Dying to Self: Unlocking True Life and Eternal Glory Through Radical Self-Denial (John 12:20-26)

Today we focus on a pivotal moment in Jesus’s ministry following His entrance into Jerusalem. We have witnessed the arrival of the King, and now we explore what happens when "all the world"—including seekers from unexpected places—begins to flock to Him, demanding a fundamental exploration of the concept of dying to self.

The central, challenging, yet ultimately rewarding idea we must grasp today is this: Unless you die to yourself, you cannot live for Christ. This principle is not a call to hardship for hardship's sake, but rather the essential condition for accessing the abundant life and glory promised by Jesus Christ.

The Profound Power of Giving Yourself Away

To truly understand the sacrificial nature of dying to self, we can look at powerful examples of self-giving. Consider the United States Air Force paratroopers; their famous slogan, often written as an insignia on their unit patches, declares: "that others may live". This slogan encapsulates the profound idea that members of this elite force willingly give up themselves—potentially their lives—for the lives of others, including people they may have never met before. They do not view themselves as the ultimate good or the ultimate thing that needs preservation, but instead, they give their lives away so that good may spring forth for others.

This theme of self-sacrifice leading to life for others is powerfully mirrored in popular culture, as illustrated by a scene in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Captain Barbosa spent his entire life obsessively searching for gold and material possessions, believing these things would bring him ultimate happiness. Yet, near the end of the movie, he finds himself in a perilous situation, clinging to a chain high above a divided ocean floor, alongside his daughter, whom he has only just recognized.

When his daughter asks him, "Who am I to you?" his face changes, and he looks up and replies, "Treasure.". In that transformative moment, he realizes that his daughter is more valuable than all the gold in the world. To save her life and ensure her survival, Captain Barbosa chooses to let go of the chain and fall to his death. For him, the act was entirely worth it. This action—dying to self and giving himself away—was the only method by which he could bring forth the "fruit" that would ensure his daughter’s survival and future life.

As believers, we are similarly called to this principle: We are called to give ourselves away, to serve others, and to count others as more significant than ourselves. In embracing this self-denial, we receive a promise from Christ that "out of that springs this fruit that abounds to the glory of God".

The Unwitting Prophecy: The World Comes to Jesus (John 12:20-22)

The context for Jesus’s teaching on dying to self begins with the unexpected arrival of seekers. Following Jesus’s dramatic entry into Jerusalem, the Pharisees had voiced their concern, noting that "the whole world is going after him". They were upset because they feared losing their power and influence.

However, this outburst proved to be an unwitting prophecy. We see its very fulfillment when "among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks". These Greeks were there because they wanted to see Jesus, fulfilling the larger truth that Jesus Himself later articulated: "and I when I'm lifted up will draw the whole world to myself". The presence of the Greeks demonstrates that Jesus is indeed drawing "all men to himself".

The Greeks approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. It is noteworthy that they chose Philip. Philip had a Greek name and came from Bethsaida, a town known to have a large Greek population. Because he was immersed in a culture that was more Greek, the seekers found a certain familiarity and accessibility in him, viewing him as the person who might "bring us to Jesus". Philip also had a history of bringing others to Jesus, such as Nathanael, suggesting he was an approachable and accessible person.

The Question of Access

The Greeks’ action raises a crucial question: Why did they feel the need for an intermediary to reach Jesus?. They did not approach Jesus directly. In their eyes, Jesus was likely viewed as a VIP—someone performing miracles, "lifted up on a pedestal". Typically, with VIPs, there is a protocol; one cannot simply walk right up; they must go through security or backstage. The Greeks, knowing Jesus was not Greek, were unsure if He would be willing to see them.

Sometimes, even as believers, "we can tend to think that Jesus is somehow less approachable than he really is". We might mistakenly believe He is too perfect, too high, or too culturally distant to relate to our specific situation. But the reality is that Jesus does not allow differences to separate us from Him; He knows our condition and is perfectly human. We must remember: "Don't set up a fence where God has made a freeway". Yet, the Greeks sought an intermediary.

Philip himself seemed unsure how to proceed. Since Jesus’s public ministry had largely focused on "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," Philip questioned how Jesus would handle the Gentiles. Philip went and told Andrew (who also had a Greek name and was from the Greek-leaning town of Bethsaida), and together, Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. This consultation highlighted the pressing question: "Will Jesus be accessible to them? Will he open himself up to this other group?". The world may come, but will the King actually receive them?.

The Hour of Glorification (John 12:23)

Jesus answered the group, including Philip and Andrew, in a way that, at first glance, seemed tangential to the request of the Greeks. Jesus declared: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified". By stating this, Jesus acknowledged the arrival of the world and confirmed that the time had come for His glorification.

Crucially, Jesus focused on who He is, not who the seekers were. Access to Christ is not granted based on whether you are "Jew or Greek or barbarian or slave or free," but solely on "who Jesus is—the son of man".

This "hour of glorification" is defined specifically as His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. It is a countercultural truth that the cross—an instrument of shame—is ultimately the pathway to glory.

Jesus's reference to Himself as the "Son of Man" is highly significant, drawing directly from Daniel 7:13-14. In Daniel’s vision, he saw "one like a son of man" presented to the Ancient of Days. To this figure was given "dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples nations and languages should serve him". His dominion is everlasting and His kingdom will not be destroyed.

The whole world serving the Son of Man is the reward for laying down His life. The cross, the sacrifice of Jesus, is presented to the Father in heaven, and the reward is glory, dominion, and a kingdom. However, to reach this glory, the foundational principle of sacrifice must be fulfilled.

The Grain of Wheat: The Necessity of Death to Bear Fruit (John 12:24)

Jesus provided a powerful agricultural metaphor to explain the necessity of His sacrifice and the resulting fruit: "Truly truly I say to you unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains alone but if it dies it bears much fruit".

This analogy applies first and foremost to Jesus. He is the grain of wheat that must be planted, die, and be buried, but then rise from the dead. Because of His resurrection, He is able to give His Spirit, resulting in the fruit of the Spirit displayed by His followers. He must die and rise again to bring forth fruit, a concept tied to Him being referenced in scripture as the "firstborn of the dead". Spiritual rebirth and being spiritually born again are only made possible because Jesus "did not count equality with God something to be grasped but made himself in the form of a servant".

This mandate to die and bear fruit is also a direct call to all believers. We are called to die to ourselves so that we might bring forth fruit. This means we must put others' interests before our own. We are called to "count others as more significant than ourselves" and deny ourselves "comfort and safety and possession" so that we can bless others. The fruit that springs up is a direct result of the denial of self.

Three Compelling Reasons to Die to Self (John 12:25-26)

Dying to self is not just about bringing forth fruit; it is fundamentally a matter of life itself. Jesus highlights three distinct, eternal reasons why believers must embrace self-denial:

1. To Bear Much Fruit

As established, the principle is clear: fruit requires sacrifice. When we willingly deny our personal comfort, desires, and safety, and prioritize the interests of others, we enable the Spirit to bring forth abundant fruit in and through our lives, ultimately abounding to the glory of God.

2. To Keep Your Life for Eternity (John 12:25)

Jesus presents a stark contrast using the language of love and hate: "Whoever loves his life loses it and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life".

Those who desperately try to grasp what they can get for themselves, placing themselves "on this pedestal as this ultimate object that you're trying to satisfy," end up losing their soul in the process. Those who love themselves more than they love Jesus forfeit their lives.

The person who "hates his life" counts his or her own life as insignificant when compared to the glory of Christ. We are called to seek first the kingdom of God, trusting that when we do, "all these things will be added to you".

We must abandon the mindset that we can "have our cake and eat it too"—that we can satisfy all our worldly desires and simply "add a little Jesus to the mix" to level up. We often want Jesus merely "to have a better life". The reality is far deeper: Jesus is our life; He is not just a means to get a better life. Following Him requires continuous denial: "deny yourself and follow him". We cannot serve two masters.

3. To Be With Him (Serving is Following) (John 12:26)

Jesus connects serving Him directly to following Him: "If anyone serves me he must follow me".

In this specific context, following Jesus means adopting the certain path He is headed toward. Jesus is headed toward death on behalf of those He loves; He is the planted grain of wheat. Following Him, therefore, is not a journey to some random place, but an adoption of a path that leads to the complete denial of self and giving oneself away for the good of others. He did not cling to His own glory but lived as one of us.

This connection shows that serving Christ is not just a once-a-week activity. We often default to thinking that serving occurs for an hour and a half on a Sunday morning. However, serving is tied to following in such a way that it becomes an ongoing, lifelong journey. While the journey begins when a person believes and puts faith in Christ, following does not end there; "following Christ gets you all the way to the end".

Following and serving affects everything you do every day of the week. It impacts how you treat your spouse, what you say to your children, your attitude in your workplace, your desires, your thoughts, your words, and your deeds.

Jesus promises: "And where I am there will my servant be also". He is not focusing on a physical destination like heaven or paradise; He is focusing on His own person. If you are following someone, you are with them, regardless of the physical location—whether in a house, church, work, or on vacation. What matters is that Jesus is there, and you are following Him, and thus, you are with Him.

The Greeks sought Jesus hoping to be where He was. Jesus shifts their attention from the physical location to being like Him. Being in the presence of Christ means examining ourselves: Are our attitudes, thoughts, and desires like His?.

The Empowerment for Self-Denial and the Promise of Honor

Jesus does not merely command us to "try harder and be better". The capacity to die to self and bring forth fruit is provided through the power of the Spirit. This is precisely why Jesus Himself had to be planted like the grain of wheat; when He rises and ascends, He sends forth the Spirit. It is because of what Jesus has done that we have the Spirit within us, enabling us to follow and serve.

And if we do follow and serve Him—if we deny ourselves through the power of the Spirit—there is a tremendous result promised at the end of John 12:26: "if anyone serves me the Father will honor him".

Just as Jesus denied Himself, gave up His life for others, and was subsequently honored and glorified by the Father and given a kingdom, we too receive this promise. If we deny ourselves, follow Him, and serve Him, the Father will honor us.

This honor means we get to be with Him in glory, experiencing "eternal peace this eternal rest," and becoming "fully satisfied in our souls".

This powerful truth was later summarized by the Apostle Paul: "to live is Christ and to die is gain". Living for Christ is intrinsically linked to dying to self, and when we embrace this sacrifice, the Father promises that we will be honored.

Unless you die to yourself, you cannot live for Christ. This sacrifice allows us:

1. To bear much fruit.

2. To keep your life for eternity.

3. To be with Him.