20 There were some Greeks among the people who went up to worship during the feast. 21 They came to ask Philip for a favor. Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew. Then Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to receive glory. 24 What I’m about to tell you is true. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it. But anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it and have eternal life. 26 Anyone who serves me must follow me. And where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 “My soul is troubled. What should I say? ‘Father, keep me from having to go through with this’? No. This is the very reason I have come to this point in my life. 28 Father, bring glory to your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven. It said, “I have brought glory to my name. I will bring glory to it again.” 29 The crowd there heard the voice. Some said it was thunder. Others said an angel had spoken to Jesus.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now it is time for the world to be judged. Now the prince of this world will be thrown out. 32 And I am going to be lifted up from the earth. When I am, I will bring all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show them how he was going to die.
34 The crowd spoke up. “The Law tells us that the Messiah will remain forever,” they said. “So how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light. Do this before darkness catches up with you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 While you have the light, believe in it. Then you can become children of light.” When Jesus had finished speaking, he left and hid from them.
Read John 12:20-36 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
Many times throughout the gospels, Jesus shares something that is simple, profound, and challenging. In this journal entry’s passage, Jesus shares an idea that is all three of these characteristics, and it has layers of meaning hidden within it.
Immediately following the news that some Greeks came to see Him, Jesus shares the following words in verse 24, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” There are multiple ways we can understand this idea, and the context of Jesus’ words allow for multiple meanings.
The first and most basic understanding is the literal one. Only when a grain of wheat has fallen to the ground, and its connection to the stalk has been broken, can it then become a plant of its own, capable of producing many more seeds. As long as the grain stays connected to the original stalk, it remains only as a seed – and its full potential is never realized.
Taking the grain of wheat analogy to the next level of understanding, we can see Jesus foreshadowing His upcoming death, burial, and resurrection/rebirth. Just like a grain of wheat needing to fall to the ground for it to realize its full potential, Jesus can only become the full revelation of God’s amazing love for us by giving up His life for us. The rebirth/resurrection that happened launched the early church movement, powered by the Holy Spirit, and united by the truth of Jesus’ resurrection.
But the hardest analogy for us to handle with the grain of wheat illustration is when we apply it to our own lives. It is only when we give up our life and submit ourselves to God’s will that we will ever be able to realize our full potential. Many people have displayed extraordinary amounts of potential and achieved amazing things in our world today, but if any of them are living outside of God’s plan for their lives, they are stopping short and are only living as one seed when God would have them be seed-makers.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (Verse 24)
Only after Christ died on the cross were we truly able to see how much God loves us, and only after we die to ourselves and let God resurrect us into the life He created us to live will we be able to walk the plan that leads us into the men and women He created us to be – a life that starts now and leads directly into the promised eternal life when Jesus returns!
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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