Jerusalem was crowded between the time of
Jesus' tumultuous arrival and the beginning of Passover. Gentiles
were welcome to observe the
festivities; and their presence could be felt. Some were amused. Others were
proselytes, hoping to be in the good graces of Israel’s God. Greeks in the
crowd may have looked for opportunities to their own proselytizing. But among those Greeks was a group whose interest in Israel and Israel's God ran deeper.
They had heard about the Messiah’s arrival and they toyed with the idea of
meeting him. However, getting close to him would have been tricky. They
needed what they did not have, someone with pull. Or...wait... maybe there was
someone.
Although Philip had been with Jesus three years, it is likely
Jesus had not nudged him away from his Greekified persona. That persona
may have been a reason why Jesus singled him out at the beginning. There are
people whom God moves to seek him; and there are those whom God prepares to
help those seekers find him.
Perhaps Philip saw them, too, and made his way toward them as they
made their way toward him. When they met they said those words which have been
sermon titles and pulpit plaques for centuries.
Sir, we would see Jesus.
This may have surprised Philip and would explain why he corralled
the other disciple with a Greek name – Andrew - so the two of them could take
the request to Jesus?
Did Jesus’ eyes widen? The request had a profound impact – kicking
off an unexpected remark about something he called his “hour.”
Did Jesus meet the Greeks? We are not told. I suspect he did. I
also wonder if that night, back on the Mount of Olives, Philip and Andrew, and maybe the
philosophical John, compared notes and began to wonder again.
The twenty-fourth of a series of Monday-Wednesday-Friday devotional thoughts on the look of looking.
These thoughts are drawn from John 12:20-23
These thoughts are drawn from John 12:20-23
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