The Seed That Dies

John 12:23-26

And Jesus answered them, “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.

...............

We have reached a climax in Jesus' ministry. John has laid out the first half of his well organized narrative using seven "signs" which testified to Jesus' divinity and gracious character. We have seen water turned to wine, blind men receiving sight, and finally a dead and buried friend suddenly and inexplicably raised back to life in broad daylight. So many people saw this miracle that the news spread all over the countryside like a brush fire!

When Jesus reached Jerusalem, he was greeted with cheering crowds chanting wildly, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" This, along with the palm branches and donkey ride, amounted to a clear assertion of kingship, for each of these were symbols of Jewish royal coronation.

But not everyone was happy:

So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
(John 12:10-11)

So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
(John 12:19)

This climax of popularity was the beginning of the end for Jesus. First, the Jewish leaders plotted to kill Lazarus, trying to do away with the physical evidence that has inspired such adulation. If he's dead, maybe this Jesus fad will blow over. But, very quickly the target would be Jesus himself. The second half of John essentially begins here and will carry us through the passion narrative, to an old rugged cross, and finally an empty tomb. Even by the end of the chapter, many who saw his miracles still would not believe, and of those Jews who did believe, many preferred their reputations over being associated with Jesus.

Looking to verses 23-26, Jesus lays out a clear prediction of what lies ahead, showing us that, even in the midst of cheering crowds, inquiring foreigners, and the tugging temptation of popularity, he was still committed to his mission. He knew what it would cost.

Let's break down these verses and consider what they mean, for him and for us:

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified."

First, Jesus is aware that his time has come. And though it will be the death of him, he calls it being glorified. What could that mean?

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. 

Next, Jesus elaborates by describing a principle that will become fundamental to Christian belief and practice. He first describes the principle with a metaphor. A seed must be planted in the ground and essentially give up being a seed in order to become something else that bears fruit. The picture is completely clear, but Jesus takes a step further and becomes quite blunt about what he means.

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 

The seed must die in order to become a fruit bearing plant. And so must Jesus. He is going to his grave. What keeps him committed to this task is the absolute certainty of the fruit this cross will bear - the demonstration of God's love and the offer of forgiveness and new life for all who believe.

If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.

But the principle doesn't just apply to Jesus. (Gulp). It applies to us as well. If we are to accept him as Lord, we must walk this same road and face the same death ourselves. We must cease to be what we were before and this will feel like death. Yet there is fruit waiting to be experienced that will only come through this death. Our own new self, a resurrected life of faith.

If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

And if anyone serves him in this way, joining him in this path of death and resurrection, there is a final promise. The Father will honor him. What promise could be richer? What goal could be more motivating? Our Maker welcoming us home with honor and celebration, accepting us completely because we have become fully and completely identified with his beloved Son.

May those outstretched arms fill our longing hearts with the strength that we need to walk through painful days believing there is new life forevermore just around the corner. May we become identified with Jesus in his death that we to might see this seed burst forth with new life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
(Romans 6:5-11)