害怕死去的麦子
耶稣面前的选择
经文
约翰福音十二20-36
20那时，上来过节礼拜的人中，有几个希利尼人。
21他们来见加利利伯赛大的腓力，求他说：先生，我们愿意见耶稣。
22腓力去告诉安得烈，安得烈同腓力去告诉耶稣。
23耶稣说：人子得荣耀的时候到了。
24我实实在在的告诉你们，一粒麦子不落在地里死了，仍旧是一粒，若是死了，就结出许多子粒来。
25爱惜自己生命的，就失丧生命；在这世上恨恶自己生命的，就要保守生命到永生。
26若有人服事我，就当跟从我；我在那里，服事我的人也要在那里；若有人服事我，我父必尊重他。
27我现在心里忧愁，我说甚么才好呢？父阿，救我脱离这时候；但我原是为这时候来的。
28父阿，愿你荣耀你的名！当时就有声音从天上来，说：我已经荣耀了我的名，还要再荣耀。
29站在旁边的众人听见，就说：打雷了。还有人说：有天使对他说话。
30耶稣说：这声音不是为我，是为你们来的。
31现在这世界受审判，这世界的王要被赶出去。
32我若从地上被举起来，就要吸引万人来归我。
33耶稣这话原是指着自己将要怎样死说的。
34众人回答说：我们听见律法上有话说，基督是永存的，你怎么说人子必须被举起来呢？这人子是谁呢？
35耶稣对他们说：光在你们中间还有不多的时候，应当趁着有光行走，免得黑暗临到你们；那在黑暗里行走的，不知道往何处去。
36你们应当趁着有光，信从这光，使你们成为光明之子。耶稣说了这话，就离开他们隐藏了。
信息分享
明白了「生命之先总有死亡」这个原则以后，让我们再次来聚焦在这题目上：希腊人（即圣经所说的希利尼人）来见耶稣。
我十分相信许多解经家忽略了这个事件。我们一般只是随便的读一读第21 节：「先生，我们愿意见耶稣」（21节），然后就越过去。可是我认为这是主耶稣的生命中最重要的事情之一，它的重要性可以说仅次于祂在旷野承受试探。从几个方面来看，它其实比旷野的经验更深刻，因为旷野所代表的是事奉刚开始时的试探，而希腊人的到访则代表人在接近终结时的试探。
当一个人越接近目标的时候，一些引诱他妥协或行走较容易的道路的试探往往会更激烈。正如在旷野的试探，是一道要把耶稣带去走另一条路的力量，在这里我们也看到类似的情况。我曾经说过，我们不能完全肯定希腊人的到来是否想要邀请基督去雅典，但重要的是他们的来临令耶稣陷入一种属灵的危机中。我们可以做这么一个假设，放在耶稣面前的问题是一个选择：到雅典去得到接纳还是留在耶路撒冷遭受拒绝？是要坐上哲学家的教席呢，还是要背上残酷的十字架？作为主耶稣的追随者我们也会面对相似的问题。我们应当走十字架的道路，还是走群众的道路？
「我们走十字架的路，还是走群众的路？」
进深研究
西一1-29；诗四十五11；申五7，六13-15
1. 撒但试探耶稣的目的是甚么？
2. 基督透过战胜了撒但而实现甚么？
祈祷
天父，我决定要行走您的道路。求您帮助我站到您的一边，为了您，我愿意对抗所有与您敌对的事情。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。
The Corn of Wheat Afraid to Die
A second look
Bible reading:
John 12:20-36
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival.
21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus."
22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 "Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.
28 Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."
29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine.
31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.
32 And I, when I am lifted up[a] from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
34 The crowd spoke up, "We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this 'Son of Man'?"
35 Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.
36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
Message
Having experienced the principle that life is always preceded by death, we return now to focus again on the incident which launched us into this study - the coming of the Greeks to Jesus.
I firmly believe that this incident has been greatly overlooked by Bible expositors and commentators. We usually take the text, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus" (v.21), and leave it at that. But this is one of the most momentous events in the life of our Lord - an event that is next in importance, in my judgement, to His temptation in the wilderness. In many ways, it was more subtle than the wilderness experience, for the wilderness represents the temptation that comes at the beginning of one's ministry, while the coming of the Greeks represents the temptation that comes as one gets close to the end.
It is often as one gets close to one's goal that the temptation to compromise, or to take an easier way becomes more acute. Just as, in the desert, there was a pull to get Jesus to take another way, so here we see a similar situation. As I said at the beginning of our study, we cannot be at all sure that the Greeks arrived with the intention of enticing Christ to come to Athens, but it is significant that their arrival threw Him into a spiritual crisis. Assuming that to be so, the issue before Him was acceptance in Athens or rejection in Jerusalem. A philosopher's chair, or a grisly cross. A similar issue confronts those of us who are His followers. Do we go the way of the cross, or do we go the way of the crowds?
"Do we go the way of the cross or the crowd?"
Prayer
Father, my mind is made up - I want to go Your way. Help me to come out clearly on Your side - for You and against everything that is against You. This I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
Colossians 1:1-29
Psalm 45:11
Deuteronomy 5:7; 6:13-15
1.What was Satan's aim in tempting Jesus?
2. What did Christ accomplish through overcoming him?
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