What does it mean to “see” Jesus?  Certainly, seeing Jesus is more than a matter of casual curiosity.  Some Greeks come to Philip and express to him a desire to “see” Jesus:  “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” (Jn 12,20)  Jesus was visible to a great crowd of people.  Many people saw Jesus every day.  These Greeks were looking for something more than a distant view of the person of Jesus.  They had a desire for a personal encounter with the person of Jesus.  There was more to Jesus than meets the eye.  To see Jesus, one had to have a certain perspective of faith.  Jesus referred to himself as “the light of the world”:  “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (Jn 9,5)  The light of Christ draws people from all over the world to be in his presence.  Jesus comes into the world as the light precisely so that people may be able to see.  

    Throughout the gospel of John, Jesus is inviting people to:  “Come and see.”  If one wants to see Jesus he has to come to Jesus in faith.  This faith is an openness to seeing beyond the mere appearance of a human person.  There is something more to be seen in Jesus than his mere appearance.  Seeing Jesus requires one to follow Jesus and spend time with him.  To see Jesus, one has to choose a new way of life.  This new way of life is a life of discipleship and service.  Jesus tells Philip and Andrew, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.  The Father will honor whoever serves me.” (Jn 12,26)  It is in the humble service of discipleship that a person will most clearly see Jesus and come to know the Father’s love.

     Philip invited his friend Nathaniel to “come and see” Jesus but Philip himself struggles at times to really see Jesus.  Philip says to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” (Jn 14,8)  After all the time that he had spent with Jesus he still wasn’t satisfied with what he saw with his eyes.  He was still lacking in the vision of faith that would allow him to see Jesus clearly.  Jesus says to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?  Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?  The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.” (Jn 14,9ff)  One has to see and then believe.  This requires seeing more than with the eyes, one has to see with the heart and know with the heart that Jesus and the Father are one.  

    After restoring the physical sight to the man born blind, Jesus leads him into a spiritual insight of who he really is:  “Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  He answered, “And who is he sir?  Tell me, so that I may believe in him.”  Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.”  He said, “Lord, I believe.”  And he worshiped him.” (Jn 9,35ff)  Come and see.  See and believe.  Believe and know.  Know and serve.  Serve and worship.  Worship and have eternal life.  Seeing Jesus sets the disciple on the road to eternal life.  In our worship of the Lord we see the light of his glory shining on the face of Jesus.  We glorify the name of God with our lives, our humble service to the Lord as faithful disciples, and in our union with Jesus, remaining in him and he in us. 

    The true glory of the Lord will be seen in the obedience of Jesus in sacrificing his life on the cross.  The glory of God will shine forth from the cross when Jesus is lifted up.  Jesus says to his apostles, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” (Jn 12,32)  The lifting up of Jesus on the cross will allow all people to see the love of God shining forth from the “no greater love” of Jesus laying down his life for his friends.  He is made perfect in his sacrifice of love, “and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” (Heb 5,9)

     If we want to see Jesus, we must follow him to the sacrifice of the cross.  To see Jesus, we must look upon him with the eyes of faith and believe in the perfect love of the Father.  To see Jesus, we must be willing to lose our life in this world so that it will produce fruit for eternal life.