"Sir, we wish to see Jesus." That is the request that we heard at the beginning of the biblical reading for this message. The inquiry came from the Greeks. That is a fascinating detail. John’s Gospel is filled with a variety of groups of people. There are the Jews and the Pharisees and the disciples, for example. These groups appear many times in John’s Gospel. Not so the Greeks. This is their one and only appearance in John’s Gospel. 

Their appearance is surprising in a way. What are Greeks doing in Palestine anyway? This is Roman occupied land. This is the land of the Jews. So what are these Greeks doing here? Knowing a bit about the ancient Greeks, we can certainly make an educated guess that they were in Palestine on a truth-finding mission. The Greeks were probably the first ancient peoples to wander the known world in search of the truth. In their wanderings these Greeks from a far off land had evidently heard of this person called Jesus. They wanted to meet him. They wanted to hear his teaching. They wanted to hear his insights on the truth. So they came to Philip, a disciple with a Greek name, and they said: "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

In John’s account of the story of Jesus, these Greeks really represent all the peoples of the world. They represent you and they represent me. God became flesh and dwelt among us in Jesus Christ so that all the peoples of the world might be confronted with the truth. Jesus Christ was God’s true light to enlighten every living person. Sooner or later in life’s journey people from all races and nations of the earth will raise the same inquiry as that of the Greeks in this story. "... we wish to see Jesus," they will say. 

As a preacher of the Jesus-story, I need to be prepared to answer this universal request. That presents me with a practical problem. Which Jesus shall I point people to? The Bible and the church’s tradition paint many different portraits of Jesus. There is a picture of Jesus for just about every human question. People living lives of immorality may wish to see Jesus. I can direct them to the portrait of Jesus as the Great Moral Example. People with personal problems may wish to see Jesus. I can direct them to the portrait of Jesus as the Great Psychologist. People who have many questions about the truth of life may wish to see Jesus. I can direct them to the portraits of Jesus the Answer Man. People who live in bondage to the structures of life may wish to see Jesus. I can direct them to the portraits of Jesus as the Victor over all oppression. 

This list, quite obviously, could go on and on. You are undoubtedly familiar with the many different ways there are to speak about Jesus. But let us do something else. Let us look back at our story. What did Jesus himself do or say when Philip and Andrew brought the question of the Greeks to his attention? As a matter of fact, we have no indication that Jesus responded directly to the Greeks. Their request, however, drew his response. Jesus heard the request and he said that his hour had come. Several times in John’s Gospel Jesus says that his hour had not come. The question from the Greeks, however, is the occasion on which Jesus says for the first time that his hour had come. "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified," Jesus says. And Jesus says more. He tells us how it is that he will be glorified. "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." That is how Jesus is to be glorified. His death on the cross is his glorification! "... I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself," Jesus says. John adds these words: "He said this to show by what death he was to die." 

"We wish to see Jesus," the Greeks said to Philip. "We wish to see Jesus." That is the request of many people in our world today. That may be your request today. I hope that it is. What we discover in this story from John’s Gospel is that, if we want to see Jesus, we should look to his glorification; if we want to see Jesus, we should look to his death on the cross. That is where Jesus himself directs our eyes. There are, as we have seen, many, many ways to portray Jesus. The central portrait, however, the image of Jesus that is to control all the other images, is the portrait of Jesus dying on the cross. Do you seriously wish to see Jesus today? Look to the cross! 

But Jesus does not leave you and me suspended in mid-air with our wish to see him. "Why should we look to the cross?" we might well ask. "Look to the cross," Jesus says to us, "because this is where the judgment of this world takes place; this is where the ruler of this world is cast out. Furthermore," Jesus says to us, "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all (people) to myself" (John 12:32). 

The cross of Jesus Christ is, first of all, the place where the ruler of this world is cast out. In John 3:19 we hear that the judgment is that the light, meaning Jesus Christ, has come into the world. There are great powers of darkness at work in this world. The author of the book of Ephesians includes the power of darkness in the summation of powers that beset us behind and before: 

For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12) 

What do you call the powers that are set against you in life? We know, don’t we, the reality of the powers of darkness or whatever we choose to call it. There is a dark side to the world. There is a dark side to our own personality. There is a part of ourselves of which we are deeply ashamed. We keep it hidden as best we can. We do not wish to be exposed by the light. Truly there are powers at work in our world. These powers bring massive doses of evil upon our world. These powers are at work within us. That is one of the reasons we wish to see Jesus! Maybe he can help us. Maybe he can deliver us from evil. 

"Look to my cross," Jesus tells us, "look to my cross. I cast out the ruler of this world through my death on the cross. The ruler of this world died with me. You think these powers are strong now. You should have seen them before I destroyed them! The powers of darkness and evil are on the run now. What you experience in only their last ditch attacks as they flee the field of battle. You shall be free from the power of darkness. I have died to set you free. I have come as light to your darkened world." 

The ruler of this world is cast out. But that is not the only thing we see when we fix our eyes on the cross. The cross of Jesus Christ is, secondly, the gateway to eternal life. "... I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself," Jesus says. "I will draw you to myself. If you wish to see me, look at me on the cross. I will bind you to myself there. You are on that cross with me. I seal you to my heart. You die with me on my cross. You go with me to my tomb. That means that you also live with me in my resurrection. Your tomb cannot hold you. Death cannot hold you. Look to my cross and I shall bear you with me to life eternal." 

Jesus Christ gave up his life for you and for me on Calvary’s tree. He gave up his life that he might cast out the ruler of this world. He gave up his life that he might draw us to his grave and through his grave to victory over death. Jesus Christ, in turn, asks us to give up our life to him. "I have given my life to lead you from death unto life," Jesus says to each and every one of us, "therefore, I ask you to give me your life unto death. The one who lives life loses it, and the one who hates life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, this one must follow me." 

"Sir, we wish to see Jesus." That was the request of the Greeks through Philip and Andrew to Jesus. Their request has echoed through the centuries. Century after century, in every corner of the world, people have made this same request. I hope it is your request today. That request should perhaps be the daily petition of our lives. "We wish to see Jesus." 

"We wish to see Jesus." That is our daily petition. "Look to my cross." That is Jesus’ daily response to our prayer. And Jesus continues, "At the cross I cast out the powers of darkness that will to rule in your life. At the cross I draw you unto myself; I draw you into my death that you might live with me my new life. If you really want to see me, look to my cross. Be set free through my cross. Take up my cross and follow me each and every day of your life."