Seeing Jesus

 

A Sermon preached on Lent V, March 21, 2021 at St. Augustine’s, Wiesbaden

Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 5:5-10, and John 12:20-33

“Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’” (John 12:20)

One thing I learned while preparing the sermon is that in some churches there is a little sign or notice with the sentence “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” in the pulpit, apparently as a reminder to the preacher that it is Jesus we want to see and hear and not them!  

Coming back to the passage however, who are these Greeks, and why does Jesus react in what seems a rather dismissive way? Well, they might just be Greek-speaking Jews, but that is unlikely. As they went to Philip, who comes from Bethesda, a town in Gentile-dominated territory, it seems more likely that they were Gentiles, but ones interested in Judaism, perhaps even proselytes, that is would-be converts. That is why they are in Jerusalem for the Passover. Why do they want to see Jesus? We can assume that their interest in the things of God leads them to Jesus. And he is famous right now. This episode comes after Lazarus has been raised from the dead and after Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. A lot of people want to see Jesus, some out of curiosity; others out of a genuine interest in finding out more about this teacher with power and authority.

But Jesus does not seem willing to let them see him or learn more. He does not say, “sure send them in” or “not now, I’ll see them this afternoon.” No, we get a little speech: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” (John 12:23) followed by the metaphor of grain and wheat. As with all his cryptic sayings and parables, this response addresses the issue, but in a way that is not immediately comprehensible. For Jesus, this request to see him is more than just interest on behalf of some casual visitors; instead, it is a sign that his mission to Israel is over, and that part of his work is done.

He has had encounters with non-Jews before now: The Syrophoenician woman, Roman officers, the Samaritan woman at the well, to name but a few. But his focus was always on Israel, on the people God had chosen to be God’s people and a beacon to the world. Taking his mission to the whole world means taking it to another level. The whole world cannot see and know him, and his Father, if he carries on as before. The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified – on the cross.

If he were to succumb to the temptation to say “Father, save me from this hour” (John 12:27) then God’s plan of salvation for the whole world and all of creation would fail. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24) As I learned from Steve at this week’s Bible study, a single grain of wheat, planted and watered, in good soil, will produce 32 new ones! Jesus’ death followed by his resurrection to new life, will also bear much fruit. The fruit in this case will be all the people who are then able to see and to know and to be transformed and to be saved by him. And that is Jesus’ desire for all people.

You see, Jesus’ reply is not evasive, it describes how he will make the Greek’s request for them and the whole world to see him possible. It is only on the Cross that all people can see Jesus and be attracted to him: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32) Not only are they – and we – able to see him, but we also see him for who he truly is. For John, this is the moment when Jesus is exalted or glorified.

To glorify is to turn the spotlight on someone or something and to reveal that which is worthy of praise. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that although Jesus was a “Son” before his time on earth, with us, his experience here – sharing our suffering, learning obedience, offering up prayers and supplications – was also essential in him becoming “the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” (Hebrews 5:8-9) In the gospel passage too, Jesus highlights self-sacrifice and service as part of his mission, and those who follow him. “Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.” (John 12:26) His, and therefore God’s – loving nature is what is glorified on the cross. And it is another clue to how we can see Jesus today. We see him when we serve him in others, in accordance with one of our Baptismal promises to” seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself.” Whatever you do “to one of the least of these who are members of my family,” you do to me, Jesus teaches in the ‘Judgement of the nations’ in Matthew’s Gospel (25:31-46)

If we cannot see Jesus, it may be because sometimes we do not really want to see him. There is a lovely song called “Open our eyes Lord” by Robert Cull. It is not in our Hymnal, but you will find it in other Anglican Hymnals. It goes as follows:

Open our eyes Lord

We want to see Jesus

To reach out and touch Him

And say that we love Him

Open our ears Lord

And Help us to listen

Open our eyes Lord

We want to see Jesus

It is true that we need our eyes and ears opened at times to be able to see and hear him. In the post-resurrection Emmaus story, the disciples do not recognise Jesus until he first explains the scriptures – opening their ears – and then breaks the bread: “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.” (Luke 24:31) At the end of John’s Gospel in the “breakfast beach BBQ episode the disciples also do not recognise him at first: “Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize who he was.” “Jesus' favourite disciple told Peter, ‘It’s the Lord!’” (John 21:4, 7) There it took eyes of love to see him. And earlier in the same Gospel – after he appears to Thomas who doubted the word of the other disciples that they had seen the Lord – Jesus says “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” (John 20:29) Here Jesus tells us that it is in faith that we will see him.

How can we see Jesus? In Scripture of course. When we do as he taught and commanded – loving and serving God in one another, in prayer and worship, and in the special meal he instituted and that we will share in a moment. And in all these cases we are most likely to see him – in ourselves and in others - when we look for him with the eyes of love and the eyes of faith.  

 Amen.