John 12:21

Seeing Jesus

Sir, we would see Jesus. John 12:21.

Have you ever stood in the streets of a great city and watched the crowds surging past? Have you ever wondered where these people came from, what their homes were like, what was the story of their lives, and what their future would be? For a moment they are beside you, you hear a scrap of their conversation, or they look with you into the same shop window, and then they vanish from your sight, and very likely you never meet them again.

Now there are people in the Bible who are like our friends and relatives. We know quite a lot about them, we have a pretty long account of their life history. But there are others and some of them are very interesting people who are like the crowds in a big city. For one moment we get a glimpse of them, and then they pass out of our sight for ever.

Among those people are the Greeks who came to the apostle Philip and asked him to introduce them to Jesus. All that we know about them is told us in three verses; but they are very interesting verses, and they set us wondering about a lot of things which they do not tell us.

And first we wonder, Who were these Greeks, and from where did they come?

Some people think that they may have come from Bethsaida on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee, because they spoke to Philip who belonged to Bethsaida.

There is one thing that we certainly know about them, and that is that they believed in the God of Israel. They had given up their heathen gods and adopted the God of Israel as their God. How do we know this? Well, if you look at verse 20 you will find out. It tells us that these men had come up to worship at the Feast. The Feast mentioned is the great Feast of the Passover which the Jews kept once a year in memory of the time when the first-born of Egypt were slain and the destroying angel passed over the houses of the first-born of Israel. And if the Greeks had come up to worship at that Feast, then they must have believed in the God of Israel.

Then another question we ask is, Why did these Greeks want to see Jesus?

Well, a great many people wanted to see Jesus in those days. Some wished to see Him because they were sick, or had sick friends, and they wanted Jesus to heal them. And many others came to see Him out of curiosity, because they had heard of His miracles. But I don't think the Greeks came for either of those reasons. They were not ill, so they had not come for healing; and if they had wanted merely to behold this Man of whom every one was talking, they could have done so by waiting by the roadside where He was to pass, or by climbing a tree like Zacchaeus. But they acted differently. They came to one of the disciples and asked him to let them see Jesus. They wanted to speak with Him. I wonder why?

I think it was because they were not quite satisfied. They had learned to know and worship the true God, but they felt there was something more to know about Him. There was still a great hunger in their hearts. They had heard of the great things Jesus had said and done, and they came to Him hoping He would be able to teach them and give them rest for their souls.

And then another question we ask is, How did Jesus receive these men? What did He say to them?

Well, we are not told. All the Bible says is that Philip went and told Andrew about their request, and that then the two disciples came and told Jesus. But of one thing we may be sure sooner or later these Greeks found Jesus, for nobody ever sought Him earnestly in vain. Perhaps it was not until after He had ascended that they found Him, perhaps they were among the early converts of Peter or Paul; but we may be quite sure of one thing they found Him in the end of the day.

Now I wonder if you have ever felt that you would like to see Jesus. If it were announced that Jesus was coming to this town you would put off any engagement to go and see Him, would you not? Perhaps you have felt that if you could hear His voice and look up into His kind face it would be easier to be good.

But we can still see Jesus every one of us if we will. If He had stayed on earth only a few people could have seen Him. Many could not have travelled so far, most people could not have afforded do so. But now that He has ascended into Heaven we can all see Him if we will.

How can we see Him?

We can see Him in the Bible. Someone has said Shat God has given us five portraits of Jesus in the Bible one in each of the Gospels and another in the Epistles. But it is not only in the Gospels and the Epistles that we find Him; for long before He came prophets and psalmists spoke of Him, and if you search carefully you will find a very great deal about Him in the Old Testament.

Then we can see Him in the lives of those who are following Him most closely and loving Him best. You have all met men and women whose lives were so beautiful and unselfish and true that they reflected some of the beauty and the love of the King of Love Himself.

Once a lady who worked in the slums of one of our great cities was walking along a street when she met a little ragged boy who smiled up in her face. “Do you know me?” she asked. “Yes,” said the boy.

“Then who am I?” Very softly and reverently he whispered, “You are Jesus.”

But best of all, we can see Jesus in the visions of Himself which He gives to all who love Him and try to serve Him.

Will you ask God to give you His Holy Spirit so that your hearts may be filled with love to Jesus, and your eyes may be opened to see Him?