 April 28, 1999
FAMILY BIBLE SERIES:
Doing it his way is really
something to sing about
___ John 12:20-50
___By Thomas Lea
___Southwestern Seminary
___As Jesus prayed in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39), he faced the pain of the cross and said to his father, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." Contrast these words with those of a contemporary pop song in which the singer boasts, "I did it my way!"
___Jesus denied self-seeking attitudes and determined to follow only the will of the Father. The tendency of human beings is to do what we want to do. True life comes when we surrender selfish living and follow Jesus obediently. This week's lesson calls us to this type of commitment.
___ Paradoxical statement (John 12:23-26). Jesus' words resemble statements he made in Matthew 10:39, Mark 8:35 and Luke 9:24. In 12:25, he spoke paradoxically of loving and hating life. The term "life" appears three times in the King James Version of 12:25. The first two appearances use a word referring to the  individual personality. The third appearance uses a term referring to spiritual vitality. Jesus promised that those who surrendered their individual personalities to his service would reap spiritual vitality.
___His words challenge us to evaluate life priorities. When we live selfishly, we reap futility. When we live for Jesus, we receive the Father's honor (v. 26).
___ Passionate commitment (John 12:27-28, 30-36). Jesus' unflinching commitment to the Father's will provides an example to follow as we obey the Lord. In verse 27 he raised a tentative question. Should he ask the Father to deliver him from the looming cross? To answer, he affirmed that he had come to earth to accomplish the events of the cross. Surely he should not try to escape the cross!
___As Jesus dialogued with the crowd in verses 30-36, he urged them to follow him at once (v. 35). They were to show a persistent faith to avoid the darkness of disobedience.
___ Perilous rejection (John 12:37). The crowd observing Jesus had seen him perform many miracles (John 2:1-11; 6:1-14). Despite these convincing signs, the masses failed to believe him. Their unbelief produced the trial and crucifixion of Jesus.
___Miracles will not lead all people to commitment to Jesus. Some people reject Jesus because they are morally stubborn, not because they lack evidence for belief. We must work patiently at reaching these people with the gospel.
___ Perplexing silence (John 12:42-43). Among those leaders who believed Jesus were Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (John 19:38-39). The attitude of Jewish leaders called for the excommunication of any who believed in Jesus (9:22). Even though some leaders disagreed with the actions of the majority, they sought their approval and concealed their commitment to Christ.
___Do you seek to please human beings, or is pleasing God your chief goal? Anyone whose goal is pleasing human beings cannot be Christ's servant (Gal. 1:10).
Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!
|