Father Glorify Your Name

Father Glorify Your Name

I think it is safe to say that the four Gospels tells us the story of Jesus Christ. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the Bible realizes there are differences in the four books.  There is a reason behind this.  The four authors wrote their gospels with a particular perspective and to a particular audience.  Over the centuries much bigger minds than mine have poured over the words of the Gospels. Their findings and commentaries continue to guide us to this day. Not to make light of their work, but the Gospels can be summarized as follows; Matthew-Jesus is the Son of David, Mark-Jesus is the Son of Man, Luke-Jesus is the Son of Adam, and John-Jesus is the Son of God.

At the very beginning of his Gospel, John tells us that the Word was God.  He was not saying that Jesus was identical with God, he is telling us though, that Jesus is so perfectly the same as God in mind, heart and in being that in him (Jesus) we see God. The Gospel of John is a journey of discovery for the disciples and in turn us.  Jesus is preparing his disciples for more than his death. 

When we come to today’s reading  (John 12:20-33) we soon realize the pace of events is picking up.  We also realize those events taken separately mean little. But when viewed as a whole, the words and actions of Jesus point to the central premise of John’s Gospel. Jesus is the Son of God. 

Just prior to our reading, John tells us of two events that start to fill in the blanks of what he is trying to tell us.  Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead is the first  and points like a laser to how John identifies Jesus. He is the Son of God. This act  gives Caiaphas a reason to put Jesus to death. The second event is when Mary anoints Jesus.  Mary is doing this out of love for Jesus but has no idea of the real meaning behind this act.  She is actually anointing him for his death and burial.

Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus was about 5 kilometres from Jerusalem.  It did not take long for Jesus and the disciples to travel there. Leading up to our reading, John tells us of one more  event.  The triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem. This was in full view of everyone; the Romans, the Pharisees and the huge number of people in Jerusalem for Passover. Jesus was moving every closer to what he had previously spoke of; “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”.

Our reading begins where some Greeks walk up too Philip with a request to see Jesus.  Philip then tells Andrew and both of them go to Jesus with this request.  We never find out who these Greeks are.  They could be Gentiles or they could be diaspora Jews. I don’t think this really matters though.  Their request  is important for these reasons: 1- It shows the truth of the Pharisees’ statement, “Look the world has gone after him”. 2-It shows us that God has much bigger plans than we can imagine. Philip and Andrew are excited about two Greeks seeking Jesus, this is just the beginning and just a hint of what was to come. 3-Perhaps most importantly it marks Jesus’s last public discourse.

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified”. Three times previously Jesus had said his hour had not yet come.  The appearance of the Greeks had changed that.  This was to be Jesus’s last public discourse.

The Son of Man is the favourite title Jesus uses for himself.  It shows his union with man and the love he had with man.  This title is used instead of “Son of God” because as a man, Jesus had been humble, poor and despised, but the time had come when as a man he will receive the honours of the Messiah, all people will see that yes this is the Son of God.

“Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies it produces many seeds.”  Throughout his teachings Jesus used everyday life to help explain what he was saying. Here he uses what everyone knew-agriculture.  The seed that is planted seems to die. It sacrifices everything and is gone.  What really happens though is the seed must be planted to become what it was meant to be.  A kernel of wheat was not meant to sit in a bag with even more kernels.  It is to be planted in a field so that it becomes wheat. Something it was always meant to be.  Similar to the seed or kernel “losing their life” to fulfil its real purpose, each of us needs to lose the worldly life to gain eternity.  This isn’t physical death, but the willingness to sacrifice everything in order to follow Jesus Christ.

“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”  When you first look at this sentence it seems pretty severe just what Jesus is asking of us. It’s important to understand what Jesus is saying here.  He is not saying that those who live in deliberate poverty will be saved. Or that a person must perform the right kind of actions in order to be with God for eternity.  Jesus is speaking here of a person’s state of mind.  Jesus is telling us we need to put one hundred per cent of ourselves and our effort into the will of God. Those people who cling to the world instead of Jesus Christ, show they love the world too much to truly follow Jesus.

“Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.  Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.” The focus of our lives as Christians is Jesus Christ.  Following Jesus means both pain and blessing.  As Christians we need to have the same perspective as Jesus.  This is the biggest paradox of all, death brings life.  We follow Jesus’s example of a self-giving life, we don’t cling to the world. Our primary value then becomes the blessing we receive from God.

“Now my soul is troubled.  And what should I say-‘Father, save me from this hour’?  No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.”  Jesus knows full well what is about to happen.   He asks a question and immediately answers it. Later in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus will ask this question again, but this time with the anguish his humanity demands. Jesus knows of course he can pray for this but he also knows Gods’s will is for this to happen.

“Father glorify your name.” No sooner had these words left the mouth of Jesus than another voice was heard. “I have glorified it and will glorify it again”.  This voice that thundered was for the people not for Jesus.  It was confirming the presence of the holiness and the power of God in his Son Jesus.  Two other times this had happened, the Baptism of Jesus and His transfiguration.  When had He glorified it?  John Chrysostom commenting on this passage answers; “By what had been done before.” Specifically; the wedding at Cana, the healing of the paralytic, the five loaves, Jesus walking on the sea, the healing of the man born blind and especially the raising of Lazarus. 

God had glorified His Son previously and would again.  Jesus speaks specifically of this.  “Now the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.  And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Jesus is of course speaking of his upcoming sacrifice on the cross.  God will glorify His Son, the holiness and the power of God will be confirmed in the body of Jesus.  The people had just heard God say that.  Using a metaphor for crucifixion, “When I am lifted up from the earth”, Jesus returns to a conversation he had with Nicodemus.  There, Jesus used an incident from Numbers that told of the people of Israel who suffering from a self-induced plague, found they could only be saved by looking to a bronze serpent held up on a pole.  This very act of being lifted up will draw all men to Jesus Christ. 

All through his Gospel, John is preparing his disciples for more than his death.  Jesus has been on this path for three years, but still his disciples don’t fully understand.  They won’t until they witness what lies beyond. During Lent we have also been on this path.  We have pulled ourselves away from the world to meditate on the implications of the crucifixion and also the resurrection and the ascension. Everyone of us knows death.  All too well in fact.  But what is even more difficult is to imagine the truth of resurrection and the comfort of ascension. Yes Jesus is preparing his disciples, he is also preparing you and I.