John 12:27 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.

What sort of Jesus do you want?

1. We value that which is __________ and __________.

2. We value that which is __________ and __________.

3. Instead of giving us what we __________, Jesus places value on __________ and goes to the __________ to shed His blood for __________.

Scripture Readings
Deuteronomy 32:36-39
Philippians 2:5-11
John 12:12-43

Take It With You!

As we learn how to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, here helpful tools will be offered to aid in your study.

Jesus anticipates his immanent death. As I take in his words (Father, glorify your name), I realize that the roots of glory are in death and burial. This is going to take some re-learning... It looks as if I am going to have to let go of what I expected and enter a mystery.

But as with all gospel mysteries, it is not a total mystery. We are given hints and guesses. Gardeners know something about this. The flowers and vegetables that grow so wonderfully in their gardens are the consequences of seeds they planted in the ground.

Glory is what I am after. As it turns out, I am a slow learner. Glory is not just more of what I already have, or the perfection of what I already see. Do I suppose that the Christian life is my biological, intellectual, moral life raised a few degrees above the common stock? Do I think that prayer is a kind of mechanism, like a car jack, that I use to lever myself to a higher plane where I have better access to God?

The language of Jesus tells me something quite different: I become less. Instead of grasping what I value more tightly, I let it go. "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matt. 5:3) is one way Jesus said it. "Those who want to save their life will lose it: and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" (Matt. 16:25) is yet another way.

Eugene Peterson, Tell It Slant: A Conversation on the Language of Jesus in His Stories and Prayers.