Podcasts about some greeks

Some Greeks wished to see Jesus. Philip and Andrew told Jesus about them. Instead of acknowledging them, He spoke about one grain of wheat. That grain only multiplies if it dies. Jesus is the One Grain of Wheat.

PREPARING FOR THE PASSOVER  After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead Caiaphas the High Priest unintentionally prophesied that Jesus' death would not be for Israel only, but for all the children of God scattered around the world, and from that time on the Jewish leaders began plotting the death of Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus then stopped his public ministry and left Bethany, near Jerusalem, and went to the edge of the desert, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there for a while with his disciples before returning to Bethany. Reading on now in the next chapter of the Gospel of John. John 12:1 As the Passover approached, many people came to Jerusalem early for the cleansing rituals, and in the Temple they whispered, “Will Jesus come?” And hearing this the chief priests and Pharisees warned everyone to report him so they could arrest him. Six days before Passover Jesus arrived in Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he had raised from the dead. A dinner was held in Jesus' honour and while Lazarus reclined with Jesus Martha served, and Mary came and poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet, wiping them with her hair, with the fragrant aroma filling the house.  Judas Iscariot objected to Mary doing this, pretending to care for the poor, though he often stole from the disciples' funds, and Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She's preparing me for burial. The poor you will always have with you, but not me.” Crowds gathered, wanting to see both Jesus and Lazarus, while the chief priests even plotted to kill Lazarus, since many were believing in Jesus because of him. The next day, news of Jesus' arrival spread, and as Jesus entered Jerusalem for the Passover week the whole city was stirred. People in the crowd were saying “It's Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee, and the large crowd came out to meet him waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosannah. blessed is the King of Israel!”  Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a young donkey, fulfilling the prophecy from Zechariah: “Don't be afraid, people of Israel. Your King comes, riding on a donkey's colt.” But the disciples only understood this later, after Jesus was risen in glory.  Jesus then went into the Temple into the court of the gentiles and drove out the Temple money changers, angrily overturning their tables while they were selling doves at exorbitant prices to the visiting Jewish pilgrims. He said, “The Scriptures say, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,' but you've turned it into a den of thieves!” And the blind and the crippled came to him in the Temple, and he healed them, but when the chief priests and religious leaders saw the miracles and heard children shouting, “God bless the Son of David!” they were angry. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked Jesus. “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven't you read the Scriptures? ‘Even children and infants will give praise.' Those who had witnessed the raising of Lazarus spread the word, which drew even more people, and the Pharisees were getting desperate and said, “We've lost, everyone's following him!” Some Greeks who had come for Passover asked Philip if they could meet Jesus and Jesus responded, “The time has come for me to be glorified. Like a grain of wheat, I must fall into the ground and die in order to produce a harvest of new life in the earth. Those who cling to life will lose it; those who give it up for my sake will gain eternal life, and anyone who wants to follow me must go where I go, and the Father will honour them.” Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify your name,” and a voice from heaven replied, “I have, and I will again.” Some thought it was thunder; others said an angel spoke. But Jesus told them, “The voice was for your sake, and now is the time for a time of crisis that will test and assess the world. When I'm lifted up, I'll draw everyone to me,” referring to his death.  The crowd was confused. “Isn't the Messiah supposed to live forever?” Jesus answered, “Walk in the light while you have it. Then you will become children of light.” After saying this, he left and stayed out of sight for a short time, and despite all his miracles, many still didn't believe. But Isaiah had prophesied this, saying their eyes and hearts would be hardened so they wouldn't turn and be healed. Yet some leaders did believe, but kept silent, fearing the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue because they valued human praise more than` God's. Then Jesus came back to speak once again to the crowd and cried out, “If you trust me, you're trusting God who sent me. I've come as light into the darkness. I didn't come to judge the world but to save it. But those who reject me and my words will be judged by the truth I've spoken. These are not my own words—they're from the Father, who gives eternal life. And I say exactly what he tells me to say.” Reading on into the next chapter of John – Chapter 13:1 On the evening of the Passover supper, Jesus knew his time on earth was ending and he would soon return to the Father, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot to betray him during the supper. Jesus, fully aware of his own divine origin and destiny, showed his deep love for his disciples by getting up from the table, removing his robe, wrapping a towel around himself, and beginning to wash their feet. When he reached Peter, Peter protested, “Lord, you shouldn't be washing my feet! Jesus said, “You don't understand now, but you will later.” Peter insisted, “Never! “Jesus replied, “If I don't wash you, you can't share life with me.”  Then wash my hands and head too!” Peter said. Jesus told him, “A person who has bathed only needs their feet washed to be fully clean. And you are clean—though not all of you,” referring to Judas who would betray him. After washing their feet, Jesus put on his robe and asked, “Do you understand what I've done? You call me ‘Lord' and ‘Teacher'—and rightly so. And if I, your Lord, have washed your feet, you should wash one another's. I've just given you an example of what serving means —you know that I have served you so serve one another, and you'll be blessed. “I'm not speaking to all of you; I know whom I've chosen. But the Scripture must be fulfilled: ‘The one who shares my bread will betray me.' I'm telling you now so when it happens, you'll believe. Anyone who welcomes my messenger welcomes me—and the One who sent me.” Deeply troubled, Jesus said, “One of you will betray me.” The disciples were all stunned, and each one said to him ‘Is it I Lord, except for John who leaned in and asked, “Lord, who is it? ” Jesus answered, “It's the one I give this piece of bread to.” Then he dipped it and gave it to Judas Iscariot. As soon as Judas ate it, Satan entered him. Jesus said to Judas, “Hurry—go and do what you must do.”  The others didn't understand—some thought Jesus was sending Judas out to buy food or give money to the poor. Judas left quickly, stepping into the night. Once he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified, and God will be glorified in him. Dear children, I'll be with you only a little longer. You'll look for me, but you can't come where I'm going. “So I give you a new command: love one another as I have loved you. Your love for each other will show the world that you are my disciples.” Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “You can't follow me now—but you will later. “But why not now?” Peter asked. “I'm ready to die for you!” Jesus answered, “Die for me? Before the rooster crows tomorrow, you'll deny three times that you even know me.” The Last Supper was the last time Jesus would gather with all of his disciples in one place and teach them and model to them the way of serving and loving one another. When he broke the bread and drank the cup with him he said ‘do this in remembrance of me'. He was telling them of his expectation of how they would live for him with loyalty and unity and sacrificial love for one another and for the world. But he also told them the reality that in the hours to come one of them would betray him and one of them would deny him and that all of them would scatter and desert him when he surrendered himself to those who would take him and kill him. The disciples were incredulous to all of this, still not understanding the meaning of the things Jesus did and said, and this was what Jesus had expected. But the actions and words he expressed that night were immortalised, and would be lived out, serving as a remembrance for his disciples and for all of humanity who would believe. Heaven would soon bestow faith and the grace upon the earth through the Holy Spirit, and the events of that evening would encourage and inspire and challenge every soul that hears this story. The man Judas allowed darkness to take over his being because of his wilful anger and resentment because of his lost hopes to bring about his idea of justice. He regretted what he did immediately after his treachery.  Judas was unable to surrender the demand of his self-centred justice that drove his life. Instead of letting Jesus die for him and give him a new life he took his own life in his despair. Nevertheless, Jesus still died for him and said to his Father on the cross ‘forgive them Father they know not what they do.' Not one of them knew what they were doing. Perhaps Mary his mother understood because it was the sword that continually pierced her heart, which was prophesied to her by Simeon when Jesus was dedicated as a baby. The man Peter denied him just as Jesus predicted but his sin was not angry or resentful but a fear of being associated with the shame of what he saw as the failure of Jesus' mission. He lived to receive the forgiveness and repentance and faith in the totally committed love of Jesus for him. He received the commission to live in partnership with Jesus as a witness of his resurrection.  When we can believe in the totally committed love of Jesus for us and we can accept our imperfect selves as being loved with so much compassion, we can then allow that love and compassion to flow out from us into the imperfect lives of the people in our personal world. We, like Peter receive that commission to be in partnership with Jesus in reconciling people to God for forgiveness and receiving the faith and the grace to be transformed into his likeness as a New Creation. Amen

Last Sunday, we began a new six-sermon series called “We Are Cities Church.” We've been through some distinct seasons in almost ten years as a church, and now find ourselves on the front end of a new one. You might summarize our first five years, from founding to COVID, as a time of being planted. And from early 2020 until last summer, as a time of becoming rooted. Last fall we talked about coming into a new season of growth in the life of our church, and as part of this last year, the pastors have given time to revisiting who we are and what we're called to as a church.Last week Jonathan said, “If you've been around Cities Church for a while, we don't expect that you'll be surprised by anything you hear. If you're brand-new, we're excited for you to meet our church, and if you're semi-new, we hope this might fill in some gaps for you.”Jonathan finished the sermon last Sunday by introducing a fresh expression of our stated mission as a church:Our mission has always been, and will always be, to make disciples of Jesus. That's what Jesus tells us to do. And when it comes to what we mean by making disciples, we want to make joyful disciples of Jesus who remember his realness in all of life.This morning, and the next three Sundays, we'd like to flesh this out — in particular, we want to introduce a new fourfold way of capturing what we mean by “joyful disciples of Jesus”:We are Jesus worshipers.We are joyful servants.We are generous disciplers.We are welcoming witnesses. Until now, we've talked about our threefold calling as worshipers, servants, and missionaries. Now, we'd like to take that same pie, and cut it into four slices, instead of three — and add some adjectives. So, next Sunday, we'll focus on joyful servants. Then, in two weeks, generous disciplers. And in three weeks, welcoming witnesses. But this morning, we begin with what is first and foremost, and what remains most unchanged and totally untweaked from day one to year ten: we worship Jesus.We have it on the back doors, with no plan to remove it: We worship Jesus. We love one another. We seek the good of the Cities.If you want to know what's the first thing to say about Cities Church, it's this: we worship Jesus. For outsiders who ask, Who are those people? And for insiders who ask, Who are we? There is nothing more fundamental than we worship Jesus.So let's ponder what each of those three words carries for us. What do we mean by “worship”? And what's significant about that “we”? And why do we say “Jesus,” and not just “God” or “the Father” or “the Trinity”?And as we do that, we'll make some connections to the passage we just read in John 12:20–26. Let me give you three reasons why our first and foremost calling is to be “Jesus worshipers.” Let's start with the word worship.1. God made you to worship.Not just us, but you. This is very personal, and all important. If you don't realize this about yourself, much of your own life will be confusing, and if you do know this, and own it, then far more of your life, and your thoughts and your desires and impulses, will make sense.God made you. You were created by him. You do not simply exist. You are not matter plus chance plus time. You have a Creator, who had designs in making you, and the overarching design is that your life reflect the worth and value of the Creator. In other words, God made you to make much of him, and (good news!) that through enjoying him, and expressing your heart's satisfaction in him through words and deeds. Or, we might say it this way: God designed you to worship him — in body and in soul. Not only are your eyes and ears, and lips and tongue, and arms and legs, and hands and feet designed to display the value of God in his created world, but also your mind and heart were made to glorify him. God gave us brains and emotions that we might think true thoughts about him, and experience fitting feelings about him, and in doing so, glorify him.In other words, God wired us to be worshipers. To be human is to have a heart that worships. You will worship someone, or something, or yourself. And the problem with humanity, called sin, is not that we cease to worship but that we turn from God to worship other things. Sin is worship gone wrong. Romans 1 diagnoses our condition like this:…what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.The 17th century philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal put it like this:There was once in man a true happiness of which there now remain to him only the mark and empty trace, which he in vain tries to fill from all his surroundings, seeking from things absent the help he does not obtain in things present. But these are all inadequate, because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, only by God Himself.In John 12, some Greeks, seeking to fill the infinite abyss, come to Jerusalem to worship. Look at verses 20–22:Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.So, some Greeks show up in the capital city of the Jews. They have come to worship, John says. God made them to worship, and they are seeking. Their hearts are restless, and who knows how far and wide their restless hearts have led them in their quest to find the only one who fills the infinite abyss. And now they are very close. They have come to Jerusalem, of all places. In fact, in making this request to one of Jesus's disciples (the one with the Greek name Philip), they are even closer to the end of their quest than they could have imagined.Come HedonisticallyLet's make something clear about worship, about these Greeks coming to Jerusalem, and about us gathering here together this morning. Hebrews 11:6 says, “without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”“Draw near” is the language of worship. With hungry souls, we draw near physically to this building — or for them, to Jerusalem — but most importantly we draw near in our hearts and minds, that is, in our attention and focus. We turn our minds and hearts, and our words of praise and postures of worship, to God. And Hebrews 11:6 says the kind of drawing near that pleases God is the kind that not only believes he exists but that “he rewards those who seek him.” He fills the abyss. He satisfies the soul. He feeds the hungry in spirit. God is pleased by those who take their longing, restless, aching, thirsty souls and draw near to him for satisfaction. He is pleased by worshipers who draw near, starved for him. Worshipers who come hedonistically. The heart of worship is satisfaction in God. And the praises we offer, and hands we raise, in worship on Sunday, and the words we speak and lives we offer all week, these are not mere expressions of hearts satisfied in God but, as C.S. Lewis says, they are the appointed consummation of our joy in God. Our emptiness, and his filling, lead us to fullness of joy in worship. We worship not just because we're satisfied but to be fully satisfied.God made you to glorify him by enjoying him forever. Or, we might say, God made you to worship.2. God made us to worship together. These Greeks do something very natural by coming to a designated place of worship at a designated time of worship. They “went up to worship at the feast” in Jerusalem. Not only do they personally long for God, and want to know him and appreciate him and praise him, but something in them longs to gather with others to worship together. The Creator is worthy not only of individual, private acknowledgement and reverence, but corporate, public praise and worship.Corporate worship is a public act. The God-given human longing is not only to worship God in our hearts privately, and in our homes privately, but we want to gather with others to declare our praise together. We were made for corporate worship.In corporate worship, we hear together God's word read and taught and preached, and we respond together in praise, in thanks, in song, in prayer, and at the Table, and in the giving of our finances, and in giving our attention and effort to strengthen each other in our common faith.And in it all, remember the essence of worship: satisfaction in God. Our lives as individual worshipers seek satisfaction in God, and we gather in corporate worship to seek our satisfaction in him together.God made us to glorify him by enjoying him together.3. God made us to worship Jesus.I said earlier that these Greeks speak better than they know when they say to Philip, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” They have come to Jerusalem to worship. They have come seeking the true God, and to fill the infinite abyss in their souls. And apparently, these worshipers hear about this Jesus, and they are intrigued. They'd like to meet him. So, they approach the disciple with a Greek name. And Philip tells Andrew (another Greek name), and they ask Jesus about it — and Jesus pivots in a way no one is expecting. And we hear no more about these Greeks after this. Their coming, and their inquiring after Jesus, signals something for Jesus. Look at verses 23–24. Jesus answered them,“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”Now, where in the world did that come from? Simple yes or no, Jesus: some Greeks are asking to see you. You willing to see them? And Jesus says “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” What's that?First, what is this “hour”? So far in the Gospel of John we've heard several times that it's not yet been “his hour.” At the wedding feast at Cana in John 2, they run out of wine, and Jesus's mother comes to him, and he says, “what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). And in John 7, Jewish officials are seeking to arrest him, but John reports, “no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come” (John 7:30). And again in John 8:20: “no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.” But some Greeks arrive in Jerusalem, to worship at the feast, and they want to see Jesus, and now he says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Greeks have come to worship. That is, Gentiles, the nations, the non-Jews are here, like the magi, and they've come to worship.It's a signal. Some Greeks are here for worship, which means Jesus's climactic hour has come. The prophecies are coming true! The nations are coming to worship Israel's God. So the Messiah, then, must be drawing near to the moment when he will complete the work the Father sent him to do. His hour has come to go to the cross.This, of course, is not the answer they were expecting — the disciples or the Greeks. However, their wish to see Jesus has not been rejected but redirected. It was an admirable wish, deeply so. They came to Jerusalem to worship, and they asked to see Jesus. They are on the trail — and if they remain in Jerusalem, they will soon see the most important sight of him, crushing as it at first will be. If you want to see me, Jesus says, my time has come to be seen, to be lifted up, to be “glorified” — which will not mean leading a charge to overthrow Rome and seize the crown, but it will mean laying down my life. Like a grain of wheat, I give myself to die first — then I will bear much fruit, among Jews and Greeks.These Greeks who have come to worship, will indeed see him, and get a sight far greater than they could have anticipated or imagined — far more horrible, and far more wonderful. They will witness the depths of his humiliation that will prove to be the very height of the glory of the one who truly is Israel's long-promised heir to the throne, as shocking and unexpected as it will be.And as they see him — in his divine and human excellencies, united in one person, and culminating in the cross and its aftermath — they will have all they wished and more in the request they made expressing the deepest longing of every human heart.The desire to see Jesus was far more profound than these Greeks could have guessed. They wished for amazement in the presence of someone great. And what they got instead, at the cross, anticipated the heavenly vision the apostle John would receive while in exile on the isle of Patmos.In John's vision, in Revelation 5, none in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth, is at first found worthy to open the scroll of God's divine decrees of judgment (for his enemies) and salvation (for his people). Sensing the weight and importance of the moment, John begins to weep — perhaps even wondering if his Lord, the one who discipled him, the one to whom he's dedicated his life as a witness, is not worthy. One of heaven's elders then turns to him, and declares, Revelation 5:5,“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”Having heard this, John turns to look — and what does he see? Not a lion. He says in verse 6:“I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes . . . .”We might wrongly assume this was a disappointment, that John, hearing “Lion,” experienced some letdown to see a Lamb. But that is not how John reports it. This Lamb is no loss. The Lamb is gain. The one who was just declared to be the only one worthy is no less the Lion of Judah. He is also the Lamb who was slain. The Lion became Lamb without ceasing to be Lion. He did not jettison his lionlike glories, but added to his greatness the excellencies of the Lamb. He is a Lamb standing — not dead, not slumped over, not kneeling, but alive and ready — with fullness of power (seven horns), seeing and reigning over all (seven eyes).And so it will be for the worshiping Greeks in John 12 who wished to meet Jesus. Whatever disappointment they experienced in the moment in not having their immediate request fulfilled, and whatever devastations they endured on Good Friday as they watched in horror, it all changed on the third day. Then their desire was answered beyond their greatest dreams — not just to see Messiah, but God himself, the very Lion of heaven.And not just divine, but the added lamblike glory of our own human flesh and blood, and that same blood spilled to not only show us glory but invite us into it — Jew and Gentile, Greek and Barbarian.Which leads to that last question we asked at the beginning: Why, as a church, do we say “we worship Jesus,” and not just “God” or “the Father” or “the Trinity”?One, worshiping Jesus is not at odds with worshiping the Father or “the Trinity.” No one is happier when we “worship Jesus” than the Father (and the Spirit!). And no one's happier for us to “worship the Father” than Jesus, our mediator. Here in John 12 alone, Jesus speaks of himself being “glorified” — which will mean, among other things, his being exalted to the place of worship. And then he prays in verse 28, “Father, glorify your name.” Then the voice comes from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” So, who's being glorified, worthy of worship, Jesus or the Father? This is a glimpse of the back and forth we find throughout the New Testament.But why would we say Jesus, and not the Father? There is a special fitness in humans worshiping the God who became human, and died as human, and rose as human, and lives forever, as human, for our eyes to see, and ears to hear, and words to praise and eternal lives to exalt. Jesus is the litmus test of true worship.We were indeed made for God — with an infinite abyss only God can fill, with a restlessness of soul satisfied in nothing less than the divine. And even more particularly, we were made for the God-man — for the greatness of God himself who draws near, in our own flesh and blood and circumstances, in the person of Christ. The lionlike greatness of God in his divine glory is sweetened, deepened, and accented by his lamblike nearness and human excellencies.So, we exist to glorify God by enjoying Jesus together forever. We exist to worship Jesus.See and Savor JesusAs we come to the Table, let me ask a practical question: What is currently fueling or draining your ability to see and savor Jesus?You exist to worship Jesus. What's helping that? What's blocking that? As we receive these emblems of his body and blood, and so encounter him in faith, and nourish our souls in him, let's consecrate ourselves afresh to him.This is our first and foremost calling: “we worship Jesus.”

John 12:20-26 Some Greeks who followed the God of Israel were in Jerusalem for the Passover and sought out Jesus. Pastor Rod Bunton explains that Jesus' remarks to the Greeks revealed two things: that the time had finally come to glorify Him and that the salvation offered by following Him was available to the whole world and not the Jews alone. The post The Hour Has Come appeared first on Grace Church of Tallahassee.

Reading I Jer 31:31-34 The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant, and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.Reading II Heb 5:7-9 In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.Gospel Jn 12:20-33 Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour'? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

Some Greeks want to see Jesus. That's the subtitle of today's focus passage for Coffee to Go.  The question is, should we let them? Should we make Jesus accessible to whoever wants to see him? Join hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith, for their discussion of the possible exclusive way the focus passage is often read, as well as an alternate way to read it in which God's “honor” becomes much more inclusive. There's plenty of God's honor to go around. No need to keep it to ourselves. Download TranscriptThanks for listening to Project Zion Podcast!Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!Intro and Outro music used with permission: “For Everyone Born,” Community of Christ Sings #285. Music © 2006 Brian Mann, admin. General Board of Global Ministries t/a GBGMusik, 458 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30308. copyright@umcmission.org “The Trees of the Field,” Community of Christ Sings # 645, Music © 1975 Stuart Dauerman, Lillenas Publishing Company (admin. Music Services). All music for this episode was performed by Dr. Jan Kraybill, and produced by Chad Godfrey. NOTE: The series that make up the Project Zion Podcast explore the unique spiritual and theological gifts Community of Christ offers for today's world. Although Project Zion Podcast is a Ministry of Community of Christ. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those speaking and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Community of Christ.

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feastcame to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.Whoever loves his life loses it,and whoever hates his life in this worldwill preserve it for eternal life.Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.The Father will honor whoever serves me. “I am troubled now.  Yet what should I say?‘Father, save me from this hour'?But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.Father, glorify your name.”Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

Last time I was here was the weekend of the birth of my Grandson – 6 years ago. So much has happened since then. Covid – change in pastors, and so much more. Through it all we pray and hope that Jesus has walked with you and me and that we have noticed his presence and we have shared him with others. I don't often share personal memories in sermons but today there is a relevant thread. I started seminary in the fall of 1976. Young, newly married, first apartment, and starting seminary. Preaching Class. I had grown up my whole life in the church and heard sermons every Sunday. (cause I had to be dying to not go to church) But now I was to be the preacher and say something profound in a sermon. My first sermon - I was assigned Jeremiah 31:31-34 for Lent 5 I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. A few years later, I graduated from seminary and received my first call in this synod. I went to my first congregation where I began visiting an active member of the congregation, dying of cancer. Her death was my first funeral, the little country church was packed. Again to preach and say something profound. Text – Lent 5 John 12:23-25, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” I don't remember much about either sermon, but these texts for Lent 5 always stuck with me – because in the end it didn't matter much what I said, what matters is – Did the hears see Jesus? Did they know Jesus' presence, compassion, love, grace? The history of the protestant reformation has a written record, but also a record by artist Lucas Cranach. He was a friend and colleague of Martin Luther, lived in Wittenberg, and was also under the protection of Elector John of Saxony; he was the Elector's court painter of Saxony. He has a painting that also was reproduced by virtue of the newly invented printing press – which catches the essence of preaching, and this text – We wish to see Jesus. It shows Martin Luther preaching, and the congregation listening, but between Martin and the congregation, is Jesus on the cross. The point is: as Luther is preaching, the congregation is seeing Jesus, not Luther. That is the goal of preaching – helping everyone – including the preacher to SEE JESUS! Today is the last regular Sunday in Lent before Palm Sunday and Holy Week. We read from John, Jesus has been anointed by Mary Magdalene, entered Jerusalem with palms, and now begins his last teaching before the LAST SUPPER. Some Greeks – foreigners, seek to see Jesus. Philip went and told Andrew, Andrew tells Jesus. The Greeks were thinkers. They had witnesses the rituals and sacrifices in the temple. They had experienced all the rules and regulation that the priests and religious leaders has put in place. They had come to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. They had heard about Jesus, and this new thing God was doing, and they asked to SEE JESUS. They did not want another ritual, they did not want another sacrifice. They wanted to see Jesus. The ancient scriptures have a way of still being relevant today. The Greeks were troubled by all the things religious leaders and worshipers were doing in the temple that did not relate to God. TODAY we have rising numbers of people – either nones (who have no religious preference, or – spiritual, but not religious, those who don't find Jesus in today's church, or those wounded by the church. People are still looking for Jesus. Lots of things happen in today's churches, and not all of it points to Jesus. We have the rise of Christian Nationalism on one hand and on the other hand we have churches working on issues of justice, that can't articulate the rational about how that relates to Jesus. If the preaching of the church, if the ministry of the church, if the outreach of the church does not point to Jesus, then what is its purpose? In all we say and do, it is about Jesus. Just like when two children are talking about the children's sermon. The pastor asks questions, and one kid says to the other – the answer is always Jesus. Our Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton once said, “We have to be able to articulate Jesus or we look like the action wing of a political party. “ It is not just about SEEING JESUS from afar. It is about seeing Jesus, knowing Jesus is present in the world, knowing Jesus cares and loves us, and knowing that forgiveness, grace, and acceptance are offered to us without us having to deserve, pay, inherit, or earn it. The price is paid, the cost carried by Jesus. It is not just seeing a visual picture of Jesus. It is about seeing and hearing Jesus in our words and our actions. Seeing Jesus in the face of the refugee, the homeless, the abused, the grieving, the hunger… Them seeing Jesus in us and hearing Jesus as we reach out to those in need and to all of us as we seek to navigate this crazy world. WE TOO need to see Jesus. There is a crisis of mental stress in the world, loneliness, fear, anxiety, and all the rest. We need to see Jesus in our lives, in the community, in the world – in church, in preaching so we can be empowered to continue to be Jesus and share Jesus with others. And find see Jesus and his work for ourselves, to remind us of God's grace, love, forgiveness, and hope. My guess is that the Greeks that come to see Jesus are looking for something more. Something that would transform them. Something that would change their life, help them lose their current life and gain something new! That is the heart of Jesus response to them and the crowd. One of my favorite theologians, Frederick Buechner, put it this way: Doing the work you're best at doing and like to do best, hearing great music, having great fun, seeing something very beautiful, weeping at somebody else's tragedy—all these experiences are related to the experience of salvation because in all of them two things happen: (1) you lose yourself, and (2) you find that you are more fully yourself than usual A closer analogy is the experience of love. When you love somebody, it is no longer yourself who is the center of your own universe. It is the one you love who is. You forget yourself. You deny yourself. You give of yourself, so that by all the rules of arithmetical logic there should be less of yourself than there was to start with. Only by a curious paradox there is more. You feel that at last you really are yourself. The experience of salvation involves the same paradox. Jesus put it like this: "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." You give up your old self-seeking self for the love of others and thereby become more yourself at last. You must die with Christ so that you can rise with him, Paul says. It is what baptism is all about. You do not love God so that, tit for tat, God will then save you. To love God is to be saved. To love anybody is a significant step along the way. We do not love God and live for GOD so we will go to Heaven. Whichever side of the grave you happen to be talking about, to love God and live for GOD is God's Kingdom here, now. A taste of heaven. It is a gift, not an achievement. You can make yourself moral. You can make yourself religious. But you can't make yourself love. "We love," John says, "Because GOD first loved us." (1 John 4:19) Jesus is in Jerusalem, he is looking ahead to the Last Supper, his arrest, dying on a cross on Good Friday, and then the gift of NEW LIFE that comes on Easter morning as the stone is rolled away. Jesus demonstrates God's love for us, giving his life so that we might have life. It takes a life time then for us to contemplate that love and transform ourselves to be giving that love away. I am here today to make a presentation after lunch on the demographics of your community. What are the folks that live here like, folks who drive by, who see the church, but may not know what goes one here. The projections say that of the folks that drive down Dobie Road, 61% either do not know that life giving love of Jesus, have drifted away, or have been wounded by a church – especially churches that rely on legalism and shaming – instead of sharing the life giving love of Jesus. That is your mission field, sharing Jesus with one another, and finding connections to share that love from here out into the lives of the people that drive by every day. Let them see Jesus!!

Welcome to the Word at St Francis, a welcoming and inclusive parish community coming to you from E 96th St in New York City. The Gospel is Jn 12:20-33: Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,  and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew;  then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them,  “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you,  unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,  it remains just a grain of wheat;  but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me,  and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. “I am troubled now.  Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour'? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven,  “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;  but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said,  “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world;  now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth,  I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

Jesus enters Jerusalem to crowds welcoming Him as King. While, His disciples aren't putting together the timeline or what is happening, Jesus knows where things are headed. Some Greeks from out of town approach Jesus' disciples with a request to see Him, and he responds with talk of wheat, death, service and glory. Remember John's purpose in writing this gospel – that we would believe that Jesus is the Christ, and by believing have Life in His name.  Grow in understanding Jesus' identity and what it means to follow him with us on Sunday as we study John 12:12-36  

This episode is from Sally Henry's devotional series called Meandering Through John. John 12:20-24. “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.” John 12:20-24 NLT --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/adi-tilford/support

In this story, there is a pivotal moment. Some Greeks come to Philip with a simple yet profound request, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." (John 12:21) That's a powerful statement b/c the desire to see Jesus is the deep desire inside everybody who seeks Jesus. It's really a deep yearning for more than just a glimpse…it's a deep and sincere desire to be transformed. They didn't want to meet Jesus or hang out with him…they wanted to be changed by Him. John 12:20-50If you are interested in starting a micro church or hosting a small group in your home with like-minded individuals, we've got you covered. Our library of resources includes video messages and study questions for both group leaders and participants. To gain access to these resources or request access to our message videos, please get in touch with me atdanhollandC3@gmail.com.

Some Greeks who are in Jerusalem ask Jesus' disciples to take them to him so that they can see him. And as their inquiry provokes Jesus' last interaction with the public prior to his crucifixion, we're challenged to consider. Is there anything more that Christ needs to do to prove himself to us? Certainly, at the end of his public ministry, "we've seen enough." And yet, he'll do even more! John 12:20-50 Andy Kvernen

John 12 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane. Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate[a] with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar[b] of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. 4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year's wages.[c] It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples' money, he often stole some for himself. 7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” 9 When all the people[d] heard of Jesus' arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them[e] and believed in Jesus. 12 The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors 13 took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God![f]Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!Hail to the King of Israel!”[g] 14 Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: 15 “Don't be afraid, people of Jerusalem.[h]Look, your King is coming,    riding on a donkey's colt.”[i] 16 His disciples didn't understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him. 17 Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others[j] about it. 18 That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. 19 Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There's nothing we can do. Look, everyone[k] has gone after him!” 20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration 21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man[l] to enter into his glory. 24 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. 25 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. 26 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. 27 “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour'? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father, bring glory to your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. 30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate how he was going to die. 34 The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture[m] that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?” 35 Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. [...]

Some Greeks are interested in meeting Jesus, but Jesus does not have an audience with them. Why? Jesus's time has come Is there such a thing as self-hatred?  How narcissism and depression are linked Jenn talks about a time when she was narcissistic, and why it was one of the most miserable times of her life.    GIVEAWAY! Enter here: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=685739800221843&set=a.459988752796950   After you're done with that, check out these websites:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnh-aqfg8rw Website (Subscribe to get 2 free chapters of Out of the Mire)- https://www.p40ministries.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p40ministries  Contact - jenn@p40ministries.com  Books - https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Kokal/e/B095JCRNHY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk  Merch Store - https://www.p40ministries.com/shop 

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read John 12:23-25 which says, “Jesus replied to them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.'” This is Holy Week which began with the Triumphal entry on Palm Sunday. Holy Monday commemorates the cursing of the fig tree, and the cleansing of the temple. Today is Holy Tuesday and observes Jesus predicting His own death. Christians vary in how specifically they celebrate Holy Week, but there is value in understanding the ancient traditions. And even now, in setting out to say something of value concerning Christ's work leading up to the cross, I personally want to clasp my hand over my mouth and say nothing for fear of getting it wrong. Like Isaiah, I am a man of unclean lips and we are looking upon the most holy things of God. And yet we've been invited to look on in worship at our incredible Savior. And so we'll venture in further. Jesus' had become infamous. And His entry into Jerusalem, especially around Passover, had created quite a stir. Some Greeks wanted to see Him. But when asked if they could, Jesus seems to answer a question no one asks and says, “The hour has come.” Jesus predicts His own death.  To illustrate His death, He appeals to the principle of sowing and reaping. By Jesus dying, He (like a seed) lays the groundwork for exponential returns. His death is not the end of the story but rather just the beginning. His eyes are on His impending death yes, but more so on the crop it will yield later.  And He includes us in on the picture. Often the passion of Jesus is seen as something He does alone. And that's true. But here Jesus sees an obvious if/then. Since He will die and produce a crop, in the same way, you and I will produce a crop leading to eternal life. But how? By hating our lives. This passage has often disturbed readers. And understandably so. Let's not attempt to soften the blow of His words. But let's also consider. Did Jesus hate His life? Did He want to lose it? No. He asked that the cup of suffering be taken from Him if possible. Jesus never had a death wish. But He passionately wanted to redeem people, and please God, and accomplish His task, and fulfill scripture, and reconcile all creation. You could say these far outweighed His all-too-human instinct for self-preservation. And in the same way, we are invited to participate. In the suffering, yes. But far more in the glory. Jesus - You amaze me at every turn. I've seen You suffer. And I've seen some of the return. I want to see more. And I hardly even know what I'm asking, but I want to play the role You have for me in it. 

Some Greeks come to see Jesus and kick off a strange conversation about life and death, darkness and light...

[Note: After today The Up Devotional will go on pause for a week. It returns on November 21, 2022.] Some Greeks wanted to see Jesus. “Anyone who loves their life will lose it,” he said, “while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25). Talk about heavy! … Continue reading Something greater than ourselves

20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration 21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. 24 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. 25 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. 26 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. 27 “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour'? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father, bring glory to your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. 30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate how he was going to die. 34 The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?” 35 Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. 36 Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reduxchurch/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reduxchurch/support

Verses 20 to 26 of John 12. 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.

Some Greeks came with the crowds and asked to see Jesus.  He had a response worth dwelling on and praying over.  Are we willing to believe Him and do what he says, and in doing so,to serve him?  What type of grain of wheat will we be?www.incense-ptl.comeric@incense-ptl.comTexts:John 12:20-26(Galations 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Peter 2:24, Philippians 1:21, Colossians 3:3)excerpt - "The Normal Christian Life" by Watchman Nee: Chapter 9; pg 149-150.Tracks:"Empty Space" by Sean Daugherty"Those Lost" by Moments"Cirrus" by Four Trees

(1) A prophecy against Cush. (2) Oholiab and Bazalel. (3) Jesus at Bethany. The plot to kill Lazarus. The triumphal entry. Some Greeks seek Jesus. The Son of Man must be lifted up. The unbelief of the people. Jesus came to save the world.

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read John 12:23-25 which says, “Jesus replied to them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.'” This is Holy Week which began with the Triumphal entry on Palm Sunday. Holy Monday commemorates the cursing of the fig tree, and the cleansing of the temple. Today is Holy Tuesday and observes Jesus predicting His own death. Christians vary in how specifically they celebrate Holy Week, but there is value in understanding the ancient traditions. And even now, in setting out to say something of value concerning Christ's work leading up to the cross, I personally want to clasp my hand over my mouth and say nothing for fear of getting it wrong. Like Isaiah, I am a man of unclean lips and we are looking upon the most holy things of God. And yet we've been invited to look on in worship at our incredible Savior. And so we'll venture in further. Jesus' had become infamous. And His entry into Jerusalem, especially around Passover, had created quite a stir. Some Greeks wanted to see Him. But when asked if they could, Jesus seems to answer a question no one asks and says, “The hour has come.” Jesus predicts His own death. To illustrate His death, He appeals to the principle of sowing and reaping. By Jesus dying, He (like a seed) lays the groundwork for exponential returns. His death is not the end of the story but rather just the beginning. His eyes are on His impending death yes, but more so on the crop it will yield later. And He includes us in on the picture. Often the passion of Jesus is seen as something He does alone. And that's true. But here Jesus sees an obvious if/then. Since He will die and produce a crop, in the same way, you and I will produce a crop leading to eternal life. But how? By hating our lives. This passage has often disturbed readers. And understandably so. Let's not attempt to soften the blow of His words. But let's also consider. Did Jesus hate His life? Did He want to lose it? No. He asked that the cup of suffering be taken from Him if possible. Jesus never had a death wish. But He passionately wanted to redeem people, and please God, and accomplish His task, and fulfill scripture, and reconcile all creation. You could say these far outweighed His all-too-human instinct for self-preservation. And in the same way, we are invited to participate. In the suffering, yes. But far more in the glory. Jesus - You amaze me at every turn. I've seen You suffer. And I've seen some of the return. I want to see more. And I hardly even know what I'm asking, but I want to play the role You have for me in it. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Pastor John Ryan Cantu brings this week's message, “Method, Message, Messiah." Key Verse: John 12:9–13, 17–26, 31–37 NLT “The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!” Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There's nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!” 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. The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this to indicate how he was going to die. The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?” Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them. But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him.” Matthew 12:38–39 NLT “One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.” But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Sermon topics: Messiah, Message

Mary anoints Jesus at Bethany. The plot to kill Lazarus. The triumphal entry. Some Greeks seek Jesus.

John 12:1-13:30 We are in the Christ Stream reading from the New American Standard Bible. 7streamsmethod.com | @serenatravis | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Lord Jesus, you are worth pouring ourselves out for. You serve us so that we may serve others for your Kingdom and glory.  May we be wholly yours.  Amen. Just a bit of review before we proceed in John: a week ago was Jesus' last miracle found in John. Excluding Jesus' own Resurrection, these are the seven miracles that John weaves into his "story of Jesus". There are 41 total healing events that Jesus performed in his three-year ministry. John included four of these 41 in his gospel plus three nature miracles. John is employing just enough to prove who Jesus is. These are enough to inform the world that Jesus is sent from God and is The Savior of the world. Jesus is also the Master over the World.  Here is how Jesus shows his mastery as described in John: Jn. 2 - Turning Water to Wine               Jesus has mastery over quality Jn. 4 - Healing the Official's son          Jesus has mastery over distance (the child was 20 miles away) Jn. 5 - Healing LameMan [38 years]   Jesus has mastery over time Jn. 6 - Feeding Multitude                       Jesus has mastery over quality Jn. 6 - Walking ON the water                Jesus has mastery over gravity Jn. 9 - Healing the Man born blind      Jesus has mastery over misfortune [and light] Jn 11 - Raising Lazarus from Dead    Jesus has mastery over death And with that, John proceeds to tell us the rest of the story.  The first 11 chapters of John cover 35 months.  The last 10 chapters take place during the final seven weeks of Jesus' time on earth. 12 - After Jesus' healed Lazarus it became expedient to escape for a couple of weeks and let the hub-bub die down. [By now the Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus and Lazarus.]  But when Jesus returned to Bethany, there were still many many people who simply wanted to meet this man who was brought back to life. When in the house, Mary anoints Jesus with 12 oz. of very expensive perfume that cost a year's wages. What do you make per year? $40K? $110K? Will you pour out an amount like that into God's kingdom so that Christ is glorified? Most everybody will not. We carry on like Judas and start doing critical math and make sure that Jesus only gets a little bit of it. We can scuttle and skate and excuse all we want, but our priorities are very evident to God.  And we ask Him to bless us ... hmm            When He enters Jerusalem the word spread as if 100,000 text messages got forwarded and everyone came to welcome Him into the city. The praise was ecstatic - ... and the Pharisees only grew more anxious. Some Greeks had come from Galilee too and wanted a moment with Jesus. Jesus uses such a moment to teach that Jesus was not just 'the next man along the trail' of life. Meeting Him was a fork in the road.  If they wanted to just use meeting Jesus to add to their list of "selfies' with a star" they were mistaken. Today people still need to decide what they are going to do about Jesus in their own lives.  As Jesus tells again of His imminent death, He makes statements that are epic to put it lightly.  Jesus would be lifted up on a Cross. The battle of darkness against Light would rage as never before. As Calvary draws closer and closer, sentiments about Jesus would be deeply divided. What side of reality would the men of Jerusalem find themselves on?             Choose wisely. Eternity is at stake. 13 - The time for their last supper had arrived. The spiritual battle was thick as a cloud in the room. Judas had already negotiated to trade in his friendship with God for a handful of coins. The other 11 were committed to stay with Jesus but hadn't yet realized how frail their spirits were.  Jesus uses the occasion of them being enraptured with Him (they were that locked in focus upon Him) to teach that they are to be servants to all; to the whole world. Every leader who has gone amok on earth has forgotten this story that Jesus demonstrated.  It hits so hard and cuts to the core. Peter doesn't know what to do except to be come sarcastic. Jesus calmly finished the task however.  Jesus knows that his betrayer is still in the room. The events ensue and eventually Judas is at the point of no return. He leaves into the night - truly the man was more committed to darkness than anything. Once someone leaves Jesus, they step into darkness that only grows darker and darker until the grip of Darkness is inescapable.

Slideshow for this message is available Introduction John 12 Last week was the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. You will remember from John 8 to John 12 there were three death threats on Jesus' life leading up to passover. That increasing pressure and mounting danger caused people to ask, “Do you think he'll come to the feast at all?” And so there's this incredible suspense because on the one hand you have this incredible miracle working messiah claiming to be God which has the crowds clamoring and electric with excitement after Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the death and on the other hand you have this vitriolic opposition to Jesus on the part of the religious leaders such that they had posted a warrant for his arrest. Do you think he'll come to the feast at all? Well he comes and not just tip-toeing. He comes charging. He's developing all this excitement by traveling up to Jerusalem with these traveling pilgrims, he's doing miracles, speaking out boldly. And essentially his strategy is to use the crowd as cover. The idea is this: if there's enough excitement in the crowd then if the Pharisees try to arrest me in public, the crowd will riot and they dare not pull that stunt, lest Rome descend upon them. They have a lot of healthy fear about Rome's wrath. And so Jesus rides into Jerusalem under the protection of the wild shouts of praise. Save us. Hossana. And presumably, the crowds just stick to him like glue for the next three or four days so there is no opportunity for the religious leaders to arrest him. So Jesus would have descended off the mount of olives and into the kidron valley crossed over and then up through the Eastern gate and then would have ended up teaching and interacting with the crowds up here on the temple mount. So what we read today in John chapter 12 is Jesus interacting on the temple mount sometime during this next week with the throngs of people who are buzzing and swarming with interest like flies on honey. Before we read the text, let's zoom out for a moment. On the one hand there's a story to reconstruct. There's a chronological backbone and we have done work from time to time to try and reconstruct that story by harmonizing the four gospels together. But we lose something if we do that. We lose sight of the point John his trying to make. He is specifically including things and excluding others to give you a theological understanding of how to view Jesus Christ. And today I want to break away from the chronology of the story itself to focus on something John does here thematically. He's arranging material to make a theological point that we really don't want to miss. And we'll do this by picking up the last verse from last week. The Pharisees peer at the people from their perch as Jesus parades in on a donkey. Remember their emotional reaction? Look at it in verse 19. Let's take a second to look at this word WORLD. The whole WORLD has gone after him. John uses this word a lot in his writing. It's a massive theme. The word kosmos is used 14 times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke combined and 78 times in the book of John. That tells you something right there. This is a theme. And the way John uses the word is fascinating. John is an absolute master at the play on words and he does it here in such a marvelous manner to make a really important point. The word world is has a lot of different meanings and shades of nuance but you can lump it's usage into three distinct categories. On of the clearest ways to illustrate these various usages is to simply point out that John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his son.” And then we have 1 John 2 which says, “Do not love the world.” Why are we told to not love something that God loves. For God so loved the world? Who is he speaking of? People (all humanity). Do not love the world. There he's speaking of Pollution (sin and all that which is hostile to God). So when the Pharisees say, the whole WORLD has gone after him. They are talking about that second usage, people (all humanity). Now tuck those different nuances away. We'll come back to it today, but we are introducing here because it's increasingly going to be a theme we will draw upon as we move into the later chapters of John. Now to illustrate just how much of that “whole world” has gone after him, John now explains how even Gentiles are clamoring to get some time with him. Now one small side note here and I can't help it. Why is this detail about the communication chain from Philip to Andrew to Jesus here? Lisa and I were laughing at it. It's kind of funny. It seems so trivial. "Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus." If I were writing the story and especially if I had to write it on the skins of animals by hand, that detail is getting cut. Editorial sovereignty slices that sentence off. But God keeps it for us. Why? I think there's a lesson here about Andrew. Who was Andrew? Very little is known but we know at least this: He was the first disciple called. He was also Simon Peter's brother. How many people had either forgotten that or never knew that Andrew was Peter's brother. You see, everyone knows Peter. Nobody knows Andrew. Andrew gets no press. He just doesn't seem to be as charismatic. I mean, he just doesn't have the splashy gifts. But every time we see him, he's like this giant funnel to Jesus. **During John's baptism we read, “Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.** The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.” When the crowds are starving and there's no food, he's the one that pipes up and suggests, “Well we have these five loaves and two fishes?” What can you do with that Jesus? But what is he doing here? He's connecting people to Jesus. Some Greeks come to Philip. *And Philip, I can imagine saying, “What do we do with these guys?* They want to see Jesus. Jesus is really busy. What do you think we should do.” And Andrew brings him to Jesus. Jesus can fix it. Jesus will know what to do. And the encouragement is, you might not have the great splashy gift. You might not know how to answer the apologetic question that is super difficult. But bring them to someone who can. Connect them. Be a pointer to Jesus. Let your enthusiasm and trust in Christ be, in and of itself, the gift. I think that's who Andrew was. So Andrew says, okay, there's some Greeks here, let's get them to Jesus! Gentile Interest Getting them to Jesus was not as straightforward as you might think. Greeks of course are Gentiles. These are non-JEWS. And they are going to have to geographically go where Jesus is. Well, where is he? Almost certainly, he's on the temple mount. So you've got to get yourself to the temple. Now it's important to understand here that the temple was the place of worship for ETHNIC Jews. We talk today in our modern context about having seeker sensitive churches. And the basic ministry philosophy of a seeker sensitive church is to make church a place that is very welcoming, accommodating and understandable to a person who is coming in from the outside. Let's remove any religious jargon, get rid of any unnecessary hurdle. Well, the temple was pretty much the polar exact opposite of that. The temple was about as seeker insensitive as it gets. If you are a Gentile and you walk up onto the temple mount, the first thing you are greeted with is this giant wall with a sign posted. Court of the Gentiles. Warning no Gentiles beyond this point: punishable by death. We talked about the Romans not being given the authority to execute. There was actually an exception. The Jews were permitted to execute anyone who was a Gentile and passed beyond the clearly posted signs, even if they were a Roman citizen. How's that for welcoming? Welcome to our temple. You stepped foot in the wrong area. You need to die. How does that feel? Here you are looking at this foreign religion. And walking past you are Jews, women, children. But you can't go in there to worship. Why? What's wrong with me? You are not God's chosen people. I mean how offensive can you get? What? God doesn't care about me because of the color of my skin? 99.9 percent of people just turn up their noses. I'll never serve a God like that. But these seekers are looking to the miraculous works of Jesus, the miracles. They are coming the way God wants all men to come to him, in humility, prepared to have their minds formed by whatever God says is right and true and beautiful. The only thing I care about is truth. And this guy is indisputably connected to God. We must talk to him. I'm not going to be offended because of my sensitivities. Maybe my sensitivities are incorrect. And contained in their penitent, eager, inquisitive, interested response, you've got this incredible irony. Jesus came to save the Jewish people. Jesus comes to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And yet the actual priests, those who have access to the very innermost part of the temple to YHWH, those who could advance all the way in, those who should have the deepest understanding, those who have the greatest access to the truth, they are the ones who want to kill him. And yet those who are on the outside - spiritual outsiders, racial outsider, those who are unclean, those who have the most disadvantage they are the one ones who are responsive. And so they ask Philip and Andrew if they can speak to him. And perhaps at this moment Jesus is deeper into the structure of the temple. After the court of gentiles you had the court of women, then the court of men, then the court of priests, etc…these concentric circles of exclusivity. And so perhaps Jesus has to be fetched. They aren't even allowed to find Jesus on their own. They need permission. It's humbling on many levels. So Jesus says, “I'd love to speak with them.” Now look at what happens next. It's really strange. Here is his opening statement to these Gentiles: Whenever Jesus talks about his hour coming, he's referencing his death. Now think about this. This is a non-sequitur. I mean how does this fit the context in any way? Jesus we want to learn more about you. We hear you have done all these miracles. Some have even said, you've claimed to be God. Tell us more about that? Jesus replies, “Well, the hour has come for me to die.” How in the world does that sentence logically follow? You want to know what he's doing? He's doing the same thing for these Gentiles as he's done for the Jews. He's painting the cost of being a follower of Jesus Christ. We know that's what's on his mind based on what he says further down. You want to follow me? You want to ascend with me as King. Then you will have descend as well. Look down in verse 26. Following me, means going where I plan to go. Are you sure you are ready? He's laying out the terms of the kingdom. I'm glad you've come to worship me as king, but I want to make a distinction between God and genie. I'm not a genie. I'm not a god you rub and out I pop and deliver you your three wishes. I am good. But following me won't be easy. Following me means dying to self. But it also means truly living. Jesus' glorification is tied to his refusal to seek his own glory. To be a follower of Jesus Christ, that means that we must accept the principle of the seed. We must die. In order for a seed to bear much fruit it must accept its own death. It must be willing to say that it is through my death of self that life will come. Out of my death to self that much fruit will come. He's driving men and women to a choice. Once again, we have these sharp contrasts and distinctions. John 11 is the raising of Lazarus. What's the reaction: Some fall on their faces to worship. The religious leaders plot to kill Jesus and Lazarus. John 12 opens up and Mary pours out her treasure at the feet of Jesus, a years wages. Judas betrays him for 30 pieces of silver. And now here. And so what Jesus says to these Greeks now makes perfect sense. He's again, functioning as a wedge. Which side are you on? You have come to address me as King. The hour has come for me to die. How do you feel about your King dying? How do you feel about your King ruling from a cross? How do you feel about your King reigning in weakness? Remember this is the passage immediately following the triumphal entry. It's kind of annoying because we keep breaking up the reading of this story by these 7 day interludes. I doubt John ever intended that. Do yourself a favor and just read the whole book in one sitting this week. I promise you'll see some things. If we were just reading this sequentially, the affect it would have on us would be real. The whole WORLD is going after him. There's roars and chants ringing in the ears of people. Save us! Save us! King, King, King. Speech. Speech. Speech. What were they looking for? They wanted a Judas Macabees. They wanted a hammer. That's how things get done after all. Power is taken not given. The spoil goes to the strong. Survival of the fittest I mean there's all this political energy…and then boom. We want to follow you. Lead us Jesus. Lead us. Get on your horse and lead us! You want to follow? And Jesus answers. I'll lead you. That I will do. But if you want to be a follower, then you must follow me where I go. Follow me onto the cross. It's time for me to die. You have to loose your life to find it. You have to kill self to keep self. You have to give it all away before gain anything. You want true riches? Then give away your riches. you want power? Then give power away. You want true strength? Then embrace weakness. You want to go up? You have to go down. This is the kingdom ethic. This is what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Making it Real. And at this point in the narrative, the crowds fade away, the Greeks fade away and you get what is really a Shakespearean soliloqy. And even though there is noise and camels snorting and people banging their brass pots and frightened sheep slipping out of the hands of their owners, you get this moment where all the characters around fade away and it's just you dropping in on a private conversation between Jesus and the father. It's a very personal moment. You know what Jesus is doing right here. He's saying, "I believe, but I'm struggling with what this is going to mean for me." Jesus Christ, is struggling with anticipated suffering. Do you know that its okay to be struggling with anticipated suffering. If you are anxious about anticipated suffering in your life, that is okay. Look what Jesus does with that temptation to sinfully worry. Jesus says, "I don't want to go through this. I don't want to suffer like this. Father my soul is troubled. The verb is a strong one, and signifies revulsion, horror, anxiety, agitation. Do you see the turmoil in his soul? Listen, suffering is horrible. Nobody wants to suffer. It is not an ungodly response to recoil at the thought of suffering. Suffering represents a distortion in the created order. It's not the way things ought to be. Listen, Jesus knows that feeling. Jesus is crying out to the father, “I don't want to go through this suffering. I don't want to have to endure this. Just the thought of it is horrifying to me.” Jesus is experiencing in this passage the same turmoil we experience. Now, look at what steadies him. Look at what anchors his soul. As so as he begins to pray to be spared this hour, to escape this cup, he immediately faces his unswerving commitment to adhere to his Father's will. No, there is a purpose in the suffering. God has ordained this suffering for his glory and for that reason I will embrace it. Let me suffer in such a way that it brings God glory. You can see this internal conflict. “The horror of death, and the love of His father's will were colliding.” And it is in that moment that He just bursts out. Glorify your name. The glory of God is his anchor. He loves the glory of God more than he loves his own life, his own comfort, his own freedom. Here's the point that John is driving home to us today and it's a sober one. There is a time when we all need to count the cost. There's a time for all of us where Jesus says, “Stop playing church. Stop trying to stay on the fence. Are you for me or against me? Are you a Mary or Judas.” Will you follow me, even unto death? There is one sense in which being a Christian costs you nothing. It's a free gift after all. You can earn it. You can't pull out a wad of cash and pay for your salvation and then say, "I paid the price, now give me what is owed to me." That's impossible. But in another sense, in order to get this free gift, you must surrender everything. When you get married, you don't pay a bunch of money to your spouse and say, "Okay, I've paid the price. Now I get the benefits of being married." No, you have to give your entire life, “and forsaking all others for you alone” when you do that, then the free gift is yours. In the same way, being a Christian costs you everything. And that surrender in one sense is not easy. It's not fun. You will probably pray a prayer similar to Jesus, “Father, save me from this hour.” And in that hour you will have a choice. Before Jesus, there existed a choice. Run from Jerusalem. Hide in the hills. Get away from Jerusalem where I can be free of these death threats and just live a quiet comfortable life, or, submit to the Father. For this reason I came into the world. Glorify your name. Glorify your name in my suffering. That is of greater importance. Remember Hebrews 12? Hebrews 12Enter That's what we are doing. We are considering Jesus who endured such hostility against himself, so that we can be encouraged in our suffering, the same way Jesus was encouraged in his. Father glorify your name. Can you say that in what you are being asked to surrender? Maybe it's your health. Maybe it's your spouses health? Maybe it's your reputation. Following Jesus means surrendering my reputation. Maybe it's your time. I have to choose between sports or your hobby or even something good like ministry or family and Jesus. I have to choose between work and church. Or maybe it's your money. Remember the rich young ruler. Jesus said, “Sell all that you have and come follow me.” And he went away sad. He wouldn't do it. You see, it's at that moment when it really costs you that it goes from being a theory you agree with to a truth upon which your very life rests secure. Let's get real. Nobody disagrees with this concept at a high level. I mean, who is going to disagree? Of course we can see that this kind of surrender is good. We see someone who is truly happy who gave everything away and we say, "yeah, that makes sense. That's like Jesus. but you see, we haven't given everything away. We hear the testimony of someone who says, "I used to be a work-a-holic and I just decided I'd had enough and I decide to make church and Bible reading and family worship a priority." And we do it every day and it was the best decision of our life. And that doesn't surprise you. Of course that makes sense. You have to abandon the world if you want to follow Christ. But you haven't done that. We see someone who left their high paying career and their cushy job and went onto the mission field or they went into the ministry and they say, “That was the best decision of my life.” And we stand back and say, “Yeah, that makes total sense.” But we haven't done that. We are still a million miles away from that decision. You see there is a way to agree without agreeing. There's a difference between agreeing with the model and trusting in it. In our membership class last week, we were talking about what it means to put your faith in Jesus Christ, to really believe him. And we used this analogy. You see do we really want to follow Jesus? That's what he's asking these Gentiles. Do you really want to follow me. If you want to follow me then you've got to go where I go. I'm going to the cross. Still interested? I'm going to do the father's will. And I trust that the father's will is good. It is for this reason that I came, to do the father's will. For Jesus Christ, get in the wheelbarrow for Jesus meant climb on the cross. And it's in that moment of total surrender, that God answers. What does he mean, the voice came for your sake, not mine. He means, I want you to see what I am choosing. I want the glory of the father. That's what's motivating me. That's what's driving me! Jesus did not get carried away by a fevered multitude and wound up on a cross. He was seeking the glory of the father. In the same way that a man is motivated by money and in so doing sacrifices his life upon the altar of the almighty dollar, so Jesus is motivated by the glory of the father. That's everything to me. It's worth it! Now, interestingly, Jesus makes some commentary on what his death means. He says the crucifixion will be the means by which he judges the world. Judgment of the world. Remember what the Pharisees said earlier. Oh no, the whole WORLD is going after him. And now Jesus is saying, by me, hanging on the cross, “Now is the judgment of the world.” What does it meant to judge? It means to evaluate on the basis of truth. You're a line judge in tennis. Was the ball in or out. You judge it? You judge an art contest? Which one deserves the blue ribbon? You judge a traffic dispute. Who caused the accident. And then there's a verdict. There's a conclusion that is spoken. Jesus says. Now is the judgment of this world. Okay, well what's the thing needing to be judged? Well, of course, it's the thing that the whole book of John is about. Who is Jesus? Is he God come in the flesh or is flesh pretending to be God. Is a Liar, a Lunatic, or Lord. What the judgment? What is the assessment of that claim? There was all this debate about who he was. (e.g. 6:14, 42, 60; 7:15; 8:48, 52–53; 9:29; 10:19; 11:37). The world thought it was passing judgment on Jesus. The ruler of this world thought he was passing judgment on Jesus. The crowds thought they were passing judgment on Jesus, "crucifiy him, crucify him." In reality, the cross was passing judgment on them. And although the cross might seem like Satan's triumph, it is in fact his defeat. Why? Because it is through this ‘defeat' that victory comes. Now let's stop right here for a second. What is this talking about? When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself. Without the verse that comes next, I would almost certainly conclude that is talking about the resurrection and subsequent ascension. By what means would Jesus draw the world to himself? You would think by demonstrating power and victory over death. Coming out of the grave. Walking to the top of the mount of olives and raising to heaven. I mean, that would be so dramatic, so amazing. That will be the thing that just smashes the unbelief and people will come sprinting to the feet of Jesus. Certainly that would be the way, right? But that's not what he meant. The whole world is going after him. Let's recall back to the beginning where we talked about John's usage of the word world. By what means would the whole world going after him. (people) Jesus say, when I am lifted up I will draw all men to myself. Is that Christ being lifted up and exalted by the crowds? Save us, save us. Is that Christ being exalted to a throne? Nope. That's the shallow, fickle, mm deep interest of the world. That's what the Pharisees thought. Oh no, the whole world (people) is gone after him. That type of self-serving interest is of the WORLD (pollution). That's worldly attraction. And this is the judgment of the world (pollution), the death of Jesus. And it through that death the ruler of this world (planet) will be cast out. Victory through death. The Glory comes by Giving. The Healing comes by Hanging. Jesus had to die like a seed to reproduce his life in others. And that is what we are going to celebrate now in a time of communion.

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Our Gospel reading today has two parts. The first part deals with the events that we are familiar with concerning Palm Sunday. Jesus was entering into Jerusalem to celebrate the upcoming festival of Passover that was happening that week. There were more people than usual in Jerusalem because they were doing the same thing that Jesus and his disciples were doing. Interest in Jesus was quite keen because of what he had done just days before. He had raised Mary and Martha’s brother, Lazarus, from the dead, even though he had been dead for four days. This is why the crowd is large, and why they are praying to Jesus: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” The second part of our reading tells us some other things that happened that day. These are lesser known happenings connected with Palm Sunday. It is this second part of the Gospel reading that I’d like to focus on today. The second part is different from the first part. In the first part of the reading there is a joyous, spontaneous parade (which are always the best kind of parades). In this second part the topic is quite different. Jesus speaks about his soul being troubled, about hating one’s life, about death, about being lifted up on the cross. Here on Palm Sunday, even while the crowd was singing and smiling, Jesus came to understand that his hour had come. How did that happen? John says that there were some Greeks there who came to Jesus’s disciples. They said, “We want to see Jesus.” So the disciples went to Jesus and told him about it. Immediately Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” This is what made Jesus understand that his death was quickly approaching: Some Greeks came to see him. So why should this make such an impact? For us Christians it is easy to forget that salvation is really a Jewish, an Israelite prerogative. The people whom God chose out of all the nations of the earth were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Greek people are from an entirely different branch of the human race. They aren’t even distantly related to Abraham, like some of the other people in the Middle East were. When Jesus came he did not disrupt or overturn this basic structure. He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. When he sent his disciples out, they visited their fellow Jews. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well that salvation comes from the Jews. Now, as it turns out, there were non-Jews who came to believe in Jesus. The Samaritan woman believes in him. Then her whole village came to believe in him. There is one outstanding male example of faith and one outstanding female example of faith. Both of them are non-Jewish. The man who is said to have great faith is a Roman Centurion. The woman who is said to have great faith is the Canaanite woman, whom we heard about four weeks ago. On the other hand, while there certainly were Jews who believed in Jesus, most did not. After his first sermon in his hometown of Nazareth the men of the synagogue want to throw him off a cliff. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem are especially hostile to him. They believe that he is a dangerous heretic who is leading the people astray. So already before Palm Sunday you see that the Jews, the people who should have received Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, were resisting him. These are the nobles of the human race, who, if anybody has a claim to the King’s Son’s wedding banquet, they do. But they are unwilling to come. On the other hand, people who don’t belong at the wedding banquet—the non-Jews—are being compelled to come in. This is not by accident. It is all there in the Old Testament. God threatens to punish all who break his commandments, and the worst punishment that God can inflict upon a person is hardness of heart. When his people, who have had his promises and commandments, who have been visited by him and know his will, do not repent, then God will harden their hearts and move on. Thus in many geographical areas where in the Word of God was richly and powerfully proclaimed previously in history, there is now no Word of God. Instead people go after other gods, which actually are demons. So God warned his people in the Old Testament that he would not put up with their disobedience forever. The Old Testament also has many prophesies about how the non-Jews, the Gentiles, will come streaming into Zion, the city of God, the city of salvation, in the end times. This is what is especially relevant to what we heard today. This seems to trigger Jesus’s understanding of the end coming. The Gentiles are starting to trickle in with this group of Greeks who are seeking him. Soon that will turn into a flood. And so it is that even today the number of Gentiles who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, is vastly larger than the number of Jews who believe that Jesus is the Christ. But this is not a popularity contest. Neither is it a matter of people’s picking and choosing—as though it were up to the Jews or the Gentiles to choose wisely, and one failed while the other succeeded. Rather it is a matter of God’s grace. At the end of our reading Jesus says, “When I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw all people to myself.” It was Jesus’s own death that drew in and continues to draw in the Gentiles, as the Old Testament prophets foresaw. The Gentiles were once far off, alienated from God, stupidly worshipping demons because they had no other choice. Now they have been brought near by the blood of Christ that cleanses them from sin. So when a group of Greeks came, Jesus knew that they would have to be cleansed. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to die, so that we might live. Notice how Jesus speaks about his death. He speaks of it as being glorious. He says, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Later he says, “Father, glorify your name!” And the Father says, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” This is a linking up of two things that we wouldn’t otherwise bring together: glory and death—at least not a death like Jesus’s death. Sometimes it can be glorious to die: The soldier dying for his comrades, the police officer dying in the line of duty. But Jesus’s death was not like that. He died alone—all his disciples forsook him. He died as a heretic and a criminal, having been found guilty by both the Sanhedrin and by Pontius Pilate. He died as a fool. His enemies beat him and spit on him. The soldiers mocked him. All of this is what Jesus is referring to when he says, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Jesus was glorified when he was poor, weak, alone, a fool, a criminal, a curse. What is so glorious about that, you might ask? Jesus tells us in our reading when he says, “Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” This world is judged. Fathers who abandon their children are judged. Mothers who smother their children are judged. Children who curse their parents are judged. Adulterers who break up marriages are judged. Fornicators who blaspheme the act of procreation are judged. Corrupt politicians are judged. Swindlers, also known as businessmen, as judged. Kidnappers who defile and murder children are judged. People who sell sex and violence are judged. Scientists who experiment on the disabled and poor are judged. Those who live for just one more drink are judged. Those who masturbate to pornography are judged. We live an incredibly disordered existence. And it comes right down into our homes and families. It haunts our daily life. The wounds and after-effects and pollution linger on and on and only serve to create more filth and dread and sadness. And we all have done our own part in contributing to it. Praise God that this world is judged! It is in sore need of judgment. And the ruler of this world is judged. The devil is judged. The one who holds the purse strings. The one who opens the doors to advancement and shuts the doors to advancement. The one who keeps people blind to the true God and his love by filling them with lies about what life is really about. The one who teaches children that fame and fortune is the real name of the game. The one who tempts and irritates and saddens and lies and murders and brings into despair. Praise God that this one is judged, and, furthermore, thrown out! Good riddance you great bewitcher of souls! There has never been glory like Jesus’s. There has never been glory like this, where the evil poison is drawn out of our wounds and out of our existence. It is judged, condemned, and done away with. And the way that it is done is by Jesus being lifted up on the cross. The way that he does away with all the evil is by absorbing it all into himself and bearing God’s righteous wrath against it, fulfilling the immutable Law of God. But there is yet one more dimension to how the Son of God is glorious. The world is judged. The ruler of this world is judged and thrown out. Finally Jesus says, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” What does this mean, “I will draw all people to myself?” Well, what does Jesus do? In contrast to all the evil things that we spoke about, Jesus is the opposite. He is good. He is kind. He is patient. He forgives. He makes people righteous, setting them on the right path, making them wholesome and loving. He takes away the power of past sins to infiltrate and continue to pervert our lives. He introduces us to a new childhood—better and more healthy than the one we had—where he is our brother, and God is our Father, and Mary is our mother. Perhaps we could sum up all these things that happen when Jesus draws us to himself by the word “peace.” Jesus says to his disciples on the night when he was betrayed: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” The world’s peace, in contrast to Jesus’s peace, is where everything is going your way. You’re on your way to being rich and famous. You have good health. Everybody thinks you’re a jolly good fellow. You’re on the top of the heap, or at least on your way to the top. Jesus’s peace is his complete self, his entire divine life, everything he is and everything he has he shares in common with us. Mercy and truth and met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. The divine life that Jesus shares is more than enough for anyone, and if you find that it is not enough, you can ask him for some more and he will give it to you. Together with this peace, Jesus also wishes to glorify you. He would have you be glorious, just as he is glorious. That is to say, he wishes to bless us by making us fall into the ground like a grain of wheat and die, thereby producing much fruit of love. We suffer because we testify to the world that its works are evil. We suffer as we absorb the insults, the pain, the sin. Though we are reviled, we do not revile in return. Thus we appear poor, weak, alone, a fool, a criminal, a curse. These things are not shameful. They are the most beautiful things there are, because they are a reflection and reverberation of the most beautiful one there ever was.   These glorious ones are easy to miss. They don’t promote themselves. They do not lift up their voice in the street. But quietly the Holy Spirit is at work in their lives. They take up their station in life and love those whom God has put in their life. They follow Jesus. This is a good life. It is the life of divine love. It is open to all who want it, regardless of past sins—regardless of the sins you are ashamed of, the sins of last week, or the sins of last night. Jesus draws all people to himself. The sin that has polluted your life is cleaned up with Jesus’s holy, precious blood. Jesus says, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Ep. 112 - Some Greeks come to see Jesus to learn from him. He gives them, and the crowd WAY more of an answer than they were looking for. The indelible centrality of John, Chapter 12 takes center stage in this week's podcast. The Geek and Greek podcast is a show where two reverends talk honestly and clearly about faith, Christianity, scripture, and life.  Follow us at GeekAndGreek.com!

Fifth Sunday of Lent Year B Lectionary: 35 Reading I Jer 31:31-34 The days are coming, says the LORD,  when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel  and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand  to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;  for they broke my covenant,  and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make  with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;  I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,  for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.   Reading II Heb 5:7-9 In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh,  he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears  to the one who was able to save him from death,  and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;  and when he was made perfect,  he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.   Gospel Jn 12:20-33 Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,  and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew;  then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them,  “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you,  unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,  it remains just a grain of wheat;  but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me,  and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. “I am troubled now.  Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour'? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven,  “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;  but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said,  “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world;  now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth,  I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

Reading I Jer 31:31-34 The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant, and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.Reading II Heb 5:7-9 In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.Gospel Jn 12:20-33 Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour'? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

Some Greeks asking to see Jesus made all the difference! That outsiders and foreigners were now asking to meet with Jesus is the final sign that Jesus was looking for. Now the hour has come. When Mary asked Jesus to solve the problem of the wedding without wine at Cana, Jesus told her that his hour was not yet come. Later he will slip through the crowd and away from the Jewish leaders because his […]

Jesus knew what he faced - painful death. Some Greeks approach him, wanting to hear something, and they certainly get an earful. Christ gives them his steely resolve to do what he was sent to do, and in doing some, he call us all to do the same. He was just as human as we are. He knew that he would feel ever bit of it. He did it anyways and paved the way for us to receive eternal life. Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, Pastor Scott, and Stacy gather back together in the studio for the first time in a year to explore the depth of Christ’s humanity.

Some Greeks want to make a booking John 12

Some Greeks want to speak to Jesus and he replies that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it will remain a single seed, but if it does it will produce many more seeds.  We make sense of his enigmatic response and discover why the Pharisees have been so blind.  Jesus makes a last desperate appeal to them so that they too may believe.

Some Greeks desire to see Jesus; Faithful in all God's house;

Some Greeks desire to see Jesus; Faithful in all God's house;

Mary anoints Jesus at Bethany. The plot to kill Lazarus. The triumphal entry. Some Greeks seek Jesus. Son of Man must be lifted up

Mary anoints Jesus at Bethany. The plot to kill Lazarus. The triumphal entry. Some Greeks seek Jesus. Son of Man must be lifted up

How do you "see" Jesus? In John 12, Some Greeks who were looking for Jesus stand out against the gospel narrative as unusual in the political landscape of the time. In a culture where there was separate "worship" for the Gentiles at the Jewish temple, these men were a picture of all who want to know God. As these Greeks request to see Jesus, his response is that in order to rightly see him, you have to see his death, burial, and resurrection.

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered...

Jesus enters Jerusalem. Some Greeks come to see Jesus.

Jesus enters Jerusalem. Some Greeks come to see Jesus.

Some Greeks want to see Jesus. Jesus tells Philip and Andrew exactly what He intends to show them...and the world.Download

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus...

Speaker or Performer: Pr. Mark D. Lovett Scripture Passage(s): John 12:20-33 Date of Delivery: September 14, 2014 In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.Some Greeks, having come to Jerusalem for the Jewish feast, wanted to see Jesus. They wanted to see this Rabbi who healed the sick and raised the dead; the one after whom the whole world was beginning to follow. So, naturally, they went to the apostles. After all, if you want to get to Jesus, if you want to know Jesus, you must find Him and learn Him through His holy apostles. That’s the way the Lord set it up.Despite what many denominations and preachers teach, there is an order to the Christian Church laid out by our Lord and repeated several places by the apostles. When the Lord Jesus ascended on high He said to His apostles that they would be His witnesses by the power of the Holy Spirit to witness to all the world beginning in Jerusalem. And so they have. Even now they witness to the nations. We call their witness the Bible. There is no other source of knowledge or wisdom concerning Christ or the Father He reveals than in the sacred pages of the apostolic letters and writings. If you want to know Jesus, to see Him and learn from Him – as did these Greeks – then you have to do so through His apostles.So it is written that the Church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone. So we confess that we believe in “one holy, Christian and Apostolic Church.” From this we learn that you can’t know Jesus without His apostles and the apostolic office. Therefore we confess that in order that we may obtain the faith that saves the Lord instituted the preaching office whereby the Holy Spirit works faith in those who hear the good news of salvation in Christ.So all those so-called Christians who refuse to gather to hear the words of the apostles; all those who say they can be Christian without this holy gathering wherein the apostles show us the Christ and even more, where Christ Himself promises to be; they are wrong. And we who love and care for them must in Christian love and honor remind them of the truth: those who do not gather to Christ scatter.So the Greeks came to see Jesus and so went to His apostles. But Jesus didn’t show Himself to the Greeks. He didn’t say to Andrew and Philip, “What a great opportunity! Let’s go talk to these Greeks. Maybe we can convince them to follow Me.” No; He said, “The hour is come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Now the hour is come for Him to be crucified and raised from the dead. Because that is the Christ these Greeks need. That is the Christ you need. And that is the way the Christ reveals Himself to the world.We preach Christ and Him crucified. A Christianity without a cross is no Christianity at all. The Lord Jesus didn’t want to show Himself to these Greeks until He had been glorified. Then they would know truly who it was who healed the sick and raised the dead. Not merely some Rabbi with miraculous powers, but the Son of God who comes with healing in His wings.That is how the Christ shows Himself to you. Not merely as a teacher or miracle worker, not merely as one who can show you the way to salvation. But He shows Himself to you as your salvation. For here His living Body is given to you and here His blood poured for you for the forgiveness of sins and the bestowal of life, for where there is forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation.One does not come to the apostles to see Jesus or learn about Him without seeing Him crucified and risen, for that is what these same apostles – Andrew and Philip and all the rest – turned and preached to these Greeks on the Day of Pentecost. This Jesus who was attested to you by signs and wonders and anointed by God, was crucified, died, and was buried and on the third day rose again from the dead. And He will come again in glory to judge both the living and the dead.We preach Christ and Him crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews who look for signs and foolishness to the Gentiles who seek glory. But to us who are being saved, the cross of Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God to save.+ In Nomine Iesu +

Summary of today's show: As Pope Benedict addresses each group of US bishops making their way to Rome this year in their ad limina visits, he is really sending a message to all Americans with his pastoral eye on what we need most. Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell take up one of the most recent addresses in which the Holy Father discusses the importance of marriage and family to society, the causes for its weakening today, and the prescription for its renewal among the generation of the young today. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell Links from today's show: Today's topics: Pope Benedict on Marriage and Family to the US 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Mark back to the show. He said this has been a weather week for the ages. Fr. Mark said he has spring fever. Scot said he was outside at midday today at the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally at the State House in Boston today. It was put together in less than 48 hours and about 400 people showed. There were many good speakers. Scot spoke and reflected on Pope John Paul II's first visit to Boston and how he spoke about religious freedom and the need for us in the West to defend that religious freedom and now we're fighting for our own religious freedom here. Pope John Paul II could be our patron saint for religious freedom. Fr. Mark has been planning a meeting of the Catholic Lawyers Guild tomorrow. They're having a Day of Recollection, an annual event during Lent. It will have the theme of the Book of Genesis. All Catholic lawyers and judges are welcome to come to the Pastoral Center, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree, tomorrow morning. 2nd segment: SCot and Fr. Mark said they will be discussing an address by Pope Benedict to the US bishops who were visiting Rome as part of their ad limina visits. Dear Brother Bishops, I greet all of you with fraternal affection on the occasion of your visit ad limina Apostolorum. As you know, this year I wish to reflect with you on certain aspects of the evangelization of American culture in the light of the intellectual and ethical challenges of the present moment. In our previous meetings I acknowledged our concern about threats to freedom of conscience, religion and worship which need to be addressed urgently, so that all men and women of faith, and the institutions they inspire, can act in accordance with their deepest moral convictions. In this talk I would like to discuss another serious issue which you raised with me during my Pastoral Visit to America, namely, the contemporary crisis of marriage and the family, and, more generally, of the Christian vision of human sexuality. It is in fact increasingly evident that a weakened appreciation of the indissolubility of the marriage covenant, andthe widespread rejection of a responsible, mature sexual ethic grounded in the practice of chastity, have led to grave societal problems bearing an immense human and economic cost. Scot said of all the issues the Pope could talk about, he chooses this topic because the breakdown of the marriage covenant affects all of society. The rejection of the sexual ethic has led to immense societal problems. The fact that so many kids are being raised without both mom and dad has huge consequences for society. Fr. Mark said these ad limina addresses are not just for the bishops in the meeting but for all Americans and these are his first ad limina addresses to the US. SO this is what he's holding up as the fundamental issue and the fundamental building block. Yet, as Blessed John Paul II observed, the future of humanity passes by way of the family (cf. Familiaris Consortio, 85). Indeed, “the good that the Church and society as a whole expect from marriage and from the family founded on marriage is so great as to call for full pastoral commitment to this particular area. Marriage and the family are institutions that must be promoted and defended from every possible misrepresentation of their true nature, since whatever is injurious to them is injurious to society itself” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 29). He's calling us to be fully invested in this defense of marriage and family. Fr. Mark said the answer to the question of how to build the kingdom of God on earth is found in Familiaris Consortio and Sacramentum Caritatis and it is family. The family is the salvation of society. Scot said it's not just doing things for kids, but the formation of the kids. It's the parents' responsibility, not schools or other societal issues. Sometimes parents have to heroically raise their kids as single parents, but the holy Father is saying we have to provide support for families stay together, not pull it apart. Society must help strengthen the family. Fr. Mark said the family is the natural institution created by God. In this regard, particular mention must be made of the powerful political and cultural currents seeking to alter the legal definition of marriage. The Church's conscientious effort to resist this pressure calls for a reasoned defense of marriage as a natural institution consisting of a specific communion of persons, essentially rooted in the complementarity of the sexes and oriented to procreation. Sexual differences cannot be dismissed as irrelevant to the definition of marriage. Defending the institution of marriage as a social reality is ultimately a question of justice, since it entails safeguarding the good of the entire human community and the rights of parents and children alike. The Holy Father calls for a reasoned defense, not just a faith-based defense, of marriage. Fr. Mark noted that he's not talking about the Catholic definition of marriage, but marriage itself. Marriage predates Christ's raising it to the dignity of a sacrament. the Holy Father lists four basic things about the natural institution of marriage. The first is unity, meaning that marriage is exclusive between one man and one woman. The second is indissolubility, until death do we part. The third is procreation and education of children. Procreation is essential to marriage and education is formation. The fourth is the good of the spouses. The good of the spouse is not love per se, but for the other person's good and vice versa. It's selfless and other-directed, not selfish and me-directed. Fr. Mark said love is not an essential element of marriage. Arranged marriages are still marriages. Hopefully, they grow to include love. In our conversations, some of you have pointed with concern to the growing difficulties encountered in communicating the Church's teaching on marriage and the family in its integrity, and to a decrease in the number of young people who approach the sacrament of matrimony. Certainly we must acknowledge deficiencies in the catechesis of recent decades, which failed at times to communicate the rich heritage of Catholic teaching on marriage as a natural institution elevated by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament, the vocation of Christian spouses in society and in the Church, and the practice of marital chastity. This teaching, stated with increasing clarity by the post-conciliar magisterium and comprehensively presented in both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, needs to be restored to its proper place in preaching and catechetical instruction. In response to the bishops saying that it's difficult to communicate the Church's teaching now and we aren't getting the job done in making young people understand marriage. One of the reasons it's not being received by young people is they aren't coming to church for the sacrament. Fr. Mark confirms here are far fewer marriages in the archdiocese over the past 10 years. While that's bad, it also means that people who are coming to the Church really do mean it. Fr. Mark said we have to teach about the sacrament of marriage in many ways. Children should be hearing them from families, religious education, homilies, and the like. Pre-cana programs are more proximate preparation. In these programs the priest takes the couple from where they are and launches them on a higher road. The actual marriage ceremony itself must be an act imbued with God. After the marriage we also need to provide better assistance after the wedding ceremony, sometimes called enrichment programs. Scot said one of the reasons we don't see this very often is there is often a dearth of well-formed couples who've been married for a long to help newly marred couples through the struggles and challenges they will face. Fr. Mark said people shouldn't wait to be asked to help in their parish. Pastors need people to come forward and volunteer to assist. God will use your strengths and weakness in his service. Your weaknesses will often make what you do more accessible. Never feel your not good enough or holy enough. On the practical level, marriage preparation programs must be carefully reviewed to ensure that there is greater concentration on their catechetical component and their presentation of the social and ecclesial responsibilities entailed by Christian marriage. In this context we cannot overlook the serious pastoral problem presented by the widespread practice of cohabitation, often by couples who seem unaware that it is gravely sinful, not to mention damaging to the stability of society. I encourage your efforts to develop clear pastoral and liturgical norms for the worthy celebration of matrimony which embody an unambiguous witness to the objective demands of Christian morality, while showing sensitivity and concern for young couples. One, he wants to make sure marriage prep programs are up with the times. Scot said the Archdiocese of Boston has renewed its program called Transformed in Love. Fr. Mark was on the steering committee for this program. He said this program fulfills what the Pope is calling for. The bad news is that the program is not being used widely enough. It does have the emphasis on why Catholic marriage? But there are still a lot of poor programs in our archdiocese and other dioceses. If listeners know of a need for renewal of a particular program, Fr. Mark urges them to contact Kari Colella at the Archdiocese of Boston: Scot said one of the reasons people cohabit is they haven't heard enough from Catholics around them that it is wrong. We're not living our faith if we don't help these couples. Sometimes they wouldn't cohabit if someone offered assistance, perhaps helping them with money issues that they think they living together for. Fr. Mark said the biggest difference between marriage and cohabitation is that the latter has a big exit sign. It is not a covenant, not until death. Marriage is a full commitment to the other person until death do you part. Scot said there are studies that show that couples who cohabit before marriage are less likely to stay married successfully. Fr. Mark said people think that if they live together they have a better chance, but that's not proven by the facts. Here too I would express my appreciation of the pastoral programs which you are promoting in your Dioceses and, in particular, the clear and authoritative presentation of the Church's teaching found in your 2009 Letter Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan. I also appreciate all that your parishes, schools and charitable agencies do daily to support families and to reach out to those in difficult marital situations, especially the divorced and separated, single parents, teenage mothers and women considering abortion, as well as children suffering the tragic effects of family breakdown. In this great pastoral effort there is an urgent need for the entire Christian community to recover an appreciation of the virtue of chastity. The integrating and liberating function of this virtue (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2338-2343) should be emphasized by a formation of the heart, which presents the Christian understanding of sexuality as a source of genuine freedom, happiness and the fulfilment of our fundamental and innate human vocation to love. It is not merely a question of presenting arguments, but of appealing to an integrated, consistent and uplifting vision of human sexuality. The richness of this vision is more sound and appealing than the permissive ideologies exalted in some quarters; these in fact constitute a powerful and destructive form of counter-catechesis for the young. the Holy Father's central point is the need to recover a sense of charity. Scot said it means using the gift of sexuality in the way that God intended for your state of life: single, married, or ordained. Chastity in marriage is to be faithful to those four elements of marriage that Fr. Mark outlined earlier. Scot said it's often mistaken for continence, which is refraining from sexual activity. Young people need to encounter the Church's teaching in its integrity, challenging and countercultural as that teaching may be; more importantly, they need to see it embodied by faithful married couples who bear convincing witness to its truth. They also need to be supported as they struggle to make wise choices at a difficult and confusing time in their lives. Chastity, as the Catechism reminds us, involves an ongoing “apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom” (2339). In a society which increasingly tends to misunderstand and even ridicule this essential dimension of Christian teaching, young people need to be reassured that “if we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, absolutely nothing, of what makes life free, beautiful and great” (Homily, Inaugural Mass of the Pontificate, 24 April 2005). Let me conclude by recalling that all our efforts in this area are ultimately concerned with the good of children, who have a fundamental right to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. Children are the greatest treasure and the future of every society: truly caring for them means recognizing our responsibility to teach, defend and live the moral virtues which are the key to human fulfillment. It is my hope that the Church in the United States, however chastened by the events of the past decade, will persevere in its historic mission of educating the young and thus contribute to the consolidation of that sound family life which is the surest guarantee of intergenerational solidarity and the health of society as a whole. I now commend you and your brother Bishops, with the flock entrusted to your pastoral care, to the loving intercession of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. To all of you I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of wisdom, strength and peace in the Lord. The Holy Father speaks of marriage as fundamental in the way we form and prepare our young to lead our society. Fr. Mark said our voices are drowned out by the counter-arguments in every venue. The Pope is calling us to not be afraid of the truth. We need to be saying this or the truth will be silenced. Scot said the key message is to trust the Church's teaching. Rejecting all authority makes you miserable. Jesus knew we need to be connected to God and let's give thanks to the teaching magisterium which guides us in wisdom. Fr. Mark urged married couples to remember the grace of the sacrament which can be called upon in hard times. Marriage is two people gazing together at God who helps and leads. Marriage is not easy. This teaching is not easy, but the rewards are well worth it. 3rd segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant, and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more. Second Reading for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 25, 2012 (Hebrews 5:7-9) In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 25, 2012 (John 12:20-33) Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?' But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die. Scot said Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for His death and resurrection. He's trying to tell them that His death will produce the fruit that we hear at the end of today's reading from Hebrews: He would become the source of eternal salvation. Fr. Mark said it will come through sacrifice. The first reading has more curses than blessings, but it is a blessing. Jesus prepares everyone for spiritual battle. The battle for religious liberty is a battle. The fight to defend marriage is a battle in service of God. Scot said little did the disciples know that Jesus was going to be glorified by becoming sin. He would take on all the sins ever committed and all those still to be committed. One of Scot's favorite verses is “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” It's very personal. That's the love that God has for us. Fr. Mark said the covenant is key. Jeremiah speaks of the Mosaic covenant and Christ sealed the covenant for us so that we are forever redeemed. Scot said Jesus uses dramatic language: speaking of “hating” life. Our lives are a blessing from God. What Jesus is saying is that we need to love the promises that Jesus made for us in the next life over what we have now. Fr. Mark said lifers walking with God. That's what real life is. Scot encouraged listeners to renew our Lenten promises and renew our efforts in our fasting.

This episode is part 2 of our series considering the impact Christianity has had on history & culture. Today we dig a little deeper into how the Faith impacted the world's view of the sanctity of life.In our last podcast, we talked about the ancient world's widespread practice of infanticide & how Christianity affected a fundamental shift in the way people evaluated life. This elevation of the value of human life came from Christianity's roots in Biblical Judaism with its revelation that human beings are created in God's image, then taken further by the Incarnation; that God became man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The cross reveals how highly God values people. Therefore, God's people must value them as well. So while the pagan world thought little of exposing unwanted infants to the elements & wild beasts, Christians rescued & adopted them, raising them as their own. It was an early & inventive church growth program.Another way the Christian view of the sanctity of life affected the Roman world was its impact è on the arena.The Roman writer Ausonius reported that gladiatorial games began in Rome about 264 BC. By the time Christians arrived there, the Romans had watched many thousands of gladiators fight to the death with one other & beasts. Because the whole thing was meant to be a show, more often than not, the battles weren't quick affairs. They were long, drawn out torments where as soon as one combatant gained a significant advantage on his opponent, he took his time finishing him off to titillate the blood-lust of the spectators. Death by many cuts. As one historian wrote, the 300 year long popularity of the Gladiatorial games “illustrates the pitiless spirit and carelessness of human life lurking behind the pomp, glitter, and cultural pretensions of the great imperial age.”Like infanticide, the games underscore Rome's low regard for human life.Gladiators were usually slaves, prisoners of war, or condemned criminals, all regarded as expendable. Rome's seeming unstoppable war-machine meant a constant influx of new slaves & prisoners. The games provided a way to reduce the supply to the slave market to keep their price up & keep the legions who sold them supplied with income. So speaking purely pragmatically, the games were a slick arrangement. It helped regulate the slave industry & provided entertainment for the populace. If one poor soul had to die to keep a thousand happy, it was deemed worth it. Social commentators in ancient Rome remarked on how the State kept the ever-ready-to-riot masses pacified by providing free bread & games; giving rise to the phrase – Bread & Circuses.Though over time a handful of gladiator achieved celebrity status, the main bulk of them were considered by society to be loathsome & doomed, assigned by Fate to a pitiless lot. Only a handful of freemen ever willingly became gladiators and if they did it was for money & fame. They enjoyed the applause of the crowd & were willing to imperil their lives to gain it. There were a few women gladiators.Before being allowed to fight in the arena, gladiators were trained. BTW, that word arena comes from the place where gladiatorial contests were waged. Harena is Latin for “sand” and refers to the floor of the theater which was covered w/a fine sand to absorb the blood. The whole aim of the games were to entertain so gladiators were taught the rudiments of combat so they could make a good showing & increase the tension of the spectators. A good deal of gambling took place in the stands as people bet on their hoped-for champion. Because the games were a major event, the famous, rich & powerful were nearly always in attendance, including senators, emperors, pagan priests & vestal virgins.The games weren't held just in Rome. Amphitheaters for games were erected in most major cities of the empire. >> I want to pause briefly and make a clarification. In modern usage, the word amphitheater is often used to describe a venue that's a half circle; like the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles. But the prefix amphi means round, a full circle. For the Greeks & Romans, an amphitheater was a full circle, like the Colosseum in Rome. A half circle, is just a theater. Amphitheaters were used for the gladiatorial games while theaters were used primarily for political gatherings, speeches, & plays.Back to the gladiators: In Rome, as combatants entered the arena, they'd file before the emperor's box, salute & shout, “We who are about to die salute you.” They would then fight either man to man or in small teams. Occasionally masses of men would re-enact famous battles from Roman history. But most of the time it was 2 men battling each other to the death. When it became clear one was the victor & his opponent was close to death, the winner would look to the stands for the audience's verdict. If the loser had fought well, they might mark their desire that he be allowed to live by extending their arms & giving a thumbs up. Most times, the crowd wanted to see the match finished by slaying the loser, so they gave thumbs down, the women just as much a part of this as men. All eyes then turned to the emperor whose decision decided the loser's fate. He nearly always went with the crowd's majority.Occasionally gladiators fought wild animals that often got the better of their human opponents. During the early 2nd C, the Emperor Trajan celebrated his conquest of the region of Dacia by hosting games lasting 4 months. Ten thousand gladiators participated & 10,000 animals were killed. Half the gladiators died in the arena while many other died later of their wounds. When Titus inaugurated the Colosseum in Rome in 80 AD, 5,000 animals were killed in a single day, along with hundreds of gladiators.While the average Roman throughout the empire enjoyed the games, Christians were appalled by them. But don't forget, MOST of those early Christians were first, game-loving pagans. A radical transformation took place when they converted. What had once been entertainment became abhorrent as they realized the foolishness of their previous ways. For Christians, the games were gambling with men's lives. They were a shocking violation of the Command, “You shall not murder.”So, Christians refused to attend the games. It wasn't so much a boycott as it was a simple decision to not attend an event so fundamentally a grotesque violation of their deeply held conviction.  What used to be entertainment became a deplorable & degrading vice.Pagan critics of the Faith noticed the Christian absence at the games & complained; calling Christians anti-social! One critic accused, “You do not go to our shows; you take no part in our processions . . . you shrink in horror from our sacred games.” Interesting that the games were called sacred by this pagan critic. He saw participation in what the majority did civilly as a kind of civil religion everyone needed to be a willing part of or they presented a threat & danger to society. As we consider that attitude of the ancient Roman Empire toward Christianity, it speaks volumes to us today about how Christians are once again marginalized for our moral stand on same-sex marriage & intellectual position on theism & creation.Church leaders called upon their members to not attend the games or other pagan celebrations where debauchery was on display. In AD 220 Tertullian wrote a book called “Concerning Shows” & devoted an entire chapter admonishing Christians to not attend the games.Evidence of the profound impact Christianity has had on history & the valuation of human life is that today, as we read this chapter of the history of the Roman Empire, we shudder at the barbarity & butchery of the gladiatorial games. It's appalling imagining people in the stands screaming for blood, cheering as a gladius is drawn slowly across the neck of some poor hapless slave.Christianity's high regard for all human life eventually moved Christian emperors to ban the games. Historians agree – it was the growth of the Faith & the persuasion of the Gospel that affected a fundamental shift in the way people regarded life. People grew uneasy with the idea that they were entertained by cruelty & murder. The emperors Theodosius & his son Honorius brought an official end to the games in the late 4th C after 7 centuries of brutality and untold thousands slaughtered for no more reason that entertainment.Someone might ask if the modern penchant for violence in movies & TV, with all the blood & gore isn't a return to the moral bankruptcy of the Roman games. There's an important difference – in movies & TV, everyone knows it's contrived – no one is actually hurt. In fact, stunt crews go to great lengths to ensure they aren't; whereas in the ancient games, the victor was cheered & encouraged by the crowds to finish it by brutally killing his opponent. Even in modern boxing matches, the referee stops the match when one of the contestants is in danger of real harm.Where this seems to be changing though is in the realm of MMA where combatants aim at doing real harm to their opponent and injury is common. As the sport grows & more fighters enter the octagon, the crowd's thirst for the spectacular keeps growing apace. We can only hope they don't ever get to the point where they stand, extend their arm and give a thumbs down on a loser who's tapped out.Christianity had a positive impact on other Romans laws as soon as the Emperor became a Christian. In 315 Constantine banned the practice of branding the faces of criminals condemned to serve in the mines or as gladiators.  He did so because man was created in the image of God and the face is a special & unique way of identifying individuals. He eventually banned all branding of slaves. He also required people arrested for a crime be given a speedy trial, since holding them implied guilt by holding them against their will. Coming to see the cross as a most cruel form of execution, crucifixion was also outlawed.Constantine's son Constantius followed in his father's reforming ways. He segregated male & female prisoners, to which we say, “Duh!” But know this, until the mid-4th C, male & female prisoners were incarcerated together. And yes, you can imagine what that meant for the poor women. It reveals what low regard Greco-Roman culture had for women who weren't under the manus, that is - the controlling hand of a husband. Such women were considered fair game for the unwelcomed attention of men. The elevation of women found in the Bible brought social transformation where ever the Faith spread.We've already considered the long historical debate over the legitimacy of Constantine's conversion. Was it real or feigned because he could see which way the religio-political winds among Rome's legions were blowing? His reforming of these deep-seated Roman customs regarding the sanctity of life do suggest he really understood the implications of the Gospel & had some kind of a moral revolution himself. A guy who merely used Christianity when it was convenient wouldn't call for the radical reformation of centuries old traditions knowing the social unrest it would cause unless he was convinced it was the right thing to do.Another way the Christian view of the sanctity of life shines through in transforming the ancient world is in the end it brought to human sacrifice, a fairly common practice in paganism. Child sacrifices were common rituals for Canaanite worshipers of Baal. Before Patrick arrived in Ireland, the Druids sacrificed both adults & infants. As late the 13th & 14th Centuries, the yet unreached Prussians & Lithuanians practice human sacrifice. In the New World, the Aztecs & Mayans both sacrificed many thousands of victims in blood orgies. The Aztecs would even subdue a neighboring tribe just to produce victims to sacrifice, leaving pools of blood at the base of their pyramids.But where ever the Gospel went & people were converted to faith in Christ, human sacrifice came to an end.Finally, where ever the Gospel reached, people's views of suicide changed. The philosophy of Stoicism which held a powerful sway over the mindset of the Roman Empire, put little value on human life, including one's own. The ancient Romans had gone all in on the idea of quality of life. The only lives that bore any quality were those of the rich, powerful & privileged. The lower classes were taught to accept the fact that Fate had passed them by & the best they could aspire to was to make the lives of the blessed a little better before giving up their pathetic little lives. Suicide was considered a viable option when life was just too much to endure.Some Greeks & Romans even considered suicide a glorious end. The person who took their own life in their own time, their own way was the master of their own fate – not leaving death to claim them at its whim. Many notable Romans took their own lives, including Cato, Seneca, Petronius & some of the Emperors. Suicide was lauded as brave, a noble thing to do if it meant avoiding shame.It's sad therefore to see the modern resurrection of the old arguments for suicide, that it's noble if it means being the master of your own destiny, avoiding shame, or is a rebuttal to the supposed lack of quality of a person's life. Christians joyously announce that in fact we AREN'T the masters of our fate, God is. Shame is dealt with at the cross, & the issue isn't quality of life – it's sanctity of life. Quality is subjective, with one person's abyssmalation being another's glory, & vice versa. Abyssmalation isn't even a word – but it gets the point across.Christianity regards suicide as self-murder, a most obvious violation of the sanctity of life. It's also, in nearly all cases, a profound loss of faith in God; concluding that one's life is beyond God's ability to rescue, restore & redeem.Interestingly, while suicide came to be generally regarded as incompatible with Faith in God, it wasn't until the Council of Elvira in 305 that it was formally condemned. And even then it wasn't suicide as an act of desperation that was in view by the ban placed on it. What prompted the Council's ban was the fact some Christians were too eager to be martyred. Remember that the couple decades just before Constantine became emperor were times of great & bloody persecution for Christians. Martyrs had achieved heroic status. What had been meant as a way to encourage Christians to stay faithful went overboard & became a kind of perverse delight in being martyred. So there were dozens who could easily have survived just by exercising some simple wisdom. But they nearly dared their tormentors to kill them, thinking that by doing so they were being heroic and would earn more points with God. Really, it was an ancient form of suicide by cop – in this case, suicide by executioner = Martyrdom. The Council of Elvira called a halt to it in 305.Clement of Alexandria, Lactantius, Gregory of Nazianus & Eusebius all condemned suicide. But the most vociferously opposed to it was Augustine in the 5th C. You may remember he wrote against the Donatists in North Africa. The Donatists believed there was no forgiveness of sins after baptism, so some had gone to extreme measures & agreed to a mass suicide right after being dunked.Augustine reasoned suicide violated the command “You shall not murder.” He pointed out that in the Bible, none of the Heroes of the Faith took their own lives and when Elijah asked God to slay him, God refused.As the years passed, the Roman church added more prescriptions to suicide in the hope no one would even think about it for the way it would consign the soul to eternal darkness. Public attitude toward suicide eventually changed to such a degree that it went from being considered noble to cowardly. Instead of using it to escape shame, it became a means to it.In our next episode, we'll consider Christianity's impact on sexual morality.