ANGUISHED
TEXT: Some Greeks … came to Philip… [and] asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” … 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 27 “Now
is My soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your Name And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” When Jesus had said these things, He departed and hid Himself from them. (John 12:20b, 21b, 23-24, 27-28a, 32, 36b)
What a strange reaction! Why should the coming of the Greeks make Jesus think of His own death? Because He is thinking of it, with anguish and dread. Something about the Greeks has set this off.
I think it’s because Jesus knows, and has always known, that bringing the Gospel to the non-Jewish world is the task of His church. Jesus’ own short ministry was spent mainly with “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24b). But with the coming of the Greeks, it’s clear that the age of the church is dawning. Jesus’ own ministry is almost over. And it overwhelms Him.
It looks like the Greeks never got their meeting-but that’s okay. Because in just a few days, Jesus would lay down His life to save us all, Jew and Gentile alike. After rising from the dead, He would send out His church-and the Greeks would get their chance at last.
WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for bearing the cross for us all. Amen.
——————– Reflection Questions
• Have you ever had to face the possibility of death?
• How did it make you feel?
• How do you feel about Jesus, knowing He bore that fear for you?
Responses