Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - "Jesus Honors His Servants" Monday, 22 December 2014 - Scripture: John 12: A Grain of Wheat Must Die20-21 There were some Greeks in town who had come up to worship at the Feast. They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee: “Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?”
22-23 Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip together told Jesus. Jesus answered, “Time’s up. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24-25 “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.
26 “If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.
27-28 “Right now I am storm-tossed. And what am I going to say? ‘Father, get me out of this’? No, this is why I came in the first place. I’ll say, ‘Father, put your glory on display.’”
A voice came out of the sky: “I have glorified it, and I’ll glorify it again.”
29 The listening crowd said, “Thunder!”
Others said, “An angel spoke to him!”
30-33 Jesus said, “The voice didn’t come for me but for you. At this moment the world is in crisis. Now Satan, the ruler of this world, will be thrown out. And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around me.” He put it this way to show how he was going to be put to death.
34 Voices from the crowd answered, “We heard from God’s Law that the Messiah lasts forever. How can it be necessary, as you put it, that the Son of Man ‘be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
35-36 Jesus said, “For a brief time still, the light is among you. Walk by the light you have so darkness doesn’t destroy you. If you walk in darkness, you don’t know where you’re going. As you have the light, believe in the light. Then the light will be within you, and shining through your lives. You’ll be children of light.”
Their Eyes Are Blinded
36-40 Jesus said all this, and then went into hiding. All these God-signs he had given them and they still didn’t get it, still wouldn’t trust him. This proved that the prophet Isaiah was right:
God, who believed what we preached?
Who recognized God’s arm, outstretched and ready to act?
First they wouldn’t believe, then they couldn’t—again, just as Isaiah said:
Their eyes are blinded,
their hearts are hardened,
So that they wouldn’t see with their eyes
and perceive with their hearts,
And turn to me, God,
so I could heal them.
"Jesus Honors His Servants" by Doug Forsberg
What can be more troubling to the human heart than the sudden possibility of losing what is most dear to us–life itself? Jesus’ “hour” is mentioned several times before in John’s gospel (2:4; 7:30; 8:20), but now for the first time He announces, “The hour has come” (12:23).
In the moments before the hour when He was crucified Jesus has much to teach us about sacrifices great and small. Though His heart was troubled (12:27) He looked beyond the frightening prospect of His sacrificial death and spoke of “wheat” and “light” (12:24, 35).
When love for God is alive and faith in God is active the desire to sacrifice becomes greater than all other desires. In allowing yourself to be God’s “wheat” you become “children of light” and the loving sacrifices you make in His name “produce many seeds.”
God will honor you, and your sacrifice is not in vain. The cross you joyfully bear today will joyfully bear you to the place where all is light, the voice of God is heard, and the glory of God is seen!
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