Seeing Jesus

Charlotte Collins Reed
Christ Church Episcopal
March 17, 2024

5 Lent B 

          At Christ Church, our vestry meetings begin each month with the question “Where have you seen God this week?”  The answers are honest and thoughtful.  Some provoke laughter and others provoke tears as we hear about experiences of God in answered prayers, the work of medical professionals in scary situations, the antics of our children and grandchildren, the relationships among people at Christ Church, nature, and in so very many other places.  Hearing where others have seen God at work helps us see God’s presence in our own lives in new ways.  Answering that question has deepened relationships among the vestry members and brings energy and joy to our meetings.  We see each other with new eyes when we are willing to share what God has been up to in our lives.

          This morning, some Greeks approach Philip and say “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” which is simply the future version of “Where have you seen God this week?”  Philip tells Andrew, then the two disciples tell Jesus.  Jesus’ reply has always struck me as a little odd if not downright rude.  Rather than give a direct answer to the Greeks, Jesus goes on about a grain of wheat falling to the earth, losing and gaining life, and serving and following Jesus.  A simple “yes” or “no” would have sufficed.

          Rather than being rude, however, I think Jesus may be doing the Jesus version of “Be careful what you ask for.”  When we ask to see a doctor, for example, or this time of year, an accountant, we do not just want to look at a medical or tax professional.  We need something from that person.  We trust that person to provide what we need.  We want a real and honest encounter.  I believe that is what the Greeks wanted in their request to see Jesus.  They do not just want to look at Jesus.  What Jesus wants the Greeks to know is that seeing Jesus in that real and honest sense comes at a cost.

First, the Greeks will be encountering someone who will soon fall to the earth and die, in order to bear much fruit.  While the bit about the seed may be common agricultural sense, Jesus is also reminding the disciples to whom he is speaking that all of the fruit will be connected.  When the seed falls to the ground, that seed reconnects with all of creation, and when the seed finally bears much fruit, all of the fruit is connected through its relationship to the seed.  Through our connection with Jesus, we are connected with all humankind.

Secondly, those who love their life so much as to put up boundaries around it, guard it and protect it from any challenge will inevitably lose their lives.  Those who are willing to give their lives unreservedly in service to others and God will live into eternal life.  Encountering Jesus means encountering the one who models the giving of one’s life.  And thirdly, whoever serves Jesus must follow him and where Jesus is going is to give up his life for the life and love of the world.

          So, if the Greeks really want to see Jesus in a deep and honest way, they need to know what they are getting into.  And what they are getting into is living as people who are organically connected with God and the whole human family, being willing to die to self to bear much fruit, and being willing to follow Jesus as he is raised from the earth and draws the whole world to himself.

          Sir, we wish to see Jesus.  When we say “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” and only see Jesus in people who look and act like we do, we are not looking at Jesus.  When we say “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” and do not live as people who believe that the whole human family is connected through both creation and the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are not looking at Jesus.  When we say “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” and do not rise up to claim our connection with the marginalized, the vulnerable, those without power, those trying to escape war or persecution, or even our enemies, we are not looking at Jesus.  As long as we think in terms of “us” and “them” whoever us and them may be, we do not really want to see Jesus.

          Jesus reminds us this morning that seeing Jesus means seeing Jesus, serving Jesus, and following Jesus, not just when Jesus goes places where we are comfortable and feel safe, but when Jesus goes where the reconciling love of God is needed.  We practice seeking, serving, and following Jesus here at Christ Church, which is an incredible blessing but not an end in itself.  Practicing here gives us the courage and the ability t0 seek, serve and follow Jesus at all times, in all places, and with all people.  Tolerating bigotry, hatred, and division is not an option for followers of Jesus.  The only option for those who want to see and follow Jesus, is love. 

 

                                                                                      Amen.