Sign and Wisdom

Jeremiah 51, Psalm 51, Hebrews 5, John 12

Some Greeks had come to worship in Jerusalem at Passover. They asked Philip if they could see Jesus, Philip asked Andrew, and then they went. There seems to have been an air of exclusivity around Jewish holy men, at least in the minds of some people.


Passover is not the most important Jewish festival. It doesn't define or renew the covenant, but it does celebrate the freedom of God's chosen people and their foundation as a nation. Some Greeks wanted to be part of that. Perhaps that's why Jesus identified the moment as the beginning of his 'hour of glory'.


But why did some Greeks want to identify with a people whose origin lay in an escape from slavery? Did they feel that they, too, were longing for a freedom that seemed slightly beyond reach? Traditionally, Greeks seek wisdom while Jews seek a sign. Did these Greeks recognise in Jesus not only a sign of liberation, but the wisdom that might lead to it? We can't know what was in their minds, but we can work on tho twin ideas of sign and wisdom.


Jesus was, to his followers, a sign that God is active in the world: recognisable as God in action, but not limited to what people already thought they knew about God. Jesus was also a source of wisdom: demonstrating a deep understanding of human life and human nature, and leading people to a new understanding of their own lives.


Create in us a clean heart O God:
And renew a right spirit within us.