Introduced – John 12:20-22

• Q. Why do you think John emphasized that they were Greeks? Why would that matter? 
  
  • Discuss. 
  • Because the Jewish festival of Passover was not normally attended by Greeks unless they were Jewish converts.
  • Jesus’s offer of salvation is not only for the Jews. All nations are invited to come to Jesus. 
• Q. What makes a person approachable? 
  
  • Give time to answer. 
  • Friendly, safe, caring, familiar, available, etc. 
  • Philip and Andrew both were known for bringing people to Jesus (cf Jn 1:40-42, 45). 
  • Philip was also one of two disciples who had a Greek name (Luke being the other). 
• Q. How does our personal identity serve as a door to point others to Jesus? 
  
  • Could be a rhetorical question.
  • “I’m just not approachable” isn’t an excuse for failing to bring people to Jesus. 
  • Matthew 4:19 makes it abundantly clear that following Jesus means reaching people with the gospel.  

Dies – John 12:23-26

• Q. How was Jesus glorified through His death, burial, and resurrection? 
  
  • Discuss
  • The horrific death of the cross wasn’t linked to glory. In fact, in the eyes of the world it was an inglorious death in the company of thieves. 
  • Jesus wasn’t referring to just the cross. His glorification included His death, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation. The cross didn’t bring shame but glory because His death was the means by which salvation is offered to all humanity (2 Cor 5:21, cf Phil 2:10-11).  
• Q. If Jesus’s death is the seed that dies, what is the fruit it produces? 
  
  • Give time to answer
  • Salvation, dedicated followers of Christ. 
  • It’s possible that Jesus was also hinting at the coming mission to the Gentiles. 
• Q. What keeps us from hating our life and following Jesus? What does it mean to hate our life? 
  
  • Discuss
  • Comfort, selfishness, complacency, pride, etc.
  • The love-hate contrast is a Jewish way of comparing degrees of love and faithfulness. Devotion to the Lord must be so thorough that nothing else is distracting. 

Glorified – John 12:27-28

• Q. What does John 12:27 show us about Jesus? 
  
  • Give time to answer. 
  • He struggled with emotional and mental pain like anyone else. 
  • He struggled with the temptation to avoid what was about to come. 
  • This verse foreshadowed the coming anguish in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36-39). 
  • We see why He came, He came in order to die on the cross for our sins.
• Q. How does Jesus’s answer and God’s response in John 12:28 help believers faithfully follow God? 
  
  • Discuss
  • It gives us an example of  how to respond when troubled, “Glorify God.”
  • It shows us that God has and will get the glory. He is in control and throughout the gospels we see that Jesus’s baptism, the miracles He performed, and His future resurrection and transfiguration have all brought glory to God. 
  • We can trust in Him not matter what.

Draws – John 12:29-33

• Q. When have you experienced a “watershed moment?” You were able to look back and say, that’s where everything changed. 
  
  • Rhetorical Question
  • While not everyone understood what they heard, the ones that did were able to look back and recognize that a decisive moment had come. 
• Q. How does the death of Jesus on the cross produce judgement and victory? 
  
  • Give time to answer
  • Victory: God triumphed over the rulers and authorities in Christ (Col 2:15). Jesus’s death also demonstrated victory over death (1 Cor 15:55-57). 
  • Judgement: Jesus’s death and resurrection established the basis for judgement. Whoever repents and believes in Him are not condemned, but whoever does not believe is already condemned (John 3:18). 
• Q. How do the words of Jesus in John 12:30-32 connect back to the Greeks who came to Him? 
  
  • Discuss
  • The voice brought encouragement and confirmation that Jesus was sent by God. 
  • The ruler of this world (Satan) no longer had power over them. 
  • Christ’s death on the cross doesn’t just bring salvation for the Jews. The Gospel is for all people (Rom 1:16). 
• Q. How does the cross draw people today? 
  
  • Discuss
  • The cross represents the brutal and horrible death of Jesus. Yet the empty cross indicates His resurrection and victory over death. 
  • The cross calls the world to understand how the enormity of sin made the death of God’s Son necessary. 
  • The cross draws people to repent, believe, and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.