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John 12:20–33 NASB95

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.

John chapter twelve is a pivotal chapter in this gospel narrative. It is the turning point in the ministry of Jesus that begins His private discourse with His disciples, His betrayal and arrest in the garden and His brutal demise on the cross.

Leading up to this, John lets us know that the reason the Jews were unsuccessful in their attempt to sieze and kill Jesus was not down to their inability to plan or to plot, or their unwillingness to manufacture ways to get to Him, nor did they lack the desire or lack the tenacity needed, but “his time/hour had not yet come”.

Jesus has been sent by the Father, for the Father’s purpose to be done and it will be done, but in God’s time.

This sentiment shifts in chapter 12. Vs. 23, Jesus declares, “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified”. What was anticipated, has now arrived. What was previously at a distance was now within reach. The purpose for which He came will shortly come to pass.

It is in this setting, Jesus provides a fundamental principle that will be exhibited in His death, and is expected in His disciples. That is; In order for new things to emerge, something has to die! Fruit will come from a dead seed!

Sometimes pain precedes promise. To get to glory one must endure suffering.

I know, this is not what this culture of self-reliance, self-sustenance and instant gratification says. It avoids and cuts off what is toxic and “disturbs its peace”. It resists the hard, the difficult, the challenging, and the annoying not realising that God can bring good things from a bad places - He can work all things together for good. Fruit can come from a dead seed.

Contemporary thinking suggests that suffering is a negative experience to be minimalized and success is only emphasized in the achievement of triumph, not in act of suffering.

I am not suggesting that you trivialize pain, pain is real. I am not suggesting you pretend the hardship doesn’t exist because it is staring you in the face - what I am suggesting is that we need to think of the hardship differently - that even if I’m in it right now, God is using it to bring something new, something better on the other side.

So instead of grumbling and complaining, I will glory and give praise in the midst of whatever the hard thing is.

Jesus seeks to enhance our theology to show us that glory is not just in the end of the suffering but glory is in and through the suffering. But, there needs to be something to ground me, and keep me locked in for the duration of the hardship, something that will help me endure. . .because it is hard.

It, is frustrating, it is annoying, it is narcissistic, it is always jumping up in your face, it has been a pain for a long time.

But regardless of wht the “it” is, I want you to learn to not just wait for “it” to be over, or be conquered but to see what God is doing in “it” - that He is developing you, preparing you, shaping you through “it - So that one day I can thank God for “it” -and that He brought fruit from a dead seed.

For Jesus. . .

This was His death.