The mystery and the promise of life following a willingness to die
By Dean Collins
All the way back in John 1:39 Jesus began inviting others to “come and see.” Now in John 12, we find many are still coming to catch a glimpse of Jesus. And the Pharisees are frustrated with the popularity of Jesus and the fact that they had no apparent control over the curiosity or locality of others. Now some Greeks added to the crowds drawn to Jesus.
The invitation of Jesus to come and see, come and learn, come and rest, and come and die continues to this day. Anyone, everyone can accept his invitation and have abundant life. If we are to learn from him we must be willing to follow where and as he leads us. In John 12, Jesus turns again to agriculture to explain our pathway.
First death, then life
”Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,” he reminds us, “it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”
Here lies the great tension we must wrestle to the ground or literally place under the ground. Are we willing to let our desires, our passions, our definitions of what is right truly die? Are we willing to put aside our preferences for how the world is to order itself? According to Jesus, that is the path to both eternal life and genuine service and results in receiving honor from our Heavenly Father.
Jesus spoke these words at the very time he would begin his final steps to fulfill his Father’s plan. Just as he called us to come and die, he would first take the more difficult path of literal and violent death so that we might receive forgiveness for our sins and life with him. But to join him in abundant and eternal life requires us to follow where and how he leads us. We do not get to pick the parts we like and leave the others to someone else. The same requirements are for everyone who wants to be his disciple.
First love, later judgment
It is troubling to me to consider how often we attempt to be the judges of what is right and orthodox. I recently read an article by a prominent Christian scholar who publicly rebuked and questioned the faith of another follower of Jesus. Jesus was quite clear that there is but one who judges, and that judgment comes ultimately at his final appearance. Until then our role is that of loving and serving based on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Paul gave us a wonderful picture of our death, burial, and resurrection with his baptism description in Romans 6. Paul concludes the sixth chapter with this description of how we now live: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.”
We will often find ourselves at odds with the systems and politics of the world. If we don’t, then we are likely considerably off mission. Our primary role in God’s kingdom is making Jesus visible and famous through how we love each other. We are neither judge nor gatekeeper. We are not the one who gives or sets the rules. We are called to follow the light of Jesus where he shines it for us to follow. Along the way, we must daily lay down the things and people we cherish, in order that God would be glorified. He gives us back far more than we will ever let go of. The more we choose to let go of, the more we will experience the freedom Jesus came to give us.
Your time with God’s Word
John 12:20-36, 44-50 ESV
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