For Sunday, March 22, 2015 – John 12:20-33
What they want is quite simple: they want to see Jesus. Maybe they think if they can just see him, be in his presence even briefly, they will know him better, and better understand the kind of kingdom he is ushering in. They get more than they bargain for. They end up being privy to one of Jesus’ big teachings, a teaching that eradicates any misunderstanding about the sort of kingdom he has in mind, the sort of glory he is moving toward.
The realm to which he is calling us, to which he is giving himself, will not be achieved through physical or psychological prowess. Those who follow him will not conquer through pride and power, but through the humility — the humiliation — of offering themselves even unto death, losing their lives for the sake of the world. Love and forgiveness shall be the only weapons. Regardless of how much we all might want to be whisked away from the demands of our lives, might want to cast off the weight of the world and condemn our enemies, we serve the God of love by following love to its ultimate sacrifice.
We are not told how these listeners react to the teaching, but the scripture says the truth of it troubles Jesus. Even Jesus thinks about trying to get out of what lies ahead. “My soul is troubled. What shall I say — ‘Father, save me from this hour’?” But then he remembers that this seemingly impossible dream is the very reason he has “come to this hour.” So he simply says to the love of his life, his Source and Sustenance, “Glorify your name.” Whatever I might have wanted, all of it, is yours. The success, the glory, the loss, the gain, I lay it down.
If his own teachings are difficult for Jesus, won’t they also be difficult for us? We must be careful not to romanticize them, not to draw too many hearts and flowers around the edges, making them into a caricature of devotion. To be truly devoted to the realm of mercy is not to win a personal sweepstakes, but to die. Whatever might be ours to gain, we let it go in order to gain what we can never lose.
