John 12:20-26

Read John 12:20-26 Jesus says we must die in order to bear fruit

In the previous verse (John 12:19), the Pharisees were saying that the world (i.e., everyone) has gone after Jesus.  Now, some of “the world” comes to Jesus: some Gentiles.

When verse 20 calls them “Greeks,” this probably means they are from a group of Greek-speaking Gentiles who were known as “God-fearers”: people who believe in the one God of the Jews but have not chosen to be circumcised.  The historian Josephus talks about the God-fearers and we see them in Acts 13:26 and 17:4.  John does not take this story about the Greeks to any specific conclusion, but he may have included it here because of the ways it connects to the previous verse and the following verse: in the previous verse, the Pharisees talk about the whole world turning to Jesus and here is an example of that; and in the following verse, Jesus says that his dying will bear fruit in the conversion of Gentiles all over the world.

“Philip” and “Andrew” are not Hebrew names; they are Greek names.  These two disciples are from Bethsaida, a town on the north end of the Sea of Galilee.  Their town had both Jewish and Greek-speaking Gentile communities, and just to the north was a province that was part of the Greek world and not Jewish.  As a result, Philip and Andrew might have had much more interaction with people who were not Jewish than the other disciples did.  And with exposure often comes greater comfort.  Some people are valuable in that way: they spend time in the intersections between Christians and non-Christians and can draw interested people into the Christian community.  Who are the people you know who are good at connecting with people of different backgrounds?

How might you be able to play that role of bridging the gap to connect other people to your church?

Notice that up until now, Jesus has been saying that his hour has not yet come.  Now, in verse 23, Jesus says that the hour has come.  This is a turning point.  Have you ever had a moment where it could be said that your “hour” had come to do something to glorify God?  What happened and how did it bring glory to God?

What do we need to have, in order to recognize those moments when God is ready to do something new?

Jesus says that “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (verse 23), referring to himself as the “Son of Man.”  The Son of Man was a figure from Daniel 7:13 who would have everlasting dominion, and all nations would serve him.  A book written between the Old and New Testaments that was popular in Jesus’s time (the book of Enoch) presented the Son of Man as a conquering messiah who would end forever the domination that the Jews had suffered for so long.  But Jesus talks about dying instead, in verse 24.  This would have confused those who heard him.  How does his death glorify him?

The image of a grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying (verse 24) does not apply only to Jesus.  How are we called to die in order to bear much fruit?

The image of what appears to be “death” leading to new life is a common theme in nature –seeds, caterpillars, etc.  What can we learn from these images of nature about how to let go of our lives for God’s sake?

It’s easy to talk in the abstract about “dying.”  In practical terms ,what is God asking you to let go of, in order to bear much fruit?

What can you do when you find it hard to let go of yourself and “fall to the ground and die”?

Verse 25 says, “Whoever loves his life loses it.”  What does that mean?  How does it play out, in practical terms?

In verse 25, it is confusing when Jesus says we must hate our life in this world.  In John’s time, when the Christian community sometimes faced persecution from Jewish or secular authorities, there may have been times when the choice was stark: choose what will protect this life, or eternal choose life.  But this saying still has relevance to us.  Jesus is not saying that we need to literally hate our family, our job, our friends, our home, etc., but all of those things must be treated as being of only secondary importance.  Only one thing can have top priority, and that is our life with God, which lasts forever.  How can we be committed to our obligations in those other areas – family, job, etc. – and still have only God as our ultimate affection?

We see the same word “hate” used in Matthew 6:24, where Jesus says that no one can serve two masters, because you will either love the one and hate the other or vice versa.  Only one master can come first, and only one life can take first place in our affections.  It is either this life or eternal life that comes first.  How does thinking about what comes first help us focus and evaluate our activities in this world?

In normal times, we have to give some consideration to the things of this life – eating drinking, family, job, preparing for retirement, etc.  What can we do to make sure we keep our priorities straight and keep our eyes on eternal life and the things of God?

In verse 26, Jesus gives us a simple, practical way to think about the choice by phrasing it in terms of who we serve.  What is he calling us to do?

How do we serve God?

In verse 26, Jesus tells us that where he is, that’s where his servant will be.  But where is Jesus?  In the Gospels, where does Jesus tell us to find him?

In John, Jesus suggests we can find him by looking for where his light is, where his sheep are, etc.  In the Gospel of Mathew, he tells us that we can find him in the hungry, the sick, the needy, the least among us.

Another place we find Jesus is on the cross.  When he says, “Where I am, my servant will be,” does that include the cross?  How can we choose to be found with Jesus in his suffering on the cross?

This passage has talked about dying, being fruitful, and serving.  What does it say to you in the everyday realities of your life?  How would you like to be responding to Jesus’s words here?

Take a step back and consider this:

When Jesus says that when a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it bears much fruit, what kind of fruit is he talking about?

We can think about the fruit in terms of specific kinds of activities we might be engaged in.  In Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist tells people to bear fruit that is consistent with their repentance.  In Matthew 7:16-20, Jesus says of the false prophets, “by their fruits you will know them.”  These warnings suggest that our fruit will be visible in our actions.  Similarly, in Philippians 1:9-11, Paul prays that his disciples will increase in love and knowledge in order to be filled with the fruit of righteousness.

Every person is different, so there will be differences in the kind of fruit we bear (we’re not all apples or tomatoes or wheat or beans).  What kind of fruit is God calling you to bear in your life right now?

We can also think about the fruit we bear in terms of the character we develop.  In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness [or generosity], faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

We are all called to develop the character of Jesus and become like him as he works his character into our souls, but Jesus does this in a variety of ways.  He nurtures different kinds of spiritual fruit in different ways in different people.  What spiritual fruit – what aspects of the fruit of the Spirit – is Jesus working to develop more fully in you right now?

How can you cooperate with the Holy Spirit to allow greater growth in fruitfulness in your life?