John 12:20-26

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." (John 12:20-21)

If someone were to say to you, “Sir/Madam, I wish to see Jesus,” what would you do? Where would you take them? Where would you point and say, “There he is!”? 

Notice Jesus’ response when the request of the Greeks reached him. He said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” In John’s Gospel, “glory” is symbolic language for Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus is glorified in his death. When the world starts asking to see Jesus, he says, “You can find me on the cross.”

While our knee-jerk reaction is to look for Jesus in happy, joy-filled places, the cross is where Jesus is both hidden and revealed. This is what Martin Luther referred to as a “theology of the cross.” To see Jesus on the cross is to see a God who enters our pain and despair and brings us from death to life. 

 John 12:20-26 NRSV

 20 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.