Palm Sunday: Seeing Jesus

“Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” John 12: 21

It’s a brief moment in John’s narrative, and yet it captures the desire so many of us carry deep within. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and a group of men came to Philip and asked to see Jesus. Like many others, they’d heard a lot about this man and wanted to see him for themselves. After 2000 years, not much has changed. You and I have heard a lot about Jesus, and yet on this Palm Sunday we still want to see him for ourselves.

Looking over at the bookcase in my study I see many books about Jesus. I think about the countless hours I’ve spent going to church, the sermons I’ve heard and delivered, the classes I’ve taken and taught. All of it speaks to my desire to see Jesus, and I’m embarrassed to say that I’m not sure I have ever seen him for myself - glimpses maybe, but never a lasting vision. This Palm Sunday I find myself standing beside the men who came to Philip wanting to see Jesus. Perhaps you do too.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem there were people lining the road, some waving palms and laying them on the road to honor the man on a donkey. Some climbed trees to get a better view and others looked on from afar. Everyone was curious about this man they’d heard about. Now they wanted to see him for themselves.

The problem was, they wanted Jesus to be who they expected him to be. Those who were looking for the Messiah had expectations about what a Messiah should be and do. Those looking for a political leader, had expectations about what such a leader would be and do. In the end, Jesus would disappoint them all. He rarely appears to be who we expect or want.

Nothing’s changed.

We still wave palms, sit in the pews, and seek a better view. We come seeking Jesus but do so full of expectations and preconceived notions. No wonder we remain spiritually hungry. Perhaps the key is seeking Jesus without expectations. Perhaps the key is confessing our pre-conceived ideas and welcoming him into our lives as he is and not as we want him to be.

Such an approach is dangerous. What happens if we see Jesus and he’s not who we want or expect? What happens if he tells us to care about people we don’t want to care about? What if he asks us to forgive people we cannot stand, or value things that are silly, foolish? Even worse, what if he challenges our political leanings?

We will either want to worship him or kill him. It’s been that way for 2000 years.