Laying Down Your Life

As we follow the Apostle John's account of Jesus' final week, the week we now call Holy, those pietistic Pharisees come prominently into the story once more. The crowds gathered for the Passover were very enthusiastic. The Messiah-King had finally come in the person of Jesus. The raising of Lazarus from the dead was the ultimate proof. No one had ever done that before.

"So the Pharisees said to one another, "You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him"(John 12:19).

 Many of the Pharisees were members of the Great Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court made up of 71 members. We hear more of this institution in the trial of Jesus. For now, there's another fascinating event brought up by John. Some Greeks, apparently converts to Judaism, were present in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. They came to Philip who was from Bethsaida in Galilee and asked him to introduce them to Jesus. Evidently Philip had a Grecian background. These men seem to already know him. His name Philip means 'lover of horses' and was a common Greek name. This suggests that his parents were attracted to Greek ways in the area of Galilee, especially since this was a diverse trading area. Who were these Greeks? Some say they were from Syria, a country bordering Galilee on the north.

Together Philip and his brother Andrew told Jesus about the request of these Gentiles. This led to a wonderful response by the Lord.

 "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.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. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 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. 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. Father, glorify your name."

 This short speech was followed by what sounded to the crowd like a clap of thunder. John, reporting for Jesus, said that the Father in heaven spoke to Jesus in that thunder and said,

"I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

Jesus answered,

"This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." 

The request of the Greeks, those non-Jewish God-fearers, was a sign to Jesus. The time had surely come for him to be lifted up on a Roman cross to die. Like a grain of wheat planted in the earth, his death would bear much fruit. Indeed, the death of the sinless, almighty Son of God would bring mercy and forgiveness without end to all who believe in him, including the Greeks and other Gentiles. This was the message proclaimed to the Greek-speaking world by the Apostles after Christ's resurrection (Acts 16:9-34).

Perhaps everyone reading this Blog is such a Gentile and not a Jew. Yet we are gathered into the same household of faith as the Jewish believers in Jerusalem. All of us who follow Jesus in faith hear Him calling us to offer our lives for others as did He. As Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). The need for such re-dedication in our world must be obvious to us all. Jesus still seeks to drive out the ruler of this world and draw all people to Himself.