“We wish to see Jesus”

John 12:20-24

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.