Shortly after Jesus entered Jerusalem to the shouts of hosanna and the waving of palm branches, some Greeks asked to see Jesus. Beginning in John 12:20 is a conversation Jesus had with the crowd. It is reminiscent of His talks with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman in the way Jesus uses surprising statements.
That conversation begins this way – “Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus. Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.” (John 12:20–26, NLT) In this instance, the Greeks are non-Jewish seekers and may have some connection with Bethsaida. Interesting, and yet Jesus’ response seems unconnected to this tidbit of information.
Let’s get the picture right. The crowd has just sung Jesus’ praises, expecting big things for the future. The first thing Jesus declares, however, reveals His sacrificial purpose. “Unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies,” as we will see next week, the crowd was confused.
Jesus then reveals a Kingdom principle about attitudes. “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” This is not an invitation for self-punishment but an invitation to dive into the bigger picture. The crowd wanted Him to be their king today, but Jesus had thoughts of another larger kingdom that could only happen through His death and resurrection.
But what does any of that have to with some Greek seekers wishing to see Jesus? I think the answer may be the difference between seeing Jesus and serving Jesus. In the next bit, Jesus says, “Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”
We really don’t know the attitudes of the Greek seekers. All we can do is play off against the difference between seeing and serving. So here’s a question. Why were the Greeks coming to Passover, a decidedly Jewish celebration? Curiosity? Or perhaps a desire to glean something from their experience? Were they considering converting to Judaism? We don’t know. But it is interesting that they wanted to see, as in visit with, Jesus. In His reply, it almost seems like Jesus is saying, “the time for visiting is over, now is the time to follow and serve.”
Being a seeker isn’t undesirable, but at some point, a decision must be made. Will you love your life or love Jesus? Serving and following Jesus means laying down our own lives in many different ways. Perhaps by laying down our right to bitterness and choosing to love and forgive others. Maybe by spending time differently instead of spending it on ourselves. Doing so seems like we’re losing ourselves, but Jesus promises that the Father will honor those who serve Him.
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