Life Spark: (John 12:20-30) – Understand two kinds of life.
Facing death head-on, Jesus moved toward Jerusalem “with an iron will.” (Luke 9:51, TLB) Being careful not to talk over the heads of His disciples, Jesus used a simple botanical illustration to show how letting go of His life would bring life to many others.
“Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.” (John 12:24, MSG) A seed that dies precedes a plant that lives and reproduces. Jesus challenged His followers to follow His example: “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25, NIV)
Jesus used two different Greek words for ‘life’ here. “The man who loves his life [psyche] will lose it, while the man who hates his [psyche] in this world will keep it for eternal life [zoe].” (John 12:25, NIV) “…hates his psyche.” What does that mean? In that culture “hates” sometimes meant “loves less.” The Master warns that if we don’t value zoe life above psyche life, we lose in the long run.
In his book, Selling Water by the River, Shane Hipps aptly describes psyche and zoe: “Jesus presents us with two kinds of life: Psyche … a life encased in time and destined to die … and zoe … one that endures in endless radiance … eternal and immovable.” [1]
Hipps uses a clever illustration to explain the importance of putting zoe first. If I have four 0’s and one 1, I can arrange them to come up with a value ranging from 0001 to 1000. The key to greater value is to get the 1 (zoe) before the 0’s (psyche). The key to experiencing deep, unending life is putting zoe first.
That helps me appreciate even more the motive behind Jesus’ decision to set His face toward Jerusalem and death. “The good shepherd lays down his life (psyche) for the sheep.” (John 10:11) He let go of His life (psyche) so that whoever believed in Him should “have eternal life. (zoe)” (John 3:16b)
I wonder if I would experience more of the reality of zoe life now if I gave $75 to someone in need today instead of buying that fishing rod I want?
Life-challenge: Think of one way you can put the 1 before the 0 today.
[1] Selling Water … Shane Hipps … etc. … pg.