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Like A Grain Of Wheat |
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"WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE WILL FIND IT" - MATTHEW 16:25 It was the Monday before the crucifixion. The streets of Jerusalem were crowded with visitors from out of town who had come to observe the Passover. It was also buzzing with conversation about a man named Jesus who had been welcomed the previous day by jubilant throngs of people as the long-awaited Messiah-King. He was certainly no ordinary man. He had reportedly raised Lazarus from the dead and eyewitnesses to the event were spreading the word throughout the city. Who is Jesus...reaIly? Is He the Son of God? What about His revolutionary teaching? What about His awe-inspiring miracles? Among the thousands of pilgrims in Jerusalem were some Greeks (John 12:20) who were most likely Greek-speaking Jews, Jewish proselytes, or God-fearing Gentiles. They found Philip who was from Bethsaida, which had a large Greek population, and requested to meet Jesus (John 12:21). Philip was hesitant at first until he teamed up with Andrew and the two of them approached Jesus (John 12:22) providing the backdrop for a curious lesson about a grain of wheat: “But Jesus answered them, saying, 'The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly 1 say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain’” (John 12:23-24). Jesus used figurative language to foreshadow His death, burial, and resurrection including the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:39) and the rebuilding of the Temple (John 2:19), but He also referred to it as the "hour." It had always been a future event, but now the time had come — He would be glorified with the Father! The picture of a kernel of wheat illustrates the necessity of His death. He is the grain of wheat. Just as a seed buried in the ground must die before it produces a mature blade of wheat, Jesus had to die before He could draw all men to Him. To establish an earthly throne in Jerusalem would have been counterproductive to His purposes. He had to be like a dying grain of wheat. Jesus used the opportunity to teach Philip and Andrew that death produces life: "He who loves His life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let Him follow Me; and where 1 am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor” (John 12:25-26). Until we die to self and imitate the humility and self-sacrifice of Jesus, we will not experience true living. We must live to honor God and He has promised to honor us. The secret is in a small grain of wheat. Are you truly following Jesus?
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