FOCUS Day Forty-Five | John 12:12-26
DAY FORTY-FIVE | John 12:12-26
The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
“Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!”
Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
“Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.
Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”
Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
THE ANATOMY OF A SEED
Can you imagine the scene of events from John 12? The narrow streets of Jerusalem were lined with people waving palm branches, and crying out Hosanna. It seems that on that day, the crowds were ready to make Jesus, King.
In Matthew’s version of this story, it says that the whole city was moved when Jesus came into Jerusalem. The people wanted to know, “Who is this man?” The multitudes cried back, shouting, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Can you hear the crowds chanting?
Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna in the Highest!
It is hard to imagine that in less than a week’s time, these same crowds that were shouting praises and prayers to the Son of David would begin crying, “CRUCIFY!”
I am so glad that Jesus didn’t get caught up in the moment. Even with all that was happening during what we call the Triumphal Entry, Jesus kept His eyes on what the Father was doing. We know this because of the way that He responds when people are seeking Him out.
Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
In the midst of this Palm Sunday scene, Philip and Andrew bring these seekers to Jesus. He seems unfazed by all that is happening around Him as He begins to describe the transition that was getting ready to happen.
The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
Jesus then goes on to talk about what happens when a grain of wheat dies. He explains that while it is alive, it remains alone, one grain of wheat. But when it dies, that single grain multiplies, bearing much fruit.
What do you think the disciples would have thought when Jesus spoke these words? They were in the middle of an impromptu parade, where the people were professing their love for Him. They were addressing Him as a Savior, Deliverer, and Liberator as He came through the gates of the city.
Why was Jesus talking about seeds and death?
The disciples didn’t understand the significance of this moment yet, but ultimately, these words were an indicator of the trust that Jesus allowed to be a guide in His life.
He had been there when the worlds were formed, and knew the power that was present in a seemingly dead seed. Now, as He prepared to leave this earth to return to His Father, He was exercising trust in what the Spirit would do through the seeds of His life as He prepared to lay it down.
For three years, He had walked with His disciples. He taught them about His Kingdom with His words, as He modeled it for them in His life. Now it was time for Him to leave and return to the Father.
Jesus was trusting that the seeds of His life would be multiplied in and through the lives of some imperfect, ordinary fishermen. It is actually pretty astounding to think about how He left them to finish the work of seeing the good news spread to every nation, tribe and tongue. It is crazy to think that these guys, who often stumbled through their days, would soon turn the world upside down with the message of Jesus.
But that is the beauty of the gospel. I love the way that this is expressed in Isaiah 61.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
The good news of God’s Kingdom works like this. His love reaches us in our weakness, bondage and need – right when we have nothing to offer Him. He invests the seeds of His life in us, until we (the ones that had nothing to offer) become Oaks of Righteousness. The brokenhearted and poor become the planting of the Lord, for the display of His splendor.
These words of Jesus have deeply impacted me in two ways. First, it is sobering to think of the responsibility of stewarding the seeds of Christ in my life. What will I do with what He has entrusted to me?
I saw this in the life of my friend Gerry. He was like a beautiful combination of Jesus, Superman and Tigger. He was an encourager, an evangelist and a great husband and friend. And Johnny Appleseed – he was also like Johnny Appleseed.
Whenever Gerry would learn something, he just couldn’t seem to help sharing it with anyone who would listen. This truth became evident when Gerry passed away suddenly. As we mourned together, I couldn’t help but be humbled to witness the impact of his life on those he had walked with.
As I stood preaching his funeral, I couldn’t help but look out across the sea of friends and family and see the way that this young man had been faithful to steward the Jesus seeds that the Father had entrusted to him during his time on this earth. Tears filled my eyes as conviction filled my heart. Watching the way that God multiplied the seeds of His life through my friend made me want to be vigilant to steward what He had entrusted to me.
This leads me to the second thing that I see in the life of Jesus through these words. He trusted the mission that the Father had given Him to redeem the earth into the hands of a few followers that really didn’t seem ready for such a task. Within the days leading up to the events described in John 12, His disciples had squabbled with each other and threatened to call fire down to destroy a village of people that Jesus was about to give His life for. But this didn’t stop Him from trusting that the Father would multiply the seeds of His life in these unlikely world-changers.
In a courageous act of true leadership, Jesus leaves His followers in order to allow them to grow up. He calls them to follow Him into this lifestyle of losing our lives so we can gain eternal rewards and honor from the Father in heaven.
I pray that we will have the courage to look into the eyes of Jesus, hear these words and say yes. It is a humbling thing to lose our own lives so that His life can be poured out in and through us. I pray that you would live with a deep conviction to steward the seeds of Christ in your life. He will be faithful to multiply the seeds, and produce a holy harvest in and around you as you exercise trust in Him.
Here is a poem that I wrote down during morning prayer with a few friends several years ago. It is simple, but I think it conveys powerful, Kingdom truth about the potential of the seeds of Christ in our lives.
Everything you need is found in the seed
A tree fully formed is ready to be born
The root is the cause, the fruit is the consequence
Let this process produce a holy confidence
Let the seed be planted in the soil of His love
Sprouting on the banks of the River of the Dove.
The fragrance is released w/ the blooming of the bud
Now it’s so much more than a seed in some mud
Without fail the fruit will grow in season
Could a tiny little seed really be the reason
Yes, everything you need is found in the seed
A tree fully formed ready to be born.
Everything you need is found in the seed.
