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Exploring the word

29 Mar 2009 - Fifth Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

I’ve always felt a real affection for the anonymous Greeks who approach Philip in Jerusalem and make their request with disarming frankness: “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Who are these people? “Greeks” is a catchall term in 1st-century Israel. These folks speak to Philip in Greek, not in Hebrew or Aramaic. The term suggests nothing about their ethnicity, nor does it spell out whether they are Greek-speaking Jews or Gentiles. But they are in Jerusalem specifically for the Passover, so they are at least God-fearing Gentiles. Because this verse follows the Pharisees’ disgusted remark, “Look, the whole world has gone after him,” we understand that these foreigners are generally unwelcome among the average citizens of Israel. Still, they have the chutzpah to go to Philip, who speaks their language, and ask for the kind of intimate introduction to Jesus that few in the crowds around him received. Why do they want to see Jesus? Not simply for the photo-op, we can imagine. Being seen in the company of Jesus in those troubled days was a mixed bag, not necessarily something you wanted to advertise. So there’s both some daring and some risk involved in this direct request. Obviously they don’t want to look at Jesus. They want to know him. Maybe they are hoping, at this late date—although no one knows the lateness of the hour besides Jesus and his adversaries—to become his disciples. It’s not their fault that they come into the story too late to walk around the countryside with him and absorb his teaching. They cannot know that they are seeking the acquaintance of Jesus when the time before his execution can be counted out in hours. And Jesus, for his part, agrees to their request. He agrees that it is high time to be seen: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Jesus is about to be lifted up to a place where he can be viewed, not only for miles, but also for centuries. The arrival of the Greeks, in a sense, is a sign to Jesus that his hour of Passion and glorification is about to unfold. For their part the Greeks didn’t mean to be a sign of anything. They weren’t trying to be special. They expressed a need that people coming to faith often experience: the desire for greater union with Jesus. RCIA catechumens and candidates frequently seek a closer relationship with Jesus than the cradle Catholic, and they are anxious to acquire that intimacy. In this sense, we lifelong Catholics need to take our cue from the newcomers. If we would like to see Jesus, all we have to do is ask. Related scripture links Life is over like a sigh: Ps. 90:9-10; Isa. 40:6-8 One day is a thousand years: 2 Pet. 3:8; Ps. 90:4 The moment of decision: Deut. 30:19; Rom. 10:9 The wages of sin: Rom. 6:23 Jesus knows the hour: John 2:4; 4:21; 5:25; 7:6-8; 16:1-4, 25-33; 17:1-5 Catechism links Eucharist involves each of us: CCC 790; 1140-1144; 1368-1405 Direct lay participation: CCC 903; 1118-1121; 1348

Authors Alice Camille

Philip son of man Greek rcia

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Homily themes

29 Mar 2009 - Fifth Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip . . . and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” These “Greeks” were foreign pagans or Jews from the Diaspora known as “God fearers” because they sought God but either did not fully convert to Judaism or otherwise came from outside the community. Their appearance at this point in John’s gospel is significant for two reasons. They represent the fact that the way to Jesus is open to all. They also come on the scene at Jesus’ “hour,” the time when God will glorify all Jesus has done and raise him up in resurrection. The Greeks want to see Jesus, a word John uses in his gospel to mean not only physically “see” but also “believe in.” As the church draws nearer to Easter, to the commemoration of the “hour” of the Lord, we prepare to celebrate the moment when Christ’s death and resurrection draw all people to himself. We will “see” Christ lifted up in death and resurrection, and we will believe. Homily points Sometimes we need a liaison to mediate the peace between us and those whom we offend. The ancient Israelites looked to their prophets and relied on the sacrifices of their priests. Since the time of Jesus, a new covenant has made further mediation unnecessary. Eucharist is our direct access to the life of Christ, and the indwelling Spirit replaces the office of the prophets.

Authors Joel Schorn

Greek Philip Easter Eucharist

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Word of the Week

08 December 2024

Immaculate Conception

\i-'ma-kyə -lət kən-'sep-shən\

Dogma of the Catholic Church, since Pope Pius IX officially declared it in 1854, that Mary was “full of grace” and uniquely conceived without the stain (macula) of original sin. Not to be confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, a singular event for which Mary’s Immaculate Conception prepares.

Pronunciation Read more

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