Thursday, May 22

THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2014

2 Samuel 1:1–2:11

John 12:20–50

Psalm 118:19–29

Proverbs 15:27,28

 

 

“Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  I tell you the truth, 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.  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 servant will also be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me.’” (John 12:23–26)

 

“[Jesus] ‘Father, glorify your name!’

 

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

 

“Jesus said, ‘This voice was for your benefit, not mine.  Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.  But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.’  He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

 

“… Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” (John 12:28–33,37)

 

 

In this Passion Week incident, Jesus addresses the crowds to explain about His impending crucifixion.  Their unbelieving responses suggest that they still held firmly to their image of the coming Messiah:  a triumphant human redeemer that would wrest control of occupied Palestine from the Romans.  The benefits of the Messiah’s coming would accrue to them without significant effort on their part.

 

Clearly, the crowds – and the disciples, too – do not grasp the necessity of His coming death and Resurrection and the hope of His Second Coming.  While the Scriptures foretold these events, particularly Isaiah 53 (quoted in John 12:38!), the crowds had chosen to form their own image or agenda of what would transpire.  By doing so, they missed the greater eternal truth and the blessing of trusting in, loving, and serving the genuine Messiah in their very presence.

 

Also, please note again that God the Father legitimizes Jesus’s ministry and indicates that His sovereign will – to “glorify” His Name through the Son’s death – included what Jesus had foretold.  The crowds experienced this event, just as the Crucifixion’s darkness, the Temple curtain’s rending in two, the Empty Tomb, and the post-Resurrection appearances would not appear in isolation.  The openness of these events allows all people to verify their authenticity, and historical writers make no headway in denying what so many had observed with their own eyes.  Furthermore, the New Testament Scriptures, which are themselves eyewitness accounts, emerged only one generation after the events that unfolded, leaving no time for legend to blossom.

 

What about this concept of a seed becoming fruitful only in death?  In a previous parable (Matthew 13:1–23), Jesus described the Word of God (the Gospel) planted in various life-soils would produce different types of harvests, depending on the recipients’ heart condition.

 

Here, however, the seed refers to life itself.  Jesus explains that giving His one life for the many would secure the salvation of all who believe.  In Matthew 20:28, Jesus explains His servant-hearted attitude:  “… [for] the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Hebrews 9:28 reiterates and recasts this key truth:  “…  Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many, and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”  Jesus’s sacrifice reverses the curse of Adam’s sin, as per Romans 5:19:  “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”

 

Jesus then calls His disciples to follow His example:  to “hate” this worldly life and to follow Him.  This concept of “hate” reflects on the greatness and beauty of loving God vs. the imperfect, unworthy world.  We are not called to reject everything in the world and become like a hermit; instead, we are to so love God and His Kingdom that other emotions become like hate.  Please recall that God’s anger poured out upon the Israelites for their frequent detours into idolatry:  loving the things of the world, including other people’s gods, more than God Himself.  Similarly, we are to abandon a “love” for the things of this world and to cling chiefly to Jesus.

 

And, given His earthly example, we should follow Him to people in need of redemption, regardless of their tough exteriors.  Jesus heals broken hearts and repairs broken lives.  Every person, starting with me, has been deeply broken by sin, faulty decisions, and poor attitudes.  The power of the shed blood on the Cross extends not just to a one-time salvation, but rather to an outpouring of healing and release for now and into eternal, so that we may become a co-vessel of redemption and reconciliation through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your amazing sacrifice so that we may know You and experience eternal life.  Give us a deeper understanding of what it means to do likewise, to serve along with You.  Create in us a deeper passion and love for You, Your Word, and Your people, and diminish our dependence or relishing of those worldly things that distract us from knowing You fully.  Open doors for us to speak Your truth into the lives of broken people, so that they may experience Your full release and the joy You intended for them at their creation.  May You be glorified in all things and in our lives.  In Your precious Name, amen.

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