John 9:1-12
Contentment in Any Circumstance
John 9:13-23
Trouble with the Jewish Leaders
John 9:24-34
The Testimony of the Healed Man
John 9:35-41
The Pharisees Blindless
John 10:14-30
The Good Shepherd Knows His Sheep
John 10:22-30
Rejected by the Religious Leaders
John 10:31-42
Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus
John 11:1-6
News of Lazarus’ Death
John 11:7-16
The Disciples Warn Jesus About Going to Judea
John 11:17-27
Jesus at the home of Mary and Martha
John 11:28-37
Emotions of Jesus
John 11:38-44
Jesus Calls Lazarus Forth From the Grave
John 11:45-52
The Sanhedrin plot to kill Jesus
John 11:53-57
The People arrive for the Passover
John 12:1-11
Mary Anoints Jesus’ Feet
John 12:12-19
Jesus’ Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem
John 12:20-26
Some Greeks Seek Jesus
John 12:27-36
Jesus Predicts His Death
John 12:37-50
Hardened Hearts and the Fear of Man
John 13:1-11
Humbleness, Holiness and Happiness
John 13:12-20
Happiness Comes by Serving Others
John 13:21-30
Jesus Prediction of His Betrayal
John 13:31-38
Christ’s Farewell Sermon to His Disciples
John 14:1-7
Jesus Encourages the Troubled Disciples
John 14:8-14
The Measure, Means, and Might of Prayer
John 14:15-24
The Holy Spirit’s Dwelling in Believers
John 14:25-31
The Disciple’s Question
John 15:1-11
The Pruning Process
Some Greeks Seek Jesus
John 12:20–26
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General William Booth was once asked to reveal the secret of his success. After some hesitation, tears came to his eyes and he said, “I will tell you the secret. God has had all there was of me. There have been men with greater brains than I have, men with greater opportunities, but from the ... More
The attention is now turned from the Jews to the Greeks as a group of them approach Philip and ask for an interview with Christ (vv. 20-21). It is thought that these Greeks were wanderers of the ancient world that came to the Jewish feast seeking truth. We have already seen how important the theme of seeking Jesus is in this Gospel. Philip went to Andrew and they both approached Jesus (v.22). Since crowds of people probably wanted to speak with Jesus, the disciples may have tried to do some screening. There is no record that Jesus even talked with these men, but the message that He gave in response contains truth that all of us need.
Jesus used a seed to illustrate the great spiritual truth that there can be no glory without suffering, no fruitful life without death, and no victory without surrender (vv. 23-24). A seed is weak and useless before it gets planted. But once it is planted, it “dies” and becomes fruitful. If a seed could talk, perhaps it would complain about being put into the cold, dark earth, but the only way it can produce fruit is by being planted. As God’s children we are also like seeds that have life. However, that life can never produce fruit unless we surrender ourselves to Him and allow Him to “plant us” (vv. 25-26). We must die to self so that we may live unto God (Galatians 2:20).
Jesus declared that his long-awaited ‘hour’ had at last come (v. 23). The coming of the Greeks was the signal that for Jesus to achieve his purposes of making God known he, like a grain of wheat, must fall to the ground and die (v. 24). This is the only way his work can bear fruit.
Application
What does it mean when it says we need to lose our life? What area of life is God calling me to surrender? What is hardest about giving up this area of my life? If I am going to live for Christ, I must die to my selfish desires.
John 12:20-26 (English Standard Version)
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