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Daily Devotion: John 12:20-21

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John 12:20-21    "And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:  (21)  The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus."

"Sir, we would see Jesus."  Isn't that a wonderful request? Jesus had come into Jerusalem among a throng of people who wanted even a glimpse of Him. They had praised Him. Others had mocked Him. Still others had sought to kill Him. But these folks came with a heartfelt, sincere request: We want to see Jesus. They did not come with any selfish desires; rather, they simply wanted to see Jesus. Philip then went to Andrew and the two of them took this request to Jesus.

At first glance, Jesus' answer did not address their request. But upon further examination, it is evident that Jesus went to the very heart of the matter.  "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." (John 12:24) What could this possibly have to do with their desire to see Him?

Is it possible that sometimes, we only want to see Jesus for what He can do for us?  Do we really approach with the thought of wanting to see more of the person of Jesus rather than more of His blessings?  Jesus' answer truly addresses the request of wanting to see Him. Just as a grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die before it bears fruit of its true beauty, Jesus would die, be buried, and then raised from the dead.  It was only after His resurrection that His true glory would be seen. Even the disciples did not understand this great truth until He revealed Himself to them after the resurrection.

It is true that when we die, our natural body will be laid back into the ground. But our spiritual being shall enter into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and at that moment we shall "see Jesus."  But there is another part to this answer given by Jesus. Before you and I can even see a glimpse of His true glory, we must seek Him with our hearts and not just our minds. We must lay aside the natural desire of blessings and seek to see the One Who is the source of all blessings. This requires the assistance of the Holy Spirit in order for us to be able to truly "see Jesus," but what a great blessing is experienced when we realize we are spiritually in the very presence of the Son of God.

Would this not be the perfect request to start each day? "We would see Jesus."  I am convinced He shows Himself to us in many ways each day, but our minds become so filled with the business of life that we sometimes fail to see. Isn't it glorious when we do get a glimpse of Him as we go along this pathway called life?

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