How do you measure success? The world does so in terms of wealth and
possessions. Jesus measures success in terms of service to God. This Sunday’s Gospel
text includes details difficult to interpret without looking at the larger context. At
first reading, it appears incomplete. John tells us that some Greeks wanted to see Jesus.
But He never does tell us whether or not they got their request.
If we step back from this passage just a little bit, the picture gets a
little clearer. Just one verse earlier some Pharisees observed about Jesus (with more than
a little concern) "the whole world has gone after Him" (John 12:19). So, when
John tells us some Greeks wanted to see Jesus, he is confirming the fact that indeed the
whole world was going after Jesus. The actual record of their meeting is not of great
importance to John. What is important is that they wanted to see Him. As Jesus explains
toward the end of this Gospel passage, in the hour of His being "lifted up from the
earth," He draws everyone to himself.
But what does all this have to do with success? Once again, the larger
picture is the key. Jesus has just entered Jerusalem, and the crowd has welcomed Him as
"King of Israel." Judging from all outward appearances, it looks like Jesus may
be on the brink of establishing an earthly kingdom. The apostles already seem to have
worked out some degree of protocol appropriate for the occasion. When the Greeks approach
Philip, he does not go to Jesus directly but first seeks out Andrew as if to discuss the
merits of the request.
Jesus does not allow them to enjoy their air of importance for long. He
immediately launches into a lesson about the true nature of His kingdom. He speaks about
seeds falling to the ground and about hating life in this world.
Our Lord’s words surely left Philip and Andrew speechless but only
because they had not been listening to what Jesus had been saying all along. He had come
into the world to carry out His Father’s plan of salvation. This is confirmed by the
voice from heaven - the only time the Father speaks directly in this Gospel! The Father
had already gloried the divine name through the many signs performed by Jesus during His
ministry. The Father will glorify it again in "the hour" of the Lord’s
death and resurrection. And so, the success Jesus speaks of is measured in terms of
service to God’s saving plan. His followers must work not for earthly rewards but for
the rewards only God can give.
The prophet Jeremiah spoke of this many centuries earlier when he
looked forward to the day God’s covenant would be written in the hearts of humanity
and people would be motivated from within by devotion to the things of God.
The Letter to the Hebrews captures the significance of the earthly
ministry of Jesus in just one line: "Son though He was, He learned obedience from
what He suffered . . ."
(Father Schehr is a member of the faculty at the Athenaeum of Ohio in
Cincinnati.)
