Loading...“Sir, we wish to see Jesus”
A request for a sign or proof:
Common in John’s gospel – the people ask for a sign that Jesus is who he says he is.
Also common now
From the skeptics to the curiosity seekers to people of faith,
we look for signs or proof.
We want to know that this Jesus is real and who he says he is.
(We also want to see/know now! We tend to be an impatient lot!)
NB: the Greeks who wanted to see Jesus are never heard from again,
they disappear back into the story, making them a kind of “everyman."
They ask a question that many have.
WE could be in this story, making their request.
And, Jesus answers them. But, not the request they make.
Rather they unspoken questions on their minds, on our minds:
are you really God?
How is God part of my life, and how do I know?
Does God really care about me?
“Sir, we wish to see Jesus!”
I think we’re actually asking: We wish to see how God loves us.
______________
In a former congregation,
in Bible study class, adult ed, or even sermons,
I would ask folks, “how do you see God?”
Invariably, I’d get these answers:
“In a beautiful sunset”
“In the mountains” (or, other example of creation)
“In the laughter of children”
Now, I don’t deny that God shows up and is very real for us in beautiful sunsets, the laughter of children, or in creation!
But those things do not comprise the entirety of the way we know God!
Or even large chunks of the way.
And, they definitely don’t cover the part of life that is ugly
or painful,
or, even mean.
“Sir, we wish to see Jesus!” …
and know that God is all around even when the world seems to crash around our ears.
When Covid, or unemployment, or despair, or anxiety, or grief, or some other sort of loss and suffering is … there.
_________________
Whether we’re talking about the “Greeks” in this story
(“Greeks” being those people who were not Jewish, but curious about Judaism),
the Jewish peasants or Pharisees,
the skeptics of our day,
or you and I,
many of us look for signs or some kind of proof,
maybe even a pithy saying that we can put in our pocket,
and pull out to remind ourselves
that God is God and that Jesus is really God.
But Jesus?
Jesus’ response to this question?
It’s actually kind of a non-response, at least at first look.
He doesn’t offer a grand, flashy sign – Look! I’m God!
He doesn’t even give words of proof or logic, or Biblical justification.
He doesn’t give us a pithy saying to put in our pocket.
Instead he says,
“a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, and then it can grow and bear much fruit.”
“those who serve me, must follow me”
“love your life? you’ll lose it; hate your life in this world? you’ll keep it for eternal life”
Or, another way:
You want to see Jesus’ glory? You want proof?
Then look:
A life of service
Weeping with you when you weep.
Righteously angry when there is injustice.
Serving as you serve.
Loving you constantly even when you falter.
Laying down his life; going to the cross.
Dying with you as you realize that there are parts of yourself – ego, pride, etc. – that must die.
_________
Even before Jesus was born and doing his ministry,
God has been answering these concerns in the same way.
The prophet Jeremiah – in this small section of his –
reminds us that God is as close to you as your own heart.
In fact, God is closer to you than you are to yourself!
Jeremiah uses intimate language to describe
how close God is to us.
Not in a creepy, or “bad Santa” kind of way,
but so that we are never abandoned, never cut off,
regardless of the external situation we may be in.
God is so close to us, and loves us so deeply,
that God eagerly engages in selective amnesia.
God disregards every barrier!
Even the ones that we throw up,
and the ones that we put in place through our actions.
God disregards every barrier
to be our God;
to be your God.
_________
Sir, we wish to see Jesus!
Look for the signs all around:
God in your life and very being
God in service rendered
(even when – especially when – this service is so subtle that it can be overlooked)
God in forgiving
when you experience forgiveness from others,
when you forgive others.
God in laying aside your own wants/needs
in order to turn towards others.
Here is Jesus.
Here is the love of God.
Here.
Right here amongst us, now and always. Amen.
