Take Me To Your Leader

Pastor James C. Ward

March 1, 2026

Sunday Morning

John 12:20-24

(20) And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. (21) The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. (22) Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. (23) And Jesus answered them saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. (24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Introduction

Science fiction often depicts little green men or other weird-looking creatures from other worlds landing on earth. Their vehicles are usually called flying saucers. The typical request of these aliens, to the first earthlings they meet, is, “Take me to your leader.” This phrase has become part of contemporary culture. It does affirm the importance of leadership.

In our text today, there were some Greeks who were attending the Jewish Passover, who asked the same question. They were probably proselytes to Judaism. When these Greeks asked Philip for permission to see Jesus, Philip conferred with Andrew, and both of them came and told Jesus. Jesus stopped what He was doing and came out to meet them. While He was talking to these Greeks, there were others, including the disciples, who were listening to His sacred words. It is amazing that while Gentiles desired to see Him, His own people were plotting to kill Him.

Exposition

1. A Quest For The Best.

(Attending The Passover Was Not Enough.)

(They Wanted To See Jesus.)

(They Wanted First-Hand Knowledge.)

(They Wanted “Him-Say” Not Here-Say.)

2. Quality Time With A Candid Conversation.

(Jesus Took Time To Speak With Them.)

(Jesus Was Transparent With Them.)

(The Crucifixion Was Prophesied.)

(The Crucifixion Was Explained.)

(Jesus Was Born To Die To Save The World.)

3. A Question For The Ages.

(John Did Not Tell Us How This Narrative Ended.)

(We Hope They Accepted Jesus As Their Lord And Savior.)

(We Can Determine How Our Life’s Story Ends.)

(Have You Seen Jesus?)

(Do You See Him Daily?)

(Have You Accepted Him As Lord And Savior?)

(I Know Most Of You Have Already Accepted Him.)

Closing Thoughts

As Jesus leads us, we can lead others to Him also. When the people of the world want to see Jesus, as these Greeks desired, they don’t look into the Bible; usually, they look into the lives of Christians. That is why we must stay vigilant and let others see Jesus in us.

Let us not forget what a great leader Jesus is. He leads and He feeds. He is the Good Shepherd. Again, I will close with the lyrics of an old- school spiritual.

“Let Jesus lead you.

Let Jesus lead you.

Let Jesus lead you all the way.

All the way from earth to heaven,

Let Jesus lead you all the way.

He led my mother.

He led my mother all the way.

All the way from earth to heaven,

He led my mother all the way.

He led my father.

He led my father all the way.

All the way from earth to heaven,

He led my father all the way.

He’s a mighty good leader.

He’s a mighty good leader all the way.

All the way from earth to heaven,

He’s a mighty good leader all the way.”

End Note

1. John was a minimalist writer. In recording conversations Jesus had with others, John went straight to the “important stuff.” He left out the social niceties that took place. This is true in our text and in Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus. Another peculiarity of John’s writing style is that in this narrative and several others, John does not tell us how the story ends. Many psychologists say that John’s writing style reflects the attributes of an introvert. One day, when I get to heaven, I will ask John about his writing style and if he is an introvert?

2. Some wonder if Jesus actually spoke to these Greeks. His response was not just to Andrew and Philip. The Greek text is very clear that Jesus did speak to the Greeks. The word for “them” is all inclusive. It included the Greeks, Philip, Andrew, and many others. This is lost in the English translations.