March 26th Lenten Reflection

John 12:20-36

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. 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. The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light."

After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.

“Now my soul is troubled”

Reflection by The Rev Brian K. Gross

Jesus has just come triumphantly into Jerusalem with crowds surrounding him waiving branches of palm trees. They shout “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord- the King of Israel!” The Pharisees stand near watching on and tell each other that there is nothing left they can do as the world goes after him. On this day Jesus announces to the Disciples that his hour has come. The time that he long knew was coming is now at hand. That hour begins with the realization of the religious leaders that nothing they do can stop Jesus and the plans are put into place to cause his death. Jesus understands what this hour means and tells the disciples that his soul is now troubled.

I am caught up by these words from Jesus. He is the Messiah, the Son of God, fully divine, and in this moment fully human. It is this time and the time that he weeps with Mary over the death of Lazarus that I find myself drawn closer to Jesus. Of course, I continue to learn a great deal from all that Jesus did, but it is in these times when I see Jesus reacting in a way that I know I would have also reacted that helps me feel that Jesus had come to understand us, me, more fully. It is in these times that I feel he more fully enters that thin place between myself and God. And in doing so I feel confident when raising up my worries, hurts, and pains, as well as my hopes and my joys that the whole Trinity will understand what I am actually feeling. Though I should not be glad that Jesus wept and that his soul was troubled, it is in the fact that he experienced these things that I find my comfort and my hope.