2024/03/17 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

Fifth Sunday of Lent

- Barb Bagnall, Out of Town Wedding Coordinator

This scripture reveals several fascinating parables and the discovery of what is to be learned from them. It is the record of the last public utterance of Jesus before he went to the cross.

We see the Greeks asking to ‘see’ Jesus. Seeing Jesus makes it all real. They not only want to see him but also want an encounter with him. To see Jesus is to enter into His way of thinking. 

Philip and Andrew go to Jesus to tell Him. Jesus answers by saying, “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Amen, amen I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”

Soon we will enter into his passion, his journey to the cross, and his transformation. Like the grain of wheat that is transformed into something new, Jesus lets go of everything to bring new life to himself and to his disciples. Through this process he is transformed, and we are transformed. If we do not recognize Jesus’ transformation through his passion, death and resurrection, then we do not really see him and do not really know him.

Jesus goes on to tell us that if we cling to our lives, then we lose them. We must surrender ourselves. We must embrace life. The journey as we know will be different for each person in the reality of their life.

Jesus’ hour has come.

The parables can be difficult to understand – what makes this Gospel reading more difficult is the whole business of death. We all know that dying is more than just physical death. It is that, but it is also more than that. We die a thousand deaths throughout our lifetime. The loss of a loved one, a relationship, health, opportunities, a dream; all deaths we did not want or ask for. Other times we choose our losses and deaths. We give up parts of ourselves for another. We change our beliefs and values so that we can become more our authentic selves. Sometimes there are things we cling to that deny us the fullness of the life that God offers. We have such difficulty talking about death with any real depth or substance, certainly no enthusiasm. We do not deal with it. We deny it. We ignore it. We avoid it.  No one wants to die. The death of our loved ones is too real, too painful.  Our own death is too scary. The relationships and parts of our lives that have died are too difficult. We tend to just avoid the topic of death. It’s too depressing in a culture that mostly wants to be happy, feel good, and avoid difficult realities.

I know in my life I have had to enter the reality of death. I have had to talk about it, think about it to open up to new life. My only sibling – my older brother was killed at 25. It was sudden and tragic. I had prayed so hard to God to bring him home safely. I trusted and knew that God would protect him. I was just becoming peaceful with all when we received the news that he had been killed. It was on a mission to rescue another downed helicopter. My family was completely devastated. I spent the next year in the back of a church after work crying, sobbing and just yelling at God. I was so angry. It has been 52 years since that day. I have found that once I worked on letting that anger go and began talking about his death, I became open to seeing the gifts his short life continues to bring. I had to die to all the anger, resentment and regret that kept resurfacing to be open to living again. I had to die to the thought - if I lost him, I would surely die. These feelings still resurface at times, but I turn to Jesus. God knows that I have learned a lot about myself and life as a result. My life has been reshaped and reformed in some exceptionally good and positive ways. I know I have seen Jesus. I really saw Jesus as I looked death in the face. To the extent that we refuse to acknowledge the reality of death, to the degree we avoid and deny death, we refuse to see Jesus.

There is always the temptation to want to skip over death and get to resurrection. Death is the gateway to new life. Death comes first. Jesus was unwilling to settle for survival when the fullness of God’s life is before him. Jesus knew that in God’s world strength is found in weakness. Victory looks like defeat. Life is born of death. Death is a gateway not a prison and the beginning not the end.

The principle of life out of death is not only true of Jesus; it is true of you, and me. Following Jesus’ example to give of ourselves, even through suffering and exhaustion, even to death – that grain of our offering will bring life.

Regardless of who or what in our life has died, Jesus has already cleared the way forward. We have a path to follow. That path is in the death of Jesus. His death is of benefit to us if we are willing to submit to death, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Death, in whatever way it comes means that we need to entrust / surrender all that we are and all that we have to God. Then we let ourselves be lifted and life begins again.  

“Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.”