This Sunday marks the last week of Lent before we begin Holy Week. As we end Lent and look forward to the Passion of Our Lord and his Resurrection, let us reflect on the episode in the Gospel this morning when some Greeks come to Philip and Andrew to seek and audience with Jesus. They say, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." When Philip and Andrew told Jesus what they had requested, he replied;
"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." [John 12:24]
Whenever Jesus says these words, “Truly, truly, I say to you” he wants us to pay close attention to what follows. I had a student in my New Testament class that wanted to do some extra credit. So, I told him to go through the Gospel of John and write down what Jesus says after every “Truly, truly, I say to you” exhortation to learn what is important to Jesus. When these Gentiles come looking for him Jesus perceives that NOW is the HOUR when he will be glorified by God. Two weeks ago the Gospel lesson had us in the Temple and it was time for a cleaning, as Jesus chased out all the money changers. Last week it was Jesus predicting that when he was lifted up he would draw all men to himself as they looked to him in faith. That faith or belief in mentioned in the Gospel of John more times, as Rev. Jim told us, than any other Gospel. In fact, 94 times to be exact.
Throughout the Gospel of John there are numerous references by John to the fact that Jesus' time had not yet come. For we can read in the 2nd chapter of John, at the wedding in Cana that Jesus told his mother, "My hour has not yet come." In Chapter seven, at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus told his brothers that his time had not yet come, and later the writer comments that though the authorities sought to lay hands on him, they could not because "His hour had not yet come." And again, in chapter eight, when "He spoke in the treasury and taught in the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come." Jesus had manifested himself on many occasions, at Cana, in Jerusalem, in Samaria, but now at this time after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which we celebrate next week as Palm Sunday, it is different. For now, when the Gentiles come forward to meet Jesus, this is seen as "The Hour" when Jesus will clearly be seen as the "glorified Son of Man." That glorification, for the Fourth Gospel, takes place upon the cross. To human eyes, the cross will appear to be a place and time of degrading death. We see only lifelessness such as "a seed" has when held in the hand, -a seed and nothing else. But to the eyes of faith, the sown "seed" will result in "a Harvest."
If the grain of wheat wants to remain the same, it has that right. But, according to the word of Jesus, it will never change. Three thousand-year-old grains of wheat found in the tombs of the Pharaohs were found to be absolutely the same as any grain of wheat today. In fact, when they were planted they began to grow. They were totally unchanged for 3,000 years or more. But when they were buried or planted, they died and produced many, many more seeds. The death of Jesus is the start of new and risen life, not only for Jesus, but for all who BELIEVE in him. The Father "will honor" Jesus, bestowing upon the risen Son that "glory" that was his before time began, the Father will also "honor" with glorious life all who "serve" and "follow" Christ. NO CROSS, NO CROWN. But remember, "glorious" in the context of the Gospel means bringing new and eternal life out of death. For as we read in this passage from the letter to the Hebrews;
"But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower
than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one." [Hebrews 2:9]
Our concept of glory and honor has very little to do with suffering and especially with death. Our view is completely upside down from the heavenly view of things. God has said through the Prophet Isaiah
"My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways
my ways, says the LORD." [Isaiah 55:8]
How is it possible to comprehend these thoughts of God? How can we come to KNOW the glorified and risen Jesus? How can we see Jesus, alive? Only through the actions of the Almighty God. The prophet Jeremiah writes that the LORD says he will write on our hearts the new law so that all will KNOW me from the least to the greatest. Jesus had a confrontation with the Jewish authorities when he said,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, they will never see death." The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, "If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham who died! Who do you claim to be?" Jesus answered, "If I GLORIFY myself, my glory is nothing, it is my Father who GLORIFIES me, of whom you say that he is your God. But you have not KNOWN him; I KNOW Him. If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do KNOW him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day, he saw it and was glad." The Jews then said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old and have you seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." [John 8:51-58]
Those people were so upset at that statement of Jesus' divinity that they took up stones to throw at him. They were so blind that they could not see and know the truth. When God writes the new law on our hearts then we will SEE and KNOW the LORD. The eyes of our faith are opened as we come to know the LORD. When those eyes are opened then things begin to happen as new life is gained from death. There was an 18th century German artist named Stenberg who was walking through the market place of his hometown when he was attracted to a gypsy girl who was dancing there. He asked her to come to his studio and sit for him, and he used her as a model for the painting "Dancing Gypsy Girl." While she was in the studio, she was interested in all the tools of the artist's trade, and she began looking at other paintings on which he was working. She took particular interest in a painting of the crucifixion. "He must have been a very bad man to have been nailed to the cross like that." she said. "No," said Stenberg, "He was a very good man. In fact, He died for all men." The girl responded, "Did He die for you?" It was a question the artist had never really faced, and in the days ahead he was confronted with the reality of God's love for him. He gave his life to Christ, then returned to finish the painting of the crucifixion, this time not just with an artist's eye but with a believer's heart. But that's not the end of the story. The finished painting was displayed in a Dusseldorf gallery, where one day a young German aristocrat paused to study it. The painting moved him, and the words written under it spoke to him: "This I did for thee; what hast thou done for me?" Those words created in the young German noble a new found urgency to do something for Christ. The young man's name was Nicholas Zinzendorf, and he became the key leader in the Moravian movement, which helped reach many for the Gospel, including many in America. But that's still not the end of the story. One of the Moravian missionary outposts was in Savannah, Georgia. A young Anglican priest visiting America came in contact with these deeply committed Christians and it caused him to recognize the spiritual inadequacy in his own life. He returned to England, where one evening he entered a little church on Aldersgate Street in London, and there he gave his life to Jesus Christ. That young man, John Wesley, became the founder of the Methodist movement which has reached millions and millions of people for Jesus Christ. A small seed planted brings forth a mighty harvest. Jesus invested his life for us on the cross, and today tens of millions claim his name. As Jesus said;
"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. He who loves his life
loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will
keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he
follows me; and where I am, there shall my servant be
also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him."
This is "The Hour" that special moment, that Kairos, when Jesus will clearly be seen as the "glorified Son of Man." That glorification, takes place upon the cross. For as Jesus was lifted up from the earth, he drew all people to himself. The central reason for the Lenten season is this: One must die if one would live, we must lose our lives if we are to find them. Remember, NO CROSS, NO CROWN.
A. BACKGROUND NOTES: SEED
1. A fertilized and ripened egg cell of a plant, capable of sprouting to produce a new plant. The word seed is also used figuratively in the Bible to express several important truths. It refers to human descendants or offspring [Gen. 21:12]. The apostle Paul explained that the seed of Abraham not only referred to his physical descendants, "but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham" [Rom. 4:16]. In [Galatians 3:16], Paul went even further, stating that Abraham's seed is Jesus Christ rather than the nation of Israel.
2. Jesus often used the imagery of seeds in His parables. In the [13th chapter] of Matthew, He told three different parables involving seeds: the parable of the sower [Matt. 13:3-9,18-33], the parable of the wheat and the tares [Matt. 13:24-30,36-43], and the parable of the mustard seed [Matt. 13:31-32]. He compared His own death and resurrection in a figurative sense to the sowing of seeds [John 12:24]. (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
B. DOCTRINAL POINTS
· The parable of the grain of wheat interprets Jesus’ death as the means of bringing life to all people. It is not the fate of the seed but its fruitfulness that receives the emphasis. The fruit comes only through death. To remain only a single grain is self-idolatry. On the other hand, hating one’s life is being willing to change. Paradoxically, preserving demands changing. To idolize one’s human life by avoiding the change that brings eternal life leads to death.
· The call to follow Jesus involves the disciple in the same dynamic as Jesus; death to life. This laying down of one’s life joins one totally with Jesus in the Father’s glory.
· The focus now turns to Jesus’ approaching death in the which God is glorified. Jesus’ submission to God’s plan receives affirmation from the Fathers. However, the purpose of the heavenly voice, according to Jesus, is for the bystanders, although they apparently do not understand.
· The passage closes with a cosmic summary of the effects of Jesus’ glorification, his “lifting up.” The hour brings judgment, victory over Satan, and the drawing of all people to himself (the fruit of death).
C. APPLICATION/DISCUSSION: “Triumph or Tragedy” by Ray Stedman
Here is the great Christian paradox, the unmistakable mark of an authentic gospel: It begins with dying, with a cross. If the gospel that you hear preached on the radio, the television, or wherever, does not begin with a cross, does not begin by telling you that something in you has to die, it is not the true gospel. This is the identifying mark. How these words of Jesus cut across the philosophy of life today! Every television program, every magazine, every popular song, all present the philosophy, "Your life is your own! Live it the way you please! Watch out for No. 1! Do your own thing! Live so that you can join with Frank Sinatra singing, 'I Did It My Way'!" But Jesus declares that if you follow that philosophy you will lose everything. Life will slip through your fingers no matter what you do. You can gain all the material abundance you could ever wish for, the plaudits of the crowd, recognition by the whole world, but if you live that way you will end up with nothing; your life will be a total waste of time.
"He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." That doesn't mean you have to hate yourself. It means you must recognize that living for yourself will never supply what you really want out of life. Only as you surrender to the Lordship of Christ can that be brought about. That is why the gospel includes a cross, and why the cross has become the symbol of Christian faith. If the message you are hearing today does not begin there, then it's a false gospel. If you are being told that the way to gain a deep and wonderful sense of self-esteem is to simply come to Jesus and let him build you up and make you feel good about yourself you are not hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. It does not begin that way. It starts with a cross.
Also, it's not the end. The end is, "If it dies, it bears much fruit." That is where life begins. There is a life we are all born with that must end. It is a self-centered life, that thinks only of itself, seeks advantage for itself, is ambitious and proud. That life has to die. That is the beginning of the gospel. But if it dies, then another life takes its place, a life that is gracious, loving, lovely, peaceful, filled with joy, gladness and a deep sense of self-esteem, knowing who it is and what it was made to be. That is the rest of the gospel. You cannot reverse these two, although people try to. They jump immediately to the end of the gospel -- life in Christ -- without first going to the cross. But that cannot be. Jesus said so: "If any one serves me, he must follow me, and where I am there shall my servant be also. He must go where I've gone."
In terms of daily, practical experience, what does Jesus mean, "He who comes after me must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me"? {cf, Luke 9:23}. What does it mean to bear your cross daily? It means two things: First, it means a once-for-all decision; and secondly, a continuing series of choices.
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That is what the cross stands for:
First, it is a surrender of the rule of your life to Jesus. It is a recognition that your life is not your own. The key words of the Christian faith are, "You are not your own, you are bought with a price," {cf, 1 Cor 19b-20a}. Actually, you never were your own. That is an illusion that the world is perpetrating upon us through the media. They tell us that we belong to ourselves, that we have a right to ourselves. That is a lie. It's not true. It never was. "You are not your own; you are bought with a price."
This is the beginning of true life:
· To recognize that fact,
· To surrender your claim to yourself,
· To give up your right to run your own affairs, and
· To surrender to the Lordship of Jesus,
· To do what he says, and
· To stop what he says to stop.
That hurts. It cancels out your own plans. It confounds your ambitions at times. It feels like death. It is death; it's a form of dying.
It also means to daily follow up on that decision. Keep doing what is right. Stop doing what is wrong, and do it all in the strength of Jesus' love and companionship! The result is that you will truly begin to live. New power will come, to do what is right. New joy will be yours, an inner peace that nothing can take away, a new ability to love even those you could not love before, because a new life is yours. You have found a new Lordship and a new life.
Our Lord uses this symbol of a grain of wheat not only of himself but of everyone who follows him. Have you ever heard a grain of wheat talking to itself? I'm going to stretch your imagination a little and ask you to imagine a grain of wheat looking at itself, admiring itself. So round, so brown, so fully packed, and saying to itself, "This philosophy I hear asks me to fall into that dark, cold ground and lose myself. I don't want to do that. I like myself. I want to stay what I am. I want to hang on to myself, I want to be myself."
Does that sound familiar?
If the grain of wheat wants to remain the same, it has that right. But, according to the word of Jesus, it will never change. Three thousand-year-old grains of wheat found in the tombs of the Pharaohs were found to be absolutely the same as any grain of wheat today. In fact, when they were planted they began to grow. They were totally unchanged for 3,000 years or more.
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