After many successful dodges of the authorities, and many hush, hush miracles, this week we’ll see Jesus boldy riding into Jerusalem to claim his throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We’ll be picking up in our text this week covering John 12:12-26. We’ll be covering a segment of scripture known as the triumphal entry.
The surprising thing is Jesus doesn’t ride in to town on a majestic war horse dressed for battle, he rides in on a lowly donkey clothed like the poor. What might this suggest about the Kingdom of God? What might it mean for us his loyal subjects?
We see the crowds hailing Jesus as Lord and savior, hoping for a conquering King to finally free them from Roman oppression. Just when they expect to hear a battle cry from their hero, he says something completely opposite. In vs 23-24 He gives a cryptic analogy about a seed dying, and producing many more seeds filled with that same potential. It hearkens back to the garden of Eden. In the garden, the serpent sowed a seed of doubt in Eve’s heart regarding God’s goodness and His intentions for mankind. That seed grew doubt in her mind that led to death, spiritually and physically for all of humanity. In our text this week Jesus offers another seed, his very life offered on our behalf to restore all that was lost in the garden. What does the image of Jesus on the cross reveal about God’s heart for humanity? What difference does the depth of his love for you make in your daily life?
He goes on to explain that a love for our own life in this world will again produce death but that a hate for it will result in life renewed and eternal. The key to this is the phrase “in this world”. Of course he doesn’t want us to hate the life He’s given us. The hyperbole he employs emphasizes his point that nothing “this world” or its systems have to offer should be more important to us than our commitment to Christ. A stark contrast to the commitment to self permeating our society.
The choices we face today are the same ones they faced in the garden. Go our way or go God’s way. At some point we have to realize that Father knows best.
Does the pursuit of possessions or positions (circumstances) dominate your daily life? Do you wake up each day in hopes of being one step closer to that happiness you’ve always dreamed of? What priority does the pursuit of holiness hold for you?
Jesus invites us to follow him to the cross, to embrace a life of sacrificial love, that reveals his unsurpassable love for our neighbors and all of mankind. He says that in portraying his image into this world, we’ll find that full and purposeful life that our heart is truly longing for.
Have you ever experienced a let down or a low after working so hard in pursuit of a possession or position? Does knowing the temporal nature of what this world offers help to dull the draw towards them?
Our last verse holds a remarkable promise. vs 26 says that those who serve Jesus will be honored by the Father. The word honored means valued or prized. Does the thought of being valuable to God, mattering much to the King of the universe inspire different priorities in your life?
It should be a challenging and promising study this week. Hope to see you there!
Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.