The Death that Bears Fruit | Sermon 10/08/2023

John 12:20-26

Some Greeks who were going to worship at the Feast in Jerusalem sought out the apostle Philip to arrange a meeting with Jesus. The text is silent on why but we can surmise that they, being Gentile God-fearers, had heard rumors of the Messiah’s coming. The Greeks’ coming, however, was an indicator of something bigger. Upon hearing of the Greeks, Jesus said the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. If Gentiles are seeking the Messiah the times of the Gentiles has come; therefore the hardening of the Jews will begin leading up to His crucifixion.

To explain this, Jesus gives an illustration. It seems unnatural but for a seed to produce life or produce fruit it must die. In other words, for the children of God to come into existence the unique Son of God must die. And the fruit must follow in the example of the seed. If you love your life in this world you will perish but hating your life in this world will lead one to life eternal. Love and hate contrasts were used in Jewish idioms to establish essential preference, not hatred on some absolute scale. The fact is the love our lives in this world and the love of the Father don’t mix. John says if you love this world, the love of the Father is not in you.

Jesus finished the seed and life figures of speech by bringing it back to discipleship. If one is a fruit, it comes from the Seed, it follows after the Seed, and therefore Christ desires for His disciples to follow Him. The fruit is to be in the likeness of the seed, they are interconnected. If you are saved by Christ, you will serve and follow Christ. There is no alternative. These things will be the characteristics of a Christian.