John 12:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

NIV: Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

NASB: The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.

CSB: The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

NLT: Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.

KJV: He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

NKJV: He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

In other passages, Jesus speaks of the fundamental choice between the world and God (Matthew 10:39; Mark 8:35–36). A person cannot cling to worldly things and still make God their top priority. In prior verses, Jesus used the analogy of a seed: it must "die" in order to fulfill its purpose. The symbolism is that of a seed being planted, then growing to maturity. Those who seek to truly follow Christ have to—as it would seem to the world—lose everything. The end result, however, is exactly what the seed—the believer—was always intended for, which is something greater and more glorious (1 Corinthians 15:36–42).

It's important to understand the narrow context of Jesus' words here. The point is not that only those who live in deliberate poverty will be saved. Nor is it that a person must perform the right kind of actions in order to be with God in eternity. Rather, this is a reference to a person's state of mind. This is why Jesus uses the dichotomy of "love" and "hate," with respect to one's earthly life. Just as Jesus was not commanding people to objectively "hate" their family (Luke 14:26), He is not telling us to objectively "hate" our lives. Rather, He's saying that we ought to put 100% of our priority, emphasis, and effort into the will of God. Those who want to cling to the world, instead of Christ, demonstrate that they "love" the world too much to sincerely follow Him (Mark 10:21–23).

John 12:20–26 describes a group of Greeks—non-Jewish people who worshipped God—who approach Jesus after the triumphal entry. The disciples appear to be carefully vetting everyone who wants to come near Jesus, knowing that local religious leaders have marked Him for death. Jesus' response indicates that the time has come for His ultimate sacrifice, an event which opens the gospel of grace to the entire world.

Jesus is treated to an honorary dinner at the home of Lazarus, whom He has recently raised from death. At this dinner, Lazarus' sister, Mary, anoints Jesus with expensive oil. Jesus then enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, stoking fears that His popularity will attract the anger of the Roman Empire. That anger even inspires a murder plot against Lazarus. After being approached by non-Jewish seekers, Jesus offers a final plea for people to understand His ministry. In effect, these are the last public words spoken by Jesus in the gospel of John.

In the prior chapter, Jesus spectacularly raised Lazarus from death in front of a crowd of witnesses. This inspired local religious leaders to commit to having Him killed. Here, after a celebratory dinner where Jesus is anointed with oil, He will fulfill prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated with shouts of ''Hosanna'' and a massive crowd. This leads to a group of curious non-Jews approaching Him. Christ then offers a final plea for belief in Him and His message. After this, His ministry will turn to preparing the disciples for His impending death and resurrection. The next several chapters of the gospel of John are almost entirely made up of his teachings to these men.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.