John 12
When I was a seminarian I did field work
at Messiah Lutheran Church under Pastor Brad Beckmann. Brad is a man who is
passionate about reaching people with the love of Jesus. He cast the vision for
the congregation that we would be a church for all nations, a place where the
diverse people in our community could experience the grace of God through Jesus’
death and resurrection.
Part of the field work experience is to preach,
and I remember very clearly climbing into the beautiful, ornately decorated,
pulpit and seeing a slip of paper taped to the shelf that read simply, “Sir, we
wish to see Jesus.” It was a reminder of what a sermon, indeed, what a pastor’s
whole ministry, is supposed to be about. Helping people see Jesus, the
crucified, risen, ascended, and returning redeemer.
It is not just pastors that have the
privilege of helping others see Jesus. In our baptism we are each washed and
set aside for God’s service in the midst of our own vocations. We are given the
privilege of declaring the deeds of our savior who has called us out of
darkness into His marvelous light.
Jesus, however, makes clear that the
thing that draws people to Him is not merely His teachings or His signs (which
did not cause the people to believe anyhow), but His being lifted up - in other
words, the cross.
This is essential for us to keep in mind
and at heart when we help people see Jesus we show them the cross. We cannot
only share His parables. We dare not focus only on His ethics. It is
insufficient to speak only of the care He showed to the poor and downtrodden.
To help people see Jesus for who He truly is they must see Him crucified.
Over and over in John’s gospel we find
the comment that Jesus’ time had not come. Now, after the Triumphal Entry, as
we come to the end of Jesus’ life, He says, “The hour has come for the Son of
Man to be glorified.” He talks about dying to bear fruit. His soul is troubled,
but He knows that this is the hour that He came for and that the Father will be
glorified by His death. The cross is our
hope, salvation, and forgiveness. When we show people the cross, we show them
Jesus.
Lord, help me show people the cross so they
may know You. Amen.
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