Bible Readings
Holy Week 2: Jesus explains what He will do at the end of the week
Read John 12:20–36.
In the previous reading, Jesus went into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. That day was a special day in the Jewish calendar. It was the tenth day of the first Jewish month.
Recall that during the time of the Exodus, Yahweh had told Moses that on the tenth day of the first Jewish month, each family was to choose a lamb. They were to take care of the lamb for several days and then kill the lamb and apply its blood on the doorframe of the house. Then God would send the tenth and final plague judgment, the death of the firstborn on the land of Egypt. But when He saw the blood of the lamb on the doorframe of a house, the angel of death would pass over that house and the firstborns in that house would live (Exodus 12). God told Moses that every year, the nation of Israel was to commemorate what He did for the Israelites through the festival of the Passover.
On that Sunday in AD 33 when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, all Jewish families were choosing the lambs that they would kill later in the week. By Jesus showing up on that very day, it appears that God the Father Himself also selected and presented His Chosen Lamb, Jesus.
We know this because in today’s Bible passage, Jesus Himself explains why He came and what He would be doing.
Some Greeks, or non-Jews, came to find Jesus. When Jesus’ disciples told Him about it, Jesus started to explain to them how He would die to save the people of the world, both Jews and non-Jews.
He used the picture of planting wheat. A kernel of wheat kept safe does not produce anything. But a seed fulfils its purpose when it is planted into the earth. Only then will it produce a harvest. Jesus used this picture to explain the work He was about to do. He was the kernel of wheat who would be planted into earth, that is, He would die and be buried. Through His death, it would produce a harvest, not of wheat, but of people who will have eternal life because they put their trust in Him.
Then Jesus went on to say that those who believe in Him must live like Him. If any believer were to hold on to their earthly life, that is, try and keep it safe, such a believer would produce nothing of eternal worth. But if a believer followed Jesus’ example and used their life like Jesus for God’s purposes, such a believer would be honoured by God. Jesus declared that if anyone wanted to serve Him, they had to follow His example of dying to self, that is, not trying to live a self-preserving life, but instead live to serve Jesus through serving others. Such a believer would be honoured by the Father.
While Jesus voluntarily and sacrificially chose to die for all mankind, it was not something that was easy for Him. In fact, Jesus was deeply troubled by what was ahead of Him, which was the pain, suffering and death on the cross. But He knew that He could not pray to avoid it. There was no other way that mankind could be reconciled to Yahweh and have eternal life. The only way was if the perfect, sinless, God-man, Jesus, a representative of the human race, died as a substitute for all mankind. So Jesus prayed that through what He was going to do, God would be glorified.
God the Father then spoke from heaven to affirm that Jesus’ prayer would be answered and that God would be glorified.
Jesus also explained to the people that when He was lifted up from the earth (meaning hung on the cross), He would defeat Satan’s power and grip on mankind, something which the devil had since the time of the Fall in the garden of Eden.
Jesus also encouraged the people to take the opportunity now to believe in Him, who is the Light, while there was still time.
Those who walk in darkness, meaning those who do not believe in Him, will stumble through life without knowing what life is all about and where it is headed.
In pondering about what Jesus said, let’s give thanks to God that He helped us see Jesus, who is the Light.
Let’s also take time today to think and pray about what it means to follow Jesus’ example and what it means to walk in the light while we can.
How does God want us to live while we are on earth, living as His disciples?
If we, like Jesus, are considered a kernel of wheat, will we keep ourselves safe, or as Jesus commanded, will we use our life for God’s glory and then be honoured and rewarded?
What does living for God’s glory mean for different areas of our lives?
How would we relate to our families, loved ones, co-workers and others around us?