John 12: 27-32
27 “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father, bring glory to your name. ”Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. 30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
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What does it mean to be “drawn?” I’ve heard descriptions of people as being “drawn to trouble” or even “drawn to drama.” As the evening winds down, and it begins to get dark, I am drawn to my bed. If you look for a dictionary definition, you would see the phrase: to be gently pulled or guided in a certain direction.
Here, Jesus is speaking to his followers, and they hear a voice from heaven. Some say it is angels speaking, and some say it is thunder. But what Jesus says next is the heart of this reading, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone unto myself.” A pastor I follow and listen to, Michael Piazza, said in his Palm Sunday sermon, that if we celebrate Palm Sunday, then go straight to Easter, we miss the cross.
His exact quote was, “Palm Sunday without Good Friday is a lie, and Easter without Good Friday is an empty platitude that doesn’t ring true.” That hit home. If we are to be drawn to Christ, we have to be drawn to every aspect: the celebration, the cross, the pain and suffering, the call to love the least of these and those in the margins of society. We can’t embrace part of Jesus without embracing the whole, even if it makes us uncomfortable.
But the good news is that we will be changed forever by the embrace. Even as Jesus was lifted up on the cross, he drew all of us unto himself. It reminds me of the hymn, “Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to they precious bleeding side.” I pray we follow Christ all the way, not just in the easiest of moments and lessons.
Let us pray. Holy One, draw us closer to you that we may be reminded of your love and mercy. May we be prepared to follow you wherever you lead. In Christ, Amen.