Gospel of John, Chapter 12 (Palm Sunday)

John 12 marks the beginning of Holy Week, which is the fulfillment of Christ's earthly ministry. Christ's mission is one of conflict. He dies to give us life. He is a light in a dark world. Everyone wants to bask in His light -- share in His glory -- but we want to forget that following Christ necessitates suffering and ultimately requires a maturation on our part.

This tension is seen in the story of Lazarus and Jesus at table (John 12:1-11). This story happens "6 days before the passover," so the timing is important. Christ and Lazarus are resting on this sabbath and celebrating the great miracle which marks the apex of this phase of Christ's ministry. On one level, Mary annointing Christ's feast is a way of honoring the man who brought back her brother from the dead, but, as John ensures we know, the nard it is also a preparation for death (John 12:7). Christ died so that He could defeat death, and in doing so, he gives life and death new meaning. We are called to lay down our lives, so that we can embrace eternal Life (John 12:24).

The next day, the beginning of Holy Week of a new creation and the final stage of Christ's mission on Earth. On the first day of creation, God separates the light from the darkness. You see first day, but also the first night (Genesis 1:3-5). Jesus is the light, but darkness is about to fall.

All the world is coming out to see Jesus because of the great miracles he performed (John 12:19), but Christ is not one to rest on his laurels. He warns the Greeks who come to see him that a grain of wheat must falll to the ground and die if it is to bear fruit. The voice of God the Father booms from the sky (John 12:28), and then Christ draws away and the people who had been singing Christ's praises are left in darkness (John 12:40).

Many people have seen miracles and have had experiences of God. And yet, when the miracles were done, some were left without faith. We are all faithful on Palm Sunday, but what about Good Friday? If we are not "sons of the light," (John 12:36) then, the scond we don't see or feel God's presence in our lives, we stumble (John 11:10). Darkness is the absence of light, and death is the absence of life. Christ's promise to us is that we may carry the Light of His Truth and His eternal Life with us always.