Last night, I attended the Transformed by the Word Bible study that was taught by Sylvia Lovett.  Sylvia led us through the readings for this coming Sunday, and among the readings was one from the Gospel of John.  The context for the passage is that Jesus has just triumphantly entered into Jerusalem. The crowds are exuberantly waving branches from palm trees and receiving him with shouts of “Hosanna”. The Jewish leaders are rightfully concerned about the popularity of this radical rabbi.  And then comes this…

“Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’” (John 12:20f.)

In our Bible study, there was some discussion about who these “Greeks” were. They could have been Gentiles who were living in or visiting Jerusalem at the time. Some scholars apparently think that these Greeks were actually Jewish people living outside of Judea. This makes a lot of sense to me as these people, also, would have been required to make a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem at least once in their lives.  Whoever the Greeks were, however, one thing is almost certain: they were outsiders. Outsiders who “wish to see Jesus.”

In Jerusalem that day, there were people who triumphantly hailed Jesus.  And there were those who secretly wanted to kill Jesus.  There were those who were following Jesus.  And there were those who probably didn’t even notice Jesus.  But these Greeks… there was something different about them.  They were outsiders, and they wanted to see Jesus. They wanted to experience him. The implication is that this wasn’t just curiosity; they wanted something more, and they had a hunch that Jesus held the key.

The Holy Spirit convicted me last night, and I found myself asking, “am I among those who wish to see Jesus?” I mean, really and truly, am I one of those who are passionate about seeing, experiencing, encountering Jesus?  Do I seek him out even if it comes at some cost or puts me in danger? And is our community of faith one where those from the outside can see Jesus? If a visitor came to me saying, “I wish to see Jesus,” what would I say?  What would I do?

Sometimes it’s helpful to see through the eyes of those who are on the outside. And when I do, I find that, with them, my heart is yearning for Jesus. With these outsiders, I too, wish to see Jesus.

~Father Art