Fifth Sunday in Lent
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
- First reading
- Jeremiah 31:31-34
- Psalm
- Psalm 51:1-12 or Psalm 119:9-16
- Second reading
- Hebrews 5:5-10
- Gospel
- John 12:20-33
Gospel reading from John
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.
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Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 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.
Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say–‘ Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
Sermon
We are at week 5 on the Lenten calendar. During Lent the lectionary looks back and looks ahead. Our Gospel reading this week fits both, and also fits Palm Sunday. It has a prologue, in which the last few days of Jesus’ ministry are recorded, and an epilogue, in which are told what He means by his words in verses 23-27. In verses 20-21, some Greeks come with a request. They are non-Jews, who Pastor Stevenson tells us, can represent the rest of the world. God loves all. They make a request “We wish to see Jesus.” In verse 33 Jesus’ concluding answer is “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself,” meaning the coming Resurrection and the drawing of all people to God’s KIngdom. Some Greeks asked to see Jesus, but did they understand His answer? People are drawn to His Kingdom when they hear God’s Word that have been put down in the Bible. We are encouraged to read, listen and study the Word to gain this understanding.