These were the words of the Master Jesus, and if we must take anything seriously as followers of Jesus, then it must be the words He spoke with His own mouth. But, what led to this saying so divine? What is important and crucial about this blessed statement? We would try to consider and ponder.
Our text is from JOHN 12: 20-33. Read it carefully.
John12:20 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
John 12:21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
John 12:22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
John 12:23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
John 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
John 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
John 12:29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
John 12:30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
John12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
John12:33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
Our Lord Jesus at this time in His life was nearing the point of His death. At the start of this chapter, Mary had anointed Jesus at Bethany and our Lord had spoken when Judas complained of the ‘wastage’ of the oil saying, ’Let her alone: Against the day of my burying hath she kept this.’(John12:7) Recall also, that Jesus was now in the limelight as a result of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, and multitudes were going after Him and believing in Him (John 12:11). From verse 12 to 16 came the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the colt of an ass. It was a public event. Imagine the entire multitude crying after Him, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord- The King of Israel!’ (John12:13) Many people came to Jesus; infact the Pharisees, who had all along plotted to kill Him when they saw that His fame had spread abroad, said among themselves in verse 19, ‘ You see? You’ve accomplished nothing. Look- the whole world has gone after Him.’
It would seem that our Master had everything going for Him; that He had succeeded in gaining the confidence of many; that at last, He had gotten ‘the whole world’. He was in the limelight. But My Saviour would not be carried away by that fleeting glory. In the midst of all the activity, hustle and bustle, He did not forget the reason why He was sent to earth. That was His preoccupation. He kept the day of His death/burial close to His heart. No wonder He commended Mary so much (even when she was criticized) because she seemed to have touched an issue that was dear to His heart.
Next (as if to further distract Him from His divine assignment),certain Greeks (highly revered for their wisdom and intellectual prowess) came to worship at the Festival and asked to see Jesus. When the message came from Andrew and Philip to Jesus, He replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’ Yes, indeed the time had come for His glory, fame and popularity, for Him to have a crowd of followers and servants. Indeed, He deserved to be glorified at that time, having been going around doing good, healing the sick, raising the dead, delivering the oppressed… Yet, my Lord identified a matter. Indeed, there was a matter. There was a prerequisite, a condition that had to be fulfilled before this glory. He spoke. ‘I assure you… Truly, truly… Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and dies, it abides alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.’
His death on the cross had not yet taken place. As far as He was concerned, He was abiding alone, because the corn of wheat had not fallen yet into the ground. The grain of wheat had not died and so what He saw (the multitudes going after Him) was not the harvest He expected. By this, He showed you and I the KEY to true and lasting fruitfulness: DEATH.
Consider again these two verses:
John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
John 12:33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
He said this to signify what kind of death He was about to die. Only IF He was lifted up from the earth will He draw all men unto Himself. In order words ‘IF’ (being a condition), suggested that the latter would not take place without the former. He would be at a loss as far as drawing men to Himself was concerned if He did not die/was not lifted up. But why would He speak of death/dying as a ‘lifting up/exaltation? Why would He use the expression ‘lifted up’ to speak of something seemingly humiliating as the cross? This is why. 1Cor 1:18: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. So, to the natural man, it was an end, a shameful, pitiable end, but for my Lord, it was a lifting up; an exaltation. For the joy that was set before Him, He would endure the cross, despise the shame, the cruel opposition from sinful men, that He may draw us to Himself and so become the first born amongst many brethren ( Heb12:2-3;Romans 8:29). He saw this secret wisdom of God, a wisdom that was hidden from the rulers of this age, that they might not understand it, for if they had, as the bible says, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1Cor2:6-9). No wonder they saw it as foolishness; for their eyes were veiled that they could not see the wisdom of God. They couldn’t imagine anything good coming out of an ‘old rugged cross’. But, praise God, that is why we are here! We have been drawn to Him by His lifting up/death on the cross. So we cherish that old rugged cross, till our trophies at last we lay down; we will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it someday for a crown…
Brethren, this is a crucial point in this study. We praise God that Christ died (was lifted up) at Calvary and ‘positionally’ has drawn all men to Himself just as He promised. Yet there are so many people who have not come to an experiential knowledge of this ‘drawing’. Heaven is counting on us to proclaim Christ and lift Him up that the whole world may be drawn to Him. Now, to this we were called, because Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow in His footsteps (1Pet2:21-25). When we were going astray He himself bore in His body our sins on the tree (He was lifted up) so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. He has called us to bear about in our bodies always, the death of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might also be made manifest in our bodies (2Cor4:10). Look at Jesus and learn of Him. Are you already ‘affecting’, ‘motivating’ and ‘influencing’ men? Is a crowd going after you? Now let us check your life. Can we see the mark of death in you? If not, then be assured that it is mere fanfare. Though Jesus saw the multitudes, He knew that only IF He was lifted up will those men be drawn to Him. Otherwise, they would just throng after Him, ‘looking for Him not because they saw miraculous signs, but because they ate the loaves and had their fill’ (John6:26). Jesus was not interested in having people that will be offended and turn back from following Him when they hear the ‘hard sayings’ (John6:60,66). He wanted a people He could call His own, who would be united with Him in His death (Rom6:4,5) and hence be united with Him in His resurrection and walk in newness of life. To achieve this degree of fellowship/communion and commitment, He had to face the cross. Even when it was exceedingly sorrowful, He said:Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. I need not tell you that the cross, though it wasn’t easy, was worth it. By it (the cross) He purchased men (you and I) for God with His own blood (Acts20:28c).
This has been established; the key to all useful and divine fruitfulness, the key to ‘drawing’ men to Christ is DEATH. Have you been trying to win a soul? Disciple a sister or brother? By dying daily to ourselves, we give our Lord a chance to be lifted up, glorified and exalted, that He may draw to Himself true disciples. Do you want a life that will affect others eternally? Follow Christ. To where?, you ask. To Golgotha, the place of death. The place where ALL of you ends so that Christ can begin. The place where your will, desires, inclinations, preferences, thoughts and EVERYTHING has been lost in His (Gal5:24-25). We speak not here, brethren of a physical location, but a place in your daily walk with Christ, accomplished only by the Holy Spirit working in you. A place where there is none of you and all of Him. Let us read John21:15-19.
John 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
John 21:16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
John 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
John 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
John 21:19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
We can gather from the above passage that the same way of death by which Jesus glorified God, He expected Peter to follow. This is what our Master expects of us. The solution to taking nations and cities for Christ- our families, offices, businesses, schools/classrooms, churches/fellowships, hostels etc, lies herein. Jesus said, ‘He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world (has no love for, no concern for, no regard for, despises his life here on earth)shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me (cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and if need be, in dying); and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.’Let us follow Jesus. He submitted His will to His Father, saying, ‘Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.’ Don’t be carried away by the glory that appears only to fade away. As we submit daily to Christ, we will see our world drawn to the feet of the Master. We will experience a great revival and awakening. What He said then, He still says now, ‘Follow Me’ and ‘If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to Myself’. Let us pray!
