Looking Beyond
John 12:20–33 & Hebrews 5:5–10
The events in this week’s gospel passage take place after the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, which many Christians will recognize next week on Palm Sunday. Jesus has raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, an act which greatly raised his profile and challenged those in power. He realizes that this increases the danger to himself, but proceeds down this path nonetheless.
The temple authorities are concerned that the signs and wonders being performed by Jesus will draw too much attention from the Romans and as a result threaten their arrangements, so they begin putting together a plot to have him killed. Not only that, but due to the significance of Lazarus being raised they planned to have him killed as well.
Now some Greeks have arrived, and they want to see Jesus. To me, this is one of those mentions that is easy to overlook; further study suggests we shouldn’t, though. What might seem to be a minor detail from our context likely had special significance to the gospel’s original audience. The author of John included it for a reason.
The fact that the message and story of Jesus has reached these Greeks is significant. Keep in mind these events took place not only before social media, but before mass media. People like these Gentiles are not typically found among those who came to see Jesus. Their showing up and asking to see him served as evidence not only that people were being drawn to Jesus, but also, as Biblical scholar Mary Coloe puts it, as “a sign that the oracles about the eschatological gathering of the nations to Jerusalem are now being fulfilled.” (Coloe, 343)
So significant is this moment that many scholars like Coloe suggest it “brings the first part of [John’s] Gospel, the Book of Signs, to its conclusion and announces the movement into the Book of Glory.” (Coloe, 344–345) She writes that “the perspective in this section continues the shift from the limited, nationalist hopes of the crowd to a cosmological judgment that the ‘ruler of this world’ will now be vanquished, and linked to this ‘now’ is the declaration that the hour, spoken of throughout the Gospel, has arrived.” (Coloe, 344)
Jesus makes clear in his statements that follow that his mission looks beyond the regional concerns of the time, including the Roman occupation and the corruption of those in power. He contrasts the type of life championed in this world to the eternal life he offers. He also references the challenges that accompany the path to eternal life, especially for him. When he said he was to be “lifted up from the earth,” it had a double meaning; not only would he ascend to the heavens, but first he would ascend on a cross.
Scholar Francis Moloney writes that “Jesus points to the Father and informs his listeners that service of Jesus, looking beyond the absolutes of this world, being where he is, falling into the ground in a loving ‘letting go’ of the absolutes imposed by ‘this world,’ will bear fruit and lead to the servant’s being honored by the Father. All known paradigms of servants and masters are shattered as the follower of Jesus will be honored by the Father of Jesus.” (Moloney, 353)
Those who were familiar with Hebrew scriptures would have struggled with the idea that the Messiah would not be with them forever. And who could blame them for interpreting victory in that way? As was his fashion, though, Jesus defied expectations, this time by conjuring the image of a dying grain of wheat as a means of describing how God’s plan would be fulfilled.
Moloney writes of this passage that “a single force is in question here, a prince of evil drawing ‘the world’ into the prison of this world, which it attempts to control and understand.” (Moloney, 354) I read two parts in that statement. The first is the misperception that this world is all there is. The second is that the values promoted by Jesus can inform how one lives in this world, but there are also twisted values promoted by other forces that attempt to influence us. Sadly, despite the ultimate victory won by Jesus, those struggles remain in today’s world.
Can this world be a prison? That might depend on how you choose to live in it. Several days ago, I heard a speech by a person in power in which a horrible act of brutality toward a young woman was described in excruciating detail. Her words had the desired effect on me for a time, at least until I realized her intent was to lead me to fear.
Fear is a powerful force, but typically not a helpful one. That might be one reason the Bible includes some variation of the command to “be not afraid” on several dozen occasions. Fear inhibits our ability to make rational decisions, a pattern I saw evidenced repeatedly in my past career in cyber security. As a consultant for enterprise and government customers, I often saw our clients worried about the wrong risks. They would spend time and resources protecting their organizations against flashy threats they read about in the news rather than more common ones like phishing emails, which are easy to execute and still very effective. You can see such fear-based misperceptions in everyday life, too. For instance, just ask someone from the West Shore whether it’s more dangerous to drive on I-81 or to visit downtown Harrisburg.
Fear doesn’t only cloud our judgment, it also leads us away from love. If our inclination is to perceive others as a threat, especially those we’ve been taught to marginalize, we will place ourselves farther from God’s kin-dom. If we buy into a false narrative of scarcity, we will feel there is not enough for everyone and ensure that we get our share first.
Fear of the other and fear of scarcity aren’t the only twisted values that can turn this world into a prison. The pursuit of comfort and convenience can become a prison when it comes at the expense of others. Gaining influence can quickly lead one to corruption. Taking measures to promote a feeling of security can sometimes have a cost. One of the most significant takeaways from today’s scripture reading should be that conventional weapons and armies are not the means by which evil is defeated.
Biblical scholar Gail O’day writes that “to love one’s life is the opposite of Jesus’ own action; it places one outside of the community shaped by Jesus’ gift of his life and leads to the loss of that life. To hate one’s life in ‘this world’ is to declare one’s allegiance to Jesus and so to receive his gift of eternal life.” (O’Day, 604)
Generosity, peace, humility, gratitude . . . these aren’t practices that often make the news, and they probably won’t get you followers on social media, but you will find them on display in God’s kin-dom. And they can also help free us from prisons of our own construction.
In our other scripture reading, we see additional examples of how understanding Jesus means looking beyond custom. The author of Hebrews points to a figure mentioned only a couple times in Hebrew scripture, Melchizedek, as a forerunner of the type of priesthood realized by Jesus.
Melchizedek is first mentioned in the book of Genesis. Before Aaron the brother of Moses was named a priest, before the nation of Israel was created, and before Sarah had borne a son, Abram had an encounter with King Melchizedek of Salem. Abram had defeated some other rulers while rescuing his nephew Lot, and Melchizedek, a “priest of God Most High,” came to him with bread and wine, and to offer him a blessing.
Melchizedek is also mentioned in Psalm 110 in reference to a future ruler, of whom it is said “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
What we can glean from those passages is that Melchizedek offers connections to Jesus in a few ways. His name means “king of righteousness.” (Alexander) He was from Salem, which might be related to Jerusalem. He was both a priest and a king, but did not come from a recognized lineage. He offered bread and wine to Abram.
It’s important to remember that at the time Hebrews was written, there was no Bible as we know it now. Those writings that became our books of the Bible were written on scrolls, and there were other sacred writings as well, many of which would have been familiar to Jesus and to the author of Hebrews. So Melchizedek might have played a larger role in the minds of our spiritual ancestors than is warranted by just the mentions in Genesis and Psalms.
For instance, one “fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls [referred to as 11Q13] presents Melchizedek as an eschatological divine being who will proclaim the final Day of Atonement, atone for the sins of all the people in his lot, and judge them.” (Ramirez, 30) It also connects him to “the jubilee and the freeing of the captives.” (Stuckenbruck, 133)
In another ancient text referred to as 2 Enoch, “Melchizedek was born of a virgin named Sothonim, the wife of Nir, brother of Noah.” (Ramirez, 30–31)
Now, there are good reasons some of these texts aren’t included in our bibles (and a lot of good reasons 2 Enoch isn’t), but I think there’s value in reading them, especially when they informed the beliefs of our spiritual ancestors. Biblical scholars certainly do, and one of them, Merryl Blair, had the following to say about Melchizedek:
Melchizedek will prove to be a prototype for Jesus not only as priest but also as the ideal Ruler. (102) Melchizedek stands for the ‘other’: noted precisely for his lack of genealogy, as well as for his lack of correct racial, even religious, affiliations. (108) The priesthood of Christ, according to the order of Melchizedek, tells us that grace has no antecedents, no ties to anything human or expected. It drops out of God’s eternal time, surprises us, and is perfect and absolute. (109)
In short, the priesthood and rule of Jesus goes beyond worldly manifestations of those practices.
I recently attended a choral concert by the Furman College Singers at Market Square Presbyterian church. I wasn’t entirely sold on going — I had a lot of things to do, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to take the time to drive downtown and sit through the concert.
Even after I arrived, it took a while for me to stop fretting, settle down, and enjoy the performance. When I did, though, I couldn’t help but be absorbed into the experience. It reminded me of my years with the Glee Club at Miami University, and how it felt to perform with such a group. And it also reminded me of the importance of allowing beauty to be a part of your life.
People find beauty in different places. For me, I witness it every year in the late winter when the crocuses dare to bloom. I find it in well-written novels; one in particular that stands out is Plainsong by Kent Haruf. The experience of reading it was such that I vowed never to read another work of fiction that I didn’t enjoy.
I meet monthly with a clergy support group comprised of fellow pastors from the area. During our gatherings, we provide updates on our personal lives, our professional lives, and our spiritual lives. At our last meeting, I included the story of attending the concert in my personal life update. After I finished, one of my colleagues suggested that it sounded like I could have included it in my spiritual life update. And he was absolutely right; I should have been looking beyond the norm when considering what had been connecting me to the divine.
Spiritual practices take many forms, and different practices work for different people. Some of mine include walking outdoors, centering prayer, reading scripture, and preparing reflections like this one. A goal of them is to be at peace, in communion with God. I don’t always feel that when I’m engaged in the practices, but they put me in a position where that connection is more likely to occur. And it definitely occurred during the Furman Singers concert.
I believe God gave us the capacity to recognize what is beautiful for a reason: Because it makes our lives richer. It takes us beyond the everyday, and exposes the folly of practicality. It challenges us to live in the moment. It pushes at the bounds of our senses. And I personally believe it helps prepare us for what comes next.
As the winter turns to spring, it saddens me to see the crocuses wither away, fall back to the earth, and die. But I know it is also a sign that we’ll soon see the blooms of the cherry trees, dogwoods, saucer magnolias, and countless flowers. If I look beyond what is immediately in front of me, I know there is greater promise ahead.
So as we continue to live through this season of Lent, I hope we’re able to look beyond. To look beyond traditions if they are leaving us spiritually hungry. To look beyond normal sources of inspiration and connection if they are not encouraging us on our path. To look beyond the way of life this world holds up as prosperity, and remember that true life comes after rebirth.
There is salvation on the other side of suffering. There is beauty on the other side of death.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Works Referenced
Alexander, T. Desmond. (Genesis notes). ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2008, Kindle Edition.
Blair, Merryl. “The ‘Order of Melchizedek’: Hebrews 7 as a Model for Thinking Ecumenically about Priesthood.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies Vol. 53, №1 (Winter 2018): 95–110.
Coloe, Mary L. John 11–21 (Wisdom Commentary Series Book 44B). Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2021.
Milne, Bruce. The Message of John (The Bible Speaks Today). Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2020.
Moloney, Francis J. The Gospel of John (Sacra Pagina Series, Volume 4). Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1998.
O’Day, Gail R. “The Gospel of John.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume VIII. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015.
Ramirez, Felipe Fruto. “MELCHIZEDEK: A Minor Character of Great Importance to Biblical Theology.” Landas Vol. 33, №1 (2019): 17–36.
Stuckenbruck, Loren T. “Melchizedek in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament Vol. 41, №1 (2018): 124–138.
