Sermon for Sunday, March 17, 2024 || Lent 5B || John 12:20-33
I’ve always wondered what was on Jesus’ mind as he approached the last week of his earthly life. I wonder this because we face challenging times too, and imagining our way into the mind of Christ can help us navigate the necessary hardships of life. So today, let’s imagine our way into Jesus’ thoughts spurred by today’s Gospel passage. And then at the end, we’ll come back to our own thoughts as we face challenging times.
Jesus has just rode into Jerusalem on the back of the donkey. The crowds waved branches of palm and caused quite a ruckus during the parade. When he dismounts, two of his disciples, Philip and Andrew, bring some visitors to meet him. They are Greeks, who are in Jerusalem for the festival of Passover. Somehow, Jesus knows that these Greeks are the sign that his earthly ministry is almost at an end. Word of Jesus’ movement has spread far and wide. And the stunning thing about this movement is that it wasn’t designed to replace one empire with another. Above all else, Jesus yearns for people to be free – to be free to choose the light, to walk in the light, to be the light that shines on the Truth that sets free.
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