JN 12: 20-33
This Gospel begins with some Greeks who came to speak to Jesus. They ask Philip where He is and Jesus, now speaking to Philip and Andrew, reveals that His hour has come. It was now time for the Son of Man to be glorified. Jesus compares his life to a grain of wheat. For unless this grain dies, it will never change. According to Jesus in this reading, only through death will the wheat bear fruit. Jesus reveals that he is troubled and doesn’t know if he should ask the Father to save him from this fate. He knows that dying was His purpose. The voice of God speaks to Christ and those around him only hear thunder. This voice revealed that the time of judgement has come. Jesus explains that when he dies he will “draw everyone with him”.
This passage indicates how and why Jesus must die. Christ died for our sins, drawing a bit of everyone with him as he returned to heaven. His death was necessary for the faith of his followers to bear fruit and spread. Through this gospel, we learn that God will honor those who follow him in both life and death.