We Would See Jesus

And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired of him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serves me, him will my Father honor.

Joh 12:20-26 KJ2000

It is one of the curiosities of the New Testament. We don't know who these Greeks were; we're not even sure if the answer given here was actually delivered to them. They are standing just outside the Temple in the Court of the Gentiles—as far as a non-Jew could go. Jesus is most likely teaching in the next court, the Court of Women. So these Greeks catch a disciple with a Greek name (Philip) and ask for an interview.

The traditional history of the church tells us that these men were ambassadors from the king of Edessa, bearing an invitation to Jesus to visit that country. (Edessa was in what is now eastern Turkey). If so, Jesus declines their invitation in a magnificent way. In doing this, he lays out three principles for us:

Sacrifice for God brings great fruit. Christians often ask why they have to sacrifice. After all, God doesn't really need whatever it is we are offering, right? But our Lord makes it clear that God takes that sacrifice and multiplies it. As a father will push a child in a swing, so our Father pushes us to greater heights. He's just waiting for us to get started.

Sacrifice to God brings honor. We understand this from our earthly experiences. We honor those who sacrifice for the good of others. We award medals to soldiers who sacrifice. Is it so surprising then that God honors those who sacrifice on his behalf?

There are no half-way Christians. The temptation for those facing sacrifice is to do the job half-way, keeping back a portion for personal pleasure. Our Lord draws us a picture here: can you plant the grain of wheat half-way into the ground? If you do, it is neither fit to eat nor will it grow.

There is an old saying: you cannot jump the canyon in two leaps. The Christian life is just that: a leap across the canyon of this life into the table land of heaven. Some of us have a wide canyon to leap; others are fortunate enough to have a narrow one. But all of us must leap it in one bound. If you do not commit your all—heart, soul, mind and strength—to your Lord, it is not worth the time and trouble to commit anything. He will accept nothing less than all of you. In return, you will receive all of Him. His love, His life, His grace—all these are yours when you commit yourself entirely to him. But do not be timid about it. You don't want to change your mind half-way across the canyon.