Tuesday

DYING TO LIVE


The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

What is the Teacher saying? Why will hanging onto life result in its loss? And how does relinquishing life result in gaining everlasting life?

The Teacher provides an illustration:

I tell you the truth, 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.
A single seed is dormant and remains so until it undergoes a type of death. It is placed in the ground and changes; it grows into a plant which produces multiples of itself, many seeds.

Jesus will provide a living illustration of what this means. He will give up His life on the cross. This will lead to a resurrection for Him and create that possibility for many others.

If, however, He selfishly hangs on to His life, He will ultimately lose it anyway and remain alone.

The Teacher is talking about dying to live. And it is a principle He is willing to follow to the death and life to follow.

The Teacher puts His teaching to the test. He doesn’t seek to preserve His life. And so in dying He will find an everlasting resurrected life.

He says this principle isn’t just for Him. This is the way to eternal life for every student of Jesus. Also dying to self to live for God!

It isn’t one way for the Teacher and different way for His students.

He calls on all who believe to follow Him in this death to life journey. Giving up our own selfish and ultimately dead-end desires in order to serve God forever instead!

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.

1 comment:

  1. It seems a wierd answer for the question given. "Some Greeks want to come see you."

    And he goes into all this?

    Didn't, with the Gentile woman who came, he say it wasn't right to give to dogs what is for the children?

    Why would he be any different with these Greeks? Yet he seems to go off into left field.

    Actually, I think he is answering them - and in more of a positive way than with the woman. He tells them the cost of following Him. But He also adds: My Father will honor the one who serves me.

    And this an answer to the Greeks questions.

    If they serve Him, the Father will honor them.

    First He came for His own people - the Israelites. But then the gospel was opened up to all who would believe and follow Him.

    Praise God for making salvation for all mankind!

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