Magnify Jesus: #185 Jesus Explains Why He Must Die (John 12:20-36) - Life of Christ = Week 37

Jesus Explains Why He Must Die
John 12:20-36

Intro Questions

Greeks Ask to See Jesus

John 12:20–50

²⁰Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. ²¹So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

²²Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

²⁴“I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. ²⁵The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there My servant also will be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

²⁷“Now My soul is troubled. What should I say—‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But that is why I came to this hour. ^28aFather, glorify Your name!”

^28bThen a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again!”

²⁹The crowd standing there heard it and said it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him!”

³⁰Jesus responded, “This voice came, not for Me, but for you. ³¹Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. ³²As for Me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to Myself.” ³³He said this to signify what kind of death He was about to die.

³⁴Then the crowd replied to Him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah would remain forever. So how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”

³⁵Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going. ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light.” Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them.^{^[1]}

^{^[1]} Knight, G. W. (2001). A simplified harmony of the Gospels (pp. 186–187). Holman Bible Publishers.

Text Graphic

God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.

OPEN:

Are you more likely to panic in big crises or small ones? Explain.

DIG:

What brings Gentiles to Jerusalem during a time of a Jewish feast?
What was so unique about their request that Philip would first filter it through Andrew?
Jesus said several times that "his time had not come" (2:4; 7:6,30). What regarding this request caused him to say that now it has come?
In Jesus' parable (v. 24), who is the kernel of wheat? How is this related to the Gentiles' request?
What is he calling his disciples to do in verses 25-26? What promise do they receive?
In verses 27-32, what is about to occur "now"? How does this affect Jesus? Why did the crowd deny the reality of Jesus' future death (vv. 32-34)?

REFLECT:

In what area of your life are you in denial?
Where is Jesus calling you to die so that you might live? What do you tend to hold on to rather than follow Jesus?
Do you feel like you are walking in the dark, the light, or in some shadowland right now?

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Living On

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash earlier this year and the outpouring of grief was great. Ballplayers and sportscasters offered condolences to family and colleagues. Other celebrities have also passed from the land of the living. Comic actor Orson Bean was killed when a car hit him while he was walking. Iconic Kirk Douglas survived a massive stroke and thrived until the age of 104. Action actor Robert Conrad is gone as well as broadcast journalist and author Jim Lehrer (especially appreciated by Oklahomans for his “One-Eyed Mack” novel series). Each death leaves a void in the families and friends. Social media makes us think we have some connection to these public figures, so total strangers feel a loss as if an actual friend or relative died.

Just lately, two fine Christian women completed their life’s race and gained the final victory. Neither was famous or wealthy or influential beyond their own families. One died after an extended illness; the other died suddenly. In each case, death rocked the survivors and initiated a busy scramble to contact relatives and close friends, to make funeral arrangements, to reschedule appointments and obligations and to plan travel. Dozens of lives were disrupted and inconvenienced—because death is inconvenient. In these two cases, though, alongside the grief is a quiet joy because death is not the end of the story and these two women have gained the hope of their lives. They gave their lives to Jesus Christ and He gave them everlasting life in return.

“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servants also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me” (John 12:25-26 NIV).

We say that celebrities will “live on” in their films, the sports awards and records, the books they wrote and the lines they spoke. In fact, in a surprisingly short time they will be forgotten by almost all but their own families and the most dedicated trivia buffs. Countless lives have crossed the earth and God alone knows how many more will seem momentarily important before Jesus returns to redeem this earth finally. Those who have truly committed themselves to Him in faithful obedience will actually live on—they continue to exist and thrive and act beyond our sight. They will never be forgotten by the Lord they have served through their lives.

Writers and actors, athletes and musicians, all bring us momentary happiness and often a little awe at human accomplishment. None of them give our lives ultimate meaning and joy. One Christian may touch and influence another person to find that ultimate meaning and lifelong joy in obedience and allegiance to Jesus Christ. And that Christian will live on twice: once in continuing life in the presence of the Lord and again in the heart of the one who received God’s grace through an encouraging word. We have no idea how many days we have left in this life. By our obedience to Jesus, we can be assured of living on when this life is past. In that day, we will be reunited with all the other faithful souls we’ve loved and miss—but who yet live on.

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I love deeper Bible study

Q. What does Jesus mean when He says, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).

A: Jesus is using a figure of speech called a "double entendre" to emphasize the irony of his sacrificial death on the cross.

In one sense, "lifted up" means crucified--the last thing that anyone in the first century, including Jesus, would want to happen to them. Crucifixion was shameful, horrible, despicable, and unbelievably painful.

In a different sense, however, "lifted up" means exalted, glorified, praised, and displayed for everyone to admire. This kind of thing is what everyone wants for their children and grandchildren. You would think these two senses of "lifted up" would be incompatible.

The irony is that God would accomplish the ultimate exaltation by the ultimate degradation. Being lifted up on the cross for the world to see, in all His weakness and tortured suffering, is what Jesus rightly anticipated would be the means of making him so attractive to the world as a whole.

Such a sight, normally so repulsive, something no one would want to talk about, has formed the heart of God's Good News that for over 2000 years Christians have proclaimed throughout the world.

--Steve C. Singleton

deeperstudy.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/edmondchurchofchrist

Other Resources:

Working Document for DBS

Title: The Easy Option by Ken Jones

v Ken has recently been studying John

Ø Begin with the End in Mind

§ Stephen Covey = The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Ø Things that we dread

§ Surgery, debt, etc.

Ø Stay the course

Text: John 12:27-29

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. ²⁸Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Summarize the main theme/story: Describe the events of the story in your own words.

· Review and retell the story.

Reflections for applications:

v "Now my soul is troubled...”

v “...and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’”

o “Easy Option” (Shall I quit?)

v This very reason

v Encouragement

o Moses

o Elijah

Digging Questions:

· How is your faith?