John 12:20-36

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(Jan0809)

• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
  • The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • The Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
  • Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit: Self-Denial and No-Self.
  • "The World's Light," "Saving One's Life," "Pagans Visit Jesus," The Jesus Database, an online annotated inventory of the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus. Dr. Gregory C. Jenks, FaithFutures Foundation.
  • Chapter IX, The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians, Ignatius of Antioch (c. 50 - 115).
  • XL.5-21; XLI.21; Tatian's Diatessaron (c. 150-160).
  • I.VIII.2, IV.II.7, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
  • Chapter III, On Prayer,  Tertullian (c. 199)
  • IV.6, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
  • Chapter XXIII, Against Praxeas,  Tertullian (c. 213)
  • II.VIII.4, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen. (c.225)
  • I.24, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Origen. (c.228)
  • IV.Summary.31, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen / Rufinus (c.230)
  • VII.XVII, VIII.XLIII, Against Celsus, Origen (c. 246)
  • XII.18, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Origen. (c.247)
  • Epistle LV -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 252)
  • Epistle LXXX -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 257)
  • From Augustine's Tractates on John: 
    • Tractate 51 (12:12-26)
      • "Accordingly, brethren, when you hear the Lord saying, "Where I am, there shall also my servant be," do not think merely of good bishops and clergymen. But be yourselves also in your own way serving Christ, by good lives, by giving alms, by preaching His name and doctrine as you can; and every father of a family also, be acknowledging in this name the affection he owes as a parent to his family."
    • Tractate 52 (12:27-36)
      • "Walk, draw near, come to the full understanding that Christ shall both die and shall live for ever; that He shall shed His blood to redeem us, and ascend on high to carry His redeemed along with Him. But darkness will come upon you, if your belief in Christ's eternity is of such a kind as to refuse to admit in His case the humiliation of death."
  • Part 25, On the Incarnation of the Word, Athanasius of Alexandria, c. 318.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "The death of Christ is as it were a sowing, which seems to be a dying of the corn, but indeed is the cause of a much greater harvest: and such as is the condition of the head, so will be the condition of the members."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "Christ was willing to suffer, yet prayed to be saved from suffering. Prayer against trouble may well agree with patience under it, and submission to the will of God in it."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "Unless a grain of wheat die - The late resurrection of Lazarus gave our Lord a natural occasion of speaking on this subject. And agreeable to his infinite knowledge, he singles out, from among so many thousands of seeds, almost the only one that dies in the earth: and which therefore was an exceeding proper similitude, peculiarly adapted to the purpose for which he uses it. The like is not to be found in any other grain, except millet, and the large bean."
  • An Abundant Harvest, from The Poor Man's Portions, Robert Hawker, c. 1800.
    • "Had Jesus not descended to the grave, how would he have been the life-giving, the soul-quickening root of all his church and people? But now, by this one precious corn of wheat falling into the ground, and dying, how hath the garner of God been filled, and is now continually filling, with his seed!"
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
    • "Did our Lord mean to exclude Himself from the operation of the great principle here expressed--self-renunciation, the law of self-preservation; and its converse, self-preservation, the law of self-destruction? On the contrary, as He became Man to exemplify this fundamental law of the Kingdom of God in its most sublime form, so the very utterance of it on this occasion served to sustain His own Spirit in the double prospect to which He had just alluded."
  • "The Corn of Wheat Dying to Bring Forth Fruit: John 12:23-25," Charles H. Spurgeon. From Farm Sermons (c 1875).
    • "Brethren, all the spiritual life that there is in the world is the result of Christ's death. We live under a dispensation which shadows forth this truth to us."
  • From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, John 12:20-33, Audrey West, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
  • Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • "First Thoughts on Year B Gospel Passages in the Lectionary," Lent 5, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "God always comes closely attached to the worst violence and greatest depravation, stuck to it as its obverse in compassion. When we see that, every such event becomes a revelation of sin and a window in which we perceive divine pain."
  • Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen.
    • "Are our congregations (both the corporate body and individual members) places where "Gentiles" can come and "see" Jesus? Do our members (clergy included) have the skills to bring the unchurched to Jesus for a "conversion experience"?"
  • "Learning to Die," Rev. Todd Weir, bloomingcactus, Lent 5B, 2006.
    • "I am always dying, with each breath that enters and leaves my body, with each second and the hundreds of thousands of cells that are dying off to make room for more, with each toss of the football to my vigorous and growing son. And may I keep dying so life may abound. Thanks be to God!"
  • Sermon Preparation Thoughts and Questions by Wesley White, 2006.

  • Preaching John 12:20-33, David A. Davis, Lectionary Homiletics, 2009.

    • "Standing on the threshold of Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter, perhaps the preacher and the church will appreciate John’s theological corrective. ...most of all, our call, our responsibility, is to point to his cross and resurrection, where we shall see Jesus again and again."

  • Holy Textures, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours, John 12:20-33, David Ewart.

    • "There is a deliberate pun in John about the 'raising' of Jesus - on the cross; and from the grave. In the first, the rulers of this world are shown to powerless; in the second, death is shown to be powerless."

  • Marginally Mark, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
    • "What is the 'judgment of this world'? Who is the 'ruler of this world'?"
  • "The Point of No Return," Preacher's Magazine, 2009: Listening to the Text, Engaging the Text, Preaching the Text.
  • "The Hour Has Come," Preacher's Magazine, 2006: Listening to the Text, Engaging the Text, Preaching the Text.
  • "The Hour Comes..." Jerry Goebel, One Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study and activities.
    • "When was the last time that someone went out of their way to tell me; 'We want to meet Jesus.'"
  • "The Glory of the Cross," Lent 5B, Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
    • "Does the cross have any meaning in today's culture? Does the meaning culture gives the cross have any connection to Christian faith?"
  • Wellspring of the Gospel, Lent 5B, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn Turner, Weekly Wellsprings.
  • "Unless a Grain of Wheat Falls to the Ground," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources.
    • "Every believer, every minister and congregation, is tempted to realize the Kingdom of God apart from the cross of Christ."
  • "Drawing All to Himself," William Willimon, The Christian Century, 1982. At Religion Online.
    • "It is not by understanding that we are saved. As Barth says, 'Here is a truth we cannot understand -- we can only stand under this truth.'"
  • "We're Condemned to Act in Character," Dirk Dunfee, National Catholic Reporter, 2000.
    • "Even a decision that has little effect on the way the world operates makes a difference in the life of the person making the decision; a given decision may not be as important as another, but every decision is important nonetheless."
  • Environmental & earth-centered reflections from the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota Environmental Stewardship Commission.
  • Commentary by Hall Harris at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "The one who serves Jesus is the one who gives up his claim to life in the present world out of love for and allegiance to Jesus: to serve Jesus is in effect to "hate" one's own life."
• Articles & Background:
  • "The Sociology of Secrecy and the Fourth Gospel." Jerome H. Neyrey, in What Is John? Vol. II: Literary and Social Readings of the Fourth Gospel, 79-109. F. Segovia, ed. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1998.
    • "Once we start to pull back the veil, we notice numerous instances of hiding-revealing, secrecy, ambiguity and even lying. The following is an attempt to catalogue the primary and related instances of secrecy and "information control" in the document."
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  • Bampfylde, Gillian, "More Light on John Xii 34," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 1983.
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  • Bartlett, David L., "Jesus: Pioneer and Sympathizer," The Christian Century, 1991.
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  • Chilton, Bruce, "John XII 34 and Targum Isaiah LII 13," Novum Testamentum, 1980.
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  • Derrett, J Duncan M, "The Buddhist Dimension of John," Numen, 2004.
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  • Evans, Craig A., "The Voice from Heaven: A Note on John 12:28," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1981.
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  • Jeske, Richard L., "John 12:20-36: Expository Article," Interpretation, 1989.
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  • Kovacs, Judith L., "'Now Shall the Ruler of this World Be Driven Out': Jesus' Death as Cosmic Battle in John 12:20-36," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1995.
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  • McNeil, Brian, "The Quotation at John XII 34," Novum Testamentum, 1977.
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  • Morrison, Craig E., O. Carm., "The 'Hour of Distress' in Targum Neofiti and the 'Hour' in the Gospel of John," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2005.
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  • O'Day, Gail R., "Piety without Pretense, Faith without Falsehood: The Lenten Journey according to John," Journal for Preachers, 1997.
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  • Schwager, Raymond, S.J., "Christ's Death and the Prophetic Critique of Sacrifice," Semeia, 1985.
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  • Sundberg, Walter, "Satan the Enemy," Word & World, 2008.
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  • Thurston, Bonnie Bowman, "The Conquered Self: Emptiness and God in a Buddhist-Christian Dialogue," Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 1985.
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  • Van Unnik, W.C., "The Quotation from the Old Testament in John 12:34," Novum Testamentum, 1959.
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  • Willimon, William, "Drawing All Things to Himself," The Christian Century, 1982.
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• Reviews:
• Sermons:
  • "The Point of No Return," Rev. Bethany Hull Somers, Preacher's Magazine, 2009.
  • "A Six-Volt Battery in a Twelve-Volt World," Dr. Philip W. McLarty, Lectionary.org.
  • "When You Look at Jesus, What Do You See?" 2 April 2006, Walter W. Harms, Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
  • "The Hour Has Come," Jim Fitzgerald, Preacher's Magazine, 2006.
  • "If a Seed Dies," Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.
  • "Sacred Ground," the Rev. Debra Metzgar Shew, Day 1, 2003.
  • "You Have Never Been Hurt," Fr. Richard Rohr, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1999.
  • "What Does It Mean to See Jesus?" John Jewell, 2000.
  • Father Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily
    • Lent 5, 2009
    • Lent 5, 2006
    • Lent 5, 2003
    • Lent 5, 2000
• With Children:
  • "My Heart Is Troubled," Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com.
  • "Sir, We Would See Jesus," Jim Kerlin, childrensermons.com.
  • "Jesus Hears the Voice of God," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
• Drama:
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Clip Art Images: John 12:20-33, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.
  • John 12:20-33, at Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Liberation emphasis.
  • Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
  • John 12:27-28, Heartlight - Free Christian PowerPoint Backgrounds.
  • John 12:20-33, John 12:24-26, Liturgical Drawing, Maria d.c. Zamora, Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use these for free.")
• Hymns and Music:
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: John 12:21,24, 26, 32. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • Hymn selections (United Methodist) and more from Hymnsite.com.
  • Hymnal Scripture References, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
  • At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
    • O Jesus, I Have Promised
    • Rise Up, O Church of God
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
  • Philip
  • Crucifixion
  • Resurrection
  • Last Judgment
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
  • Sacrifice/Sacrificial Death
  • Resurrection
  • Rebirth/New Life
  • Seeing/Not Seeing
  • Prayer
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of John