John - Week 38

Philip and the Greeks 

READ 

John 12:20-22 

20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration 21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus. 

Various applications can be made from this short passage. The words “Greeks” and “Gentiles” were basically interchangeable. The main point is that they are not Jewish. Note also that their real desire was not to see Philip, but Jesus. No higher compliment could be made than to have others contact you because they think you are the one who can take them to Jesus. And be encouraged that Philip didn’t go alone to talk to Jesus, he asked Andrew to go with him. 

REFLECT 

Think of how pleased you should be if someone came to you and asked you to show them Jesus. And if you don’t feel competent to answer their questions about Jesus you can ask a fellow Christ-follower to join you in the conversation.  

RESPOND 

Read John 1:35-51 to see that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist before he became the disciple of Jesus. Andrew told his brother Peter about Jesus. The passage also reveals how others told friends about Jesus. Are you telling your friends about Jesus? 

The Time Has Come 

READ 

John 12:23-24 

23 Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.” 

Up until this time Jesus said His hour had not yet come, but now in the last week of His earthly life, He announced it was now time for Him to “enter into his glory.” He used an example the agricultural community understood well to reveal what He would accomplish by dying. Those listening at the time, may not have fully understood what all He meant, but later it would become clear. 

REFLECT 

Think how sobering it was to His loving friends to hear Jesus talking about His future death. Some may have begun to lose hope, but this was not Jesus’ intent as He assured them as He spoke further. 

RESPOND 

The hope believers in Christ can count on is the resurrection of their bodies. At physical death the soul and spirit of a Christ-follower goes to be with Jesus. When He comes to receive from the dead all those “in Christ,” their bodies will be resurrected and be united soul and spirit in a glorified body. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 that tell about the resurrected bodies of believers. 

To Serve Is to Follow 

READ 

John 12:25-26 

25 “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. 26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.” 

What is loved indicates where a person’s values really are. Some love only this life, and Jesus warns that such people will actually lose what they loved. One thinks of those who have given their lives for Jesus with His words, “Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” Jesus tells what is required if a person wants to serve Him; the individual must follow Him. The reward is that the Father will honor those who follow Jesus. 

REFLECT 

Where is your love focused today; on temporal or eternal values? Although your life is involved in the many details of daily living, is your heart fixed on loving Jesus and following Him? 

RESPOND 

Read two passages that tell where love should be focused now and where it will be focused in the last days (see Colossians 3:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-5). Make sure you do not fall into the category of those who have their love fixed on the wrong things. 

A Voice from Heaven 

READ 

John 12:27-29 

27 “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father, bring glory to your name.” 

Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. 

During His earthly life, Jesus was fully God and fully man. On the human side He knew much suffering was ahead for Him as He came to die to pay the penalty for sin. On the God side He knew He was appointed for this hour. His main concern was that the heavenly Father would bring glory to His name. Then a voice came from heaven assuring Jesus that the heavenly Father has already brought glory to His name and will do it again.  

REFLECT 

Think what it must have been like for the human nature of Jesus to think about going to the cross. And think how grateful you should be that He did.  

RESPOND 

Who will you tell this week about the importance of Jesus dying on the cross to pay the penalty for sin? 

The Time for Judging 

READ 

John 12:30-33 

30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate how he was going to die. 

Jesus didn’t need to hear the voice from heaven to know His Father had already had been glorified and would also be in the future. The frail people on earth, however, needed to hear it. A prophecy was also given about Satan being judged and cast out. In addition, a prediction was made about the kind of death Jesus would die: He would be lifted up from the earth and draw all people to Himself. 

REFLECT 

You have a benefit the people during the earthly time of Jesus did not have; you have the completed Bible to know what God says. Are you regularly reading it and applying it to your life? 

RESPOND 

Jesus mentioned about being lifted up from the earth. The passage has been examined before but this is a good time to go back and review the conversation He had with Nicodemus as recorded in John 3:10-15. Share this truth with others.