In Nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
There may be a variety of reasons why you have come here today. Some of you have come to see a young person get confirmed. You see them looking radiant in fancy dresses and Mitchell in a sharp suit. You’ll see them stand before this altar and speak and you’ll smile at the pictures taken afterward and that is all good. It is a nice reason to be in church of course. But it isn’t the reason the Greeks came to Philip about. We can show up at church on a particular Sunday for a whole host of reasons, reasons as many as there are people here. But here we are instructed the right reason to come, to see Jesus.Well, where is he then? Where do we see him? The blessed Apostle wrote, we walk by faith not by sight. Even the Greeks who came to see Jesus had to see him with the eyes of faith; so they had to be coming for more than simply a vision of him. They had to want more than a view of the man. To see him simply with your eyes is not the end of it, because there were lots of people who saw Jesus with their eyes, but didn’t believe in him. We will certainly hear this week of people who wanted to see Jesus, except they wanted to see him dead and out of their way. The Gospel even says that they could not believe, for God Himself, “has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart lest they see with their eyes and understand with their heart and turn.” To see Jesus with your eyes is not enough. As a matter of fact our Lord has hidden himself so that we can’t see him now, the way we would choose anyway. The vision needed is one that comes in the way of his choosing, not ours. So again, just what kind of sight is it, what vision of Jesus should we be looking for?Jesus gives the answers. He said that “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit.” Jesus way for you to see him, the vision of Jesus own glorification, is actually the way that his enemies wanted to see him - dead on a cross. While he was seen by those who sang Hosanna on that Palm Sunday, he wasn’t seen in his true glory on the donkey…the donkey was leading him to that…his glorification, which is his cross. And this is where it seems so backwards, you would think that Jesus glory would be seen in strength and power, in force of will and of might, but no. It is in suffering and death. There on the cross is where he wishes to be seen by the world, where he is lifted up from the earth, to draw all people to himself.
Hidden from the eyes of unbelief, but seen most of all by His Father, Jesus has drawn you to Himself, because He has taken you, yes, you, your sinful eyes, sinful you, in his own body up on the cross. And this is the glory of Jesus, in making himself a servant. “Christ Jesus who through he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” through the eyes of faith as Savior and Lord, most king, most loving. He was seen on the day he was lifted up from the earth. While it is good to come to support young ones on the day of their confirmation, to see them dressed so fine, if that is it alone, then you have missed the mark. If you have come for any other reason today than to see Jesus then you have come for the wrong reason. But still, how do you see him here, where? The crucifix that is before our eyes and the statue of our resurrected Lord, aren’t Jesus. They are beautiful pieces of art, but they aren’t the means to see Him. That sight is first and foremost the Word, that Word is preached. You are hearing right now, to find Christ, to see Him is to see Him in the preaching of the Word. The Word is the means by which the eyes of faith see. We see with our ears. We see Jesus as we hear his voice. His voice will cry out this week, as each day we will gather to hear him speak, words of forgiveness and promise. To see Jesus hanging on his cross crying out, Father, forgive them for they do not know that they do. The thief on the cross, certainly saw Jesus glorified, but only through the Word did He know that it what he deserved was death, but Christ Jesus only could save Him. Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom. He saw Jesus, Truly, truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. The eyes of the thief could not have told him that alone, only the words. He saw a man dying, but seeing in true faith he saw that Jesus was Lord for him. And Jesus is Lord for you. So when you come in here, to this church, you should be saying to the pastor, Sir we would see Jesus. And the pastor’s job is to place him before you in the preached word, as being for you, as dying for you, suffering for you, buried for you and raised for you, for you to eat and drink.
And how about that? Where does Jesus want you to see Him? Held before you in bread and wine, His very body and blood; the true and living Jesus. You see the element, but you have heard the Word. You catechumens have heard, and believe that here present is Jesus. Having been baptized and taught, absolved and examined, you are looking for Jesus. At the altar you find him. With repentant hearts you come, lifting up your hearts to the God of all grace you come, with eyes of faith, looking to author and finisher of your faith who gives himself hidden from the world, hidden from unbelievers, but seen by you according to his promise. And it is his promise that you hold to. Jesus finds glory in his suffering, and we Christians are to learn that way too. It will not be easy for you, and when it is not easy then you will be wondering again if what you have learned is real and true. When things don’t turn out the way you want them too with family, with health, with just about anything you could name, then, you’ll wonder whether your faith has been a bunch of made up stuff. It is then when you need to come and see Jesus here again. His disciples saw him in the breaking of the bread, you do too. Here you come to see your Jesus, as you see him in His Word, as you see Him in the bread and wine, now and during your days of pilgrimage, the thing for you to do is cry out, Hosanna, just like those people on Palm Sunday. They said, Hosanna, save us. And he promises to do just that. To save you from your eyes, wandering from one thing to another. He saves you by hiding in Words of promise and then gives what you need. Salvation from your sins, from death and from the devil. Jesus gives all of that. He was lifted up from the earth. He was buried in the earthen tomb, and he was raised up from it that you today live to see him, that even should you die you’ll see him. No doubt about that.
The true Lord God, who was lifted up from the earth, Jesus, is the one that is seen here. The one who makes those who don’t want to see him in the humble, hidden way in which he comes to continue to be blind, but who makes those who know they need him to see Him in his words and at His altar. Do you have eyes to see? Will you repent of your sins and see him for you in the preaching of his cross? Repent now, turn from wanting to see things your way. Repent and see Jesus his way, crucified, forgiving, loving unto death, so that you might see him in glory, with the voice of the Father thundering again, glorifying his Son forever. So keep coming for the right reason. Keep coming to see Jesus where he has promised to be, and be saved.
In Nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
