Jesus—Our Reward.
Notes
Transcript
“Peace be with you.”
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26 “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. 27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. 31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.
“Let’s Pray:
FATHER may your WILL be done.
JESUS may your WORD be proclaimed.
SPIRIT may you WORK be accomplished in us we pray, Amen.”
I. Introduction
I. Introduction
Context for today’s Passage:
Jesus’s fame has been building through his ministry.
The Turning point of John’s Gospel is the resurrection of Lazarus.
After his resurrection, the Chief Priest and Pharisees really begin to plot to kill Jesus.
As passover is drawing near and everyone heads to Jerusalem to begin cleansing themselves for the feast, Jesus withdrawals and everyone is looking for him.
Jesus is at Lazarus’s house with Mary and Martha and Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with perfume
Judas, who has been stealing from the purse, rebuke’s Mary’s actions and Jesus comes to her defense.
Jesus decides to enter Jerusalem and comes in riding on a Donkey to sum 3 Million people, according to Josephus, and they hail him as a king. Palm branches has become a symbol for the people of Israel and were used in the festival of booths (tabernacles) where they would encamp around the tabernacle in their booths made of palm branches and wave them as a thanksgiving to YHWH in worship. (cf. Lev. 23:40-42; Neh. 8:15)
Then here we are with some Greeks/Gentiles who come to Philip and want to see Jesus.
II. Observations
II. Observations
A. Seeing is Judgement.
A. Seeing is Judgement.
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus.
Out of all the Gospels, John’s Gospels tells us the most about Philip.
There are four specific times that John references Philip:
Andrew tells Philip about Jesus and Philip goes and tells Nathaniel about Jesus and invited him to come and “See”. (John 1:41-43)
2. In (John 6), Philip is tested by Jesus in the feeding of a great multitude in his hometown, and in “seeing” a great crowd, and he thought feeding them was too big a task.
3. In John 14 Philip asks Jesus if he could “see” the Father. To which Jesus replies “you have.”
4. In John 12, the greeks want to “see” Jesus come to Philip.
John’s Gospel connects “seeing” with Philip.
“Seeing” in Scripture is correlated to ability to Judge. (i.e. Eve, Isaac, Leah, etc.)
Point of Application:
Let’s pause and reflect on this point of application of the text.
Have you been like Philip in being that person in your area of influence that makes Christ known and offers for them to “come and see” Jesus for themselves?
Are you loving others in such a way so they can see Jesus? We are told by John in his epistles that no one has seen God but when we love others they see Him:
12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
Are you the person who people come to about Jesus?
We can always be growing more into a person who is all about Jesus and making Him more famous to others.
This isn’t easy and we often shy away from opportunities to share Jesus with others, even the disciples struggled owning their relationship with Jesus while he was being beaten for them. But this is why the Church is important. This is why we should come and gather here together and offer encouragement to each other and stir each other up to good deeds which is to tell others about Jesus and invite them to a life of discovering all the amazing things about Him. It is hard to do things by yourself and the bible speaks of this:
9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
We take on the identity and action of those we spend most of our time with. I am of the mind that those who are more bold in their lives to share Jesus are those who frequently spend time with Jesus’ people. We become better evangelists when our lives are surrounded by and involved in Jesus’ family.
B. Time to be Glorified.
B. Time to be Glorified.
23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
What do you mean “now is the hour for you to be glorified?”
Jesus has already done amazing things worth of glory. This indicates what true Glory that Jesus is seeks is.
The “hour” had not yet come prior to this point. The Greeks seeking Jesus offer us a trigger that initates the hour for Christ to give himself over to what would become his greatest act of glory.
if we desire to be with Jesus and seek our glorification, we must learn that it will not come through wonderful acts of power, astonishing deeds of righteousness, but through humbling ourselves and taking up our cross and being obedience to the point of death- then we will receive glory.
C. Paradigm Shift: Cradles to Crypts.
C. Paradigm Shift: Cradles to Crypts.
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
We often think about death being the end of all things.
We have school pictures that speak to our going towards death.
The world is passing away. Death is the end of things
But Jesus Reverses this thinking: Death is the beginning of Life.
The seed must die to bear fruit.
Jesus kingship and enthronement comes through death first.
Jesus’ glorification happens through death.
Jesus invites us to follow Him in death.
Application:
Jesus reveals the only way to be fruitful in life is through death.
We have all heard it said that you must “deny yourself, take up your cross, and Follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24–26). This is the opposite of what our culture seems to propagate: that you should “accept yourself”, “combat those who persecute you”, and “follow your heart.” What is more is that many Christians seem to follow that model for their lives instead of Jesus model that he himself demonstrates.
We cannot be true christians and be comfort in this world. The bible informs us that we should feel like strangers, or aliens, in a foreign world, a world that is not our own or one that we find rest in. We are nearly passing through and will come to rest in a better place. So in the meantime, a measuring stick that is helpful is you are living like Jesus is the level of comfort you find in this present world. This present world should be off putting. Unimpressive to you, one that bears more marks of suffering and not fitting in than it does marks of comfort and acceptance. We should be a people who say and believe, “If it is good enough for King Jesus, then it is good enough for me.”
What does the way of the Cross and dying to yourself look like? We can easily conceptualize this without thinking much about how this is demonstrated in our daily lives. Here are some biblical basics of living a life like Jesus:
Having your life governed by the word of God not the influences of the world.
Seeking the will of God not your own will.
Disciplining your life to make weak the flesh and to increase the strength of the Spirit in your life. Suffocating the desire of the flesh and feeding the desires of the Spirit.
Center all aspects of life on living in the Kingdom of God and not the principalities of this world. See where the Kingdom of God is and join it, forsake the places and activities that the world seems to gather around. The nay sayer is going to say, “what about evangelism?” What about “being in the world, but not of it?” We can live as strangers among the world by living a different life from them and yet being just as intriguing and welcoming like Jesus that the world will want to come and see what your world is like. We do not win the world by joining it, we win the world by being set apart from it- offering them and displaying for them something other-worldly that is better.
D. Comfort through the shadow of death.
D. Comfort through the shadow of death.
26 “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
1. Jesus promises to go first when he says “follow me.”
1. Jesus promises to go first when he says “follow me.”
Jesus never asks of us anything He isn’t willing to do himself or something he has already done.
2. Jesus promises he will be with us when he says, “Where I am, There my servant will be also.”
2. Jesus promises he will be with us when he says, “Where I am, There my servant will be also.”
As Jesus calls us to a road less travelled; as he calls us to that trail that few find, we may experience a journey that not many take and might leave us feeling all alone. But as Christ calls us to journey through the valley, he does so with a solemn promise- He will be with us. For two reasons at least: 1) Because the road less traveled is the road that Jesus walks and so we can expect to run into him. 2) For those who embark on such a road would only do so to be with Jesus and it is to those who seek him that they will find him. What great comfort to know that Jesus will be with us. And if we meet our death upon that road it does not change his promise. For when we close our eyes in death we will open them and find ourselves embraced with Jesus our reward!
3. Jesus promises that His Father will honor us if we take this road less travelled. the Father will honor those who come and die so that they will truly live.
3. Jesus promises that His Father will honor us if we take this road less travelled. the Father will honor those who come and die so that they will truly live.
E. Jesus our Reward.
E. Jesus our Reward.
Jesus our Reward. I do not want to be discouraging to anyone but I must warn you that the road to glory that Jesus beckons us to walk is not easy. In fact, if you take this journey and you seek anything else but Jesus you will be easily swayed from its path. If you walk down this road JUST to receive treasure, then turn back. If you walk down this road JUST looking for everlasting life, then just turn back, if you walk down this road JUST to receive a crown and riches untold, and mansions, and feasts. Then just turn back. But if you walk down this road because every fiber wants Jesus, loves Jesus, desires Jesus. If Jesus is all you want, and you long to be with Jesus and is he is the only reward you seek for He is all, then my friend walk and keep walking and go get your reward for He wants for you to follow him. This journey should only be taken if you can echo the love found in Song of Solomon, “I am my beloved’s, and He is mine.” How often we hear that people follow Jesus for what he has done for us and what he offers us. But you wouldn’t even pursue a relationship on earth that way. We have words for people who marry for money, for what they can get out of it. Now I am not saying that the blessings we receive by being in a relationship with Jesus are not good and right. What I am saying is that above all, Jesus must be our only desire and reward we seek. He is enough. If you there was not benefit of everlasting life, would you spend the only life there is with Jesus? If there was nothing else beyond the grave, do you love Jesus enough to spend every waking moment with him. Or do you only love Jesus for the things you get from him?
The Psalmist has this in mind when He says,
21 When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within, 22 Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. 23 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. 24 With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. 28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.
But take away the honor of the father, the rule and reigning with Christ, the everlasting life, the fringe benefits.
Endure the highs and lows, the peaks and valleys, the suffering, trials, and tribulations to obtain Jesus not the blessings you receive.
Endure because you love Jesus and though there may not be anything on the other side but Jesus, may He be enough.
Shallow relationships are defined by the things you get from them but truly loving relationships are defined by the love you have for the person and isn’t provoked by whatever blessing may be given.
Extra Thoughts:
Commentary:
Here we are told that some Greeks who have come to worship at the feast desire to see Jesus. They come to Philip, Philip goes to Andrew, and They both tell Jesus. You may not think much about why the Greeks come to Philip to “see” Jesus but when you survey all the information that John gives us concerning Philip you begin to realize that there is more behind this story that John may want to reveal to his readers.
John’s way of writing is masterful. John introduces us to Andrew and Philip in the opening of his gospel when Andrew tells Philip about Jesus and Philip goes and tells Nathaniel about Jesus (John 1:41-43). When Philip tells Nathaniel about Jesus and that He is the one who the prophets spoke about, Nathaniel replies “can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip responds, “Come and see!” A simple yet appropriate response.
Out of all the gospels John provides the most about Philip. Philip is tested by Jesus in the feeding of a great multitude in his hometown (John 6), and in “seeing” a great crowd, and he thought feeding them was too big a task. In John 14 Philip asks Jesus if he could “see” the Father. To which Jesus replies “you have.” Then here, in John 12, the greeks want to “see” Jesus come to Philip. John seems to thematically write Philip in to the gospel with an association of “seeing”. Maybe referencing that “seeing is believing” or that he is an keen observer. When you take all of Philip’s stories into account In the gospel of John, Philip seems to be the most fitting of the disciples that if you want to “see” anything.
But this is starkly contrasted in the end of John’s gospel with Thomas who refuses to believe in the resurrected Jesus until he “sees” him. And Jesus shows up, Thomas believes and then Jesus ends the encounter by saying, “blessed are those who do not see and yet believe (John 20:29).”
So what’s the big deal with “seeing?” Sight in the bible often references the ability to judge. Those who judge rightly, see clearly. Those who judge poorly have weak eyes. This is established immediately in Genesis with Eve in the garden. Remember how, being tempted to take the fruit, that she did “see” the fruit was pleasing to the eyes and she took it. From there you get this “seeing” theme through the rest of the scriptures that tips us off to those who are judging wisely or foolishly. It often is written, “they lifted up their eyes and saw” meaning to make a judgement. Those who have weak eyes are often characterized as making poor judgements. We think of Isaac who we are told had poor eyesight and was about to bless Esau instead of Jacob, who God proclaimed should receive the blessing.
So let’s piece all these things together: having been informed by scripture and other pieces of John’s writing, we gain a deeper understanding of these Gentiles coming to “see” Jesus and Philips role in this narrative. The Greeks, aka gentiles, are seeing all that Jesus is doing and “judge” that He is someone special and they want to “see” more and come to Philip, who seems to be the guy you go to if you want to “see” something.
Jesus response to those who want to see him is a bit strange for us. But once we connect why the gentiles are seeking Jesus and what Jesus is speaking about, it will all make really good sense.
If the greeks are seeking to see Jesus and want to discover if He is the messiah, if He truly is the one who has come to save the people. Then Jesus’ response is very straight forward and to the point. John seems to be writing it this way, “I want to see Jesus and see if He is who they say He is.” Jesus replies, “You shall see for yourself that I am He, That I am the Messiah, the one who saves by being lifted up and glorified through dying on the cross. If you want to truly see me, and know me, you will see who I truly am on the cross. Not only will you see who I am by what I have done, but you will see the fullness of my glory as well.”
Jesus is first and foremost a crucified Lord. The Glory that is revealed about Jesus being Savior, Lord, and King is established in the cross. There is no Glory without suffering on the cross. There is no exaltation without death. Jesus is the firstborn among the dead and encourages us to follow him to death so that we might receive true life like He has. Jesus never calls us to do anything He hasn’t already done himself. He is a good leader that way. So know that the life Jesus is calling you to live is one that He has lived himself and there is comfort in knowing that Jesus emphasizes with you (Hebrews 4:15 “15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”)
Jesus reveals the only way to be fruitful in life is through death.
Jesus reveals that to receive glory you have to endure the life less glorious. In other words: No guts, no glory. No pain, no gain. There is truth in these one liners that we all have heard. Though what that looks like maybe different than what the world means by these one liners, there is truth according to Jesus in it. Jesus makes popular the idea of taking the lower road to achieve higher ground. Of Humility being the way of exaltation. Of absorbing abuse to be the person in power. These are all aspects to the christian life and these aspects that Jesus leads us in are all the way of the cross.
Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified.” What do you mean “to be glorified?” Have you not already been born of a virgin? Have you not escaped the threat of death as Herod sought to kill all male babies? Haven’t you performed astonishing miracles, signs, and wonders? Didn’t you just ride in on a donkey, into the City of all cities, to a host of 3 million people plus, and many of them, treating you like the King you are? Haven’t you frustrated your enemies who revile your ministry and set traps for you? Haven’t you successfully overcome temptation? But you tell us now, that you are about to be glorified? Haven’t you been glorifying yourself all along? What we are to learn here is the the glorification the Father intends and the Son will receive only comes through suffering and through death. That is the way of glorification. We too, if we desire to be with Jesus and seek our glorification, we must learn that it will not come through wonderful acts of power, astonishing deeds of righteousness, but through humbling ourselves and taking up our cross and being obedience to the point of death- then we will receive glory.
There seems to be this throw away saying among Christians that escapes us. We have all heard it said that you must “deny yourself, take up your cross, and Follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24–26). This is the opposite of what our culture seems to propagate: that you should “accept yourself”, “combat those who persecute you”, and “follow your heart.” What is more is that many Christians seem to follow that model for their lives instead of Jesus model that he himself demonstrates.
We cannot be true christians and be comfort in this world. The bible informs us that we should feel like strangers, or aliens, in a foreign world, a world that is not our own or one that we find rest in. We are nearly passing through and will come to rest in a better place. So in the meantime, a measuring stick that is helpful is you are living like Jesus is the level of comfort you find in this present world. This present world should be off putting. Unimpressive to you, one that bears more marks of suffering and not fitting in than it does marks of comfort and acceptance. We should be a people who say and believe, “If it is good enough for King Jesus, then it is good enough for me.”
Point of Application:
How is your life measuring up to the life that Jesus is calling all those who want to follow Him to live?
How easy have you conformed to the ideas of this present western culture of Comfort, easy, and complacency? Or have you truly been conformed to share the mind of Christ; to live a life of the way of the cross so as to achieve the everlasting life that Jesus offers.
What does the way of the Cross and dying to yourself look like? We can easily conceptualize this without thinking much about how this is demonstrated in our daily lives. Here are some biblical basics of living a life like Jesus:
Having your life governed by the word of God not the influences of the world.
Seeking the will of God not your own will.
Disciplining your life to make weak the flesh and to increase the strength of the Spirit in your life. Suffocating the desire of the flesh and feeding the desires of the Spirit.
Center all aspects of life on living in the Kingdom of God and not the principalities of this world. See where the Kingdom of God is and join it, forsake the places and activities that the world seems to gather around. The nay sayer is going to say, “what about evangelism?” What about “being in the world, but not of it?” We can live as strangers among the world by living a different life from them and yet being just as intriguing and welcoming like Jesus that the world will want to come and see what your world is like. We do not win the world by joining it, we win the world by being set apart from it- offering them and displaying for them something other-worldly that is better.
“Where I am, there my Servant will be also…”
“Where I am, there my Servant will be also…”
As Jesus calls us to a road less travelled; as he calls us to that trail that few find, we may experience a journey that not many take and might leave us feeling all alone. But as Christ calls us to journey through the valley, he does so with a solemn promise- He will be with us. For two reasons at least: 1) Because the road less traveled is the road that Jesus walks and so we can expect to run into him. 2) For those who embark on such a road would only do so to be with Jesus and it is to those who seek him that they will find him. What great comfort to know that Jesus will be with us. And if we meet our death upon that road it does not change his promise. For when we close our eyes in death we will open them and find ourselves embraced with Jesus our reward!
Jesus our Reward. I do not want to be discouraging to anyone but I must warn you that the road to glory that Jesus beckons us to walk is not easy. In fact, if you take this journey and you seek anything else but Jesus you will be easily swayed from its path. If you walk down this road JUST to receive treasure, then turn back. If you walk down this road JUST looking for everlasting life, then just turn back, if you walk down this road JUST to receive a crown and riches untold, and mansions, and feasts. Then just turn back. But if you walk down this road because every fiber wants Jesus, loves Jesus, desires Jesus. If Jesus is all you want, and you long to be with Jesus and is he is the only reward you seek for He is all, then my friend walk and keep walking and go get your reward for He wants for you to follow him. This journey should only be taken if you can echo the love found in Song of Solomon, “I am my beloved’s, and He is mine.” How often we hear that people follow Jesus for what he has done for us and what he offers us. But you wouldn’t even pursue a relationship on earth that way. We have words for people who marry for money, for what they can get out of it. Now I am not saying that the blessings we receive by being in a relationship with Jesus are not good and right. What I am saying is that above all, Jesus must be our only desire and reward we seek. He is enough. If you there was not benefit of everlasting life, would you spend the only life there is with Jesus? If there was nothing else beyond the grave, do you love Jesus enough to spend every waking moment with him. Or do you only love Jesus for the things you get from him?
The Psalmist has this in mind when He says,
21 When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within, 22 Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. 23 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. 24 With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. 28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.
What is a portion?
a “portion” is the preferred cut of cake (the one with extra icing) reserved for you. A “portion” is your spouse with whom you soul loves. Out of all the people in the world, she is the one reserved for you out of all the rest. She is yours, your precious. The Psalmist sings, out of all the things in Heaven, out of all the things of earth, Christ is His portion. Even if his life is forfeit, Christ is His forever. Christ is the portion, the fairest of all that exists, for the Christian. Nothing compares to knowing Christ and He being your king. Christ is above all desires in the heart. Even if no benefit or blessing is received or some special advantage acquired, is wouldn’t matter because to you Christ is the love of you Life. The Bible speaks about those who follow Christ as those who have the greatest love for Him. Christ is to them a groom and they being his bride and their love being perfected for each other to which the bride cries “I am my beloved and He is mine!” I count all as loss in order to obtain Christ who is the lover of my soul. Those who truly love Christ can, with clear conscience, speak the words of Job, “though you slay me, I will bless your name.” Though harm may even come by your hand to me and my love will not diminish. For I love you with my whole life even unto death. That is the kind of love that must be brought to the marriage supper of the lamb. That is the kind of love that the Spirit is building inside those who believe. That is the kind of Love that the bible directs you to have. That is the kind of love that will be displayed when you are presented to Christ, adorned in white, clothed with his righteousness, having been washed by His word, and His love. You, through the Holy Spirit, are growing into a love that matches the love of Christ for you. A love for Jesus that calls his your portion, your one and only, your king, your lover of your soul. A love that wouldn’t change even if everlasting life wasn’t a reality. You would spend the only life you have left still loving Jesus. A love that wouldn’t weaken, though everything in your life is taken away from you and you were to live every day in suffering. A love that moves you to carry your cross because you see Jesus your love carrying his. A love that chases Jesus, clings to him, until he is yours like Jacob. That is the love for which Christ has for you and you must have for him. Do you love Him like that?
Friends I have loved wrong and have betrayed my own heart thinking I have loved only to find out that I have not. I have married wrongly, I have loved poorly, but now through God’s word and God’s work in my life I have come to marry rightly and love better. We all must grow in love, we all must climb, stumble, overcome, fight, suffer for in our faith so that we can demonstrate our love for Christ and be granted out Reward- Which is Jesus Himself and if there be nothing else that is enough. Jesus is enough and He is our reward.
Maybe you have not arrived at the kind of love yet. But if you continue to journey down the road that Jesus took, you will find that your love for Him will grow and in faith you can believe that your love will grow for Jesus to arrive at this kind of Love the Psalmist speaks of. Pursuit Christ and you will not be disappointed.
2. Death is just the beginning.
2. Death is just the beginning.
The way life has worked from the fall is that everything seems to lead towards death. Death is the end of us. We are born and every year we get our school photos and we can trace our inevitable end. We grow towards Death. But Jesus takes on death and reverses it. Death, for those in Christ is just the beginning. We now come and die and find that we truly live! Death is just the beginning of our lives. Our new lives in Christ begin in death and move towards everlasting. This is why Jesus says a seed must first be buried for it to produce fruit. This is why Jesus says take up your cross and be obedient to death so that you can truly live!
III. Closing.
III. Closing.