Message: The Hour Has Come / John 12:20-33

Today, we begin the sermon with an interesting story called "Who Was the Sinner?" from The Chinese Fairy Book (1921).

“Once upon a time, ten farmers were crossing a field together. They were surprised by a heavy thunderstorm and sought refuge in a half-ruined temple. However, the thunder grew ever nearer, and the tumult was so great that the air trembled around them, while lightning encircled the temple continuously. The farmers were greatly frightened, fearing that there must be a sinner among them whom the lightning would strike. To find out who the sinner was, they agreed to hang their straw hats before the door, and whoever had their hat blown away would accept their fate.

No sooner had the hats been placed outside than one of them was blown away, and the rest kicked out the owner of the hat without pity. But as soon as he left the temple, the lightning ceased its circling and struck the temple with a crash.

It turned out that the one who was kicked out of the temple was the only righteous one among them, and for his sake, the lightning spared the temple. Thus, the other nine paid for their hard-heartedness with their lives.”

This story clearly explains what Jesus meant in today's text: "Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (12:25). We should not misunderstand this statement as a call to make our lives seem unimportant or disgusting. The word "hate" here means "loving less" or "having no regard for." Also, as I mentioned in my sermon a few weeks ago, the word "life (ψυχή)" means soul, inner life, and life-principle. For this reason, some biblical scholars point out that "love their life" may be rendered "live just for themselves" and "hate their life" may be rendered "but rather live for others" (A Handbook on the Gospel of John, 1993). In other words, to truly love yourself and live an eternal life, paradoxically, you should not only love to do what you want to do: you should care for those around you.

The Bible tells us that the purpose of life is not just to live well alone. God created humans to live in peace and harmony with others. According to the second creation story in Genesis, God created the first human and placed him in the Garden of Eden. But no matter how much he lived in paradise, a life just for himself could never be good. Then God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18) and created every animal and other human being. There is no "I" without "you," and there is no "you" without "I." Enjoying the beauty of God's creation with other humans and creatures is the purpose of life, which is to glorify God. 

Those who understand the purpose of life are the ones who have the light to reveal God's glory, and they are never lost in the darkness, as Jesus says: "Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." (12:35-36)

When we have light, the darkness of the world cannot frighten us. That light clearly shows us which path to take and which path not to take, giving us the courage to walk even in dark times. Also, when we have light, we can have the patience to wait for the dawn to come. Even when it gets darker and colder, we do not feel anxious because dawn only comes when it is darkest and coldest.

As the light of the world, Jesus knew exactly which path he should take and when he should walk it to fulfill the purpose of life. He says, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (12:23). This sentence marks a very important turning point in the Gospel of John. Before it, there are repeated references to "his hour is not yet" (2:4, 7:30, 8:20). But for the first time in John, Jesus proclaimed that his "hour has come". Just as a grain of wheat must be planted in the ground at the right time to sprout, Jesus knew exactly when it was time for him to save the world.

The hour Jesus spoke of was when people from all over the country were flocking to Jerusalem to observe the Passover. Passover was the festival to celebrate God's grace in liberating the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. As the Hebrews living in Egypt flourished, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, became afraid. Then he began to oppress the Hebrews. But the more he oppressed, the more the Hebrews prospered. In the end, he did what no human being should do, which was to kill all the newborn male babies. God heard the cries of the Hebrews in such a miserable situation and saved them from the land of Egypt.

The people of Jesus' time were in a situation similar to that of the Hebrews in Egypt. They were suffering from the oppression of the Roman Empire and the corruption of their religious leaders. Many of them, who had been in the dark for so long, gave up looking for the light. To survive, they exploited the weak rather than resist their oppressors. For them, Passover was just a customary festival, and the story of the Exodus was nothing more than a myth.

In this situation, Jesus revealed the glory of God to the world by taking up the cross. He entered Jerusalem as the Passover Lamb and became like a grain of wheat on Golgotha. But his seed of hope never disappeared into darkness. Instead, it has been bearing valuable fruit in many lives since then. The cross was not the end of life. It was the way to eternal life.

As a grain of wheat, Jesus emphasized following him, saying, "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour" (12:26). Being a Christian means to follow Jesus Christ. We are called to be like a grain of wheat in this world. We are called to share our light with those who lose their ways in darkness. As Christians, we should invite more people to the path of salvation, show the purpose of life and the hope of God, and share the good news of Christ.

Of course, following Christ will also lead to times when you feel exhausted or overwhelmed - even Jesus expressed his distressing feelings with the words, "Now my soul is troubled" (12:27). There will be times when the church events you work so hard on are not as successful as you expect. There will be times when you feel like you are the only one working hard. There will be times when, despite your best efforts, you do not get positive feedback from others. There will be times when you feel disappointed as you see the number of people in the church is decreasing. But do not be discouraged. When we become like a grain of wheat and fall to the ground, it is God who sprouts it and grows it. Do not be afraid to be the seeds of hope. God the Farmer of the world will cultivate us, nourish us, and nurture us.

Thanks be to God. Amen.