I REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED MY WIFE TO MARRY ME. I WAS DEEPLY IN LOVE AND I KNEW I WANTED HER IN MY LIFE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. I KNEW SHE WOULD BE GOOD FOR ME. I KNEW MY LIFE WOULD BE BETTER THAN IT WAS. DO YOU HEAR AN ECHO? I LOVED HER, BUT IT WAS ALL ABOUT ME AND WHAT I WANTED. AFTER WE GOT MARRIED, I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT SHE WAS A HUMAN BEING WITH HER OWN WILL AND HER OWN LIST OF THINGS SHE WANTED. AND GRADUALLY I HAD TO MOVE OUT OF ME INTO US, AND SHE DID AS WELL. AND WHEN THE CHILDREN CAME ALONG, I HAD TO MOVE EVEN MORE OUT OF ME AND OUT OF US, INTO ALL OF US. AND YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T DO THIS PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY ALTHOUGH I'M SURE THAT WAS THERE. I MOVED OUT OF ME IN RESPONSE TO HER LOVE FOR ME, AND WE MOVED OUT OF US INTO ALL OF US BECAUSE OF OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER. AND NOW ALMOST 50 YEARS LATER, WITH THE CHILDREN GROWN AND THE TWO OF US BACK TO JUST US, WE HAVE BEEN CHANGED; NEITHER OF US CAN REALLY MAKE A MOVE WITHOUT THINKING HOW THAT WOULD AFFECT THE OTHER.
SOME GREEKS WANTED TO SEE JESUS. THEY ASK PHILIP, WHO ASKS ANDREW, AND THE TWO APOSTLES GO TO JESUS. BUT JESUS DOESN'T SAY YES OR NO, BUT SEEMS TO SPEAK AS THOUGH HE HASN'T EVEN HEARD WHAT HE WAS ASKED. AND WE NEVER DO FIND OUT IF THE GREEKS GOT TO SEE HIM.
WHAT MADE THEM WANT TO SEE JESUS? WAS IT BECAUSE THEY HAD HEARD HE HAD WORKED MIRACLES OF HEALING, RAISING THE DEAD, FEEDING HUGE CROWDS WITH ONLY A LITTLE BREAD? PROBABLY. AND YOU CAN'T BLAME THEM. I THINK A LOT OF US CHRISTIANS ARE LIKE THOSE GREEKS. WE WANT THINGS; IN FACT SOME MINISTERS PREACH SOMETHING CALLED THE “PROSPERITY GOSPEL” WHICH BASICALLY SAYS THAT IF YOU ENTER INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS, GOOD THINGS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU – YOU MIGHT EVEN GET RICH. THERE ARE BOOKS YOU CAN BUY THAT TELL YOU HOW YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT ON A GOSPEL – BASED DIET, OR MAKE OTHER PEOPLE DO THINGS FOR YOU USING THE BIBLE AS A GUIDE. AND EVEN HERE IN OUR CHURCH YOU WILL SOMETIMES FIND LITTLE PAMPHLETS THAT TELL YOU IF YOU DO THE NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE NINE TIMES A DAY NINE DAYS IN A ROW AND LEAVE NINE COPIES OF THE NOVENA IN THE CHURCH EACH DAY, YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR NO LATER THAN THE EIGHTEENTH DAY AFTER STARTING. WE HUMAN BEINGS ARE ALWAYS PREPARED TO GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING, OR NEARLY NOTHING, AND IF WE COULD GET ON THE GOOD SIDE OF SOMEONE WHO CAN WORK MIRACLES, GREAT!
AND EVEN WHEN WE DON'T MEAN FOR THIS MESSAGE TO COME ACROSS, WE STILL DO IT INADVERTENTLY. IF A PASTOR WOULD LIKE TO GET HIS CONGREGATION TO GIVE A LITTLE MORE TO THE CHURCH, HE'S GOT TO SHOW THAT THIS IS IN THEIR INTEREST – BECAUSE IF YOU SIMPLY SAY THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVING MORE BECAUSE CHRISTIANS ARE SUPPOSED TO, THAT PROBABLY WON'T SOLVE THE CHURCH'S MONEY PROBLEMS. SO WE POINT OUT THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO KEEP THE CHURCH WARMER, WE'LL BE ABLE TO FUND MINISTRIES BETTER, WE'LL BE ABLE TO ATTEND TO MAINTENANCE AND DEVELOPMENT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER – IT'S IN YOUR AND MY INTEREST TO INCREASE OUR CONTRIBUTIONS,WHETHER OF MONEY OR TIME.
SO MAYBE JESUS IS ANSWERING THE GREEKS. MAYBE HE IS SAYING THAT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE JESUS, YOU HAVE TO SEE HIM DYING. THAT'S WHAT HE MEANS WHEN HE SAYS, “IF I AM LIFTED UP, I WILL DRAW ALL THINGS TO MYSELF.” GOD IS CALLING FORTH A NEW CREATION, AND IN ORDER FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, THERE HAS TO BE DEATH AND RESURRECTION. JESUS HAS TO DIE ON THE CROSS. AND IN HIS ANSWER, JESUS TELLS US THAT IF WE WANT TO BE PART OF THIS NEW CREATION, WE HAVE TO DIE AS WELL. UNLESS A SEED IS BURIED IN THE GROUND IT WILL NOT BEAR FRUIT. ONLY IF YOU HATE YOUR LIFE WILL YOU KEEP IT.
FOLLOWING JESUS TO HIS DEATH IS EASY IN ONE WAY. WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE. NOBODY WILL ESCAPE THAT. WE DON'T THINK ABOUT IT MUCH MOST OF THE TIME; IT'S ALMOST BUILT INTO OUR BIOLOGY TO TURN AWAY FROM SUCH THOUGHTS. SOME MONKS UPON ENTERING THE MONASTERY BUILD THEIR OWN COFFIN AND AFTERWARDS, SLEEP IN THE COFFIN EVERY NIGHT. THE FACT THAT THEY WILL DIE IS SOMETHING THEY LIVE WITH, AND BRINGING THAT TO MIND EVERY DAY MAKES EVERY MOMENT OF LIFE MORE TREASURED. SOMEONE SUGGESTED THAT WE CALCULATE HOW MANY WEEKS WE HAVE LEFT BEFORE WE REACH THE AGE ACTUARIES PREDICT WE WILL DIE. THEN EACH WEEK, WRITE THE NEXT LOWER NUMBER. I HAVE 416 MORE WEEKS IN MY LIFE. I HAD 417 LAST SATURDAY.
SO FOLLOWING JESUS TO HIS DEATH IS EASY. WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT OUR DEATHS BECAUSE IT MAKES THE TIME WE HAVE MORE PRECIOUS.
BUT GOD HAS INITIATED A NEW CREATION IN JESUS, AND THAT'S WHAT RESURRECTION IS ALL ABOUT. AND WE WHO ARE BAPTIZED HAVE BEEN INVITED TO BE PART OF THE NEW CREATION. BAPTISM, AFTER ALL, IS A SYMBOL OF DYING AND RISING AGAIN – DYING BECAUSE WE GO UNDER THE WATER; RISING BECAUSE WE COME OUT OF THE WATER AS THOUGH WE ARE BEING REBORN. THE WORK OF OUR BAPTISM IS NOT A ONE-TIME EVENT, IT IS ON-GOING; GOD IN CHRIST IS PUTTING TO DEATH OUR SINFUL SELVES, WHO GIVE ONLY IN THE HOPES OF GETTING, AND RAISING UP NEW CHILDREN WHO GIVE LOVE AWAY BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN INFINITE LOVE. IN GOD'S PLAN, THAT IS HOW THE WORLD WILL SOMEDAY BE. BUT WE WHO HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED ARE CALLED TO LIVE THIS FUTURE IN THE PRESENT, TO LIVE THE FUTURE AS THOUGH IT WERE ALREADY HERE. FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS FOLLOWING HIS WAY OF BEING IN OUR WORLD.
SO IT ALL BEGINS WITH SEEING JESUS CLEARLY, DYING FOR US AND WITH US. IT'S THERE THAT WE SEE HIM FOR WHO HE TRULY IS, AND WHAT HE CAME TO DO. AND WHEN WE SEE HIM AS HE TRULY IS, WE HAVE THE FAITH TO FOLLOW HIM TO DEATH AND GOD'S NEW LIFE, AND LIVE IN GOD'S FUTURE NOW. WHEN WE SEE JESUS LIFTED UP ON THE CROSS, WE REALIZE THAT THIS IS THE ONLY PATH TO ETERNAL LIFE.
BEFORE I GOT ENGAGED I WAS THE CENTER OF MY WORLD. BUT ONCE I GOT MARRIED, LOVE – GRADUALLY, NOT SUDDENLY – MOVED MY CENTER TO MY WIFE AND MY CHILDREN. GOD'S WORK IN US, GOD'S NEW CREATION, IS SOMETHING LIKE WHAT HAPPENS IN A LOVING MARRIAGE – HE MOVES US OUT OF OURSELVES INTO THE TRINITY – BECAUSE GOD IS LOVE, AND JESUS DYING FOR US AND SHOWING US THE WAY TO RESURRECTION IS THE ASSURANCE OF THAT LOVE.
