“We Want To See Jesus”
Text: John 12:20-33
3-17-2024
Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. It seems that whenever there is someone famous around, a crowd is always sure to gather. And because of that, famous people usually have a body guard or two (or ten!) that keeps the crowd from getting too close. Depending on who that person is, you might be able to see them from a distance but that’s about it. Like when the President visits a city, you can see him and maybe even get a snapshot, but you’re certainly not going to pull him off to the side and have a nice long conversation over a cup of coffee. You’d need an appointment with him first, assuming you could even get one.
Well in today’s Gospel lesson, some Greeks came to Philip and said, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Now maybe you’re thinking this request was kind of like asking to see the President and the 12 Disciples were like the Secret Service or his personal secretary. But that’s not what was going on. These Greeks came to Philip and asked out of politeness and respect to see Jesus. After all, they weren’t Jews; they were Gentiles. In all likelihood they were what the Bible calls “God-fearers.” They weren’t born into Jewish families but they had become believers in Yahweh, the God the Jews worshiped. For all intents and purposes, they were Jews except for one major difference. For personal reasons (that I can totally understand!) they chose not to be circumcised as adults. They followed almost all of the Jewish rules except for this one. Because of that they were considered “unclean” and not allowed into the inner courtyard of the Temple. In other words, they couldn’t get as close as a full-fledged Jewish male could get to God’s presence in the Temple.
At the time of our text, it was the Feast of Passover and the Greeks had come to celebrate this festival like everyone else. In the verses right before our text, it was Palm Sunday and a huge crowd had welcomed Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. It’s no stretch of the imagination to say that the Greeks had already seen plenty of Jesus. They may very well have been in that crowd that swelled around Him. His arrival was the talk of the town. They heard the crowd call Him the “King of Israel” and had probably heard about His teachings and miracles. So, they weren’t just asking to “see” Jesus. They wanted to visit with Him personally. But what was their motive for wanting to see Jesus? Well, you can be certain it wasn’t the same as King Herod’s. After Jesus had been arrested and appeared before Pilate, He was sent to King Herod. Herod had really wanted to see Jesus. But why was he so interested in seeing Him? St. Luke tells us he was hoping to see a miracle performed. Jesus was just a circus act to him. He didn’t want to hear Jesus explain how He was the Son of God, our Savior. He wanted to see a razzle dazzle show.
But that’s not why the Greeks had asked to see Jesus. In fact, there is a strong link between last week’s Gospel lesson and today’s that will help explain their motive. Do you remember how Nicodemus visited Jesus at night? Like the Greeks, he had plenty of opportunities to see Jesus and hear Him speak. But now he wanted a chance to talk with Christ one-on-one to learn more. He didn’t come as an enemy; he came as a Jew who was truly wanting to be closer to God. And Jesus told Him that the way to God was through believing in Him as the Savior.
Now here comes the link to last week’s Gospel Lesson. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” Compare that to verse 32 of our reading for today. Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” Both Nicodemus (a Jew) and these Greeks (who were Gentiles) were asking to see Jesus. And Christ gave them both the same response. He basically said, “Do you really want to see me for who I am? Do you really want to see the glory of God that’s revealed in me? Then look to me when I’m lifted up on the cross. Then the love of God will be put on full display for the whole world to see.”
Did you notice that in both of those readings Jesus made it clear that His sacrifice on the cross would be for everyone in the world? Not just Jews, but for everyone who would believe. That must have been awfully good news for these Greeks. They had been made to feel inferior by the Jewish community. They felt they couldn’t get as close to God as a Jew. Now, the Savior was telling them that the glory of God was in Him and they could have a close-up view of that glory. They could see and hear God’s offer of salvation. And if they received it by faith, it could be theirs too!
Okay, now it’s time to apply this to our own lives. Believe it or not, people are still making the same request as those Greeks did. They’re asking us modern disciples of Jesus, “We wish to see Jesus.” Oh, they may not use those exact words, but the request is still there. Even though you can’t do like Philip and take a person to Jesus in the flesh, you can still let them see Jesus. How, you ask? Well, you may not notice it, but non-Christians watch us very closely. So, what do they see in you? Do they see you acting selfishly like the rest of the world? Or do they see the self-sacrificing attitude of Jesus in you. Do they see you partying hard like the rest of the world? Or do they see you enjoying God’s gifts gratefully and in moderation? Do they see and hear you gossiping and swearing like the rest of the world? Or do they see and hear the respectful and loving words of Jesus coming from your mouth? Do they see you just going through the motions of worship here at church? Or do they see you taking your worship of God seriously and allowing it to direct you all throughout the week? Quite frankly, if all that people see is negative things in our lives, then what image of Jesus do you think they’ll have?
Think about it. Why did the Greeks come to Philip? Wasn’t it because they recognized him as a follower of Jesus? It was abundantly clear that he knew Jesus intimately. That ought to be true of us modern disciples of Jesus also. Christian friends, the only way that people will be able to see Jesus in our lives is if we see Him and know Him intimately. And the way we do that is through His Holy Word and Sacraments. Are you going to your Bible daily looking to see Jesus there? Are you searching the Scriptures in Bible Class with other Christians, looking to see Jesus more clearly? Jesus has promised to be present here with us in our worship. Are you looking to see Him? He’s present here in Holy Communion just as He promised He would be. Are you looking to see Him there? In all these ways you can see Jesus with the eyes of faith and we can get to know Him better and better.
I don’t know if you realize it or not, but you have already seen and heard Jesus today in our church service. When we confessed our sins at the beginning, I turned and announced God’s forgiving grace upon you. Folks, I’m just a sinful human being like you but Jesus was speaking to you through me. I pray that you could see Jesus working through me at that time. That’s what we say we believe in the Catechism under the section on Confession. We say that when the Pastor announces those words of forgiveness, they are “just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.” Jesus wants you to be assured that all of your sins have indeed been forgiven and removed by His suffering and death. And He uses a poor, sinful human being like me for you to be able to see and hear it.
I also hope that you can see Jesus as I preach my sermons. He’s speaking to you through me. The greatest challenge is to make sure that I get out of the way and let you see Jesus. Some churches have a little plaque attached to their pulpit with the words of those Greeks on it: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” It’s a powerful reminder to the Pastor of what His purpose is. But that’s not just true for Pastors. It’s also true for you in your daily lives. Let others see Jesus in your words and in your actions. And when they do, remember that the focus is on Jesus, not on you. May that be what people see: always Jesus and Him alone. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!