Text: John 12:20–33
Date: March 21, 2021
Event: The Fifth Sunday in Lent, Year B
John 12:20–33 (EHV)
20Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22Philip went to tell Andrew. Andrew came with Philip and told Jesus.
23Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it continues to be one kernel. But if it dies, it produces much grain. 25Anyone who loves his life destroys it. And the one who hates his life in this world will hold on to it for eternal life. 26If anyone serves me, let him 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 is troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, this is the reason I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name!”
A voice came from heaven: “I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again.”
29The crowd standing there heard it and said it thundered. Others said an angel talked to him. 30Jesus answered, “This voice was not for my sake but for yours.
31“Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33He said this to indicate what kind of death he was going to die
The Cross Is Jesus’ Glory
When we think of “glory,” we usually think of something amazing and wonderful. A parent’s glory might be found in their children being successful and productive members of society. A teacher’s glory might be in the students she teaches and helps through difficult subjects. A person’s glory might be in the accomplishments of their career, or their help for those in need, etc. The lists can go on and on, but they all have something in common. All of these are objectively good things. Maybe not everyone has a chance to accomplish or even be involved in all of them, but everyone can look at a list like this and say, “Yeah, those are positive things, things to be praised.”
But things that are cited as objectively bad things, suffering or causing pain, abusing someone or being abused, scaring someone or being taken advantage of, none of these things would ever be considered “glorious.” They might range from sad to criminal, but never good, never glory.
We’ve seen throughout this Lenten season, though, that Jesus’ goals and work often go contrary to what we would expect. He ran counter to the expectations of his disciples; he ran counter to the expectations of the religious leaders. And here, again, we see his plans, his work, and what they accomplished running contrary to what most would thought to be true about the coming Messiah. Because in Jesus’ glorification of his Father, he will endure suffering and death. The Father will glorify his name by having his Son killed. But it will be for a purpose—a glorious purpose—the salvation of the world.
At the start of our Gospel, we meet up with Jesus during Holy Week after his Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem. Some people from Greece had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. Either before they came to town or since they had been there, they had heard something about this Jesus from Nazareth. Perhaps it was word about the miracles, perhaps it was the notion that he was thought by some to be the Christ. Regardless, they want to check him out and understand what he was about. So, they track down Philip and make a simple request, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
We don’t know if Jesus met with these Greek people to talk with them. But he does take the opportunity to point ahead to what is coming. In the future, this will be his disciples’ job—to show Jesus to those who need him. But for now, Jesus is set on what is coming in the short term: “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it continues to be one kernel. But if it dies, it produces much grain.” Jesus uses this agriculture analogy to point to what he’s going to do in just a few days. He’s not here to be Mr. Popular. These Greeks really didn’t need to see and meet with him; they needed the work he was going to do. He, as one person, would be sacrificed, so that all people would benefit from it—many seeds from one seed.
But this is weighing heavily on Jesus. We will see it clearly in the Garden of Gethsemane a few days after this event, but even now Jesus is showing the pressure and the hardship that his work is putting on him, “Now my soul is troubled,” Jesus says. But Jesus sees no other options. “And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’?” Jesus asks, as if it’s the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever said (because it kind of is). “No, this is the reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Should Jesus retreat from what is ahead of him? Should the Father change the plan at the eleventh hour? No! This was the whole reason that Jesus came into the world in the first place. He came to be the seed that dies in the ground which then produces a gigantic harvest!
We hear the Father confirm this, “I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again.” Every step of the way from the fall into sin in Eden to this moment has served to glorify God. Despite mankind’s sin, he promised a Savior. That Savior would be his only-begotten, eternal Son. As God worked to mold history to bring about Jesus’ arrival, he glorified his name. As the baby was born in Bethlehem—as he promised—he glorified his name. As Jesus spoke the things the Father sent him to speak, the Father glorified his name. Even now, as Jesus testifies to his impending death being part of the Father’s plan, the Father glorifies his name.
And it will continue to happen, again and again over the coming days. When the Father tells Jesus that he cannot take the cup away from him, the Father will glorify his name. When Jesus submits to the abuse of the Sanhedrin, High Priest, and Pontius Pilate, the Father will glorify his name. When Jesus is stretched out over the cross and nailed in place, the Father will glorify his name. When Jesus suffers the Father’s wrath, hell itself, over your sins and mine, there, too, the Father will glorify his name.
Again, this doesn’t sound glorious, does it? It doesn’t sound praiseworthy at first blush. But the Father is glorified for his mercy to us, his forgiveness to us, his keeping the promises he made to us. And Jesus, too, in his willing sacrifice, is glorified. It’s why we’re here at all this morning, to glorify our Triune God for the redemption and forgiveness won for us in the vicious death of that kernel of wheat by which we have eternal life.
The Father’s name would be glorified again after all of this took place when he sent his angels to speak to people on earth. Like Christmas, this would once again be “good news of great joy, which will be for all people” (Luke 2:10). It would be good news not of birth, but of triumph and resurrection as his angels took their positions at the entrance to Jesus’ tomb.
And here is the glory of the Father and of Jesus and, truly, of the Holy Spirit. This news of Jesus’ work is for all people. That’s exactly what Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Jesus’ death would heave Satan from any position of power that he might have thought he had and proclaim Jesus as that King of kings and Lord of lords. And in doing so, Jesus would draw all people to himself. He will become the Savior for all people of all time. Because he did not shy away from the cross but embraced it as his glory, all people—you and me included—have eternal life!
Let’s go back, briefly, to the very beginning of our Gospel: Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew. Andrew came with Philip and told Jesus. We see from Philip and Andrew models for our lives. They knew Jesus, and there were people that came to them with both a request and a need to see Jesus. So Philip gets help from Andrew, and they both go, presumably, to bring these people to Jesus. There are echoes to the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry when Philip called to Nathanael, and when confronted with questions about them supposedly finding the Messiah, he simply said, “Come and see” (John 1:46).
We have an opportunity in a couple of weeks to do something unprecedented in our lifetimes. After more than a year of fear, confusion, hurt, and exhaustion dealing with the pandemic, its restrictions and aftershocks, we have a populace that in many different ways likely feels without any hope whatsoever. Whether people directly contracted COVID, knew someone who did, lost loved ones, or simply have spent a year trying to do the right things to keep others safe, this has perhaps peeled back the false ideas that life is fine, that they don’t need a Savior, that things are just ducky on their own.
They’re not ducky! Just look at the world around us! From disease to war to hate between people, this world is a disaster. Anyone who depends on this world, this life, or actions here will find nothing but failure, disaster, and eventual punishment. There is no hope here. There is no confidence here. There is no true, lasting glory here.
Ah, but you know where there is true, lasting glory, don’t you? “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” And you know how he draws all people to himself, right? Not through magic or storms or anything like that. Even the pandemic is only an ache that points to the real need. No, he draws people to himself with his Word; and his Word is shared by his people, by you and me.
So we have a world in an unprecedented condition and a message with eternal comfort. Share it. You have an opportunity to lead the “Greeks” in your life to Jesus. As we look ahead to Holy Week, invite people to join you for worship here on Good Friday and on Easter, to hear of the victory Jesus won. Forward the email invitations to someone who needs to hear this message of eternal hope and comfort, so they can join us for our worship livestreams. Be ready to answer questions, be ready to find answers with them through formal or informal study of God’s Word. You may be the one and only link someone ever has to the gospel. Take the opportunities to share it while we are able. This, too, is the Father glorifying his name.
Jesus’ glory is in his death on the cross because it was his power and love exercised to save you. The Father who sent his Son is glorified in it. The Holy Spirit who brings the message to us of this work is further glorified in it. Rejoice in Jesus’ glory, because it is your glory too. Your glory for eternity, and your glory to share. Thanks be to God! Amen.
