A Seed of Truth

Written by Tim MacGowan

 I’m spending some time this week meditating on the chapters in the Gospel of John between Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem in chapter 12 and his resurrection in chapter 20.

The first story that is related after the shouts of Hosanna is of some Greeks who were in Jerusalem for the Passover.  They requested an audience with Jesus.  For some unspecified reason, this request elicited the following response from Jesus:

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Three things strike me about this passage.  First, death leads to life in the economy of the kingdom.  Second, holding on too tightly to this life will lead to loneliness and loss.  Finally, serving God involves following him to sacrificing our lives.

This is backwards from normal thinking.  In our world, death is the end.  “Cheating death” is the oft-admired outcome for thrill seekers.  But embracing death to self in God’s kingdom keeps us from being a “single seed” - alone while alive.  Sharing the cross with Christ, dying to being “right”, putting God’s will and purpose above our own – these are the mechanisms for producing many seeds and experiencing a quality of life beyond this world’s bounds.