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Passion Sunday
SERMON – 10.15am, Emmanuel Church, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Sunday 29th March 2009
Revd. Canon David Pickering
John 12.20 -23
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, 'Sir, we wish 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.
Greeks want to see Jesus, and His hour has come.
Did anyone go to see the Cold Play concert at the Asia this week? One of my French class said she went and the place was full.
Celebrities, the famous, phenomenon, wonders, marvels, unusual events, extravaganza, spectacular and unexpected events, all attract the crowds.
I wonder which of these categories attract people to the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens.
On my Wednesday walking group this last week I met two people who had come all the way from the UK for the Rugby Sevens. Neither of them could adequately explain why it was such an attraction for them. It's just something they have done since their days of living and working out here.
In this morning's gospel I wonder why some Greeks wanted to see Jesus? In fact the gospel narrative doesn't tell us why they wanted to see him or whether they actual got to meet Jesus.
When Andrew and Philip told Jesus about the Greeks, he went off about his hour had come. The Greeks almost seem incidental to the story. But as we have seen before nothing is incidental in John's gospel.
The Greeks, whoever they where, came to the two disciples with Greek names, Philip & Andrew.
John wants us to understand something about the Greeks.
So far in the gospel story Jesus has been dealing Jews and the closely related Samaritans.
Now the story is to move on and outward to the wider world represented by the Greeks. And that wider world includes you and me.
The Good News is not just for Jews it is for all people. All people need to see Jesus.
And it is in the 'Hour' of Jesus that we meet him.
Up to this point in the gospel story there have been a number of occasions, when the 'Hour' had not come. The time was not right.
Remember at the beginning of John's gospel, Jesus tells his mother at the marriage at Cana that his 'hour' had not yet come. Later, when his teaching astonishes the people of Jerusalem, in John 7.30, the leaders attempt to arrest him, but fail 'because his hour had not yet come.' In the next chapter, 8.20, the narrator explains that Jesus could not be arrested because his hour 'had not yet come'.
Now, abruptly, in this morning's gospel reading, from chapter 12, the situation changes, and Jesus announces that the 'hour' has now come. The time is now right. It is to be an hour of glory, an hour of crucifixion and resurrection.
Without his death and resurrection no one would ever have heard of Jesus. These are the defining moments of his life and person. This is the hour that makes him the Lord and Saviour. This is the hour that makes him who he is for us.
Today, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we have reached Passion Sunday.
As reflected in some of our hymns thus morning, the cross is within our sights. Our opening hymn- when I survey, the words of the collect, Holy God, in the Saviour's cross your boundless love meets human sin.
We like the Greeks, come to see Jesus as we approach Holy Week, Good Friday, and Easter. This is the time of the year when we celebrate and reflect upon our Christian commitment and calling. The death and resurrection of Jesus are what define our faith and life.
If this is the defining hour for Christ and for ourselves, then of course it covers every aspect of our lives.
But just two thoughts for this morning
The cross is there in our world today. Wherever there is suffering, hurt, pain, injustice and just about everything else that is negative, there is the Cross.
The Greeks came to Jesus, they were outsiders.
If we are to follow Christ, then we are called to live for those outside ourselves.
Jesus was the man for others,
verse 32. "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
We are today's person for others.
We can only live our faith by living it for others.
By living it for others then we live it for God in Christ.
Then we are moving on the way to being true Christians.
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