April 6, 2003
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Mindekirken April 6, 2003 John 12:20-33 It’s right before the great festival, Passover in Jerusalem. The pilgrims come from near and far to celebrate the exodus out of Egypt. The Israelites knew their own history well, and had kept the traditions throughout the centuries. But this year something different and strange seems to be happening. The rumor is spreading: - now he has raised Lazarus from the dead
When Jesus approached Jerusalem this , people spontaneously found palm branches and cheered for him. Some Greeks had come; they tried to get a meeting with this Jesus. They contacted Philip. And Philip wanted a back up, so he talked with Andrew before they went to Jesus and told him about it. Then and there Jesus spoke up, and told great important things about his situation, who he is, and why he has come. Of course, this relates in different ways to the history of the people. "The hour has come." The cup of time is filled". So far it has not been the right time. People have asked and wondered – when is he going to be king? Or they may have wanted to rush time. The hour has come. Now the Son of Man will be glorified. The people of Israel did know what it was to long, to wait and pray. They have been tested and sometimes they have shown not to be the most patient. But they have strongly passed the creed on to their children and grandchildren, and taught them to know their God. That’s the advantage of the Jews even today. My good friend Ingeborg is a Christian Jew from Norway. She and her husband are raising 5 sons. Life is tough and demanding in Beerseba – out in the middle of the desert with a constant fear of war and terror attacks. But they celebrate the Sabbath. The father brings his sons to the synagogue every Friday, and there they recite texts. The people know their history and they pass it on. Mary knew the longing of her people when she first learned that she was pregnant. She knew this would be God’s plan with the people she belonged to. The time has come. The people are waiting to continue their cheering. They gather more palm branches. It looks like it’s going to be a great festival at Passover. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. We know that he who speaks is the perfect fulfillment of these words. There is no one who fills all history; past, future and now with depth to this word as Christ himself. And there is no one who has felt the burden of his task in every single fiber of his body like Jesus does here. Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say –Father, save me from this hour? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. We do have our own experiences that might give us a sense of the feeling that Jesus had. Something might have stirred us up. We might have been separated from someone, or lost somebody we loved. And the longing and the dreams slowly become part of our lives. I think of you who are separated from your land of origin. Many tell that the 17th of May and Christmas Eve are like heaven. Where ever we are in the world, we will have a longing for the perfect, where we no longer are missing, or longing for something. Most things we partake in are only partial. We lose something on our way. But, luckily we also have the experience that new things may grow along our way. When something dies, new things can grow. New relationships may grow, and take root. Some of our richest blessings have come due to breaking up and renunciation. Our human experiences might be expressed in a Swedish poem which says: Budding makes pain, it really does. Jesus felt the expectations on him this Passover. To him, the mighty prophecies are like pictures of what is going to happen. The prophet Isaiah predicted this: He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity. That was something quite different from palm branches and celebration. Jesus knows his task and knew that Via Dolorosa waited. Father, let your name be glorified!! Sounded a voice from above. That was a voice for the sake of men and not God. I have glorified it, and I will do it again. Maybe you remember the sound of God’s voice like this twice before. That means, the first time I think of was by the burning bush. Moses asked who spoke to him; I am who I am! I am is the one who has sent you. Then Jesus was baptized by John and a voice sounded: You are my son the beloved, with you I am well pleased. Through out all history, God IS. He has creation in his hand and a plan ready for his children. Today’s text puts us in the middle of God’s dramatic history with men. Moses was called to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. Jesus has the call to lead the people of Israel and all people from darkness to light. We are led from slavery under the law by grace. In the desert, the people of Israel were told to look at the copper snake if they had been bitten a poisonous snake, then they would live. We are supposed to look at Jesus, then we will live. Jesus knew the words of Jeremiah, the words about the new covenant. That God will establish with people. His mission is to complete this work, build the bridge for all people. Therefore he can’t give in to his own fear in this situation. The one who loves his own life will lose it. Jesus is obedient. He’s even aware of what kind of death he will suffer, and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. The people of Israel looked at the copper snake. You will look up to me. I’m suffering for your sake. I’m suffering so that you may live. Unless the grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. And indeed there was much fruit. We are gathered in his name, we belong to Jesus, we can look at him. At the same time, the fruit is ours, something we carry further and share with others. For where our Lord is, there we also may be. The servant’s mind Christ had, we also should have – and still the best is yet to come. We carry along the longing and the dream about the perfect, and we see it in glimpses. But the whole fulfillment, the wholeness we will first see when we someday come to the kingdom of heaven, as long as we look up at Jesus. Glory be to God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
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