Pastor Tom Johnson, March 22, 2015
In our Gospel today, Greeks want to see Jesus. They are the non-Jewish
believers from all around the world. These pilgrims are in Jerusalem for a
feast. Their time is limited. They hear about Jesus and want to meet Him. So
they tell Philip, one of the twelve disciples, “We wish to see Jesus.” They may want to see a miracle. Jesus just raised Lazarus from the
dead. They may want to see Jesus to hear his teaching with authority and power.
Whatever the case, they want to have their own experience with Jesus.
Years ago, someone very close to me made a similar request. She was
struggling with the teachings of the Christian faith. She wanted to know if all
the stories about Jesus were true. She wanted to validate the Bible. And so, she prayed, “God, if You are
really out there, appear to me in my room tonight. I’ll believe if I see
You with my own two eyes.” She sat up on her bed and waited…and waited…and waited. Jesus was a
no-show. God did not answer her prayer and request as she wanted. She began to
cry bitter tears that night. She was now and still convinced that Jesus was a phony—a big lie—that
it was impossible for Jesus to be both God and human. He couldn’t even answer a
child’s simple request. She gave up any hope that Christianity is a true
religion—and she hasn’t looked back for decades. I wish that her experience was rare. But it isn’t. The truth is that we’re a lot like the Greeks of
our text. We also wish to see Jesus.
We want visible, tangible proof that He is.
And we too may feel denied—like God
is not there—that He is giving us the silent treatment and the cold shoulder.
For some of us, it may be that we just want our faith to be
strengthened. We just want more spiritual reality in our lives. For others of us, it may be that we are testing
God—that we will not believe God unless we see some evidence that will satisfy
our longing. But Jesus is no one’s personal wonder-worker. He
is not there for our every beck and call. He is God. Did you notice in our Gospel reading. Jesus does not
give the Greeks a personal meeting. They may never see Jesus—at least not with their sense of sight. In fact people
do see Jesus and his signs and wonders. But they do not believe. Just a few
verses after our Gospel reading it says, “Though [Jesus] had done so many
signs before them, they still did not believe in Him.” (12:37).
But Jesus
does give something for the Greeks to hear: he says, “Very truly, I tell
you, 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.” This, dear friend, is
the language of the Cross. It’s the Gospel. Soon the world will see Jesus die and buried in the ground alone just as a seed by
itself looks lifeless—a single kernel of grain. We see death with our eyes—but we know there is life life there. Soon farmers all over the Midwest and the northern
hemisphere will bury seed in the ground will full confidence it will spring to
life. Shortly after Easter we will not be surprised to
see green leaves rising out of the ground as we drive through the countryside
or look at our gardens. We will be be no less surprised that Jesus will rise
and live again.
If we wish to see
Jesus—if we really want to know the Gospel truth—if we really want true comfort, strength, and courage—if we really want proof
of God’s love, we look with the eyes of faith to Jesus who died and
rose for us. It never becomes dull
because of the richness and depth of that message. “Very truly, I tell you, 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.” The fruit of the
Gospel is you and me. He died for the forgiveness of our sins. His
rose for our eternal life. And the fruit of His death and resurrection will
keep sprouting and giving for all eternity.
Confirmands, parents, sponsors, Christian sisters
and brothers, the world wishes to see Jesus. And you and I are the fruit they
taste and see that the Lord is good. We are the embodiment of the Gospel. Grant, we see Jesus in you—as the Old Self has
been washed away with the water, the Word and the Holy Spirit. Young women and
men, we see Jesus in you as you confess your faith, confirm your Baptism, and
journey forward in the strength of the Gospel. I see Jesus in your life. I hope you see him
through mine as we journey together to the New Jerusalem—sins forgiven, bearing
fruit for our Savior, and with the assurance of an eternal feast in the company
of all those who have and will place their faith in Jesus when we will see the
glory of our Lord and Savior face to face.
Wonderful sermon. And so nice to be able to read the text if we were unable to attend yesterday. Heard it was great (and crowded).
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