Among those going up to worship at the festival were certain Greeks. ·These came to Philip, therefore, the one from Bethsaida in Galilee and put a request to him, saying, ‘Master, we want to see Jesus.’ ·Philip went and told Andrew. Then Andrew and Philip went to tell it again to Jesus. ·In response Jesus said to them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ·I tell YOU for sure: the grain of wheat falling into the ground remains by itself unless it dies; but whenever it dies it produces much fruit. ·The one deeply fond of his own life shall be destroying it, yet the one who rebuffs his life in this world shall be guarding it for the life eternal. ·If anyone would serve me, let him follow me; for wherever I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, that one my Father will honour. ·Now that my soul is churning, what might I say: “Father, save me from this hour”? Yet because of this, I have come to this hour. ·Father! Glorify your name!’

Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again!’ ·Hearing it, some standing in the crowd said, ‘It was a thunderclap.’ Others said, ‘An angel spoke to him.’ ·In response Jesus said, ‘This voice came not for my sake, but for YOURS. ·Now is sentence being passed on this world; now the principle leader [Gr. arkon] of this world is to be expelled and ejected. ·And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to myself.’ ·Now he said this to indicate the kind of death he would die. ·‘We have heard from the Law,’ the crowd replied to him, ‘that the Messiah is to remain forever. So how come you say, “The Son of Man must be lifted up”? Who is this Son of Man?’ ·Jesus then said to them, ‘The light is still with YOU for a short time. Walk while YOU have the light so that no darkness overtakes YOU; for the one walking in the dark does not see where he is going. ·While YOU have the light, believe in the light so that YOU may become sons of light.’ Having said these things, Jesus left and was in hiding from them. (John 12:20-36 GH[i])

If you are facing—or know someone who is facing—the scary prospect of a terminal illness or the losses that accompany aging, there is comfort to be drawn from this text. And the first thing to note is that Jesus himself experiences a churning in his soul at the prospect of suffering and death, just like we do, because he completely shared our humanity. And he doesn't try to hide these feelings. Since we too must all face death, and the ‘frustrations’, the ‘groaning’, the ‘weaknesses’ which sin has brought to God's creation—even though we enjoy the freedom of the Spirit (Rom.8:20,23,26)—we will do well to heed Peter's admonition, to follow Jesus' example at such difficult times (1 Pet.2:19-23).

Jesus has faith that his suffering will not be the last word, and that his impact on this world will be even greater following his death. Like a seed planted in the ground, his life will be multiplied to others. Jesus sees the request of the Greeks[ii], who have come from many nations to celebrate the Passover as a sign that the ‘hour’ of his death will set in motion the ingathering of people of all nations. And by faith he sees that the evil ‘principle leader’ [Gr. arkon] of this world will actually be driven out. For Jesus' suffering and death will trigger the time of judgment on this world, and after his resurrection he will become the new ‘principle leader’ [arkon] of the kings of the earth’ (Rev.1:5). Contrary to the conventional wisdom, suffering and death is not a threat to the significance of his life’s work. Nor does it bode an end to his life. He expects a very active life after death, drawing all people (and things) to himself.

Jesus' expression, both of emotion and faith, flow out of his relationship with his Father. And, he implies, secondly, that we too can face our own dark hour of suffering and death out of this same relationship as ‘sons (and daughters) of light’. How do we enjoy this fellowship with the Father? By continuing to put our trust in Jesus and by walking in the light as he did, even when darkness seems to ‘overtake’ us. Jesus also has us in mind when he speaks of the ‘grain of wheat’ being multiplied. If we continue to serve and follow him, even when in danger of losing our lives in this world, we too can we can be confident of having a significant legacy legacy, or ‘harvest’ in this world (Med.#86) as well as enjoying eternal life; for our ‘Father will honor’ us when we serve Jesus.

Thirdly, Jesus experiences the Father’s comfort in his troubles. When he speaks to his Father out of his own churning heart, the Father answers him, telling him in effect: I will continue to make the glory of my name visible in you even in your darkest hour, just as I have done during the past three years. I will be with you, and whatever the evil one throws at you I will transform: into his defeat and into the accomplishment of my purposes. Even so our Father will come alongside us in our sufferings, and use his power to transform our sufferings into being a part of Christ's sufferings, also with redemptive results (Med.#35). As Corrie Ten Boom learned in the Ravensbruck concentration camp, ‘There is no pit so deep, but Jesus is deeper still!’

Jesus says that the Father's response to him was for the benefit of those standing around him; so we too can expect our Father to speak to us. But will we recognize his voice? John records what the Father said to Jesus, so he apparently understood the Father's words. Yet most of those in the crowd did not. The ‘spiritual’ people said they heard an angel was speaking, while ‘naturalists’ only heard thunder. Hearing the Father’s voice—whether he speaks to us audibly or from inside our hearts—is something all believers can learn. Loren Cunningham has illustrated this very well in his book: Is that Really You, God?

Fourthly, when we face a time of suffering, Jesus shows us that our first request should not be for deliverance, but for our Father's name to be glorified. Many Christians think that life “in the glory” is always characterized by success, powerful healings and deliverances. Just like the crowd, who expect an always-successful Messiah. But by his prayer, Jesus shows us: that the glory of God is in our Father’s name, and that it is reflected more by his character, authority and purposes shining in us, than it is by demonstrations of his power to heal and deliver! So Jesus prays that he will continue to reflect his Father's character and authority as during the previous three years, and that his Father will continue to work in and through him for his purposes —even when Jesus' life appears to be diminished by suffering, loss, and defeat. He prays for this because he knows that as the ‘hour’ of suffering grows darker, the temptation to choose for self-preservation and worldly honor will become greater. While we all would much rather pray for things to be restored to the way they were before, there is something more important at stake: our becoming even more true sons and daughters of our heavenly Father even in the face of the growing darkness.

Catherine Marshall wrote of learning to pray Jesus' prayer during an extended time of suffering. After being bed-ridden for a year, seeking the ‘key’ to Jesus' healings in the gospels, she finally ‘hit bottom’. Realizing that she ‘wanted Christ's presence in her life more than (she) wanted health’, she prayed: ‘‘Lord, if you want me to be an invalid for the rest of my life, well…I place myself in your hands.’ A few hours later her Father powerfully answered her. She was awakened to an incredible experience of the glory of ‘the risen Christ’ that ultimately led to her complete healing.[iii] Such a ‘prayer of relinquishment’ in the face of suffering, however, does not mean giving in to the evil forces that cause suffering. Jesus knows that the Judean leaders want to arrest him, yet he hides himself and makes them come find him. For there are some things Jesus still has to do to complete the work the Father has given him, especially with respect to his disciples (Med.#37). The glory Jesus prays for is not about the glorification of suffering! Let us follow Jesus' example and always choose for LIFE—life with our Father that reflects his character, even in the darkest hours of our lives.