John 12:23-26 23And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come in order that the son of man might be glorified. 24Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat which has fallen into the earth dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will protect it to life eternal. 26If anyone serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there my servant will be also; if anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Jesus did not directly answer Philip and Andrew, and thus indirectly answered the inquiry of the Greeks who wanted to see him. Jesus got to the heart of the matter and why he came to Jerusalem. The Greeks and all the world would come to know why he was there. What the Greeks really needed was for Jesus to be glorified, though they and everyone else did not know what this required. The first thing Jesus said was that the hour had come for him. Hour here represents the specific time of his suffering. Up to this point, it has been referenced as future (2:4; 4:21, 23; 7:30; 8:20). After this, Jesus refers to the hour as having come (12:27; 13:1; 17:1).
Jesus’ glorification would come through suffering and death. He illustrates this point with the image of a grain of wheat. A seed has to die in order to live. An immature, soft seed will not grow. It must become dry and hard. Seeds stored thousands of years in Egyptian tombs have sprouted to life once water and light are provided. The extension of the image to bearing much fruit is significant because it shows how Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection will lead to the salvation of many people, including the Gentiles who were seeking him. His death would bring life for all who believe in him.
Jesus moves one step further in the development of the image of death and life and applies it to disciples. The basic logic that the way to life is through death. Jesus begins with the opposite: those who find meaning for their lives in this world will eventually lose it to judgment and condemnation. The word for loves (philōn) refers to relationships and friendships. Loving one’s life in this way could mean making the world one’s idol and rejecting God as sovereign. Loving the world is a manifestation of selfishness driving by sin and rebellion against God. Jesus did just the opposite. He submitted to the Father and gave up his life in full obedience to the Father’s plan. Paul echoed the same thought in Philippians 2:5-11.
The glory of verse 23 came only because he gave up his life. Hating one’s life does not mean having no self-esteem, self-mutilation of some type, or pyschological and emotional disdain for oneself but should be viewed in contrast with love. The love/hate comparison draws out the attitude one should have towards the world. Jesus is calling for self-denial that comes in submission to him as Lord and Savior. The outcomes of the loss of life or eternal life are also contrasted.
This point is made clear in verse 26 in a conditional sentence. The comparison of verse 25 is not a general self-denial, like in some religions like Buddhism, but there is a specific focus on Jesus. Instead of focusing on one’s self, desires, ambitions, and priorities, Jesus calls anyone–in a wide open, universal invitation–to focus on him. Serving Jesus must be shown by following him. To follow Jesus means to obey him and follow him on the journey to the cross. For Jesus, this journey meant full consecration of himself to the Father. John does not record the prayer scene in the garden of Gethsemane like the Synoptic Gospels, but the words Jesus speaks here echo his experience in the garden where he fully committed to doing the Father’s will. The outcome of this commitment to Jesus and the way of self-denial and obedience is that God will honor them. The way of the cross requires denying the natural (sinful) urges to glorify one’s self over God and accepting and believing in Jesus as the Way, Truth, and Life. The honor one will receive is the welcome into eternal life on the day of judgment. Although Jesus did not directly answer the request of the Greeks in verse 20, he provided them and the disciples the path to eternal life for anyone who will believe and follow.
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