Today’s scripture reading is John 12:20-50
Now among those who went up to worship…were some Greeks…and they said to them Philip (one of the apostles), “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” -John 12: 20-21 NRSV
When I take a Sunday off from leading worship, I usually worship somewhere else. Once, I walked into a church and took a seat directly in front of a couple, interested to see if they’d strike up a conversation with me. They did not.
Not too long after that, another couple entered. They didn’t speak to me either but they did stop to visit with the couple behind me. As the prelude began, the woman who had stopped to visit glanced at me and said, “Well, I guess we’ll go find ANOTHER place to sit today since SOMEONE else took our seat.”
That someone was apparently me.
After not being greeted and after the passive aggressive remark clearly intended for me, I felt like an unwanted “outsider.” Had I been looking for a church home, I would not have returned to that one.
In today’s scripture, some “outsiders” show up for worship in the hopes of seeing Jesus. John says they were Greeks, which is likely code for Gentiles (non-Jews, non-members of the temple). These were the people Jesus probably had in mind when he said, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold; I must bring them in also” (John 10:16). Jesus was interested in widening the circle, reaching those outside the fold. And when people outside the Jewish faith began showing up for worship, it signaled to Jesus that his “time” had come.
In what ways have you sought to widen your circle? When outsiders want to see Jesus, do they see Jesus in you? Are you doing your part to welcome those who are not of the fold into your life and your church?
May God grant you the grace to make the circle wider today.
