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John 12:23-24

²³And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Truly, 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."

When the Greeks who had come to worship at Passover asked to see Jesus, He knew His time had come. For the gospel to go into all the world, Jesus knew He would first have to be rejected by the Jews, die for the sins of the world, and be raised again. Jesus' vision was much bigger than being the king of the nation of Israel. He could see that He would reign in the hearts of people around the world. But He also knew it would not be all people. It would be a select group, those that would follow Him even when it meant to a cross (John 12:25-26).

Jesus could see that the product of His sacrifice would be others who were willing to sacrifice this life and all its pleasures. They would follow Jesus and bring glory to God by showing sacrificial love to the world. It would be love that would draw others to follow as well, giving up everything to go wherever Jesus leads. If we wonder why we are not fruitful, we may find that it is because we have not died to ourselves.

Realizing the cost of the sacrifice Jesus was about to make, He asked that the Father's name be glorified. For the second time recorded in Scripture, an audible voice came from heaven. On this occasion the voice declared, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again" (John 12:28). Glory is the outshining of the eternal nature of God. When Jesus laid down His life for us, He clearly demonstrated the love of God. When we die to ourselves and follow Jesus, others see God's grace and love expressed in our lives also. God continues to glorify His name in the lives of His servants.

Consider: Will you die to yourself that the glory of God may be seen in your life?