Fifth Sunday in Lent, Cycle B
Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 119:9-16, John 12:20-33
In today’s Gospel reading, there were some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus right before Jesus died on the cross. John 12:1, 12 gave us a hint that this happened five days before Jesus died. Why did they want to see Jesus? And why did they come to Jerusalem? You may know that Greeks believed in so many gods and they had highly developed culture in Jesus’ time and it was very influential all over the world including Palestine area at that time. But then, some Greeks wanted to become Jewish and they came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast. According to the Law, non-Jewish cannot come inside the temple but only can stay outside courtyard. Furthermore, non-Jewish people cannot come closer and talk with Jewish Rabbi because they are unclean according to Jewish tradition. Jewish religion is very exclusive and not open to outsiders. Nevertheless, the Greeks traveled the long way to Jerusalem to worship the Jewish God and wanted to become Jewish. During the festival, the Greeks might have heard about Jesus and became curious about him. They wanted to meet with him and talk with him. So they asked Philip, one of the disciples of Jesus, if they can see Jesus. As I mentioned before, they only can stay outside of courtyard and they cannot go inside to see Jesus by themselves. After hearing from Philip, Jesus said this seemingly irrelevant answer: “The time has come for the Son of Man to receive glory. What I’m about to tell you is true. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” What does he mean by that? It seems like a ///How bout claiming?/// very important statement here. So let’s take a closer look at what Jesus is telling them. What is “the time”? You can guess that the time means when Jesus died on the cross. Because Jesus also said that “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed.” But Jesus says that dying on the cross is receiving glory. Why? Why is he going to die instead of teaching God’s Word, healing the sick and being the King the Messiah who conquer Rome and build a strong nation? Jesus’ intention was not focused on physical world but spiritual salvation to all people. We cannot save ourselves by our strength, wisdom, and our own righteousness because of our miserable sins. For this reason, Jesus came to shed his innocent blood for fulfilling God’s punishment toward us. Then, what does it mean that “if the seed dies, it produces many seeds?” It means that Jesus’ death will bring salvation not only for Jewish people but also for all who believe in Jesus Christ as their savior. As I mentioned before, Jewish tradition teaches that only Jewish is God’s chosen people and only they are allowed God’s grace and mercy. They condemned outsiders as unclean people and considered them like dog or animal. But Jesus Christ, in these verses, says salvation is for all people in the whole world so that no one would be excluded or neglected. The Greeks couldn’t come close and talk with Jesus by the Law of Jewish, but now we can come and worship freely by the blood of Jesus Christ. What a great news and what a great love!
Now Jesus asks us to follow him. Today’s Gospel reading in verse 26 says that “Anyone who serves me must follow me. And where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” Jesus wants us to become another seeds to produce many seeds and fruits as well. Jesus also said that “Anyone who loves their life will lose it. But anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it and have eternal life.” But how can we hate our life? Does it mean that we have to die physically to follow Jesus?
I am going to give you a present. It is seeds from various plants. This tiny little seeds have potential ability to grow and bear fruits in the future. But if the seed doesn’t want to change what it is, it will remain as the seed itself. But if it is spread out on the ground and stay in the wet and dark soil and become rot and die, it will grow and sprout the leaves and become beautiful plant or tree and bear fruits which will give great joy to the farmer. Today’s lesson teaches us that this seed means Jesus’ death and resurrection. But for us, this seed could be you to sacrifice yourself for others just like Jesus sacrificed and died for us. It could also be your time to spend to help and love your neighbors. It could be your money to share with the poor and hunger. It also could be your talents, wisdom, and your strength to use to make a better world. Also it could be your sin to give up or repent to return to God and love God.
Jesus wants you to follow him the path that he walked through. Jesus is telling you that “If you want to see me, just like the Greeks wanted to see me, be prepared to become like me. Prepare to follow me on the road I am going.”
But sometimes we love ourselves too much to follow him. The process of giving up ourselves is not pleasant and not enjoyable. And sometimes it seems like we are losing our private life and it’s just hard to hate ourselves and our life. And sometimes we serve God in our own favor and believe that this is my love toward God.
When my younger sister was about 10 years old, she gave my father a birthday present, and what she gave him was a pair of hair pins. After opening the present, my father told her, “You see, my hair is short, so I don’t need it. Here, you can keep it instead of me.” So she took it and wore it on her head. I don’t know if she bought the hair pins on purpose or not. But she took an advantage of it by giving the present which my father didn’t need. This is a cute story but just think about it, whether or not we are doing the same thing to God. We might think that our work and effort for God is accepted as the act of love by God. But think more deeply and carefully. Are the work and effort we put to serve God really for God or for our benefit and satisfaction? Jesus Christ is reaching out his nailed hand to us and is asking us to follow his way and is saying that “I am going to glory. I am going to bear much fruit. And the way I am going is by hating my life in this world, by suffering and dying for you. Therefore, Follow me. Die with me. Hate your life in this world with me and serve me.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 119:9-16, John 12:20-33
In today’s Gospel reading, there were some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus right before Jesus died on the cross. John 12:1, 12 gave us a hint that this happened five days before Jesus died. Why did they want to see Jesus? And why did they come to Jerusalem? You may know that Greeks believed in so many gods and they had highly developed culture in Jesus’ time and it was very influential all over the world including Palestine area at that time. But then, some Greeks wanted to become Jewish and they came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast. According to the Law, non-Jewish cannot come inside the temple but only can stay outside courtyard. Furthermore, non-Jewish people cannot come closer and talk with Jewish Rabbi because they are unclean according to Jewish tradition. Jewish religion is very exclusive and not open to outsiders. Nevertheless, the Greeks traveled the long way to Jerusalem to worship the Jewish God and wanted to become Jewish. During the festival, the Greeks might have heard about Jesus and became curious about him. They wanted to meet with him and talk with him. So they asked Philip, one of the disciples of Jesus, if they can see Jesus. As I mentioned before, they only can stay outside of courtyard and they cannot go inside to see Jesus by themselves. After hearing from Philip, Jesus said this seemingly irrelevant answer: “The time has come for the Son of Man to receive glory. What I’m about to tell you is true. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” What does he mean by that? It seems like a ///How bout claiming?/// very important statement here. So let’s take a closer look at what Jesus is telling them. What is “the time”? You can guess that the time means when Jesus died on the cross. Because Jesus also said that “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed.” But Jesus says that dying on the cross is receiving glory. Why? Why is he going to die instead of teaching God’s Word, healing the sick and being the King the Messiah who conquer Rome and build a strong nation? Jesus’ intention was not focused on physical world but spiritual salvation to all people. We cannot save ourselves by our strength, wisdom, and our own righteousness because of our miserable sins. For this reason, Jesus came to shed his innocent blood for fulfilling God’s punishment toward us. Then, what does it mean that “if the seed dies, it produces many seeds?” It means that Jesus’ death will bring salvation not only for Jewish people but also for all who believe in Jesus Christ as their savior. As I mentioned before, Jewish tradition teaches that only Jewish is God’s chosen people and only they are allowed God’s grace and mercy. They condemned outsiders as unclean people and considered them like dog or animal. But Jesus Christ, in these verses, says salvation is for all people in the whole world so that no one would be excluded or neglected. The Greeks couldn’t come close and talk with Jesus by the Law of Jewish, but now we can come and worship freely by the blood of Jesus Christ. What a great news and what a great love!
Now Jesus asks us to follow him. Today’s Gospel reading in verse 26 says that “Anyone who serves me must follow me. And where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” Jesus wants us to become another seeds to produce many seeds and fruits as well. Jesus also said that “Anyone who loves their life will lose it. But anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it and have eternal life.” But how can we hate our life? Does it mean that we have to die physically to follow Jesus?
I am going to give you a present. It is seeds from various plants. This tiny little seeds have potential ability to grow and bear fruits in the future. But if the seed doesn’t want to change what it is, it will remain as the seed itself. But if it is spread out on the ground and stay in the wet and dark soil and become rot and die, it will grow and sprout the leaves and become beautiful plant or tree and bear fruits which will give great joy to the farmer. Today’s lesson teaches us that this seed means Jesus’ death and resurrection. But for us, this seed could be you to sacrifice yourself for others just like Jesus sacrificed and died for us. It could also be your time to spend to help and love your neighbors. It could be your money to share with the poor and hunger. It also could be your talents, wisdom, and your strength to use to make a better world. Also it could be your sin to give up or repent to return to God and love God.
Jesus wants you to follow him the path that he walked through. Jesus is telling you that “If you want to see me, just like the Greeks wanted to see me, be prepared to become like me. Prepare to follow me on the road I am going.”
But sometimes we love ourselves too much to follow him. The process of giving up ourselves is not pleasant and not enjoyable. And sometimes it seems like we are losing our private life and it’s just hard to hate ourselves and our life. And sometimes we serve God in our own favor and believe that this is my love toward God.
When my younger sister was about 10 years old, she gave my father a birthday present, and what she gave him was a pair of hair pins. After opening the present, my father told her, “You see, my hair is short, so I don’t need it. Here, you can keep it instead of me.” So she took it and wore it on her head. I don’t know if she bought the hair pins on purpose or not. But she took an advantage of it by giving the present which my father didn’t need. This is a cute story but just think about it, whether or not we are doing the same thing to God. We might think that our work and effort for God is accepted as the act of love by God. But think more deeply and carefully. Are the work and effort we put to serve God really for God or for our benefit and satisfaction? Jesus Christ is reaching out his nailed hand to us and is asking us to follow his way and is saying that “I am going to glory. I am going to bear much fruit. And the way I am going is by hating my life in this world, by suffering and dying for you. Therefore, Follow me. Die with me. Hate your life in this world with me and serve me.”