Series: Easter: This Changes Everything
Message: Hidden?
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Reflection: Sam Millen
Live Wonder: Bec Reid
Live Adventure: Jess Lee
Live Beyond: Art Preuss
Live Purpose: Don Pate
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: John 12:20-36 in the New Living Translation (NLT). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: I’m sure those of you who have seen the Colosseum in Rome will never forget your visit. Standing inside this ancient stadium, I imagined the huge crowds having an insatiable appetite for merciless brutality as they were entertained by gladiators. It’s even more incredible that the arena could be flooded for mock naval battles! More importantly, I wanted to know if our tour group had found ourselves in a “holy” place. Is this where countless Christians were savagely martyred, providing the masses with “cheap” amusement? Our guide explained that a much larger space was needed for exterminating Christians. Once rounded up, they were taken to the Circus Maximus (literally “Big Circus”), normally used for chariot races. As I climbed a nearby hill and gazed upon the expansive field of grass, I felt a mixture of sadness and awe. Instead of praying to be spared, these early Christians sought faithfulness to the end. The world considered them fools.
In our passage, Jesus calls His disciples to follow Him no matter the cost, even if it means death. He says, “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity” (John 12:25). According to tradition, all the apostles were martyred, except for John (ironically) who recalled these words as he wrote his Gospel at an old age. If we accept scholarly consensus, John’s Gospel was written after his return from exile on Patmos. John had already received the vision: “This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.” (Revelation 12:9). In John’s vision, the followers of Jesus appear as an army of 12,000 (1000 was a military unit) from all the 12 tribes of Israel. The 144,000 follow the Lamb wherever He goes (they do what Jesus does).
John tells us that after Christ’s crucifixion, “Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out” (John 12:31). I encourage you to closely compare Revelation 12:7–12 with John 12:31–33. According to Job’s first chapters, Satan apparently had access to God’s throne as earth’s representative—a role he wrested from Adam and Eve. John tells us Christ’s death on the cross conquers Satan, and Christ’s followers also conquer Satan and his evil forces in the same way—by dying. “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die” (Revelation 12:11). The word martyr means “witness” (giving a testimony). The 144,000 are an army of martyrs, both at the Circus Maximus and throughout the ages until Christ’s return. They secure victory, not by killing, but by dying— just like the Lamb. God’s kingdom defeats evil by allowing evil to do what it does and ultimately extinguishing (eradicating) itself.
Imagine evil as a destructive fire consuming everything in its path. It is a mystery God doesn’t show up with a water cannon to put out the flames (except on rare occasions called “signs” by John). Instead, the rage and fury continue until everything is burned up. Without any fuel left, the fire eventually extinguishes itself. But wait a little longer; new life will burst through the scorched earth.
Recalibrate: William Barclay says, “No doubt we will exist longer if we take things easily, if we avoid all strain, if we sit at the fire and cosset life, if we look after ourselves as hypochondriacs look after their health. No doubt we will exist longer—but we will never live.” Do you agree? Does living with purpose and boldness require recklessness? (Cosset: “care for and protect in an overindulgent way,” Google Dictionary).
Respond: Reflect on this quote as you pray for persecuted Christians around the world today: “Satan has lost the battle but the evil one still thrashes about in spite just like a beaten human army might—burning crops and cities, plundering homes and poisoning wells, spoiling lives and blowing up bridges—as he retreats before the Victor. And this ruined battlefield, this scorched earth, which Satan is pillaging in fury, angry over his defeat by Christ— this is where we live and pray and fight” (John W. Cowart).
Research: If the perspective you read above is completely new to you, watch this powerful sermon by Greg Boyd on how God and His army conquer evil.
Remember: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32, ESV).
Sam Millen is the pastor at Anacortes Adventist Fellowship in Washington State. He his wife Angie is a schoolteacher on Orcas Island and their three children are really awesome!
Get ready to get dirty! Do you have any seeds in your garden shed or in your garage? What about seedlings or small, young plants around your home or in your garden that you might be able to transplant or take a cutting from? If not, you might like to take a drive to your local nursery and have your little one choose either some seeds or seedlings and plant them in a pot where your little one can watch their tiny plant grow and be active in their care. As they get their hands in the dirt, talk to them about this week’s Scripture and how Jesus’ love will sprout in us and produce a great harvest.
Even though we all have different families, abilities, and interests, God wants to use us as servants. This week you are going to do some different service activities, and if you need help, ask someone in your family to complete them with you. Who are the people who serve you at school—the bus driver, teacher, cafeteria staff? Brainstorm ideas of what you could do to show one of these people appreciation. Maybe give them a coffee or treat, pick up rubbish on the bus for the bus driver, or make them a card.
Jesus was not ready to become a public figure. Wait, what? What do you mean? He was already a public figure whether He liked it or not. So what did He mean when He said, “His hour had not yet come” (John 12:23)? He goes on to share a parable of a single seed and how it must die in order for other seeds to come about. For Jesus it was never about being popular or famous or becoming a recognized public figure. For Him, it was always about how many people He could get to follow Him because He truly loved them and cared about what happens to them.
Let’s get real: Have you ever had to sacrifice “coolness” or becoming popular because you really wanted others to like you for who you really are? Jesus wants people who are true to themselves to follow Him. It is by being real and loving and caring that others will be genuinely drawn to you. What are some of the ways people can get to know who you really are?
When I was a kid I’d get my mouth washed out with soap if I used the word “hell.” Now I’m kind of old for that so I’ll do it and I’ll do it in the most appropriate way—Jesus led His men out of the Upper Room and took them straight to hell. The reason I can say that is the best definition of “hell” really isn’t about brimstone and fire and all. The best understanding of “hell” is the absence of God. In Gethsemane, Jesus walked into Hell. It wasn’t a landscaped garden; it was an industrial park, the place where olives got crushed. (That’s what “Gethsemane” means.) In that place Jesus ended up all alone with His Father, and then God withdrew leaving Him absolutely desolate—abandoned by all in this universe. All. In that place the transaction took place—the most innocent and perfect individual of all became, from God’s viewpoint, the most vile, sin-carrying being ever to inhabit the universe. “He who knew no sin became sin . . .” (II Corinthians 5:21). I don’t know that we will ever understand the magnitude of Gethsemane. Amazing love.
Bec Reid is a real estate agent within her family business. She lives in Sydney, Australia, and is a part of the Wahroonga Adventist Church community.
Jess Lee is an education consultant for the New South Wales Adventist education system. She lives in Sydney, Australia, and attends Kellyville Church.
Art Preuss pastors in Massachusetts at the Springfield, Florence, and Warren Adventist churches and serves in the U. S. Air Force Reserve as a chaplain.
Don Pate is “retired” in Tennessee after decades of teaching and pastoring but is still active in speaking and creating for the Kingdom.