Pastor Tim Patoka
Rethinking Religion
March 17, 2024
Rethinking Devoted Commitment John 12:20-33 1) Jesus’ for Others 2) Ours for Him When you go see someone or something, you have a reason. Sometimes it’s out of sheer curiosity of what everyone’s been talking about like Taylor Swift who has sold out concerts across the world and part of the Super Bowl chatter. Maybe you want to see something for confirmation. Quality inspectors do not rely on reports alone. They make site visits and talk with people involved to make sure things are okay. Perhaps you see something to benefit from it. The latest blockbuster has it all: stunning special effects, a moving storyline, relatable characters, and a soundtrack you just have to feel reverberate through you. So, you go to the movies and see it on the big screen to be wowed and entertained. There were once some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus. We’re not told why, but we can conclude why. They didn’t live close to Jerusalem given they were Greeks. They were Old Testament believers given how they traveled to celebrate the Passover Festival. They had certainly heard about Jesus who entered Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna!” earlier that week. But they didn’t know too much about him. So, out of sheer curiosity to meet the talk of the town, they politely ask Philip to see Jesus. As we join these Greeks, we do it for a different reason: to rethink devoted commitment. For when we look at Jesus’ devoted commitment for others, it shapes our devoted commitment for him. 1) Jesus’ for Others A person’s devoted commitment is determined by what they go through to reach their goal. In John chapter 12, Jesus is troubled down to his soul. In just a few days, he will experience the worst pain imaginable as he takes his final steps to the cross by being betrayed, abandoned, ridiculed, abused, and nailed to the cross. How horrible as this would be, this harrowing experience was part of what the reason why Jesus came to this world in the first place! We see Jesus’ devoted commitment for others in that he’s willing to go through all this to glorify the God the Father’s name. God’s name is more than what we call him by. It’s his reputation in the world. Jesus wants God’s name to remain holy as it is. So he willingly goes through his coming troubles to prove that God is faithful to his promises. Back in the Garden of Eden, God promised to destroy the Devil’s 1