We Would See Jesus (John 12:20-21)

 

Monday, May 19, 2025

Psalm 45

Exodus 31

John 12:20-33

Observance: Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbury (d. 988)

We Would See Jesus (John 12:20-21)

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.”

St John’s masterful writing style is on full display this morning. Philip, the one to whom the Greeks came seeking Jesus, and Andrew, the one who went with Philip to Jesus, are two of the first disciples to have been called by Jesus at the very beginning of the gospel. And the invitation from Jesus at the start of the gospel is “come and see”. From the very beginning people have been wanting to see this Jesus.

Now there are more than a few young men beside an inland lake coming to see Jesus. There are Greeks, men who had travelled far to be at Jerusalem for the festival. The call of the Lord is already beginning to spread beyond the borders of Israel. If you want to see me, Jesus says, then behold my glory. The glory that comes from his own crucifixion.

Not only is Jesus glorified in his own crucifixion, but so is his Father. The ruler of this world will be cast out at the cross, and all the people of the world will be drawn in to the cross.

To see Jesus is to see the God who came and died for our sins. To see Jesus is to see the Father glorified. To see Jesus one has to lose their life in order to gain eternal life. We live in a universe that is drawn according to a cruciform pattern; the crucifixion of Jesus is the glory of God.

We often search for spiritual disciplines to help us hear God’s voice better. Consider how Jesus himself responds to those wishing to see him: that it all comes down to the cross. There is where you will find him; there is where you will hear the Father’s voice. And the other side is always there, too: the grain of wheat that dies in the earth bears much fruit. The cross and the resurrection go together.

When have you had to release control of your life for the sake of Jesus? Where was the cross of Christ in that experience? Where was his resurrection?

Glorious Father, who listens to the voice of your people through your Son: be glorified in our lives, that we may see Jesus, bear much fruit, and join you in eternal life.