Bible Study for the week of 03 29, 09

Bible Study for March 24, 2009
John 12:20-33

One of John’s themes is that Jesus is not just Redeemer of Israel, but Savior of the world (1:29, 3:16, 4:42, 6:33, 8:12, 10:16) The Greeks arrival points to the eschatological promise of universal salvation being fulfilled, letting Jesus know the hour has come. Jesus kept talking about the “hour.” It had always been the future (2:4, 4:21, 23, 7:30), now it is here. From now until the passion, the “hour” is in immediate prospect.

These verses are called the “most concentrated sayings on the death of Jesus in the Gospel…” This passage is meant to sound shocking, going against what people expected to hear. The Son of Man was to be an undefeatable conquer, so to say the hour had come for glorification meant exciting things. But Jesus meant glorified in a much different way: the cross. Jesus turned their world upside down. What do you make of the cross?

Death is inevitable. Do we face it or fear it? How does that play out in our life? Jesus says that only by death comes life. A seed may be weak/useless, remaining alone, but when planted it “dies”, becomes fruitful; and if it’s fruit is replanted, within 6 years there’s as many seeds as there are people. Beauty and bounty occur when it fulfills its purpose. How are we like seeds?

Rev. Wiersbe said “God does not expect us to be comfortable but to be conformable”. See Romans 8:29. If we seek comfortable lives we’ll never be planted, but if we allow God to plant us we’ll never be alone and have the joy of being fruitful to God’s glory.

Would Jesus’ ministry have meant anything without the cross? Would it have virtue without a cost? John sees Jesus’ death as necessary and life-giving- it drew people to Jesus, revealing the promise of God’s love and a community was formed.

Gerard Sloyan states that “preachers should preach regularly on the apparent failure the Gospel invites to, ending in death…The more successful (preachers) are accounted-in or out of the pulpit- the less they may be living the gospel…In John, cross and crown are one… Following Jesus is, from first to last, a matter of ‘letting go.’” Agree?

Jesus may be the Son of God but he’s also an incarnate human being, therefore he can’t face imminent death without some pause. In vs. 27 Jesus does not face the “hour” with equanimity (evenness of the mind, composure), his heart is deeply troubled, a strong verb meaning revulsion, horror, anxiety, agitation. Yet vs. 27 recalls Psalm 42, which affirms trust in God in the face of trouble. How does Jesus face the troubling of his soul? With complete trust in the One who sent him.

Jesus is implying that only by service comes greatness. How do we balance this with Ephesians 2:1-10?