Death to Life
John 2:20-26
During this lent season We have taken a few snapshots of different places in Jesus ministry, Last week we visited John’s description from the beginning of Jesus ministry in chapter 2 where he runs their animals and convenience store clerks out of the temple.
We made a connection to how the market influenced the ability of the gentiles to worship. The stockyard odors and noises of sellers interfered with the ability to hear what was going on around the actual altar. I asked you to examine some of the things that you might have in your life that may interfere in a similar way.
Some of the things I suggested might be influence of other people related to holiness or clothing, health… basically any thing that you should ask for Jesus to asset you and removing from your temple of your heart and mind.
-- Today our scripture has a little less action. It is the same time of year but 2 years later. It is the Passover season and Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem. The city is packed as usual. People have come form all over the region to join in the festival. There are a few differences in the situation. Last week Jesus was at the beginning of his ministry and was not well known.
When he cleared out the market area he as actually acting in a correct and righteous way. He as not arrested and the only challenge he had for causing a scene we some Jews…not necessarily leaders…asking about his authority.
On this occasion the crowds are packed in to the temple but there are some Greeks that want to meet Jesus. Jesus is no longer just a stranger with a passion for the house of God. He is a teacher that is talked about all around the region….
“Have you heard about this man Jesus? He does miracles...feeds thousands of people, heals people with all kinds of sickness. He teaches with authority.”
People are talking about this teacher and where ever he goes people recognize him on sight. Pharisees, Sadducees, Levites and priest follow him around and keep tabs on him. Beggars and blinded and crippled people call out to him as he passes by. Lepers are even bold enough to approach.
In our reading this morning we have another group that is interested in seeing Jesus for themselves.
It said that some Greeks had come to the feast. Not Jewish Greeks, not proselytes – or converts…Just Greeks.
Why would Greeks – known for believing in many Gods come to Jerusalem at Passover? It is likely that they were believers in the God of the Jews.
However, belief was not enough to be able to gain membership into the Jewish religion. You had to go through a process which included circumcision.
We don’t really know what their association with them Passover was but these seekers were in the middle of the craziness of the feast and approach Philip.
21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." 22Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
Philip seems shy bout making an introduction on his own and he goes tot his brother Andrew. And together they tell Jesus about the seekers.
Let me think that through. Jesus is constantly surrounded by people. He has been teaching and healing his way around the country. Why do these Greeks have a problem, approaching Jesus?
I guess it could be cultural. Perhaps they thought they needed an introduction. After all Jesus was something like a celebrity. Lots of Jews were impressed with his abilities. He has this inner circle of disciples that seems to shield Jesus from the public.
Maybe they feared that they would be rejected if they approached Jesus directly after all they are Foreigners, they are probably not Jewish.
It s suggested that these Greeks approach Philip because his name is a Greek name and not a Jewish one. Andrew’s name is also Greek. Perhaps these visitors thought that they could gain an audience by approaching people with similar backgrounds.
I still wonder why they were unable to just join the crowds and get closer to Jesus on their own.
Then I connected with something.
Jesus has access to leave the court of the gentiles and to pass through the court of women and enter into the court of Israel. It is likely that Jesus was teaching well inside these other areas of the temple complex. Well out of reach of the Greeks that perhaps had no standing even in the court of the gentiles. The may have been restricted to that area outside that short wall in the drawings we looked at last week because they would not have been considered legitimate worshipers unless they made certain commitments and alterations to their lifestyle and eating habits.
Perhaps they approached Philip as a person that by birth has the ability to Go past the religious restrictions and ask Jesus to come to them.
It seems that Jesus responds is the strangest way. “Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”
Is that a yes or a no?
The older husband and wife, both a little hard of hearing, were watching golf on TV.
The husband turned to his wife of 50 years and said, "In my next life, I’m going to be rich and play all those beautiful golf courses with parties and dining and dancing areas."
The wife quickly responded, "How will you be able to manage all that with your bad legs? You can barely walk!"
"I said, ’..in my next life...,’" the husband replied.
"Oh," she said. I thought you said, ’..with my next wife...’"
It seems like the whisper in Jesus’ ear was too soft or that the noise was too loud and maybe Jesus answer is related to a different question than the brothers had asked.
And something else that is different, up to this point in scripture, when Jesus talks about the Hour it is normally says that his time has not yet come. Now boom – The time is here and the Son of Man is to be glorified.
Because we have the benefit of history we know that Jesus was making a prediction of his death which is at this point only days, at most, away.
It is almost time for him to fulfill his mission….however it is a mission to the Jews and not to the gentiles.
The time he is spending in the temple teaching is preparation for the confrontation that is coming. It is the time when the Jews will make a rejection of their promised messiah. Jesus will be put to death at the insistence of the Jewish leaders and people.
The scripture continues with more seemingly off subject information.
Jesus says, I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
A few weeks ago I bought a little planter at the dollar store. It came with everything a person needs to make a miniature flower garden except water. There were these three brown inch and a half round disks that the instructions said were dirt and three packets of seeds. The little instruction set said that I only needed to put the brown disks in the metal planter provided and add 2 cups of water and when the soil had expanded that I could plant the seeds. It said in just a few days I would see the small plants growing in the container.
It was amazing to see how there little brown pellets made a pot full of dirt like material. And after a few says I did see small sprouts pushing their way through the soil.
I looked at the seed packets and I noticed that the seeds were packaged in Georgia but they came from India. Some where on the other side of the globe people raised thousands of flowers not for beauty but to harvest the seeds. The Plants that provided the seeds were long gone. Their beauty and function ended after the harvest of their little seeds.
I have read that there are lots of seeds that can be preserved for thousands of years. Scientist have planted seeds found in Pyramids and they actually grew.
I think that is pretty amazing. How the potential of a seed can remain viable waiting on the right conditions.
The seeds I planted were probably on more than a few years old. But they were from the opposite side of the Globe. And yet they still responded to placement in moist soil.
It hit me that seeds offer the potential of something but only if they are planted.
I guess that farmers are well aware of that fact. The only way that a farmer can make a living is to plant seeds and with some skill and proper conditions hope for a harvest.
The seeds in this container on the altar are hard and dry. They are not worth very much in the condition that they are in right now perhaps one dollar. As long as they stay in this jar their value and condition is not likely to change very much.
But what happens if I plant this much corn in a field? Each seed that germinated in the moist soil could produce a plant with two or three ears. Each ear of corn will have 200 or 300 additional seeds.
What happens if I harvest the seeds and replant them each year for 10 years? What would happen to the initial value of one dollars worth of seeds?
It could become huge! If this were the kind of corn that people eat it could feed lots of people. If it is a feed corn for animals then they also supply the needs of people.
Jesus uses a simple example from farming to explain what his death would mean…ti show how a value could be found in the sacrifice that he came to offer.
Jesus’ first mission was to plant new seeds of faith in the Jewish people. He was there to fulfill prophecy of the promised messiah which would be ejected and he would die. This death held the potential for abundant new life in mankind’s relationship with God.
Jesus continues, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
Folks, I suspect that we are all guilty of loving this life too much.
It is full of pleasures the delight our physical bodies. We have access to all kinds of amusements to occupy our minds and our hearts, WE love this world.
I think that happens because our bodies were created for this environment. It is easy to just be happy here.
What is not easy is dying to what we like and to say that we hate this world.
We do all kinds of things to cling to this life. We fear the unknown of this eternal life and cling to the experience that we have…often people will endure all kinds of suffering to hold on to his physical life.
It is unnatural to want to die to self as Jesus has done and then to submit to the next step of his physical death.
All through the NT we are given a description of dying to self – Being crucified with Christ and yet we live…
Jesus death on a cross was a means of planting a seed of new life in all people. While the salvation offered by Christ in his death and resurrection was evidence of God’s promise Jesus initial act was to bring the Jews back on the right track of being a blessing to all people.
While the majority of Jews remained on the worship and relationship with God that they had known all their lives. Many Jews witnessed and believed as a result of Jesus death and resurrection.
Some of them understood what Jesus meant in our reading today. Every believer has a potential to bear abundant fruit for the kingdom of God.
But, there is a cost…to reach our potential we have to die to our natural desires and fears and start to live for Christ.
Jesus adds this as a further explanation: Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Here is what I think the point is.
There is a difference in a follower and a servant of Christ.
A follower is a believer and has a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. A believer ultimately receives salvation; however, if they remain just a follower they never reach the full potential that Christ hopes for every person. He calls all followers to be more involved and to desire to become a true servant. But to get there we must reach a point where we choose to give up things that they enjoy about this life. We choose to die to our desires and live for His.
Pretty much al believers are willing to do church work. Church work includes giving money and time to the church. It is valuable and necessary but, the church, our church does not exist just to preserve itself. It exists to do the work of the church…which is planning seeds, making disciples. Telling people about Jesus Christ and what he has done for mankind.
That work requires people that are willing to be servants…or using our lesson today, we become soil pellets that Christ adds living water in an effort to grow the kingdom. A servant lives a life that follows the instructions and gives benefits to the master and not to themselves.
Folks, being a Christian is not an easy task. Being a Christian servant is even harder. However both offer rewards that most people have trouble seeing because they only have security in what they can see and hold and taste today.
Because of the earthly attitude there are many people that feel absolutely destroyed by the problems in the financial markets. They are upset by the morality of our nation.
Many are loosing hope because they only have this world to cling to and it seems to be crumbling right before their eyes.
- People in these times need to meet a servant of the king.
- They need to meet a person that trust the master enough that they will share the Good news of seeds planter generations ago that still sprout in the world today.
They need to meet people that are BIG on Jesus….and small on themselves.
We don’t know of Jesus meets with the Greeks, it is possible that they did. However it is more likely that some time later they met a servant of Jesus that carried the good news to the gentiles…The things you need to realize is that not very one as able to see Jesus, some say or heard the apostils, but more people were exposed to Jesus by the servants in the local churches…the normal church members that shared their faith with their neighbors. People that fed the hungry and rescued abandoned children and opened their doors to strangers. The seeds of Christ can only be multiplied when a believer chooses to become a servant and to work for the kingdom in this world.
All Glory be to God
