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S. Sunday of the Passion.26 John 12:20-43

‘…unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.’

I told you last week Jesus did Lazarus a favor, letting him die—even though Mary, Martha and pretty much everyone else thought he’d let Lazarus down, big time. I read skepticism on many of your faces when I said that. I see you from here, you know, and your faces are much more expressive than you might realize. Just sayin’…

We talked about the death wish too, how it’s a sign of faith to have it—another thing regarding which I detected a certain amount of skepticism, on your part. But this is like Christianity 101, man! Jesus calls us dozens of time to lose our life, for Christ’s sake, like today: “whoever loves his life loses it, whoever hates his life in this world keeps it for eternal life.”

If you don’t have the death wish, sometimes at least, then you really aren’t with Jesus on what this whole God, humanity, sin, death, heaven and hell thing is about, really. Christianity 101, man! In Evelyn Waugh’s ‘Sword of Honor’ trilogy (which I highly recommend you read) Guy Crouchback (a Waugh stand-in and hero of the story) has the death wish. The climactic last part of the novel is called “The Death Wish”. Guy is a recusant English catholic who’s excited to serve in WWII as a British officer and Special Forces commando—when it was Christian Britain fighting pagan Nazis and godless Commies…

But then he finds in a number of military debacles culminating in his late wartime service in Yugoslavia that the Allies are helping the godless Soviet Commies take over Eastern Europe and the American and British armies are really no more Christian Crusaders than the Nazis and Soviets, and this “Good War” (Waugh doesn’t think WWII was a good war, at all) was not fighting for Christendom at all but for the creation of a mechanized, financialized global empire that is a godless, nihilist nightmare from which he yearns to escape and feels tremendous guilt for having helped in a small way to bring about…

Even the church isn’t much help in the battle against worldliness, Guy discovers. When he goes to confession and tells the priest he wants to die, the lackadaisical priest, not really listening, asks: “How many times?” Guy says, “All the time.” And the priest goes, “Well, lots of people do these days,” and asks for cigarettes. Another priest is actually a spy for the communists and this makes Guy’s cynicism complete. It’s a great Lenten discipline to read ‘Sword of Honor’, I think…

St. Paul has the death wish when he tells the Philippians awaiting trial before Emperor Nero and possible execution as an insurrectionist and Enemy of the State, and weighing the chances of acquittal or conviction when he says: “Personally, I desire to depart and be with Christ. That is far better. But I suppose I’ll be acquitted and that will mean fruitful labor on your behalf which is… fine.” St. Paul has the death wish, just like Guy…

Shoot, even a degenerate Brit rock star Matt Healy of the 1975 not only has it, but one of his hit songs is “I Always Wanna Die—Sometimes”! There’s a marvelous video of the band performing the song in Madison Square Garden in ’22 and all these lovely young girls are singing along with Matt at the top of their lungs “I always wanna die, sometimes!” Very moving. And if degenerate rock stars like Healy have it, how come you don’t?

Look, it reflects badly on me, with my Boss, if I can’t at least get you headed in that direction. So help me out here a little bit, in Holy Week at least, for Christ’s sake—fake it till you make it or something, OK? I have it, and not only because, after 60, you really don’t give a ‘you-know-what’ anymore about much, anyway. I have it much more because Jesus has it and whatever he’s having I wanna have, you know? Christianity 101, man!

Alright, I’ve been messing with you a little bit, maybe a little heavy on the irony (a feature of every homily here, if you’re new to this channel) because, if I’m not having fun with the homily, how can you, right? Also, I have to do a book report on ‘Sword of Honor’ and “The Death Wish” due next Friday, so this kills two birds with one stone, hopefully in a fun way for you as well.

Here’s how I’ve been messing with you: a Christian’s death wish is not at all like Nietzsche’s and the nihilists’ death wish. I’ve been using the term without really clarifying the difference, which is, simply put, this: a nihilist wants to die because of despair. A Christian wants to die because of faith in Jesus. Nihilists just want the nightmare to end and to never wake up, assuming death just ends everything. A Christian wants to die with Jesus because death will purge the sin that dwells even in us believers, so death will be, for us, the gateway to the resurrection and the life of heaven with Jesus, sin-free, forever…

Same term—“Death Wish”—totally different content!

I like how when these Greek seekers inquire after Jesus, he just brushes them off! (marvelously indifferent to outsiders 😉 “I gotta a lot going on right now. The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, Amen 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…”

Jesus says this on his way to the cross and grave. That’s where he’s going to be this Friday! And we Christians follow Jesus, wherever he goes. Truth be told, the cross and tomb are the best places to find him! Unless you find Jesus there, have communion with him there, you have no place with him in the resurrection or Heaven beyond…

Holy hatred is something I talk about a lot. Like the death wish, most of you think hate is not a Christian virtue. But it is! David brags he hates those who hate the LORD with perfect hatred, Psalm 139, my favorite. And in that Psalm he also says that even in Sheol, in death, Jesus will be there and make the darkness light because… Christianity 101, man!

David always wants to die—not to end everything, but to begin the new life of Christ, which starts now, by faith in Jesus alone! What we want to die is our old Adam, the sinner in us who doesn’t believe in Jesus, doesn’t believe in anything, really, is just a damn nihilist. I hate that guy!

But, as Jesus’ death bears the fruit of forgiveness, life, and salvation, so we want what he’s having this week, too! And Peace, surpassing all understanding, guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.