotions it may bring up for us, let us lay it all down at Your feet. Help us to be patient and kind, to spread Your hope to everyone we know, and to glorify You in every situation.
We pray that Your name would be known everywhere, Lord, and that You would give us bold spirits to proclaim You where You call us. As we get closer and closer to Easter, help us to remember Your sacrifice, and Your unconditional love that You poured out on the cross for us, and that You continually pour out for us everyday. We are so grateful, God. We love You so much, and we pray this all in Your glorious Son’s name, Amen.