The text this morning is from the Gospel according to John, the twelfth chapter:
Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, 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. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
It’s amazing to see how the reputation of Jesus had reached even those outside of Israel. These Greeks had come to worship in Jerusalem, they had converted to Judaism and had come from somewhere, we don’t know where. But, these men had come from somewhere far away, forsaking their heritage, forsaking their fathers’ religion of multiple gods to worship the One True God, and were doing their duty as they understood it. And now, having arrived in Jerusalem, they heard tell of this Jesus, this amazing man, this man who taught with authority, and they gave the best line that every preacher endeavors to remember, Sir, we wish to see Jesus.
You see, that’s the preaching task. Show the people Jesus. Tell them who He is, what he’s done for them. And these Greeks were no different. These men gave the Church a line which we have remembered for 2000 years. They come to Philip, a man with a Greek name, and ask to see the man they just saw and heard riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Jesus had just made His triumphal entry in to Jerusalem, a king riding in peace, which is what the donkey meant to the people. A king who was returning to His city to reign because the battle was done. He needed to war horse, no chariot. He came on a donkey, a beast of burden, because now it was time to roll up His sleeves and get to work. And get to work Jesus did.
When Jesus heard of these Greeks, He saw the fulfillment of His work, that He would draw all nations to Himself. Jews and Greeks alike would swarm to His light, and so now was the time for the glorification of Jesus. Now that the Greeks were here, they would see Jesus, not in some private, clandestine meeting, but hanging naked and beaten on a cross. They would see Jesus in His glory, all who were in Jerusalem that week would see Jesus in all His glory, but it would look like torture and death. But this is the work of the King.
He would fall to the ground and be buried in it. And from Him would come much fruit, the faith of all who would believe in Him and the work He accomplished for them. The Greeks were here, the Jews were here, and now Jesus was set to die.
Please don’t think that this was a pleasant thing for Jesus. This was the plan all along, yes, that He would go to the cross and bear the sins of the whole world. This was always the purpose of the Son of God taking on human flesh, that He would die. And while He was willing, while He wanted to do this, it’s not as if Jesus relished this idea. God had become man, and man suffers. This man was hungry, He was thirsty, He needed the kisses of His mother on His scraped knees. This man, this God-man, took on our own flesh that He might suffer. And that scared Him.
Torture is no fun, even if you are God Himself. The pain and agony of the beatings which would come for Jesus that week scared Him. But, what was He to say? No, thanks? Never. Jesus loved to live, and He knew He would live again, but to get there is a scary proposition. But, He still went willingly. He knew that this was the plan, He knew He would be raised again, but it scared Him, as it would scare us. But He went willingly, even if His bones were shaking, because it would glorify His Father to do this work. And the Father, in all His magnificence, speaks to Jesus’ fear. His name is glorified and He will glorify it again through the death of Christ.
It is good that we hear the Father’s voice this morning, for, even as we follow in the steps of Jesus through this week, it is good to keep in mind the purpose of all that we are about to witness: the glory of God is wisdom to those who would receive it by faith and foolishness to the whole world. It is foolish to see glory in the death of Christ, at least to our eyes. But our Lord makes it clear that this is true wisdom. This is what we have been seeking in this world. This is what our souls long for and crave. This is what we need. It is for our benefit that our Lord speaks, it is for our benefit that our Lord dies.
The world looks at the cross with blinded eyes and deadened hearts. They see a naked man, punished by the rulers of the age for crimes He must’ve committed, and they do not believe. They would not believe. This is like looing at a homeless man on the street corner, begging for change, and not understanding that He is a billionaire. This is like seeing a 350-pound man and not realizing He plays better than any player in the NBA. This is seeing a broken, beaten, humiliated man and not seeing the Lord of all Creation, the One by whose very word the universe came into existence, the One who formed each and every person, the One who gave life to all creatures. We wish to see Jesus.
Look at the cross and see the broken, twisted body of the Christ, the messiah. Look at Jesus and see who He is. Look at His suffering and see the redemption of humanity. Look at His body and see His blood poured out for the salvation of all people. Fear not the tortured body and mind of the Lord, but see His redemption for all mankind, and not just of man alone, but the redemption of the entire cosmos. See the crucifixion of the Christ and see what He has given us.
And what has He given us? What has He given us to see? A man who pronounces the righteousness of God, that the death and resurrection of Christ has delivered the forgiveness of sins to you who believe. That the death and resurrection of Christ has given to you His Holy Word that you can hold in your hands and hear in your ears. That the death and resurrection of Christ has given you water which washes your sins away and onto the very body of Jesus. That the death and resurrection of Christ has brought you bread and wine which are the very true body and blood of Jesus. We wish to see Jesus.
Then look no further than this lectern, this pulpit, this font, this altar. You wish to see Jesus? Look no further than the gifts He has given you to see, to touch, to hear, to taste. Look no further than His promise. This Son of God is the Son of Man, lifted up before the entire world. You can see Him in His glory, redeeming the entire world, or you can see Him in foolishness, being made shameful before the world.
We wish to see Jesus, the Greeks said. And they saw Him. They saw Him enter the city as a king. They saw Him in the temple, day after day that week, teaching and doing signs and wonders, pointing to Himself as the Messiah. They saw Him put before the courts of the Jews, the court of Herod, the court of Pilate. They saw Him stripped naked. They saw His flesh ripped open down to His spine. They saw His skull, His flesh having been pierced with thorns. They saw His wrist bones pop out of His arms and His foot bones wash white against the blackness of steel as nails were driven through them. They saw Him hoisted on a tree. They saw Him cursed before God and man. They saw Him suffer. They saw Him bleed. They saw Him die.
And you may see this, too. You cannot go back in time and watch the crucifixion of the Lord, but you can see through your ears this week as we follow after this Jesus, hearing of His passion. You can see through your ears as your hear of His work, the King getting down to business. You can see through your tongue as you taste His work, His death and life delivered to you through His Sacrament. You can see with your mind as you remember your Baptism. You can see Jesus, for He is here, He is everywhere in this place.
Sir, we wish to see Jesus. You can see Him, and you have seen Him through His Word and Sacrament. You can see His life, His death, and, this Easter, His resurrection. You can see it all for He has given you the eyes of faith to receive it all. Receive Him this day, and each day, that you might come to love the glory that comes from God, even though it be foolishness to the world. You can see Jesus, for He has been placed before you. You can see Jesus, for He is here, and He has made a way that you might believe in Him now and forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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