John 12:20-33
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.
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As Holy Week draws ever closer, it's time to take stock of everything this Lenten season has taught us. In Lent, we grapple with our human nature by traveling light. We go without so that we live with a keener sense of our needs, the most basic among them being food, water, and shelter. Today's Gospel reading, which prepares us to sit beneath the cross on Good Friday, may sound like a shock to our systems. Jesus says, "those who love their life will lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (Jn. 12:25). Since when are we suppsoed to hate our lives?
Jesus's lead-up to this statement is an analogy about grain. We may fear death and thus cling more tightly to all that makes up our lives, but the seasons of creation show us that death is not the end. Leaves grow in the Spring, bring forth flowers in the Summer, droop down during the Fall, and lay dormant during the Winter. Amazingly, the cycle begins again. At a time when our society is more divided than ever, we should remember to whom we belong in life and in death. When do we need to die to ourselves for the sake of the Gospel? Lest we forget, the Gospel has always sought to reconcile all people to God.
Going Forth Prayer: Lord, we glorify you when we live into our callings as your people. Help us to hate not one another, but, rather, the forces that seek to divide us. Amen.
