“From Unknown to Known” John 12.20-43, Palm Sunday, April ‘20

1.      Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The message from God’s Word this Palm Sunday is taken from John 12:20-43 and is entitled, “From Unknown to Known,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      Our God-given faith, despite our lack of sight, has made us sons and daughters of light who walk in the light even during dark times.  Jesus said in John 12:35, “35… “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. These words from Jesus in our text stood out to me more than usual this year. The reason is obvious. Things have changed quite a bit haven’t they since we began the season of Lent now with our Covid-19 Pandemic. I suspect we will be walking in darkness for quite some time.

3.      But, Jesus was not talking about the coronavirus, of course. He was talking about Himself and about reality for those who live apart from Him. But the light/darkness metaphor is always apt for those who live by faith and it’s a prominent theme throughout John’s Gospel.  John 1:5 & 9 tells us that Jesus is, “5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.”  Our Lord Jesus says in John 8:12, ¹²… “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  In John 11:8-10 it says, ⁸The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” ⁹Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”  And Jesus says in John 12:46, “⁴⁶I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”  Oh, how we need to hear these words from Jesus during this dark time.

4.      This Covid-19 Pandemic looks like it will continue for some time. So, we find ourselves stumbling into Holy Week this year unsure about many things we have been taking for granted for a long time, which is a discomforting thought, but it’s also honest. We may be hesitant to acknowledge it, and we often do a fairly good job of convincing ourselves otherwise, but much of life is unknown. In fact, most of life is lived without knowing exactly what comes next.

5.      The crowds on Palm Sunday were in such a situation. They had gone out to meet Jesus because He had raised Lazarus from the dead (12:17-18).   John 12:17-18 says, “¹⁷The crowd that had been with [Jesus] when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. ¹⁸The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.”  But they didn’t understand why He had come or where He would lead them. Their disappearance later in the week reveals their ignorance. The disciples were similarly unaware. John explicitly tells us they didn’t understand what Jesus was doing as He rode into Jerusalem on the donkey (12:16), and this wasn’t the first time John describes what the disciples did not know about Jesus.  John 2:21-22 says, “²¹But [Jesus] was speaking about the temple of his body. ²²When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” In both cases, they were in the dark until after His resurrection. Only in the light of Easter and our Lord Jesus’ resurrection from the dead did they understand who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him.

6.      In the Gospel lesson for today “some Greeks,” evidently converts to Judaism who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover, said to Philip, “We want to see Jesus.”  They too were in the dark and wanted to know more about this Jesus. Philip told Andrew, who told Jesus. Maybe these Greeks were just curious; maybe they wanted more for their lives than what they had; maybe they wanted to bow before Jesus in heartfelt worship. Who knows? One modern Christian praise song captures this: “We want to see Jesus. We want to reach out and touch him and say that we love him. Open our eyes, Lord. Open our ears, Lord. Help us to listen. We want to see Jesus.”

7.      And see him, the Greek visitors would. And hear him, they would. They heard him speak of his own death. There was no expression of grief by our Lord—no denial, anger, bargaining, depression; only divine acceptance. “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” (Jn 12:27–28). Such was the purpose of his death. Such was the power through his death—to declare God’s love for sinners, to pay the price of that sin with his own suffering and dying, to offer hope and life and joy and peace to all who would believe.

8.      Our Lord (in Jn 12:24) uses the simple analogy of a kernel of wheat: “Unless [it] falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”—seeds that bring forth new life, seeds that bring forth a “hope-full” future, seeds that have resurrection written all over them. This Holy Week, as we gaze upon the cross, where our Lord died for us, there is a quiet, Spirit-given expectation in the very depth of our souls. For we know of Easter. We know of resurrection. We know of the promise of glory, not only for our Lord but for us as well. The incredible story of the Gospel, which we share each time we gather for worship, always ends on that life-giving, hope-filled note—always! Not on loss, but on gain; not on pain, but on glory.

9.      Maybe you and your family as you begin Holy Week this year can name and face directly your present uncertainties that you are facing. Take some time to identify with the disciples who were in the dark all week long. The disciples didn’t see the resurrection coming, and as a result they spent much of the week in fear and confusion.

10.   But, we do not have to stay in our fear or confusion, do we?  This year, more than ever, through every one of our losses, no matter how profound or painful, we want to see Jesus. Through every moment that we are privileged to spend journeying on this earth, in fact, we want to see Jesus. Through our own lives of commitment and discipleship, we want to see Jesus. Through our faithful, quiet expectation of eternity, we want to see Jesus. Open our eyes, Lord, our ears, our hearts, our lips, our hands, and our minds as well. We want to see Jesus!

11.   Like the crowds and disciples at the beginning of Holy Week, we do not know what is coming next with this Covid 19-Pandemic. But, also like the disciples in John 2:22 and 12:16, we have heard about Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. We believe, having been lifted-up, that Jesus is in the process of drawing all people to Himself (John 12:32). That is why we continue to gather in person in our Drive-in Communion services that we have had at Christ and Calvary Lutheran Churches and on-line to celebrate such things as Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. We are witnesses of His glorification through His suffering, death, and victory over the grave. Our God-given faith, despite our lack of sight, has made us sons and daughters of light (12:36) who walk in the light even during dark times.

12.   But we know, the resurrection was coming. It has come! Which means we know where the present situation will lead. We don’t know how, or when, or what will take place in the short-term. But we do know that Jesus has risen from the dead. More than this, He promises resurrection for all who trust in Him. No amount of social-distancing, or quarantining, or stay-at-home orders, or anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the resurrecting love of God in Christ. (Romans 8) He has made us sons and daughters of light and He sends us to live in and share His light with a world struggling through darkness and uncertainty.  Amen.  Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting.  Amen.