The Methodist Church - Leeds (North East) Circuit Preacher Development

Local Preachers’ Group on John's Gospel

Notes of meeting held 10th February 2010

John 12:20-36

The lectionary passage we were due to study was John 12: 27 – 36a, but as this passage is extended to John 12: 20 – 36 for the Tuesday of Holy Week we decided to cover both and study John 12:20 – 36.

At first reading this passage does not have a coherence that is immediately apparent. It reads like sound bites from other gospels. Could one make sense of this without knowing the other gospels? This passage follows immediately after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where John tells us the crowd wanted to see him because they had heard about the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

After our usual reading through of the passage the first question we asked was why! Why does Jesus launch into a speech which seems to refer to the resurrection, just because Phillip and Andrew have asked him to meet some Greeks? These Greeks are referred to as Gentiles in some editions while in others they are simply Greeks. As they have gone to Jerusalem to worship at the festival we assume they are Jewish converts – God-fearing men. Why did they approach Phillip? Phillip is a Greek name but what is the significance of Bethsaida? We know from our past studies that detail is very important in John’s gospel so if John mentions that Phillip came from Bethsaida it must have a significance which is not immediately obvious to us! In chapter 1 we are told that both Phillip and Andrew come from Bethsaida and in chapter 1 both men tell others about Jesus and bring them to him. Here we see them working together to bring a whole crowd of people to Jesus. We are all dependant on someone else bring us to Jesus and we then need to work as a team to bring other people to Jesus. In verse 32 Jesus says “And I, when I am lifted up I will draw all people to myself.” We took it that these Greeks who represent both Jews and non-Jews act as symbols for all the people Jesus is referring to in verse 32. Is it the arrival of this representative group of people that makes Jesus launch into a speech which recognises that the end is near, that glorification is at hand? Jesus now has no option but to continue towards the cross.

Verse 25 is a Hebraic mode of expression, which could be translated: “those who prefer to pursue their own interests will go astray while those who prefer to pursue others’ interests will receive blessing.”

At verse 27 there is a sudden moment of introspection where Jesus could be talking to himself –this verse is possibly the equivalent of Gethsemane in the synoptic gospels. It is as if he has just realised that now is the moment for his glorification. If we assume this, then this thought process seems very natural. If he is to obey God’s will and glorify God’s name, then how can he ask to be saved? Verse 27 did provide us with some discussion about where the question mark should be placed. At least one commentary suggests that it should come earlier after “what should I say” but after lengthy discussion we thought that it was correctly placed after “Father save me from this hour?” This sort of grammatical observation is important as punctuation can alter the meaning of a passage completely. We discussed the issues of the different editions of the Bible round the circuit and how careful we have to be when using words from passages in our sermons. If we concentrate on one particular phrase then find that it is not in the particular Bible used that morning it can have a disastrous effect. We also have to be careful how we read our commentaries, as commentators have their own point of view which does not necessarily agree with our own or our congregations’. This led to a discussion about how scripture can say different things to us at different moments in our spiritual journey and over time. We thought that was why scripture is referred to as “the living word of God”: it says something to everyone at every time and season of life. The truth that scripture refers to is an essential truth not a fixed truth.

We thought about the lectionary and how after many years when we return to a passage we preached on some years before, it can say something very different to us, so that if we refer back to a previous sermon, we are amazed at what it said to us at that time. When we preach we must always refer to our thoughts as our thoughts’ not as words set in stone. We must use phrases like “it seems to me”, as it may not seem like that to the people we are talking to and their opinions are as important as ours.

Verse 28 (“the voice from heaven”) is a most significant verse. Voices from heaven only occur at significant moments and this verse illuminates our previous discussion about how we read and understand our Bible. Here the crowd understand the voice in different ways. Verses 27 & 28 link Jesus and God as one.

We decided the ruler, or in some editions the prince, of this world in verse 31 was the devil or Satan. The statements in verses 31 & 32 about the fate of Satan and the destiny of all people to be drawn to Jesus is difficult to equate with what we see in the world today when it is obvious that not all people are drawn to Jesus and that the devil or, if we prefer, evil still has a foothold in many lives. However these statements still remain the ultimate aim of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus died for all people whether they know it or not. We wondered about verse 33, where John tells his readers that Jesus makes these statements in order to indicate the sort of death he was to have. Although there is no mention of crucifixion per se, the Jews would have understood this phrase to mean crucifixion. Or does John refer more to the resurrection than the crucifixion? Jesus’ death was unusual in that it ended in resurrection and ascension, both of which could be described as “lifted up”.   

We tried to understand which part of the law the crowd could be referring to at verse 34 and decided that this must have been a rabbinic interpretation rather than a quotation. Instead of answering that he, Jesus, is the “Son of Man”, Jesus refers to himself in terms of light, a typical Johannine comment. Jesus’ death is fast approaching and then they will be in darkness. The time to act is now. We were reminded of George VI 1939 Christmas address which ended with “Put your hand into the hand of God and step out into the darkness”.

At verse 36 Jesus goes into hiding. Jesus has done this before in chapter 8. Many times in the gospels Jesus chooses to be alone to pray, but John deliberately describes this as going into hiding which is not quite the same! Once Jesus has gone from view (verse 37) the people do not believe in him despite the signs he has performed in their sight. Is John referring here to a time after Jesus’ death and ascension? On a practical note, for Jesus to want to disappear is not unusual, He has had a full week.

At this point we looked to see just what Jesus had done in the previous week and came to the story of Mary pouring the perfumed ointment over Jesus’ feet (John 12:1 – 8). We branched out at this point to discuss this story and how it differs in John’s gospel, where the meal is not at the house of Simon the Leper. One is tempted to assume that John places this event at the house of Martha and Mary in Bethany, because Martha served the food. But John deliberately tells us that Lazarus is also at the table which indicates that perhaps this is not Lazarus’ house. The family of Martha, Mary and Lazarus is very important in John’s gospel and has the whole of chapter 11 devoted almost exclusively to it. We are due to discuss this passage on February 22^nd so, as they say in a news broadcast, “more on that story later!”

When asked on which section we would preach there were many responses.

1. Verses 20 – 22: the need for the Phillips and Andrews of this world bringing us to Jesus, and then taking a back seat letting Jesus speak for himself.
2. Verses 23 – 24: the harvest of the resurrection, a community affair not an individual one.
3. Verses 27 – 29: hearing the voice of God. How do we hear the voice of God? Are we open to God’s voice? How different from our own are other people’s responses to God’s voice. How some people despite their own illness or frailty hear God’s voice everywhere and in all things and how enlightening this can be to us. How do we distinguish God’s voice from other voices?
4. Verses 30 & 31: the world, the flesh and the devil!
5. Verses 35 & 36a: walking in the light. This is our call as Christians to trust in the light, Jesus, to become children of the light and then evangelise.

SC