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Thomas F. Fischer, M.Div., M.S.A., Editor
Fifth Sunday In
Lent
Series B
Option One: "The
Growing Cycle in God's Kingdom"
John 12:20-26
Rev. Wayne Dobratz, M.Div.
I. Death--John
12:32-33; Ps 22:15c; Isa 53:10-12
II. New
Life--Matt 10:39, 16:25ff, 19:29; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:23ff, 17:32-33; Rev 12:11
III.
Multiplication--v24; John 12:32-33; Psalm 22:30-31; Isa 53:11-12; Heb 2:9-10;
Rev 7:9-17
Richard Lenski writes
re John 12:24: "The point of comparison is fruit through dying. As
in nature, so in Jesus. ...If a grain of wheat be not put into the soil, it will
indeed not die, but it will remain alone and produce nothing. ...But if the
grain falls into the earth, dies and is consumed, it brings much fruit. So the
Son of Man, Gods incarnate Son, by dying will produce millions of children of
God, fruit in most glorious abundance. ...In this petition of Greeks Jesus sees
the great harvest that will go on and on as the product of the great Grain of
Wheat (Jesus) which fell in the earth."
Re verse 25: "The
children of God are all like Jesus as regards loving their life; they aim to
achieve something higher, that is, eternal life. HE WHO LOVES HIS LIFE WILL LOSE
IT. He who clings to his earthly life with passionate attachment, Jesus says, by
that very act of clinging to it with such love will lose it.
The world is full of
these blind lovers who love themselves to their undoing. Many will at last hate
themselves bitterly for not having hated themselves properly in this life. HE
WHO HATES HIS LIFE IN THIS WORLD--that is, he who is ready to go contrary to his
natural inclinations and desires in this life, to wound, grieve, deny, crucify,
mortify self in repentance and in sanctification. ...To follow Jesus is to keep
close to him, to walk in the path of his choosing (true obedience), to hear his
voice and word (not relying on our own wisdom). Service and following always go
together. Yet it has been said--only too truly--that Jesus has many admirers,
but few followers." (Richard Lenski, Interpretation of John, pp862ff,
passim)
Title: Barnes Notes on
the New Testament re JOHN 12:26:
Serve me--will be my
disciple, or will be a Christian. Perhaps this was said to inform the Greeks
(John 12:20) of the nature of his religion.
Let him follow me--let
him imitate me; do what I do, bear what I bear, and love what I love. He is
discoursing here particularly of his own sufferings and death, and this passage
has reference, therefore, to calamity and persecution. "You see me
triumph--you see (me enter Jerusalem) and you supposed that my kingdom was to be
set up without opposition or calamity; but it is not. I am to die; and if you
will serve me, you must follow me even in these scenes of calamity; be willing
to endure trial and to bear shame, looking for future reward."
Where I am--see John
14:3; 17:24. That is, he shall be in heaven, where the Son of God then was in
his divine nature, and where he would be as the glorified Messiah. See the notes
at John 3:13. The natural and obvious meaning of the expression "I am"
implies that he was then in heaven. The design of this verse is to comfort them
in the midst of persecution and trial. They were to follow him to any calamity;
but, as he was to be glorified as the result of his sufferings, so they also
were to look for their reward in the kingdom of heaven, Rev 3:21: "To him
that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne."
+ + +
Lamb's
Message on John 12:24
There are some things
that Jesus said which are hard for us to understand. And there are things that
we understand but find hard to do. This is one of them. Jesus said: 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.
He said this right
before he went to the cross. Its one thing to look at Jesus on the cross;
its another thing to go there with him. Jesus didnt want to go to the
cross anymore than you or I would; it hurt a lot to be on the cross. But he went
there so you and I could have eternal life.
I want you to imagine
something with me. I have some kernels of grain. This happens to be oats.
Jesus was talking about wheat. When I was your age, my father always planted
oats so that we could have feed for our cows. You planted a few of these in the
ground and a few months later, after the sun and the rain, you had a beautiful
crop of oats. When it was harvest time, it turned a beautiful yellow color. When
my dad ran the combine through it, you had to have a truck standing by to haul
the loads of oats those few seeds grew into.
Now lets pretend
something. You know how to pretend, dont you? Lets pretend that you and
your friend here are supposed to be some of the oats that will be planted in the
ground. You're oat #1 and you're oat #2. Ready?
Oat #1: "Its
springtime again. Pretty soon our old friend the farmer will come looking for
us."
Oat #2: "What does
he want with us?"
Oat #1: "Hes
going to put us in his grain drill and then plant us in the ground."
Oat #2: "Hes
going to kill us?"
Oat #1: "Not
really. It may look like that, but he plants us in the ground because this is
what God has made us for. When were in the ground, we will grow into
thousands of children."
Oat #2: "It
doesnt sound like any fun to me. I dont want to go. Besides, I have a
party to go to tonight."
Oat #1: "Party?
Jesus said that when we follow him and give up ourselves to serve him and other
people, we will join him in eternal life. Thats a happy time that will never
end. Come on. Lets go! We have growing to do!"
Jesus said: 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. (John 12:23-24)
+ + +
Option
#2: "Stressed and Blessed!"
Hebrews 5:7-9
Rev. Kelly Bedard, M.Div.
A. Fearing = Hearing
1. We fear that God doesn't hear
and/or answer our prayers
2. We complain about and try to
avoid pain and suffering
B. Suffering=Honor
1. Suffering
is just, necessary and beneficial
2. God
suffers for and with us, empathizing with, sustaining, and empowering us in the
midst of it
Notes:
1. hiketeria {hik-et-ay-ree'-ah},
v7: an olive branch; for suppliants approached the one whose aid they would
implore holding an olive branch entwined with white wool and fillets to signify
that they came as suppliants; supplication. (Strong's)
2. Indeed, His human
nature needed the support of omnipotence; and for this He sent up strong crying
and tears: but throughout his whole life He showed that it was not the
sufferings He was to undergo but the dishonour that sin had done to so holy a
God that grieved His spotless soul. The consideration of its being the will of
God tempered His fear, and afterwards swallowed it up; and He was heard not so
that the cup should pass away but so that He drank it without any fear. (John
Wesley)
3. It is not about
Jesus developing moral perfection, as if the suffering knocked the bad out of
him! What he learned in the process was not how to be 'good' or 'perfect,' but
what it is like to face such human suffering and the pressure to give up. In
other words he learned to face pressure comparable to what the hearers were
about to face! (William Loader)
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