03/25/2018 Palm Sunday John 12:20-33 COJLBC The Reason Jesus Came by Mark Jarvinen 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. (John 12:20-33) INTRODUCTION What comes to mind when you hear the word clueless? The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word as not having knowledge about something; unable to understand something. Using it in a sentence, you might say When it comes to computers, I m clueless. Someone might refer to her kid brother as clueless. Or used in a general way, you might hear someone say that he was clueless about what to do. 1
Jumping into our text, many were clueless about the reason Jesus came into the world. Our text opens by introducing a group of Greeks, a label for anyone not Jewish. These Greeks were in Jerusalem that day as God-fearers, that is, non-jews who were curious about and even respectful of the meaning of the Passover Feast. That said, they asked Philip, a disciple of Jesus with a Greek sounding name, if they could see Jesus. Philip told Andrew, another disciple, and together they told Jesus. What had led up to their request? In John 11 we learn of Jesus great miracle of raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. As John 12 opens, six days before the Passover there s a dinner in honor of Jesus at the home of Lazarus in Bethany. News of Jesus arrival there attracted a crowd. Then, as now, inquiring minds want to know. They wanted to see this miracle worker up close and personal, but they also wanted to see Lazarus himself, the one whom Jesus had raised from the dead. The next day, this crowd ran ahead of Jesus into Jerusalem waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna, as He arrived, which means Lord save us. Truth be told, for the vast majority of the crowd, this was more a political rally than a religious event. The Jews were expecting a political Messiah, a liberator from Roman tyranny. Even the disciples, who had walked with Jesus for 3 years didn t understand the full significance of what was happening, but in John 12:17 we learn that this crowd continued to spread the word about Jesus miracle involving Lazarus. His reputation was growing among the masses gathering in Jerusalem for the Passover. The Jewish religious hierarchy resented Jesus notoriety, saying Look how the whole world has gone after 2
Him (John 20:19). Somehow, through this word-of-mouth buzz concerning Jesus, the Greeks of our text wanted to see Him. They were more than curious. They not only wanted to see Jesus visually, but they also wanted to talk to Him. In the Gospel of John, this is a dramatic moment. These Greeks are potential believers. They are part of the world, that God so loved (John 3:16). John is saying, Jesus ministry to the Jews is now complete. Now He belongs to the world at large. Their entry as God-fearers into John s narrative here, triggers the hour, a term Jesus uses throughout this Gospel with reference to the time at which the final phase of His earthly ministry would begin. The hour of the revelation of His true identity and purpose for coming into the world is unveiled as Jesus says in John 12:23 The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. JESUS PURPOSE What is meant by Jesus glorification? Glorification has to do with being lifted up. But Jesus is not to be lifted up as a popular figure among the masses. That s not why He came into the world. Rather, He came to be lifted up on a Roman cross. Paradoxically, Jesus is lifted up in dying. The kernel of wheat must fall to the ground and die in order to give life to many seeds (v. 24). In John s Gospel, Jesus begins His internal struggle here. In the other Gospels His struggle begins in the Garden of Gethsemane where He prays, Father, if it be Your will, let this cup pass from me,. but here in John 12:27-28a, Jesus says, Now my heart 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. Father glorify your name! 3
Thus, we can say that Jesus, was born to die for the sins of the world. As stated in Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus purpose in coming into the world for sinners is an incredible paradox at first blush. It s not the plan of salvation we would think up. It opposes conventional human wisdom. However, who are we to take issue with God s plan of salvation? In John 12:32, Jesus says, But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. In other words, He would die a sacrificial death on the cross. An un-crucified Messiah was not what the world needed most. Nor is it what we need today. How many world leaders have come and gone offering a new and better world - utopian living at its best? That s not what we need most. What we need most, even as those who have already come to faith, is a Savior to cleanse us from our sins, the rebellious and self-centered thoughts, words, and deeds prompted by the old nature, which although we have been crucified with Christ, continues to rear it s ugly head in our lives. Each day finds us in our mind s eye, coming to the foot of the cross to acknowledge our sin and to find there the forgiveness He promises. The cross of Christ reminds us each day that by faith in His shed blood, we have been declared righteous. It is by faith in His finished work on the cross that we come to know God and walk in His grace. That was why, after seeing the crowd on that first Palm Sunday, Jesus fought through His human trepidation and became all the more passionate about going to the cross, there to meet our deepest human need. Love for sinners drove Jesus to the cross to make the 4
atoning sacrifice for our sins that would, by faith, cleanse us and make us whole. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US? To reiterate, Jesus purpose in coming to this world was to die. In the spiritual realm, life issues forth from death. This has great meaning for us. In the words of Jesus, 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. (v.25). Again, this spiritual truth counters human logic and runs opposite to our natural human desires and inclinations. To follow Christ is to be His servant and the servant of others. We aren t Christ followers in order to advance our own selfcentered agendas. The same Jesus who went to the cross on our behalf calls us to take up our cross and follow Him. This is the season of Lent. It is the season of the church year in which we turn our attention to the cross. We remember Christ s sacrifice there for us. Lent is about His loss for our gain that [we] should gain an interest in the Savior s love, as the great hymnist Charles Wesley reminds us. Yet, in practical terms, Lent is about losing. It s about us losing our lives by giving ourselves anew, our old nature and its selfish desires, over to Christ, so that emptied of self, we may find ourselves living more fully in His love and in the knowledge that His victory over sin and death is ours. Wait a minute, we say to ourselves. Haven t I already lost enough in my life? Perhaps you ve lost a husband or a wife, a son or daughter. You ve lost a job, or your health, some friends, a sense 5
of direction, or your peace of mind. And yet, with all you ve already lost, God wants us to know that there s more of ourselves still to lose. As Lutheran Christians we live according to the theology of the cross, not the theology of glory. We re more mindful of the Christ who humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, (Philippians 2:8) than we are about sharing the view with Jesus from the right hand of glory. True, that glory awaits us when the Lord takes us from this world, but until that day, we are called to persevere through trial and endure through loss, by grace counting it all joy as we keep in mind what awaits us. We re ever mindful that the gospel message begins with a death, Jesus death on the cross. Death precedes life, and life issues forth from death. It s the paradox Jesus speaks of in v. 25 that was mentioned a moment ago - 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. (v. 25). Do we have a problem with this? Do we have trouble coming to church and hearing that there s more for us to lose? We want to get something, not lose more of ourselves. If we re honest, we come to church to get a blessing financial, relational, spiritual. We come to get an encouraging word, hope for tomorrow, and assurance that everything is going to be all right. The world tells us to hang on to what we ve got, while Jesus asks us to realize that only by letting go and dying to self will we truly live. Only by relinquishing our hold on what we think we need to satisfy ourselves will we truly be satisfied, and in the deepest sense find what our heart of hearts longs for. It s counter-intuitive, yes. It s difficult, without a doubt. We stumble, and sometimes fall flat on our faces. But the good news is that Jesus 6
loves losers, and because of the cross and His subsequent resurrection we are His and His forgiveness too. From a Kingdom perspective, we aren t losers, but rather winners for all eternity. That s the reason Jesus came, that the world might know Him, the Son of Man, as the Savior sent by God. He is the One, in whom our right standing before God is found. He is the One, whom to know is life eternal. A-men. 7