We want to see Jesus? That is the question that a group of Greeks ask Philip. We want to see Jesus. Is this not the same quest that drives our spiritual life? We want to see Jesus. The fact that John describes these inquirers as Greeks is interesting and important. By defining them as Greeks it sets them apart from Jesus’ own ethnicity of Jews. These are outsiders seeking Jesus. This inquiry comes immediately following Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem – the event that will be celebrated next week on Palm Sunday. It must have been a breathtaking event to have Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey with palm branches waving and the people calling out “Hosannah,” which literally means “save” or “rescue.” The spectacle caught their attention, and they wanted to meet Jesus.
What is interesting is that their request goes nowhere. It goes nowhere, not because Jesus rebukes them for such an audacious request. It goes nowhere because John leaves this thread hanging in his writing of this incident. Their request is never directly addressed. Once Philip and Andrew tell Jesus about the appeal, Jesus launches into a discussion about glorification, self-sacrifice, and Jesus’ “hour.”
So, what’s going on? Does Jesus simply ignore the request? Or does John, as the narrator, lose track of his story and forget to tie up a loose end? Is this a faux pas for either Jesus or John? Or is something else going on?
Remember that the gospel of John has a frequent motif of dual levels. There is the superficial level, then the deeper, more spiritual level (i.e., you must be born again). It seems as if this is what is occurring here. The Greeks want to see Jesus in a physical sense. They want an audience with the Rabbi from Galilee. Jesus, however, doesn’t want them to see him with their eyes but perceive him (and his mission) with their hearts, minds, and souls.
Following their request, he begins a discourse on what his life and mission are all about. If Jesus is not merely ignoring the Greeks and if John is not incompetent in telling stories, then what occurs is that Jesus offers a corrective. The Greeks want to see Jesus – the man. Jesus, however, wants them to perceive his mission. The Greeks want an audience with a person. Jesus wants them to get a glimpse of God. What Jesus does in this passage is provide the interpretive framework for what takes place. Lest people get it wrong – he is not the conquering king like Palm Sunday might suggest, and he is not the victim of circumstances as Good Friday suggests – Jesus wants people to know exactly what is going on.
The key to “seeing” or perceiving Jesus is to understand his “glorification,” his being “lifted up,” and his “hour.” John tells the story of Jesus’ passion and crucifixion differently than the synoptic gospels (Mt, Mk, & Lk). In the synoptic gospels, the life of Jesus looks like a giant “U.” Jesus’ ministry, teaching, healing, and miracle (his earthly ministry) represent the first line and high side of the “U.” However, his arrest, trial, and brutal punishment represent a descent into the clutches of evil. His crucifixion is the climax of injustice and sin and the nadir of the U. The resurrection represents the turning of the tide and the overcoming of injustice. It is in the empty tomb that God vindicates Jesus. It is in Easter that Jesus is restored to his glory.
But this is not the case in the Gospel of John. The graph of Jesus’ life is not so much a “U” but a line that is moving up and then rises precipitously at the end. Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the cross in John’s gospel isn’t a descent into the depths of evil human beings but an ascent into the fullness of Jesus’ revelation of God. For John, the passion and death of Jesus, that is to say the cross, is the final and fullest revelation about the nature of God. For John, there is no better picture of who God is and what is the nature of God and what is the heart, mind and will of God. With Jesus on the cross, we get the best portrait of the God whom Jesus reveals.
Hence, Jesus refers to what is happening as his glorification. He also speaks about his crucifixion throughout the gospel as his hour. This is what his life was pointing to. This is what Jesus came for. This is the completion of his mission. This is the final and best revelation of who God is. For John, the crucifixion depicts the apex of God’s love and the fullness of God’s embrace. When humans were at their worst, God was at God’s best. When humans inflicted one of the most horrific punishments ever devised to God’s own Son, a just, loving, compassionate, perfect human being, God chose to forgive rather than seek vengeance.
Do you want to see Jesus? Perceive the truth of his glorification: God is love. God is seeking, welcoming, and forgiving. I pray that in the journey through the cross to the empty tomb, you will not only preach this trust or know this truth but also experience it in the fullness of your being.
