Triumphant Entry

Triumphant Entry
John 12:23-26

23 And [de] Jesus [Iesous] answered [apokrinomai] them [autos] , saying [lego] , The hour [hora] is come [erchomai] , that [hina] the Son [huios] of man [anthropos] should be glorified [doxazo] .
24 Verily [amen] , verily [amen] , I say [lego] unto you [humin] , Except [ean me] a corn [kokkos] of wheat [sitos] fall [pipto] into [eis] the ground [ge] and die [apothnesko] , it [autos] abideth [meno] alone [monos] : but [de] if [ean] it die [apothnesko] , it bringeth forth [phero] much [polus] fruit [karpos] .
25 He that loveth [phileo] his [autos] life [psuche] shall lose [apollumi] it [autos] ; and [kai] he that hateth [miseo] his [autos] life [psuche] in [en] this [touto] world [kosmos] shall keep [phulasso] it [autos] unto [eis] life [zoe] eternal [aionios] .
26 If [ean] any man [tis] serve [diakoneo] me [emoi] , let him follow [akoloutheo] me [emoi] ; and [kai] where [hopou] I [ego] am [eimi] , there [ekei] shall [esomai] also [kai] my [emos] servant [diakonos] be [esomai] : [kai] if [ean] any man [tis] serve [diakoneo] me [emoi] , him [autos] will [timao] my Father [pater] honour [timao] . KJV-Interlinear

23 And Jesus answered them, saying, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 'He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. 26 'If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. NASB

In addressing the Greeks and any others who were about Him, Jesus states clearly that his appointed time is at hand. Appointed? Since the very first Passover, marking the beginning of the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt, the date of Passover and the crucifixion of the Savior was set.

With the recording of the Passover Feast, and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, the procedure and timing of the crucifixion was set. For some 1500 years, the date and hours of the Crucifixion have been set. Through all the history of Israel, its rise and fall from generation to generation, through the period of the Judges, through the period of the Kings, through the dividing of the nation, and through the fall of both northern and southern nations, the invasion they endured and the exile of most of its citizens. Through all of this history and more, the time of Jesus' crucifixion was set and never changed.

God did not have to move it one minute forward nor set it back in order to compensate for history.

All looked to Jesus for the new kingdom to come. The chief priests looked to someone to whom they might have more respect for, someone more on 'their' social level, perhaps someone with a better family background, perhaps someone with an education such as theirs, but certainly not someone who came from a 'common' carpenters home.

However, there could be no kingdom if there were no citizens to occupy it. And there can be no one alive to occupy the kingdom of God, unless they have a perfect life as does God, and therefore compatible with God in order to have a relationship with God.

Since all of humanity failed when Adam failed and became tainted, then all of humanity exists beneath an acceptable level of existence, thus preventing man from having a relationship with God. Man cannot elevate himself to Gods higher plane, and God cannot compromise His standards to lower Himself in order to have a relationship with creatures. If God became imperfect, then He would be no better than mankind is now, and that would spell doom for all that exists in this universe.

So there has to be another way, and God came up with that alternative solution to mankind's problem, Isa. 53:12. If one bears the penalty for the sins of many, then the many need not suffer through that punishment required. Since there in none among the human race to bear the penalty for sins, then God the Son will substitute Himself for all of humanity. He is able to bear the penalty for all of the collective sins of the human race, and survive, and thus purchase our freedom from sin and death.

If the grain does not fall 'into' the ground and be buried and die, then it cannot come back to produce many grains. Therefore Jesus will suffer spiritual death in our place and therefore will be qualified to come back to produce many lives through His work on the Cross.

But this new life is not automatic. Each person has the right to make a choice between their carnal life here on earth, or a spiritual life as defined by God. We have but to choose for God or not. We have but to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, as the Savior, as the Son of God, and that is all, or we can reject His identity and look for another way of advancing to Gods level.

Those who prefer their carnal life more than Gods defined spiritual life are fools. How can mankind, who was not even around for the creation, who was not even around for the restoration of planet earth, who was not around in any era prior to mankind, how can mankind presume to know more than God?

To retain ones arrogant defiance toward Gods revealed truth will result in the permanent loss of ones eternal life. To retain ones arrogant defiance toward Gods definition of spiritual growth will result in the permanent loss of ones 'above and beyond' eternal blessings.

But if anyone hears and obeys Gods command to grow up spiritually (serving Christ), then that person will receive the greatest of all possible honors from both Christ and God the Father. Where can you possibly get a better deal.

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