The Reading
John 12:20-36
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say — ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”
The Reflection by Becky Hansell
I feel like there are a lot of different themes in this passage. And I find it frustrating that when Jesus was asked who the Son of Man is, he replied about light. What?!? But in reading it several times, something jumped out at me. Jesus says, “If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light...”
A few summers ago, my family visited Mammoth Cave. As a part of our tour, our guide had us stop and he turned off all of the lights. At the time, we were in a huge football field-sized cavern with a soaring ceiling. The large space was lit with several industrial flood lights on the floor aimed at the ceiling far above. But when he shut off all of lights, there was nothing but absolute darkness. Usually when it’s dark, there’s a little residual light from digital clocks, street lights, even the moon. But in this cave, there was nothing. I remember straining my eyes open as wide as they could go, and comically waving my hand in front of my face. I couldn’t even see a flicker of movement. Suddenly everything seemed very small and scary. Then the guide lit a single match and the world came zooming back. I could see my family, a few nearby adventurers, and could feel, if not see, the vastness of the large space we were in. That single match was so much less than the flood lights, but it was surprising how much light it cast.
We have the benefit of understanding Jesus’ death for us, which means we know we will always have his presence; he will never leave us. (Romans 8:38). But what does it mean to believe in the light? I wonder if believing in the light doesn’t mean just believing in him, but also that he is providing light, and therefore, direction in our lives. Maybe my entire future isn’t illuminated and well-defined, but I can focus on what I do see. What has God shown me? Do I trust him to know that he has provided the light for the next step? Even the smallest amount of light gives us direction and comfort. It may not provide all of the answers, but it certainly gives us a chance to practice faith and trust him. And remember that he is trustworthy.