Greatest Life Investment Ever

About this Episode

Greatest Life Investment Ever is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast.

In Episode 101 we unpacked John 12:1-19, we called that show Worship, Triumph, and Tears. In verses, 1-8 we saw Jesus visiting with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, the highlight of those verses was when Mary anointed Jesus with costly perfume as an act of worship.

Then in vs 12, we went to the Triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem where the people cried out Hosanna Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We cross-referenced a verse and learned in Luke that Jesus was weeping for His people during this time. He loved them so much and yet they were still going to reject Him.

This week we are going to be back in John 12 with our reading of verses 20-36. We will see Jesus talking about His certain death to come. We will uncover some nugget verses like vs 25, He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Many people are greatly concerned about success but understand so little of its true nature. We want bigger, better, and longer lasting, but many times end up with what is smaller, worse, and short-lived.

It is much like running around doing everything you can do to catch your dream. You grab your piece of the dream and once you grab it you hold on to that dream, but life happens and it crumbles into small pieces of dust in your hands, like sand it runs through your fingers to the ground. The circle of life is hard and you wonder if there is more to this life.

Today, we are going to unpack Jesus teaching the people about how to invest in their life properly. He will teach us how to make the greatest investment in our life and why trusting Him with our dreams will always end better than them ending up crumbling in the end.

Read John 12:20-36

Let’s give some context to these verses. Before His speech to these certain Greeks about losing their life for His sake, we learn that John leaves out a big event of what Jesus did next after His triumphal entry. In Mark 11 we read that Jesus cleansed the temple for the second time right after. In Mark 11, He quoted Jesus saying in Isaiah 56:7 “Is it not written My house shall be called of nations the house of prayer? But you have made it a den of thieves.”

The original text indicates that these Greeks were accustomed to coming and worshiping at the feast. They were not curious visitors or one-time investigators. No doubt they were God-fearers, Gentiles who attended the Jewish synagogue and sought the truth but had not yet become followers of Jesus. These men kept asking Philip for the privilege of an interview with Jesus. Phillip finally told Andrew (who was often bringing people to Jesus) and Andrew gave the request to Jesus.

These Gentiles visitors either did not know of the danger surrounding Jesus or didn’t care. We have to commend them for wanting to see Jesus. The Jews would say they want to see a sign but, these men said we would see Jesus. The funny thing is there is no record that Jesus did talk with these men, but the message that He gave in the response contains the truth that all of us need.

The central theme of this message is the glory of God 23, 28. We would have expected Jesus to say, the hour has come, that the Son of man should be crucified. But Jesus saw beyond the cross to the glory that would follow. In fact, the glory of God is an important theme in the remaining chapters of John’s gospel.

A seed is weak and useless, but when it is planted, it dies and becomes fruitful. God’s children are like seeds. They are small and insignificant, but they have life in them, God’s life. However, that life can never be fulfilled unless we yield ourselves to God and permit Him to plant us.

In these words in vs 26 “if anyone serves Me, let him follow me, and where I am there my servant will be also.” Jesus is challenging us to be planted in Him with the surrendering of our lives to go where He goes. If we do this He says My Father will honor you.

Jesus knew that He was facing suffering and death, and His humanity responded to this ordeal. No doubt vs 27 says “His soul was troubled, not because He was questioning the Father's will, but because He was fully conscious of all that the cross involved.” Note after Jesus said His soul is troubled He did not say “What shall I do” but He said, “what shall I say.”

The Term Father glorify your name, got an audible reply from God. The Son's past life and ministry had glorified the Father, and Son's future suffering and death would glorify the Father. It is significant that the Father spoke to the Son at the beginning of Son’s ministry Matt 3:17 as the Son began his ministry and now as the son entered the last days before the cross.

Notice the people heard the sound but did not know the message that had been conveyed. Yet, if the voice was for their sakes and they could not understand it, what good was it? In that the voice assured Jesus, who was to die for their sakes, the voice was for their good. They heard him pray and they heard a sound from heaven in response to that prayer.

In vs 31-33 Jesus then openly spoke about the cross. It was an hour of judgment for the world and for Satan, the prince of the world. The death of Jesus would seem like a victory for the wicked world, but it would really be a judgment of the world.

In vs 32 we see the phrase Jesus uses “Lifted up”, the basic meaning of that phrase in the original language is crucifixion. But it also carries the idea of glorification. Isa 52:13 Behold my servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. The Son of Man was glorified by being crucified.

The next part of that verse uses the phrase “all men” or “all people”. This is not suggesting universal salvation. It means all people without distinction. That is Jews and Gentiles. He does not force them, He draws them unto himself. He was lifted up so that the people might find the way, know the truth and receive life.

As usual, the people did not understand what Jesus was teaching. They knew that Son of Man was a title for the Messiah, but they could not understand why the Messiah would be crucified. So they asked Jesus who is this Son of Man you are talking about. They understood Psalm 72:17, 89:36, 110:4, and Isa 9:7 all talk about the Messiah living forever. So in their minds, if He was the son of the man he could not be crucified.
In vs 35 Jesus brings up the “light is shining”, and they had better take advantage of this opportunity now and be saved. We met this image of light and darkness before John 1:4-9, 3:17-20; 8:12. By the simple step of Faith, these people could have passed out of spiritual darkness and into the light of salvation.