Tuesday,
March 22, 2016
Go to VIDEO
Some
Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration paid
a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” Philip
told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus. Jesus replied, “Now the
time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I
tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies,
it remains alone. But its death will
produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those
who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this
world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to
serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves
me. John 12:20-26(NLT)
It was a simple enough request; it’s
hard to understand why Philip just didn’t take the Greeks to Jesus.
This passage has always seemed to me a
microcosm of what is sometimes the biggest problem we have in the church – an “organizational-bog”
nightmare. The travelers who came to
Jerusalem wanted to see Jesus, so they made their request to one of the
organization’s insiders, Philip. Philip
turned it into a committee project, telling Andrew, and together they brought it
to Jesus, chair of the board, for approval.
Jesus’ answer must have confused the
disciples, because he didn’t give them an answer they could take back to the
delegation who wanted to meet the carpenter from Galilee. Instead, with a wistful look in his eyes, Jesus
starts talking about seed-planting and harvests, loving and hating life, and servants
his Father will honor.
How could the disciples make sense of
responses like these in the face of an important request to which the board
must give an answer? Was the chairman
losing it?
One day, more than thirty years ago,
our youngest daughter, Carrie gave me an answer to that question. Think wide-open baby blue eyes, blonde pigtails and a smile that melts even the coldest heart. She was only three, and overheard Elizabeth
and I talking about the bills, and my whining about how there just wasn’t
enough money this month. Carrie went to
her room and then showed up at the table where I’d been agonizing over the
budget. “Here, Daddy, you can use my
money.” She held up a pudgy little
opened hand containing three pennies.
The answer to my money woes was not
to be found in the income and outgo of a budget and checkbook, but a different
way of thinking about God’s supply and demand.
I had been thinking in terms of “covering the bills” while my child
understood the greater principle of how love gives everything.
And that’s what Jesus was talking
about to Andrew and Philip. They were
concerned about the schedule of appearances and whether Jesus would have time
to meet another request on his time. But Jesus
wanted them to lift their eyes higher to a cross and the sacrifice of the ages.
Jesus knew you don’t build a kingdom
with tweet-followers, elections or donations; it’s a matter of making yourself
available for God’s altar.
For You Today
It’s a good principle to
remember today (and always) when you get a somewhat confusing answer…God’s ways
are a little higher than yours. When it
doesn’t seem to make sense, look up!
[1] Title Image: By Andrew A. Shenouda from
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (It's the Holy Week!), via Wikimedia Commons
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