John 12

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:24-25

Mors janua vitro. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone," etc. These words belong to the day of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem—the day of palms. Amidst the general enthusiasm, certain Greeks, who had come up to worship at the feast, asked the Apostle Philip to obtain for them a private interview with Jesus. Philip consulted with Andrew, and the two together laid the request before their Master. Our Lord was deeply... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:25

He that loves his own life ( ψυχή ); life used as equivalent to "self," in that totality of being which, like the life of the seed-corn, survives the accident of death— he that loves his own life ( self ) is losing £ it ; or, perhaps, destroying it, ipso facto . There are ends and objects of love so much greater than" the self," that to keep it by some act of will and recreant fear is to make it utterly valueless, is really to destroy its true vitality. And he that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:25-26

The Lord here introduces a solemn, almost oracular utterance, which proves how close and intimate is the relationship between the synoptics and the Fourth Gospel. On several great occasions our Lord has impressed this law of the Spirit of life upon his disciples. Thus in Matthew 10:37-39 , in the lengthened commission given to the twelve, after calling on his followers to place his own claim on their affection as greater than that of father, mother, friend, and calling for self-sacrifice,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:26

In this verse the Lord brings the light of heaven down into this deep paradox. He speaks like an anointed King and great Captain of salvation, who has ( διάκονοι ) "servants" willing to do his bidding. If any man will be my servant, let him follow me along the line which I am prepared to take, in the way of sacrifice and death, which is the true glorification; and where I am, there shall also my servant be . This association of the servant with the Lord, as the sufficient and the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:26

Service and reward. In both parts of this declaration made by our Lord, there is a condescension to our human ignorance and imperfection . The Master makes use of language drawn from human relations and human experiences. I. WHAT CHRIST REQUIRES . 1. Service . This is not equivalent to bondage, but to personal ministration. It is a just and helpful view to take of the' Christian life, to regard it as consisting of a personal attendance upon the Lord Jesus, and a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:27

Now , at this moment, has been and yet is my soul troubled ("concurrebat horror morris et ardor obedientisa," Bengel). In John 11:33 we hear that he troubled himself, and shuddered wrathfully in his "spirit" ( πνεύμετι ) at the contemplation of all the evils and curse of death; now his whole ψυχή , i.e. his life centered in its corporeal environment as a man, the self which the Son of God had taken up into the Divine essence, was in depth of agony, preluding the strong crying and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:27-28

The soul-conflict of Christ. Only now and again do we observe the Savior's regard turned inwardly upon himself, upon his own feelings and anticipations. Usually his thoughts and his speech concerned others. But in this passage of his ministry he gives us an insight into his inmost heart. I. THE CRISIS OF THIS CONFLICT . The approach of the Greeks marks "the beginning of the end." Now the Son of man began to feel by anticipation the burden of the cross. Opposition and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:27-30

(2) The anticipation of Gethsemane . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:27-30

Through trouble to triumph. I. JESUS IN TROUBLE . He was not a stranger to trouble, but this was a special one. 1. Trouble arising from a vivid realization of his approaching death and sufferings . They already cast their awful shadows upon his pure soul. The unparalleled tragedy of his death, with all its sinfulness on the part of his foes, and all its cruelties, agonies, and shame, was now acted in his soul, and it caused him to shudder. He was far from being a coward,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:28

The Father glorifying his Name. I. THE DESIRE OF JESUS FOR HIS FATHER 'S GLORY . Jesus did not seek that the eyes of men should be fixed in admiration on him. With powers such as never belonged to any other being of flesh and blood, he never used them for his own advancement among men. The pleasures of human ambition and human fame were far from his heart. No one truly glorifies Jesus unless he glorifies the Father of Jesus. Jesus was glad to find men drawn to him in... read more

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