“Anyone
who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this
world will keep it for eternal life.” – John 12:25
Jesus had just made his triumphal entry into
Jerusalem, riding a donkey colt through a cheering crowd who laid palm branches
before Him. They were sure their Messiah had arrived to save Israel from its
oppressors. Until Jesus spoke.
In John 12:23, Jesus told the crowd before Him,
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Many of His followers
were thrilled: “YES! It’s about time! Gather your army and drive out the Romans
and set up your throne in Jerusalem! We’re behind you all the way!”
But in verse 24, Jesus lowered the boom. His
idea of “being glorified” was much different than theirs: “I tell you the
truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a
single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” He went on to say: “The
man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world
will keep it for eternal life” (v. 25).
What on earth was He talking about? Jesus’ fans
were ready to follow their Messiah to the death … if he went charging
full-speed into a Roman garrison. But they refused to throw their lives away
for a Messiah who wasn’t even going to put up a fight. It sounded like He was just
planning to roll over and die.
In this passage, Jesus shares three powerful truths
at the heart of our Christian faith. The decisions we make each day should be
grounded in the following three truths. (Statements in quotation marks are from
Scottish theologian William Barclay.)
Truth #1 (v. 24): “Only by death comes life.” As Jesus said, “Unless a kernel
of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But
if it dies, it produces many seeds.” What is true in
agriculture is equally true in the spiritual realm. The great 2nd Century church
leader Tertullian famously said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the
Church.” All but one of Jesus’ 12 apostles were martyred for their faith. Now,
you will probably never face death or imprisonment because of your beliefs. But
Christ has still called you to die. Your old selfish way of living, your old negativity,
your old unforgiveness … all need to die. It’s when our old nature dies that we
can really live for God.
Truth #2 (v. 25): Only by giving up our lives
do we retain life. People
who live for me, myself and I are usually motivated by two things: their own
selfish cravings and security. Selfish
people chase after pleasure and security. But Jesus calls His followers
to sacrifice—even “hate”—both pleasure & security. I urge you to hate your
own selfishness; hate your own laziness; hate sitting on the sidelines. Instead,
LOVE giving your life away in service to Christ and others.
Truth #3 (v. 26): “Only by service comes
greatness.” So
many people live their lives serving one person: themselves. And at the end of
their lives, there’s not much to show for it. I’m so thankful that so many Christians
I know are the exact opposite of that. They live to serve Christ and others.
Earlier
this month, I had the privilege of officiating the Celebration of Life for Mele
Bond, a sweet lady who served at my church for more than 30 years. Mele embodied
this third truth: She lived a “great” life, because she was such a “great”
servant.
For
many years, Mele stood at the front door of our church shaking hands and
handing out bulletins to our attenders. She greeted everyone with her great
big, loving smile. No one would have guessed that Mele had Multiple Sclerosis.
She didn’t talk about how it affected her health. She just kept serving. About six
years ago, when her legs got too weak, Mele could no longer stand and hand out
bulletins. So … she sat on her walker and handed out bulletins with the same big,
loving smile.
In
the last three years, Mele’s MS reached a point where she was too weak to get
out of bed. So, did she finally stop serving? Nope! From her bed, she crocheted
beanies for family members, friends and the homeless. Whenever I visited, she
had a bag of hats for me to give away. She refused to stop serving. Anyone who
knew Mele would agree: She lived a GREAT life. You see, only by service comes greatness.
Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian
Church. Pastor
Dane’s new daily devotional, “40 Days in Proverbs,” is now available on
Amazon.com. Join
us on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. or 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road
in Apple Valley, or livestream us on Facebook or YouTube. For more information,
visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.