Dying As A Means Of Gaining

Monday, March 14, 2011

Reading: John 12:20-36

Refelection: Jesus once again predicts His death. However, rather than running from suffering, Jesus recognizes that His death is within the purposes and plans of God for His life. Jesus also knows that if he follows God's will, then even His death will gain glory for God. So, while I'm pretty sure that Jesus didn't enjoy the idea of pain and suffering, He did realize that through His death the world could be saved, God's kingdom would be advanced, and the single grain of wheat would be multiplied over and over. So, Jesus submits to His death not as a means of losing His life, but as a means of gaining glory for God.

It is one of the paradoxes of the gospel that life is gained through death. It is through Jesus' death that we have life. In addition, it is through our willingness to lose our lives that we actually gain them. In this sense, as the disciple dies to himself, he or she actually gains the life of Christ. We gain the Spirit of Jesus that gives us guidance, protection and power for living. Our lives are drawn into the kingdom of God and gain additional meaning, value, purpose and impact. So, while it might seem like a sacrifice to die to ourselves, it is actually the way that greater life and purpose are discovered. So, as we die to ourselves, we are not seeking to lose our lives as much as we are seeking to gain God's greater purposes for our lives. We are dying as a means of gaining what really matters most!