A Journey with Jesus

John 12:20-33

March 29, 2009 – ©Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes

Introduction

In Six Hours One Friday, Max Lucado tells of seeing a stone in a cemetery marking the destination of the body of Grace Llewellen Smith. No date of birth is listed, no date of death. Just the names of her two husbands, and this epitaph:

“Sleeps, but rests not.

Loved, but was loved not.

Tried to please, but pleased not.

Died as she lived—alone.”

He stared at the marker and wondered about Grace Llewellen Smith – about her life. Had she written the words or just lived them? Did she deserve the pain? Was she bitter or beaten? Was she beautiful or plain. What broke her heart? Raindrops smudged the ink as he copied the words.

Loved, but was loved not . . .

Long nights. Empty beds. Silence. No response to messages left. No return to letters written. No love exchanged for love given.

Tried to please, but pleased not . . .

I could hear the hatchet of disappointment.

“How many times do I have to tell you?” Chop.

“You’ll never amount to anything.” Chop. Chop.

“Why can’t you do anything right?” Chop, chop, chop.

Died as she lived—alone.

How many Grace Llewellen Smiths are there? How many people will die in the loneliness in which they are living? The homeless in Atlanta. The happy-hour hopper in L.A. A bag lady in Miami. The preacher in Nashville. Any person who doubts whether the world needs him or her. Any person who is convinced that no one really cares.

And unless someone intervenes, unless something happens, the epitaph of Grace Smith will be theirs. [Max Lucado, Six Hours One Friday (Multnomah Books, 1989) p. 36-38].

Jesus knew what it’s like to die alone, and he doesn’t want us to die like that. He wants to walk with us.

We Want to See Jesus

Let’s look at what was happening that final week of Jesus’ life. Jerusalem was crowded with visitors, especially Jewish people, but also some others.

The celebration of Passover was that week and Passover was one festival that drew the people back to the temple, and back to their families. Passover was a time of remembering what God had done for their people in Egypt, when God “passed over” and not destroyed those living in the houses that had the blood of the lamb on the door frames.

Passover also drew people who weren’t Jews, but were seeking to know more about the God of the Israelites. Some God-fearers, like the Greeks mentioned in John 12:20 came seeking the Jewish rabbi they had heard about – Jesus. Philip told Andrew, and together they went to Jesus and told him about these Greeks.

However, this wasn’t just another Passover. This was Jesus’ last Passover. On Thursday night of this week, he would celebrate the Passover with his disciples and then go to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. There, Judas would betray him and bring soldiers to arrest him. By Friday morning Jesus would be sentenced to death and nailed on a cross to die.

Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey amid the cries of “Hosanna! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” [Lk.19:38]. The people were hoping that Jesus was the Messiah who had been promised so long ago. Everyone wanted to see Jesus; even some Greeks.

Jesus Followed God

Jesus didn’t respond as they expected. He didn’t even seem to care that some God-fearing Greeks wanted to meet him – to listen and learn from him.

Instead, Jesus talked about planting seed. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, 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.” [v.23-24].

Jesus was clearly telling his followers that this was the end of the road for him as a traveling rabbi. What God had planned from the beginning of time, was now going to be accomplished. However, for God’s plan to be fulfilled Jesus would have to die. Only when he gave up his life and was buried could the work Jesus began continue and expand and reach to the ends of the earth.

Jesus had to die if the good news of God was going to reach beyond the people of Israel. Jesus had to die if Satan was going to be defeated. Jesus had to die to be lifted up and conquer death through life. Jesus was willing to pay the price to save us. It was the only way. The cross was a part of God’s plan. The cross was for us. Yet, Jesus knew that this road would bring humiliation, great pain and suffering.

His soul was troubled, but it was impossible for him to think of asking the Father to find another way. “No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour,” Jesus said. [v.27]. Through his obedience and suffering, through the cross, God would be glorified.

We Follow Jesus

What does it mean for the disciples and all who follow Jesus? Jesus said, “Those who love their life will lose it, while those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” [Jn.12:25]. We have to choose what is most important: the things of this life or eternity with Jesus. Is the here and now more important to you than the hope of eternal life? What or who is number one in your life?

Jesus said, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” [v. 26].

A few hours before he was nailed to a cross, Jesus knelt down and washed the feet of his disciples. Then he said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” [Jn.13:14-15].

To follow Jesus is to be a servant of others, and the Father will honor the one who serves him. [v.26b]. Serving Jesus means serving anyone in need. He said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” [Mt.25:40].

Some years ago Good Housekeeping magazine had an article with advice for young women considering marriage. It listed six things to take note of. The same list could be used for men seeking a wife.

· Watch him drive in heavy traffic.

· Play tennis with him.

· Listen as he talks to his mother when he doesn’t know you’re listening.

· See how he treats those who serve him (waiters, ushers, maids, etc.)

· Notice how and for whom he spends his money.

· Look at his friends.

What’s the common thread in these? They all have to do with how we treat other people. [James W. Moore, When You’re a Christian, the Whole World is from Missouri (Nashville, TN: Dimensions for Living, 1997) 71].

The same is true with those who are Christians. How well someone knows the Bible or what ministry they have in the church isn’t always a reliable indication of whether a person is a Christian. Jesus says we can tell if they’re a Christian by how they serve, how they love, one another.

We should see a reflection of Jesus in every Christian. How we treat one another, our brothers and sisters in the church tells people what a Christian is like.

Jesus told his disciples in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” The distinguishing mark of a Christian is their love for others in the family of God. Love is shown by how we treat one another. Love is evident in how we speak to one another or about one another.

We are all a part of God’s family even though we weren’t born in the same town or speak the same language or have the same skin color. Our ethnicity, our economic status, our gender, our abilities do not matter to God. Jesus died for everyone. And we are all his servants.

Now I want to ask all of you some questions.

· On the count of 3, say out loud the name of the month in which you were born.

· On the count of 3, say out loud the name of your favorite color.

· On the count of 3, name your favorite sport.

· On the count of 3, say the name of the town in which you were born.

· On the count of 3, say out loud the first name of your Savior.

The point is that while we may not have a lot in common or agree on much, but the one thing that unites us is the one who saves us – Jesus! [James W. Moore, If God Has a Refrigerator, Your Picture is On It (Nashville: Dimensions for Living, 2003) p.115-116].

Jesus is the hope of the world – the whole world.

The Moment of Truth

That’s what Jesus was talking about in this passage in John 20.

· The hour had come for the Son of Man to be glorified. [v. 23].

· The time for judgment on this world had come [v 31].

· The time had come when Jesus would be lifted up on the cross, so that the sins of all people could be forgiven; he would draw all people to himself. [v.32].

Now God would complete his plan to restore his people to their God. What God began in creation would be fulfilled. We were created to be in relationship with God. God’s plan from the very beginning was to bring all his children home. Jesus made this possible.

Because God is love and loves all people, he sent his Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die, but will have eternal life. [Jn.3:16]. He died for each of us and for all of us.

· We are all here today because of what God has done for us.

· We are here because Jesus is our Savior and Lord.

· We are together on a journey with Jesus.

No one should ever go through life unloved and alone. If they do they don’t know Jesus. But if we live as Christ in our world, others will see his love and join Jesus on this journey.

When we journey through this life with Jesus, we are never alone or unloved. Jesus is with us and so are all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

No matter where we are next year or ten years from now, we are always a part of God’s family.

And one day, we will all be together again, standing in God’s glory. John describes this scene in Revelation 7:9-10.

“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Then we will have reached the end of our journey with Jesus. Yet we will really have only begun a journey with Jesus that will last forever.

Praise God for loving us and not leaving us alone. Amen.

Return to the Sermons Page

Return to the Immanuel Home Page

To email Pastor Carnes or Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church office@immanuelcov.org

This sermon is copyright ©2009 by Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes, Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church, Chicago, Illinois.