High and Lifted Up

Last Sunday we sang a familiar chorus, whose words are these:

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.
I want to see You —
to see You high and lifted up
shining in the light of Your glory.
pour out Your power and love
as we sing Holy, Holy, Holy

It struck me as we were singing that when Jesus speaks of being "lifted up", he generally is refering to his death on the cross. That thought made the song seem a little odd — not heretically so, as sometimes happens to me, but more along the lines of thinking it likely neither the lyricist nor the performing musicians would be comfortable with that reading of the song.

Well, on Wednesday morning I was listening to Darrell Johnson's summer school course on the gospel of John, and he was discussing the Palm Sunday text in John 12 where some Greeks come to Philip saying, "We would see Jesus". Darrell made the point that he doubted these Greeks were asking simply for Philip to point out which in the crowd was Jesus, nor were they merely asking for a chance at an autograph or photo-op. Rather, they really wanted to know what made him tick, what was the core of what he was about. Which, I presume, is the same desire expressed in the opening lines of the song we sang.

Jesus's response is a bit curious. In the past, it has struck me a somewhat as if Jesus were blowing these Greeks off — "Sorry, I've no time left for you. Much too busy. Goodbye." But what if his answer is straight to their desire, and really focussed on the core of what he is about? This is what he says:

"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name."

Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered,

"This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

Jesus, who only does what he sees the Father do, summarizes his purpose and intent as manifesting the glory of the Father by falling into the earth and dying. The Father's name, nature and character will be glorified principally by Jesus' death on the cross. In other words, it is precisely when Jesus is "high and lifted up" on the cross — in weakness, pain, and humiliation — that he most completely shines "in the light of [the Father's] glory".

This is a staggering thought to reflect up this Holy Week, and particularly on Good Friday.

Staggering, and also terrifying, because Jesus seems to expect his followers to adopt a similar approach to life — to glorify him and the Father in the same self-giving fashion. Perhaps, we won't really want to "sing Holy, Holy, Holy" when we truly see Jesus — or if we do, it will be to a much different melody than the light-hearted, wistful tune we sang on Sunday.