When the Apostle Paul visited Athens he found statues for dozens of gods. He even found one dedicated to the unknown god. The Greeks were known for their desire of knowledge and their love of debate. The local philosophy club welcomed Paul to tell them about his god. Paul proclaimed the Good News of the Gospel. They found it to be a nice story and invited Paul to visit with them again if he was in Athens. These people liked all manner of ideas and were partial to none in particular. (Acts 17)
The Greeks in Jerusalem for the Passover were curious onlookers. They had heard about the wondrous deeds of Jesus and wanted to meet him in person. Perhaps if they had come at another time Jesus may have taken the time to chat with them. However, for several chapters John has been noting that Jesus’ time had not yet come. Then His time came. The festival of Passover was Jesus’ time. Jesus was fully focused on fulfilling the final steps in his Messianic mission. He had no time for casual debates on the philosophies of the day. It was the time for commitment.
The other Gospels wait until Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane to tell us that Jesus was deeply troubled. John brings out Jesus’ troubled spirit here to underscore the seriousness of the time. A kernel of wheat is a nice metaphor but does not fully convey the truth that it will be Jesus’ body going in the ground. Jesus’ reference to being lifted up is not the stuff of simple praise chorus like “Lord, I lift your name on high;” Jesus was nailed to the cross before he was lifted high.
Jesus invites us to follow him on the final steps to his cross. Those that come seeking the Kingdom of God will find that Jesus is still lighting the way for His disciples.
What word or phrase in these verses
attracts your attention?
Reflect on that word or phrase.
What insights come to you?
How does this passage touch your life today?
Reading for 27-Mar-12 John 12:37-50
No comments:
Post a Comment