Today’s scripture: John 12:20-26 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Melody Merida):
There are some times when The Message Bible speaks so much clearer than any other version, and this passage seems to be one of those times. There is so much going on in this text that we could talk about it for hours, but the one thing that stood out to me was the way The Message expressed Jesus’ words of response to Philip.
In this story Philip reminds me so much of myself. There were folks who had traveled a long way to see Jesus while at the festival so they approached Philip and asked for an audience with the one they had heard so much about. Instead of going to Jesus directly to see if he could speak with the travellers, Philip went instead to Andrew, his brother, and they talked about the request. I’m imagining it went something like this.
Philip: “Hey Andrew, there are some Greeks here who are asking if they can see Jesus. What do you think I should tell them?”
Andrew: “Well, he did just raise Lazarus from the dead which would take a toll on anyone. He’s probably exhausted from the crazy donkey ride into the city when we got here. We should let him rest. Those people can wait a day or two.”
Philip: “That’s a good idea; people really should schedule appointments in advance when they want to see him, especially the Greek! On the other hand, it did seem important. I’ve never seen Jesus turn anyone away, even when he was completely exhausted. Maybe we should just ask him if he wants to see them.”
By the time they got to Jesus it was too late — time’s up! Those Greeks who wanted to see Jesus never had the chance to encounter the son of God. Perhaps they went away from the festival that day never having another opportunity to know Jesus… all because Philip paused too long to introduce them to the Messiah.
Now is the moment of opportunity; the longer we put it off to consult with countless others or to determine which policies and procedures could be violated, the more the opportunity slips from our grasp. People should always come before policy. Don’t be like Philip and miss the key moment of transformation for yourself — or for someone else — by delaying too long.
Thought for the day: The moment is now! Take action before time is up.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.