One day some of Jesus’ disciples were going about their business when some people approached by who wanted to meet Jesus. These people were Greeks or non-Jewish, and when Phillip told Jesus, he replied that it was time for him to be glorified.
The story is essential for today because it speaks of a people who are not Christ-followers, wanting to meet Jesus. These people were religious in their traditions, and the fact that they requested to meet Jesus was a big deal. Since Jesus died to save sinners (oversimplified), this is big deal.
During the time of our Biblical story, Jesus walked, talked, and performed miracles among the Jewish people. His deeds impacted non-Jewish people to the point that they began talking about Jesus. This word-of-mouth advertising reached far and wide, prompting folk—like the Greeks in our story—to desire to meet Jesus.
Today Jesus is in heaven, unseen by any person. The only way people will ask to see him is through the deeds of those who walk with him. This is what I am calling a close personal relationship with the godhead.
This close personal relationship takes place because of a desire to see Jesus. There is a place in the New Testament book of Acts that says that Jesus showed himself alive to many (those who desired to see him) by many (more than a few) undeniable proofs. In other words, these people wanted to see Jesus see him in such a way that it was unmistakable; it was proof that he was (and is) alive.
A close personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, begins with a desire to meet Jesus. It is an intense inner longing that not seeing him is not an option. Think about that. I like the line in one of the Star Wars movies with Yoda telling young Skywalker to do or do not; there is no try. The point is that it is going to happen.
This desire motivates you to keep after it; It fuels your passion for keeping looking until he is seen. I mean this by the Yoda line; there is no try. It pains me to say this, but religion will tell you to read your three chapters from the Bible, pray for 15-minutes, and talk to two people about Jesus, and you will be fine. What if it takes reading your Bible (from a translation that makes sense to you) for hours to find Jesus? What if it takes you praying until you fall asleep (only to have some intense dream) to see Jesus? What if you are so focused on those two things that do not tell anyone about Jesus?
It may sound radical and unreligious, but once you find him, people will come to you asking to meet Jesus. It is what Christ-followers need to focus on in 2022; I would like to meet Jesus.
It begins with a desire. Throughout the Bible, you will read stories of people passionately seeking God (in the Old Testament) or Jesus (in the New Testament) and finding him. The Bible says in numerous places that the ones who seek him are the ones who see him. This honor does not belong to the ones who “try,” but to those who do.”