Week of Monday, April 4, 2022
John 12:20-36
Pastor Jason Walters
April 4, 2022

Week of Monday, April 4, 2022

John 12:20-36

20 Now some Greeks were among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. 25 The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 27 “Now my soul is troubled. What should I say — Father, save me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus responded, “This voice came, not for me, but for you. 31 Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate what kind of death he was about to die. 34 Then the crowd replied to him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah will remain forever. So how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become children of light.” Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them. – John 12:20-36 (CSB)

HOPE Journaling

H – Highlight what stands out to you

O – Observe what it teaches

P – Practice this in your life

E – Express this in your prayers

Weekly Devotional

Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. —Steve Jobs

In 2019, Washington became the first state to legalize the process of “recomposition,” which is the process where a human body is decomposed for the purpose of being used as a fertilizer in compost and soil. The eco-friendly process offers a person to determine that their body not be embalmed and buried or cremated, but instead to be “organically reduced.” Under this law, the living are able to determine that, in their death, they can support new and growing life by allowing their bodies to be the fuel that supports plant and crop life. They can choose to sacrifice their bodies, burial and all, to support plant or crop production. Similar things have taken place for decades with those who sacrifice their bodies after their deaths to scientific or medical research.

Jesus uses a similar example in this passage as he prepares the disciples for his own death. He says that a seed that falls on the ground will no longer be a seed if it is to produce life. An apple seed that does not split open, germinate, and grow roots will not eventually grow into an apple tree. An apple seed must “sacrifice itself” in order to produce the fruit it is intended to produce. In giving up of itself, a single apple seed that grows into a fruit-bearing tree can produce thousands of apples in its lifetime, if not tens of thousands. From a singular sacrifice comes abundant life; life that can then multiply by the “self-sacrifice” of thousands of new apple seeds.

Think about what that means for us in light of this passage. Jesus, who was and is fully God and fully man, lived a perfect life so that he could be our Savior. However, in order to do that, he had to offer himself as a sacrifice so that the fruit he came to bear would be produced. Through his singular sacrifice, a multitude were saved. Through his singular sacrifice came abundant life. And that life can be multiplied by those new lives in him who are now called to live self-sacrificial lives, dying to themselves, so that they too produce the fruit they are called to produce.

So, taking the example of Jesus, we must live lives that are self-sacrificial. We must give up of ourselves, first and foremost, to a life lived in and for Christ. “I surrender all” must not be a song we sing, but the very mission of our lives. Surrender all, sacrifice all, to Jesus. From there, we sacrifice our lives as a service to others, making the name of Jesus known to all peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations. We give of our time, energy, money, and talents to the church and to others so that others will know of the life found only in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Through the death of one comes abundant life, life that multiplies by also sacrificing of itself. Are you sacrificing your own life in the cause of the gospel? If not, are you truly the fruit of the vine that grew through the sacrifice Christ made on the cross?

Read Also:

Isaiah 51-55

Group Discussion Questions - Theological Considerations

  • Who is Jesus? Is Christ his last name? What does Christ mean?

  • Define Messiah. How did Jesus fulfill this role?

  • Define sacrifice. How does the sacrifice of Jesus bring life for others? Why did Jesus have to die for others to live?

  • Was the crucifixion of Jesus a literal event or a metaphorical one? Why do you say that?

Group Discussion Questions – Digging Deeper

  • It’s been said that we must being shocked by the actions of unbelievers because they don’t know better. Do you agree? Is this supported what Jesus says verse 35? Why or why not?

  • What does self-sacrifice look like? Towards Christ? Towards others?

  • Why did Jesus so often leave the crowds to go off on his own? How can that be an example for us?

  • What does this mean from verse 25? “The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Does this degrade the sanctity of human life?

  • How have you seen the sacrifice that someone has made produce fruit in the lives of others?

  • What is something to which you are holding too tightly and with which you need to be more sacrificial? What specific steps can you commit to take towards that sacrifice?