Lent 5B - Jeremiah 31:31-34; John 12:20-33
Our Gospel today begins with the strange reference to some Greeks wanting to see Jesus. They are also coming up for the festival - the great festival of the Passover - a sign that the influence and reputation of Jesus has moved beyond the local Jews - now even foreigners are coming wanting to know more about him. Perhaps they have heard the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11) and they like the crowds are caught up in the moment of his triumphant entry into Jerusalem and are wanting to see who this messiah is and what he is like. It is then that Jesus begins to subvert their understanding of what the Messiah is really like. Yes, he will be lifted up - but not as a political messiah who will overthrow the Romans, but as a true saviour who, like the seed that is planted in the soil, will allow his body to be broken and his blood poured out so that his life can flow into the world and bring forth new life. We are invited to do the same.
Recorded at Sacred Heart (9'15")
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