Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. (John 12:20-26)

As with Monday of Holy Week, the Bible is not clear about what happened on Tuesday. Some traditions recognize those passages, such as the above one, on Tuesday. These are the stories of Jesus speaking about his own death.

Over twenty years ago I was called to serve as the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Chickamauga, Georgia. The church sanctuary was a stately, Georgian architectural style, and it looked much like many other First Baptist churches dotted throughout the South. The pulpit, too, was of the same design with a modestly imposing presence in the center of the chancel area. My first Sunday to preach I gathered my Bible and sermon notes, proceeded from the “pastor’s chair”, and stepped behind the historic pulpit. Just as I was placing my Bible onto the desktop, I noticed words engraved on a plaque that was no doubt intended for the preacher. It was a quote from John 12, verse 21: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

Each Sunday I would see that verse – sir, we wish to see Jesus – and look into the eyes of congregants with their various and voluminous needs and hungers: bruised by domestic violence, struggling with addictions, caring for aging parents, worried sick about failing finances, filled with doubt, or just simply bored stiff. Each Sunday, no matter what I had to say and no matter why they kept showing up, I would be reminded by that plaque with the words of John 12:21, Sir, we wish to see Jesus.

Jesus is not an idea, a pleasant and polite construct so that we can all be better boys and girls.

Jesus is not a “get out of Hell free” card that we play at the end of our life, crossing our fingers that God will overlook our selfish ways.

Jesus is not the CEO of the Church Inc. whose sole function is to add to the membership roles.

Jesus is the Son of God who became flesh on this earth and becomes real in us – not by what others say about Jesus but what they see. In our gospel reading we don’t know if the Greeks ever got a chance to meet Jesus. All we know is that Philip told Andrew and together they go to Jesus. Here is how Jesus responds, according to Eugene Peterson paraphrase in The Message:

Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never anymore than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.

People really do want to see Jesus and they are looking everywhere for Jesus. They want to see Jesus in you. They cannot see Jesus in us, however, if all they see is how we are desperately clinging to things for our own survival. How can they see Jesus if our fears and anxieties are in the way? How can they see Jesus if greed defines us instead of the One who said make investments in heaven? How can they see Jesus if our only interest in life and church is what is in it for me, my wants, my needs, and my benefit?

They cannot see Jesus if our Gospel has been adulterated with a doctrine of “me” and scrubbed clean of giving, emptying and sacrifice. “… anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.”

“We wish to see Jesus.” And I believe they really do and so we, who follow Jesus through Holy Week and beyond, are invited to show them – not simply tell them, but show them. It all comes down to relating and connecting; engaging the world because we are in this world. That is how God saves us, is it not? God coming to dwell with us as a babe in a manger, as a fellow pilgrim along the way, as the one who laughs and weeps and dies among us, but who also lives even now.

We need to stop preaching the sermon and start living the sermon. We need to stop fretting about what to say to the neighbor and start loving the neighbor. We need to stop worrying about what happens on Wall Street and start living in God’s trust. We need to stop going to church and start being the church.

We wish to see Jesus. We all do.