Monday Devotional: April 14, 2025

Bible Reading: John 12:20-36 (NRSVUE)

²⁰ Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. ²⁷ “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say: ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰ Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. ³⁴ The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵ Jesus said to them, “The light is in you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. ³⁶ While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”

The Jesus in this Gospel troubles me. In the other three Gospels, Jesus wavers before the cross but not in John. Pondering the cross, he asks, “What should I say, ‘Father save me from this hour’?” Then he answers his own question, “No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.”

Reading these verses, I miss the Jesus described in the Synoptic Gospels who prays for the cup to pass from him. That Jesus has doubts like I do. His hesitance to march headlong toward death makes him more human, more like me.

Much of my discomfort with John’s version stems from Jesus’ charge to the crowd — and to the rest of us — that “those who love their life lose it.” In the other Gospels, I also hear that call to discipleship, but the life-or-death consequences aren’t quite so loud and clear. Take up my “cross”? It’s just a metaphor, right? Well, at least that’s what I can tell myself.

John’s Gospel leaves no room to rationalize. There is no denying the connection between discipleship and painful sacrifice. A kernel of wheat must die to give life. Those who love their life will lose it. Those who hate it will keep it. Disciples follow Jesus as he marches headlong toward a place of unfathomable pain and suffering.

In this scripture, Jesus invites us to probe our discomfort. He also bids us to look closely at our commitment to our faith. Discipleship comes at a price. But we can pay it with the assurance that God’s gift of selfless love has prepared us for times of trial.

Prayer

God, when we pray for deliverance in times of trial, assure us that your love abides with us. Amen.

By Jeremy T. Bakker, The Upper Room Disciplines 2016, page 107.

Bible Study

“Embracing Life” By Von W. Unruh

Unit 1: Beatitudes for Lent

Session Title: From Empty Worship to Pure Hearts
Focal Passage: Matthew 5:8; Mark 7:5-15
Purpose Statement: To Affirm that motives matter when determining right conduct.

Questions:

• What else do you notice that is different between Matthew 15:1-20 and Mark 7:5-15? What do those differences indicate to you?
• Why do you do what is good? What are your motives? Are they always pure?
• Have you ever done the wrong thing for the right reason or the right thing for the wrong reason? What difference did your motives make?

Zoom Session

Monday, April 14, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

(For Zoom Link, send an email to [email protected])

In-Person Session

Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, Conference Room, McGee Building.