By Suetta Miller, a senior molecular biology/biochemistry major from Goshen
Scripture: John 12:20-33 (NRSV)
While the Law is good, it can never legislate love and generosity. What we have is ours and it is ours to choose to give.
At the time of the Passover Feast, some Greeks, non-Jews, had come to Jerusalem to worship. They also wanted to see Jesus, and His disciples told Him about the visitors. But instead of welcoming them, Jesus answers His disciples with a description of how He will be glorified, laying down His life like a grain of wheat dying, alone, buried underground. Jesus says that troubled His soul! But He purposed to lay down what was His in order to “save His people from their sins.” He said, “…Shall I say,… ‘Father, save me from this hour?’” No, He would not, because it was for this very purpose, to lay down His life, that He came.
A voice from heaven thundered as witness on behalf of the crowd, because, Jesus said, the time had come for the “ruler of this world” to be “cast out!” A new era had come, in which Jesus, lifted up in death, glorified in resurrection, would draw all peoples to Himself.
No longer must we be slaves to the ruler of this world, the Accuser, Satan. The authorities of this world tell us, “Take what is yours! Grab what you can, because you might be dead tomorrow!’”Jesus, on the other hand, shows us to choose ‘death’ to self-centeredness and greed. His did not long for death, but He willingly sold all He had and gave it all the us, the poor.
Scripture: John 12:20-33 (NRSV)
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
27“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.