Gospel John 12:20-33
Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like 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. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.
Homily
The Gospel reading for today brings us into contact with two saying of Jesus which speak of a new life without divisions.
The story begins with a request from the Greeks who wish to see Jesus. We are not told that Jesus answers their request. On the contrary Jesus goes into a discourse about the necessity of a grain of wheat dying before fruit can be produced and later on about his need to be lifted up on high, i.e. to be crucified, so that he can draw everyone to himself. It is as if Jesus is saying, it is only when I am crucified that the Greeks will be able to see me, but more than that it is only after I am crucified that the Greeks will not have necessity to ask to see me but it will be their right as members of the one community of the disciples. In fact Jesus had little contact with Greeks and other non-Jewish peoples before his death and resurrection. The wall separating Jews from others, i.e. the law, had to be broken down. The happened with the crucifixion and St. Paul could then proclaim, “there is no more Jew or Greek, slave or free man, male or female. We are all one in Christ Jesus.”
It was necessary for Jesus to die, to be lifted up so that the Greeks could be brought in and “see him”, i.e. experience the salvation which Jesus came to bring.
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In the grand scheme of things the law, as important as it was for the Jews, was insignificant, as insignificant as a grain of wheat, and had to be destroyed so that the true law, the law of Jesus Christ, the law of love could come into being so that humanity could be united.
It seems to me that today, as in the time of the Jews, insignificant things, important though they may be to some of us, keep us divided and keep us from forming the great community which would live the harmony which God wants for every nation and for the world. Insignificant things like love of one’s ethnic group only, class, social status, keep us divided. Today the Gospel reminds us that in the grand scheme of things, these artificial barriers have to fall to the ground as a grain of wheat and die, so that the fruit of true community and harmony may come forth. In this of course some of us will have to be crucified. We will be crucified by those who call us traitors to the race, and by those who ostracize us for the positions that we take, we will be crucified by family and friends, but just as in the time of Jesus, it is only by being lifted up on high, that we will destroy the barriers that separate us.
Today the gospel reading calls us to celebrate those who have been “lifted up on high” for the sake of unity in nations and among peoples. Through their suffering many barriers have been thrown down and many people including ourselves enjoy a harmony that our ancestors did not think possible. We thank God for those models of faith and we pray that we begin to see things on a grander scale so that we do not let things that are really insignificant be causes of division.
Prayer
All powerful and ever loving God, Your son Jesus was lifted up on high so as to draw all things to himself, so that he could form one people undivided by ethnicity and class and social status. Help us his disciples to accept the pain which comes from working for unity so that the artificial barriers dividing peoples and nations may be thrown down. Make us co-workers with you as you create a people in which there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free man male or female. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our Mother and your Son Jesus who was lifted up on High.
