April 6, 2003
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Prayer:
Eternal and loving God, in whose service there is both risk and honor, we want
to see Jesus, not to prove a theory, but to experience a presence; not to
observe from a distance, but to become involved; not just to listen, but to
follow and serve. Lead us beyond a quest for personal security to a passion for
the lifting up of all human life to the promises of eternity. Amen (Lavon
Bayler. Led by Love. Cleveland, United Church Press, p. 64).
The series on renewal and faith continues as we once again overhear Jesus talk about his suffering and death and eternal life. These are certainly not new themes for the gospel writers and they are, of course important for us to hear in the 40 days of the Lenten season. Still,
these words about suffering and death are not easy for us to hear, especially
now when we can turn on our televisions and radios or pick up a magazine and see
and hear stories of death and anguish in Iraq. Some part of us would rather skip
right to Easter and forego these words of crosses and death. But
the truth is that Easter does not make sense without the cross, and we simply
cannot celebrate the resurrection of Jesus if there is no death of Jesus. So
here we are hearing Jesus say one more time, that he will die and that in his
death there is a kind of charismatic power that will bring people to him. This
time Jesus makes his prediction of death not only to his disciples, but to
people outside the faith and family. The setting is the third Passover story John tells. As was the custom, people have come to Jerusalem from many nations to celebrate. Among the festival-goers were people John identified as Gentiles. They were not born into the Jewish faith, but they have become students of its laws and customs. Philip
Bence describes them this way: “That
year, these Greeks heard new rumors floating around Jerusalem: ‘a new prophet
has come.’ ‘Could he be more than a prophet?’ The Greeks concluded this
might be another clue in their treasure hunt. They followed this clue, getting
as close to the treasure chest as they could, hoping to find the key that would
unlock its grasp. Philip was a Jew, but his name came from the Greek language;
so the visiting Greeks first approached him: ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus’”
(Philip Bence. Lent 2003: The Risen Savior. Nashville. Abingdon,
2002, p.51). Their
request raises some questions. “Why do they want to see Jesus? Are they
looking for the miracle worker or the compassionate, caring Jesus? Are they
looking for fame, honor, glory? The seekers want to see Jesus because they are
in desperate need or out of curiosity. The Jesus they want to see is probably
the famous storyteller or the healer. They want to be with Jesus because they
have seen his fame and they like the honor and dignity of his presence (Carmelo
Alvarez. DisciplesWorld, “To God Is The Glory”. April, 2003, p. 15).
When Jesus gets word from Philip and Andrew that seekers are looking for him, he does not say, “show them right in”. He does not prepare a basin so that they can wash their hands and feet, as hospitality customs would dictate. He does not even offer food or drink to his visitors. Instead he begins to talk with them and Philip and Andrew along with the crowd that has already gathered around him about what his coming death will mean. They
came to see Jesus. He wants them to see deeper and to know him as he is, and to
understand what his life and death will be about. They came to see Jesus and Jesus
gave them a vision of life. The vision was is not one of life versus
death, but of life in abundance here and into eternity. Then he talks to them about seeds. A grain of seen must fall into the earth, die, be buried, take root, find nourishment, and then emerge in all of its fullness to renewed life. That is true for farmers and weekend gardeners who enjoy lush lawns, colorful flowerbeds, and vegetables in the backyard. The
rain late Friday and early Saturday morning left some yards full of waving
blades of grass. Some people took advantage of last week’s warm days and began
preparing their yards for the flowers and bushes and other greenery that will
give us such pleasure later this spring and this summer. Bulbs planted in the
ground in the fall are yielding daffodils and other signs of spring. Of course Jesus is speaking about the life we must let die in order for new life to emerge. The confessions and regrets on the cross are what we have made up our minds to let die, so that something greater can find life in us. The process of dying must take place, otherwise we are left with kernels of wheat and corn, or a single stray bit of rice. We are left with nothing to sustain us. But if it dies, if it is buried, it will bear fruit, and it will bear an even greater life. That greater life comes through the second part of the vision Jesus shares. He gives us a vision of sacrifice. To sacrifice is to give something up in order to gain something greater. The word sacrifice has the same root as the word sacred, so another meaning of sacrifice is to treat something as holy. We know about sacrifice. Parents and spouses give up time for themselves to gain the greater gift of nurturing and caring for their children, and strengthening their relationships. Some students give up leisure time to study for the greater gifts of new knowledge and graduation. We are called upon to sacrifice our money and other resources, to make them sacred in order to glorify God and support the ministries of this church as well as other organizations to which we belong. We have been given a vision of sacrifice. “Make your life so sacred”, Jesus says, “that you will be willing to lose it in order to find it with me”. Give your life, your dreams, and your aspirations to me, don’t give them to the world. Some people will tell us that being in the world means enjoying things outside of church, such as secular music, movies, and fancy clothes. But, I contend that being in the world has nothing to do with going to movies, listening to secular music, wearing stylish clothes, or dancing. For John, “the world“ is that place where there is no need of God. It is where chaos rules. It is where unbelievers live. It is that place in the spirit where fear is greater than courage, and selfishness is greater than compassion. It is where my needs are more important than anyone else’s, hate is stronger than love, and where the Tempter Satan is greater than the protective and saving power of God. We are in the world. As it happens, we have been talking how in Bible study about high priestly prayer Jesus offers in John 17. In that prayer, Jesus prays that God will not take his disciples out of the world (vs. 15). Rather he prays that God will protect us while we are in the world. Our protection is our faith in God, our devotion to Christ, and our reliance on the Holy Spirit. Jesus prays that we who are embraced by the love of God, will be able to face the world but not be overwhelmed by it. In fact, by the grace of the one who declares that he has overcome the world, we can be in it, but not of it. Indeed, we can have such faith that eternal life is ours for Jesus says, if we will serve him, if we will come and follow him, we will go where he goes, and God will see us and honor our service. Someone in the crowd must have raised an objection to all of his talk about losing lives. “No Jesus. We didn’t come for this. We came to hear a positive word from you. This death talk is too disturbing. We want to know how to serve you, and you are still a young man. Please do not talk about death.” Jesus knows that he is at a hard moment, and if we follow him, we will learn that it is our moment too. But what kind of moment is it? Is it a moment of retreat in which Jesus says, “OK. You are right. This cross business is too tough. Forget all that I just said. Forget all that has led me to this time”. Is it that kind of retreating moment? Jesus answers the question and as he does he gives us the third vision, which is a vision of time. He knows that he has come to a moment not measured by time. This is a moment when God steps into time and marks it in a way we will not forget. The Greek visitors would call it a kairos moment. All of his ministry has pointed to this hour and it would not come until everything else is in place. At the wedding feast in Cana Jesus says to his mother, “my hour has not yet come” (John 2.4). When his teaching amazes the people, and threatens the religious leaders of Jerusalem, so that they want to arrest him, they cannot because “his hour has not yet come” (John 7.30 and 8.20). Now his hour has come, and as it does, nothing will be the same. As he predicts his death, Jesus also asks that God’s glory be made evident. When it is, no one except Jesus is sure what it is they have heard. “What was that sound? Was it an angel? Was it thunder? What are to make of this? We ask the same question. Did I hear God speak? How will I know that it is God’s voice I hear? What shall we do?” We can do this. We can listen and understand that thunder and angelic voices are signs of God speaking. God has spoken about the glorification of Jesus Christ and because he is glorified, all that keeps us away from God is about to be dispersed. We can claim the vision Jesus has laid before us. Philip Bence asks, “are we willing to ask for a fuller vision of Jesus, a clearer view of following him, so that we can be with him as he is? If we are, then know that as we seek Jesus, he will seek us (Bence, p. 52). We can lift the savior up and understand that the cross is only for a moment in time. But we know that there is more to the story. We must stop at the cross, but our journey takes us further. We can make the same statement as the Gentiles. We wish to see Jesus. As we seek him, he will seek us and when we find each other, we will make room in our hearts for him, and he will make room in eternity for us. As he is lifted up, so will we be lifted up too, Jesus who knows our losses and fears, who understands our suffering and pain, will lift us up. We will be lifted up. Like the Gentile seekers, we are eager to know his healing touch and to hear his assuring voice. Like him we long to see a new day when evil is overcome and wrong cannot prevail. We wait for the day when we are lifted up and equipped for life day by day into eternity (adapted from Bayler, p. 64). We have been given a vision that includes a prediction and a promise. The prediction is of his death and it will be so. The promise will also be fulfilled, in fact by the way God reckons time, the promise is being fulfilled right now. After the crucifixion, there will be a magnificent resurrection. Once again, God will be glorified and we who wish to see Jesus will see him as he is. Look ye saints, the sight is glorious. To God is the glory. Amen. Dr.
LaTaunya M. Bynum |
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Broad
Street Christian Church
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