On the Back Porch
The 5th Sunday of Lent, Year B
What We Celebrate
The Lenten gospel moves from the beginning of the Gospel of John (last Sunday) to a scene that occurs 3 years later during “Holy Week.” Jesus has entered Jerusalem to the acclaim of the people hailing him as “king.” But as last Sunday’s gospel, Jesus came for all the world and not just the people of Israel – and now the gentiles are asking to speak to Jesus. Why? What are they seeing? What are they seeking?
There is a lot more to this gospel. Sit with it for a moment on the back porch.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary on the Gospel
The Gentiles Ask to See Jesus, James Tissot (1886-1894) | Brooklyn Museum | PD-US
What God Desires
In the 1st Letter to Timothy 2:3-4, we read that God “wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” Everyone. And that means not only the Jews but also the people of the “nations.” Here in our Gospel we have the Greeks approaching Jesus as the plan to satisfy the will of God comes to the light of day in the person of Jesus. But the plan has been a long time in the making. Watch this short video on the opening chapters of Romans as St. Paul explains “the big picture” of God’s plan for “everyone to be saved.”