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The Greeks were asking the Lord in the Gospel, “We want to see Jesus.” When the Greeks said, “I want to see you,” they did not refer to simple eyeball contact. They were not referring to a fans club who wants to see their idols. They did not refer simply to seeing from a distance. For the Greeks, when they said, “I want to see you,” it means more than a casual meeting; it is more than, “I want to shake your hands.” It means “I want to know you more. I want to know you more deeply. I want to know you more intimately.” The Greeks were asking, “We want to see Jesus.” What they actually meant was we want to know Jesus more. Who is He? Who is He in my life?
What was the response of the Lord? He did not only show Himself. The Lord spoke of His forthcoming death. The Lord spoke about that seed that fell on the ground so that it may yield an abundant harvest. The Lord spoke about His impending crucifixion. The Lord spoke about His passion. The Lord spoke even of how He was afraid to face the sufferings forthcoming.
So what was the response of the Lord to the Greeks? What the Lord actually said to the Greeks who wanted to see Him was this: If you want to know me, if you want to see me, if you want to be my disciples, if you want to be my friends, you must forget about being fair-weathered friends. You should not attempt to know me when the sun is shining brightly. You should not attempt to know me when life is convenient and comfortable. You should not simply attempt to know me when you are young or popular. You should not only attempt to follow, know, and see me in comfortable times.
What the Lord is really saying is if you really want to know me, know me when I am dying. If you want to be my friend, be my friend when I am crucified. If you want to see my glory, my glory is not in being popular. My glory is in looking like a defeated criminal, hanging between heaven and earth. That is my glory.
In other words, our commitment to the Lord is not to be tested in convenient and easy times. Our commitment to the Lord is not to be tested when life is easy and comfortable. Our commitment to the Lord is to be tested when times become critical and uncomfortable, when we have to walk in the valley of darkness and we hear no more applause. If we still remain committed to the Lord, that is knowing the Lord.
The Chinese who love tea say we will only know the color of the tea when we put it in hot water. We are the tea bag and the hot water represents our problems. We will only know our true color when problems come from the front, left, right, back, below, and above. What is our true color at moments of crisis? What is our true color when we are tormented by problems? The jewelers have a way of putting it. You will know a fake diamond from a real diamond by putting the stone in hot water. The real diamond in hot water glitters. The fake diamond in hot water loses its luster. That is why Chesterton exclaimed, “Oh, hot water! I love hot water. It keeps me clean.” Do not be afraid of dying. Do not be afraid of problems. Do not be afraid of difficulty.
What makes you afraid? What makes you happy? What do you live for? What gives you peace? What makes you smile? If the answer to any of my questions is somebody or something other than God, then you need that crisis in your life. Today, I challenge you to ask the Lord. Lord, give me discomfort; my life is too comfortable. Lord, prick my conscience because my conscience has become too soft. Lord, give me crisis, give me problems, but do not stay away from me. With you at my side, every problem can be an opportunity and every hot water situation can be an opportunity to show my true color. That when I am tested, Lord, may I show myself faithful to You all the time.
FAIR WEATHER DISCIPLE
Jn. 12:20-33
Love Like Jesus
