“Greeks?” Worshipping at a Jewish festival? The year is AD 30. The place Jerusalem. The record of this event was written by John, the first century eye-witness biographer of Jesus.
So these came near to Philip, the one from Bethsaida of Galilee, and were asking him stating, “Lord, we desire to see Jesus.” Philip comes and states to Andrew. Andrew and Philip come and state to Jesus. In fact, Jesus answered them, stating, “The hour has come in order that the Son of Man may be glorified. Amen, amen I state to you, if the grain of the wheat fallen into the ground may die it itself stays alone. In fact, if it may die, it brings large fruit."
It seems that a personal meeting with Jesus had become almost impossible. The reason seems to be that Jesus at that time made public appearances only to crowds. For the remainder of the time, he ‘hid’ in order to avoid arrest by the Jewish political and religious authorities. Until his hour had come.
And, at this very point, everything changes. “The hour has come”, Jesus says. From that hour he would no longer ‘hide’; in fact, he would “be glorified”. “Glorified”? Would be not then be arrested and killed? Yes. Glorified.
Jesus uses a parallel to explain. He and his father above are seeking “much fruit” in human beings. By dying that death that “fruit” would arise.
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| “The one befriending his human-life destroys it, and the one hating his human-life in this world preserves it into eternal life. If anyone may serve me, “Follow me!” And where I myself am, there also my own servant will be. If anyone may serve me, the Father will honor him.”
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That “fruit” is, in fact, those human beings who no longer “love-in-friendship” their own human lives but, by stark contrast, become servants to all, just like Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God. These human beings, so changed by the glory of Jesus’ total self-sacrifice for others, will have new “life” – “eternal life”. Each and every one of them.
“Right now my human-life is disturbed, and what may I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But through this I came into this hour. Father, glorify your name!'” So a voice came from the sky, “and I glorified and I will again glorify.”
Taken together the voices said “Father, glorify your name and I have glorified and I will again glorify.” John recorded that a little later Jesus disclosed to his disciples “I and the Father are one.”
If his glory is in his death so as wonderfully to bless his enemies – and if he has been doing this in the past and will do it again – what is God like?
So the crowd that stood and heard was stating thunder to have come to be; others were stating, an announcer spoke to him. Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come to be because of me, but because of you. Right now is a judgment of this world. Right now the leader of this world will be out-placed outside. Also I, if I may be lifted up from the ground, will draw everyone towards myself.”
Given the nature and character of God, Father and Son, – as made abundantly clear in Jesus – there will be consequences from Jesus’ glorification on that criminal’s cross – first, judgment upon this world; second, “the ruler of this world” thrown out.
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| How so? This world is self-seeking. Its self-seeking destroys others and then itself. “The one loving-in-friendship his human-life destroys it.” Jesus is the first human being to judge and condemn this self-love, along with its supremo.
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His will is that all human beings will be drawn to him so that each one, “hating his human-life in this world”, will preserve his or her personal human life “into eternal life”.
In fact he was stating this, signposting a manner of death he was about to die.
John the biographer explains that, by using the words “lifted up from the earth”, Jesus was emphasizing “what kind of death he was about to die”. Lifted up upon a Roman cross for all to see – both “Greeks” and Jews – and for all sorts of human beings, no matter how ‘bad’, to be drawn to him.
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