In today’s gospel, John tells us the Greeks who were in Jerusalem for the Passover ask Philip and Andrew (two strong Greek names!) to see Jesus. It leads Jesus to the conclusion, “The hour has come.”
In John’s gospel, “the hour” is the point in Jesus’ ministry when he will experience the cross—death that leads to resurrection. When Jesus heard the Greeks were asking to see him, he knew that his gospel message had reached well beyond Israel and into the Gentile world. It was a sign that the moment to complete his mission had come.
It led Jesus to say his heart was troubled, which reminds us of his time in the garden of Gethsemane in the other gospels. In the garden, Jesus’ arrest was imminent. The realization that the hour was upon him led Jesus to ask the Father to take this time of suffering away from him.
But here in John’s gospel—which takes place before the Last Supper begins—even though it’s troubling him, he fully accepts that this is the way glory will come to our Father. A voice from heaven immediately affirms Jesus that he is doing God’s will. It’s what will lead him to eventually say in the garden in full trust, “your will be done.”
It’s really a powerful gospel that sets the stage for Palm Sunday and Holy Week. Spiritually, the Church is helping us to get ready to see Jesus and to value his life and all that he did for us, which helps us value the life we share with him.
We see Jesus in the Eucharist, in the Church gathered together, in the sacraments that grace us with his presence, in the scripture we hear proclaimed, and in the faces of those we reach out to help with basic needs.
So, the Greeks’ request, “we would like to see Jesus”, spiritually has become our own. And the good news is that Jesus answers us with the invitation to “Come and see” (John 1:39). Once we know where to look, we find him!
2020 Vision Update
Last month we completed surveys about the capital campaign we’ve proposed to help move us into the 2020s. In addition to the surveys, we also conducted some one-on-one interviews with parishioners to dig a little bit deeper and to learn what’s feasible.
This week we received a report compiling the research. Our parish leadership teams—the Parish Staff, the Parish Council, Finance Council and School Board—are now meeting to talk it through and to determine where we go from here. We will provide an update shortly after Easter Sunday.
Thank you again to everyone who provided the feedback we need, so that anchored in prayer and working together, we can do what’s best for all of us.
May God continue to lead us as we journey toward Easter,