If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

- John 12:20-26 

 

 This week is Holy Week, and will culminate in Jesus' Crucifixion, death, and Resurrection.  Yesterday we read St. John's account of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which we celebrate as Palm Sunday.  Note that this time in Jerusalem marks the start of Passover week.  This is the third and final Passover festival recorded in John's Gospel, and the Triumphal Entry marks the beginning of the final week of Jesus' earthly life.   Yesterday we read that a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!" 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  My study Bible explains that these Greeks were Gentiles (those who spoke Greek, the lingua franca or international language of the period).  They are Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, having come to participate in the Passover feast.  That they were still called "Greeks" shows that they were not yet full proselytes (converts) to Judaism.  Since Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5; 15:24), my study Bible says, the disciples approach Jesus before they bring these inquirers to Him. Glorified is a reference to Christ's death on the Cross.  My study Bible notes that His obscure response indicates two things.  First, the answer these people are seeking will not be found in words but in the Cross.  Second, the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles. 

"Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  My study Bible comments that this image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ's death will give life to the world.  It is common in Orthodox churches to serve boiled wheat, sweetened and spiced, at memorial services for the departed faithful.  This is a kind of affirmation of God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, this passage is read in the memorial service.

 

 Jesus lays out the plan in today's reading, a plan for His glorification.  This is the great paradox that begins with more explicit language of His Crucifixion and death which is to come.  For, as these Gentiles show up, these pagan Greek-speakers who seek the God of Israel, so we get our first hints of the gospel being sent out to all the world.  And they seek out Jesus, so He has come to be known now outside of Israel.  Again, we're given a paradox in today's reading, just the same way Jesus, the King, rode into Jerusalem in what is called His Triumphal Entry not on a horse or in a chariot, but on the colt of a donkey, so "glorification" is going to mean something seemingly entirely at odds with the world's sense of glory.  It will not only mean His death, but it will mean death by the most notorious means of suffering intended for those who are non-Roman citizens.  It will mean a death by the most ignominious way known under the Romans, a death by a method from which we derive the word "excruciating," a death of ultimate humiliation before the nation, especially for a Jewish man.  And Christ's death will be added to by the religious leaders who will go to further lengths to humiliate Him and show how they despise Him.  All of this is part of Christ's "glorification," in His own words.  For this tremendous sacrifice on His part will be done, first of all, in obedience to God the Father, within the plan for salvation of all the world, meaning all of creation (not just the earth).  For Christ's salvific and redemptive Incarnation as human being is not meant for Himself only; it is not meant as a project for God, so to speak, but as a project for us, and out of love for us.  Gregory of Nazianzinus, also known as Gregory the Theologian (one of only three saints in the entire history of the Orthodox Church to be given this title), is famous for a statement about Christ's Incarnation.  He wrote, "What has not been assumed, has not been healed."  What this means is that every aspect of human life assumed by Christ is healed through His life and divinity, thereby enabling us to enter into and participate in His life and experience that healing for ourselves.  Whatever aspect of human experience, no matter how unpleasant or humiliating or painful, which Christ assumes as one of us becomes capable of being healed simply by His entering into our life.  And this is the great love, the seed that is being planted through His death and sacrifice, so that we might live and be healed and join Him where He is in eternal life.  Christ's life, death, and Resurrection becomes His hour of glorification through this process by which we are saved, by which we may also pray and experience the energies of grace made possible through His Incarnation and His help to us, even in our very present hour, during our suffering, through our prayers, and through His life which He brings to bear on all aspects of our existence, even those caused by influence of the evil one, the devil.  Because of this hour of glorification, there is no aspect of our life, no matter how humiliating or painful, or seeming to be a failure, that Christ has not assumed so that He may be there with us, present to us.  This is about Christ salvation for everything, and for everyone, held out and given as a present, a gift to all of us, if we but will receive it.  Again, Holy Week becomes all about paradox, the good and the evil, the tremendous sacrifice of love and at the same time those who plot against our Savior to bring Him such pain and death.  But God is more powerful than all of these things which seem to be imposed upon Him, for He enters into both our life and our death in order to transfigure and transform it, to defeat death and the forces of death and cruelty for us.  Wherever we go, He is there, for He is willing to make this sacrifice, to fall to the ground as a grain of wheat that is planted for us, to bring about a great harvest.  But let us note another paradox:  He doesn't do this alone; He invites us to live and choose as He does.  He says, "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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  He invites us also into glorification and honor such as God bestows, even upon Him.  For we cannot be the Christ, but we can enter into and share in this plan of salvation made glorious in believers and saints, those who love God so that their lives become also set apart for grace and for love.  Perhaps today God has something in store for you, a message, a way to address pain and difficulty, which draws you out of a human drama and into a place where love dictates instead what you can do with your time and your life, God's glory also shining through you.  Take the time for prayer, even in a time when things we cling to may be dying. 

Most assuredly, I 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

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

- John 12:20–26 

 

Yesterday we read that a great many of the people of Jerusalem knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many (even from among the ruling classes of the temple) went away and believed in Jesus. The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!" Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:"Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt." His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. Therefore the people who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"   

 

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  My study Bible says that these Greeks mentioned here were Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, and they have come to participate in the Passover feast.  That they are still called "Greeks" shows that they were not yet full proselytes (converts).  Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5; 15:24), so the disciples approach Christ before bringing these inquirers to Him.   When Jesus speaks of being glorified, He's referring to His death on the Cross.  My study Bible adds that Christ's obscure response is an indication of two things.  First, the answer these Greeks are seeking won't be found in words, but in the Cross; and second, the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles. 

"Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  This image of a grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ's death will give life to the world, my study Bible explains.  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, this passage is read at every memorial service for the faithful who have passed.  In many Orthodox churches, boiled wheat, sweetened and spiced, is served at memorial services.  My study Bible comments that this affirms God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.  

A grain of wheat springing to life from death is such a ubiquitous image that it is impossible to separate ourselves from Christ's framing of His death and Resurrection.  Jesus says "it falls into the ground and dies."  But this seemingly sad image is contradicted by His phrasing that the grain only remains alone when this doesn't happen.  To fall into the ground and die is to guarantee that it produces much grain.  So we are to understand His death and Resurrection -- that it produced and is producing much grain, much fruit.  In the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, Jesus refers to the returning villagers coming toward Him as a field of grain white for harvest (John 4:35).  But here He speaks of His own death which will give birth to many faithful, and also invites the disciples into this process as well:  "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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  It is not just Jesus who will undergo such a sacrifice; others will follow.  Perhaps the sacrifices we make in our lives will take on different forms, but nonetheless, Christ's saying still applies.  For what we give of our time, our efforts, our dreams and goals, these also count when given toward service and following Christ.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus says that giving even a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple will be rewarded (Matthew 10:40-42).  This sense of sacrificial giving and receiving permeates the whole of the Gospels, and all of the Christian life.  It is part of the process of transfiguring our lives in His image.  Indeed, we might consider our recent reading in which Mary covered Christ's feet with a pound of highly expensive fragrant essential oil as a story of what it is to make an extravagant sacrifice given for love of Christ, and to be received by Christ with a gracious reward indeed (see this reading).  For we should count also His words teaching us that "where I am, there My servant will be also."  In giving of our own sacrifices for Him and for the Kingdom, so we also become inheritors, servants, and those who dwell with Him even in an eternal reality.  He promises even more:  "If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."   In today's lectionary readings, we're also given the final chapter in the book of Job.  There we read of the tremendous reward, even while yet in this world, which Job receives after his great sacrifice of suffering for the sake of his faith in God (Job 42).  Throughout the Scriptures, then, the sense of sacrifice as gift which will be returned in abundant measure plays its role and gives its message to us.  In Luke chapter 6, we read Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, in which Jesus discusses topics widely covered also in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus says, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38).  This is taught together with the concept of forgiveness, and so it is that in forgiving we "give up" or "let go" of something to God, and we should understand it that way, as a type of sacrifice for which we'll be richly rewarded.  Let us consider, then, Christ's example of His own sacrifice and abundance of harvest to reap as result, and see that in doing so He teaches us to do the same.  For the countless examples amongst the saints and figures of the Gospels and in the Old Testament we have an entire spiritual history to consider.  What else could inspire such faith but the love shown in such sacrifice, especially by Christ the firstfruits who gave His life for us?  For there is no doubt that this is true.  In a highly consumer-oriented modern society, we might have difficulty considering the idea of sacrifice in a positive light.  But it's what makes the world go around, and civilizations are built not on selfishness but on the willingness to give for what might be, and for love of the good.  Let us consider where we make our sacrifices, and why.  What else can give us back so much?

Most assuredly, I 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

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

- John 12:20-26 

 

In yesterday's reading, we will given the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, a day we commemorate as Palm Sunday.  We read that a great many of those from the ruling classes in Jerusalem knew that Jesus was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!" 

 

  Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  My study Bible explains that these Greeks were Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, and have come to participate in the Passover feast.   That they were still called "Greeks" shows that they were not yet full proselytes (converts).  Since Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5; 15:24), the disciples approach Him before bringing these inquirers.  When Jesus speaks of being glorified, He is referring to His death on the Cross.  (We recall that in yesterday's reading, above, the events of Palm Sunday, and the fulfillment of prophecy, only became clear to the recollection of the disciples "after Jesus was glorified.")  My study Bible says that Christ's obscure response here indicates two things.  First, the answer these Greeks are seeking will not be found in words, but rather in the Cross.  Second, the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles.

"Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  My study Bible says that the image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ's death will give life to the world.  At the memorial services for the departed faithful in many Orthodox churches, boiled wheat that is sweetened and spiced is served to affirm God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.

Christ speaks of Himself and His death on the Cross figuratively, in the image of a grain of wheat that produces much grain only if it falls into the ground and dies.  As noted above, the Gospel tells us (from yesterday's reading) that the disciples only understood the events of Palm Sunday, and the fulfillment of prophecy in the people's cry and actions, after Jesus was glorified.  Again today, Jesus emphasizes that it is now time, that "the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified." One must wonder if it is that these Greek-speakers, Gentiles, have come inquiring about Him.  After all, the Gospel will spread to the world, and to the nations, in the Greek language -- the international language of its time.  Greek was the language of commerce for this reason.  Philip is from Bethsaida which at this time was expanding and would within only a few years would be elevated in status within the Roman Empire.  He also bears a Greek name.  In John's Gospel, his role is also significant.  First a disciple of John the Baptist, Philip is found by Jesus and introduces Him to Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew)  in John 1:43-51.  Jesus tests Philip at the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:4-6).   Here, he's the connection to the Greek community, and at the Last Supper it will be Philip who says to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us" (John 14:8-9).  The burial place of Philip has been recently discovered in what was an ancient Greek-speaking city (see this translation of an interview with the Italian archaeologist who made the discovery).  It is known that Philip traveled widely spreading the Gospel, and died a martyr at this site.  Why is all of this important?  Because Christ's message would be spread throughout the world in the Greek language and through Greek speakers, one gets the feeling that perhaps these "Greeks" who approach Him are a clear sign to Christ that it is the hour of His glorification.  His landmark teaching regarding the grain of wheat is predicated upon His glorification on the Cross, that this event will produce much fruit -- and that is inextricably linked with the spread of the gospel beyond Israel and to all nations.  It is His sacrifice on the Cross that will teach us about what we give for our faith and that also produces spiritual fruit; in this Christ's Cross leads the way, even as it is the act of sacrifice on His part that will send His gospel out to all the world, and continues to do so.  For it is this act that will transcend all boundaries and shake the values of a world predicated only on materialist values of coercion, manipulation, and appearances alone as truth.  Jesus' Cross, and His sacrifice, continues to expand its influence, to reverberate with meanings and values that echo in the subconscious of the world to be discovered by faith and experience of the struggle for faith.  He will exchange one life for another, and in so doing, offer that greater and eternal life to us in His promise of abundance, and He continues to do so.  His sacrifice made possible the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the remembrance of all things for His followers (John 16:7).  Martin Luther King often cited the powerful necessity of sacrifice, understanding it as essential to his own ministry to produce fruit.  He said, "Nothing worthwhile is gained without sacrifice," an understanding of the truth that makes us free.  In a world dazzled by technological and other material power it is tempting to put faith exclusively in appearances, and  discard  Christ's sacrifice as the ultimate testimony by the Witness to our faith.  But sheer belief in material appearance works as a delusion, producing corruption, conflict, and faith in manipulation,  keeping people from hidden truths our Lord wants us to seek and find.  As He so often affirms, His sacrifice is His glorification which produces much fruit.  Let us remember His words. 

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the round and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the round and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

- John 12:20-26 

 

Yesterday we read that a great many in Jerusalem knew that Jesus was there for the Passover; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.   The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.   Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

 

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  My study Bible explains that these Greeks were Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, and that they have come to Jerusalem to participate in the Passover feast.  That they are still called "Greeks" shows that they were not yet full converts to Judaism.   It notes that since Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5, 15:24), the disciples approach Jesus first before bringing these new inquirers to Him.  Glorified is a reference to Christ's death on the Cross.  Moreover, my study Bible adds, Christ's obscure response indicates two things:  first, the answer these Greeks seek won't be found in words, but in the Cross; and second, the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles.  Let us note also that this is the first sign in the Gospel that inquirers from the wider, Greek-speaking world are coming to hear of Christ; perhaps it also serves as a sign for Jesus.  Greek was the "international language" for communication of this time; and, of course, the New Testament will be written in Greek for this reason.  It is the language in which the gospel of the Kingdom will travel through the highways of the world.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the round and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain,  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."   Jesus gives the image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit -- my study Bible comments that this signifies His death will give life to the world (John 6:51).  It is a tradition in many Orthodox churches to serve boiled wheat, sweetened and spiced, at memorial services for the departed faithful, a gesture which affirms God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.  This passage is read in the Armenian Apostolic Church as part of every requiem.

 

Jesus speaks in vivid language, saying, "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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."    Elsewhere He uses similar bold language, such as when He says, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26).  He follows with a statement similar to the pattern He establishes in today's reading, "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."   In each case, He contrasts the extremes of loving or hating one's life in this world (including family members) with loving and following Him.  These are difficult things to reconcile, possibly unimaginable to most of us.  But for the times that come down to spiritual choice, these statements might not be so extreme.  This vivid and colorful language used by Christ is quite possibly meant to shock, in order to make a point:  that loyalty to God ultimately takes precedence over the rest of our priorities in life.  St. Paul writes, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).  There are times when our prayers will lead us to make choices for which we may need to break with rules or habits learned at home in our natal families, or to disagree with a loved one over a particular path or opinion.  It is in this sense that choice is offered to us in our spiritual lives, a truth we must choose to love even when others whom we love do not approve or do not like our choices.  There comes such a time when a love of God, and the truth we must accept, trumps all else we care for.  Jesus goes to the Cross Himself certainly understanding this and making such a hard choice.  We know of His love for His mother, and for all of His disciples, and yet He will go to the Cross in obedience to the Father, seemingly abandoning those who love Him and for whom the prospect of His death is unmitigated tragedy (see St. Peter's response to Christ's prophecy of His Crucifixion, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" - Matthew 16:22-24).  Jesus goes the Cross in order to give us an abundant life, one that we may claim even if we die a human death.  Many people separate a life in the world from this life after death, but that is a false conclusion, as Jesus indicates here.  In a recent reading, Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."  This offer is not about an afterlife, but about the quality of life we choose in the here and now, and this is what Jesus is trying to clarify by His deeply powerful and stark statements.  He offers us to participate in His power of immortality, but participation in that life is a choice that is always with us now, and we come face to face it in our lives when our deepest loyalties and truths are tested.  In today's reading, Jesus speaks of offering Himself and giving His life as a sacrifice, in order to produce abundant life.  Even His own deepest human impulses do not take priority over the choice to offer us this life in abundance through His willing sacrifice in following the Father's will.  May our own sacrifices to follow a prayerful life of faith also produce much grain.

 

The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

- John 12:20–26 

 

Yesterday we read that a great many of those among the ruling parties of the temple knew that Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of those from Jerusalem went away and believed in Jesus.  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.   But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  My study bible comments that these Greeks were Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, who came to participate in the Passover feast.  That they are still called "Greeks" shows that they were not yet full converts to Judaism.  It says that as Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5, 15:24), the disciples approach Him before bringing these inquirers.  Glorified is a reference to Christ's death on the Cross.  My study bible adds that His obscure response indicates two things.  First, the answer that these Greeks (or rather, Greek-speakers) are seeking will not be found in words, but rather in the Cross.  And second, that the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles.

"Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  The image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit gives a particular significance to Christ's death on the Cross:  that it will give life to the world (John 6:51).  My study bible explains a custom common to many Orthodox churches:  boiled wheat is sweetened and spiced, and served at memorial services for the departed faithful, in order to affirm God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.

 

 Christ's powerful words in today's reading are probably the most profound in the Gospel, in terms of not just their significance and meaning. but the power of the events themselves that Christ describes here, the life that comes from His sacrifice on the Cross.  The grain of wheat is a powerful image:  a tiny grain, falling to the ground, broken.  It dies, but it does so to give life, and life abundantly.  As Jesus says, it produces much grain.  This is an unshakeable image.   All too often, we tend to think that our heroes are just that:  images to look up to, people who sacrificed for an entire group, leaders who stand head and shoulders above everyone else.  But Jesus does not stop with the powerful description of His own death and sacrifice, and its abundant life-giving effects.  It is of the utmost importance for us all to understand that Jesus does not stop there.  He goes on to say, "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."   In other words, this gospel message is not just about the story of Jesus, the story of Christ's Passion, the story of His sacrifice and the abundant resurrectional life He offers to all of us through these events.  His command follows His statement about Himself with the illustration of the grain of wheat.  He asks us to follow.  We are the ones who must put into action our own willingness to give up the life of the "worldly" that is offered to us, and take up instead the life that Christ offers in His own example, that of following in love and dedication to God.  This is not only about Jesus, in some powerful sense.  It is rather that Jesus calls us to take up the same life.  His life may have led to the powerful images we have, to the depths of death and suffering, and transfiguring all of it so that we might have an abundance of life that wasn't possible without Christ's mission.  But Christ's mission into this world, the Incarnation and life of the Son as Jesus Christ, isn't only about Jesus.  We miss His point entirely if that is where we leave it.  Christ's mission is about finding disciples, those who are willing to take up our own cross and follow Him.  He says, "Where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."   We are not asked simply to worship, honor, and behold Christ as Messiah and Savior.  We are asked to live life as He did, to understand the point of sacrifice for the same purpose, in the same love, which produces the same fruits.  There is only one Christ, of that there is no doubt, and only one Son.  But He calls each of us to follow in the same dedication, and promises that we, also, will produce "much grain."  We are meant to participate in His life, the one He offers to us in the Eucharist.   Like Christ, we might not be able to see all of the fruits of our lives, or even live to see them, but nevertheless, we are promised the same kind of action and purpose, should we decide to take up our own crosses.  When we lose sight of the productiveness and creativity hidden in sacrifice, then we lose our way, and we enter into a losing battle based on selfishness, and what looks expeditious or opportunistic.  We lose the power hidden in our faith and the teachings of Jesus.  But no matter what the project, life asks of us sacrifices in the name of what is higher or better, and for the purpose of that which is greater.  If you raise a child, it asks sacrifice to do a good job.  If you need to complete a creative project, one must give up one's time and effort that could be put into something else.  A loving marriage asks mutual sacrifice of both persons.  In the end, one must weigh the greater goal against the temporal sacrifice.  When we lose sight of the meanings in suffering, and the transcendent values to be found there, then we lose our way with Christ.  The love in the sacrifice on the Cross cannot be forgone or unseen and still be Christian.  Our faith asks of us a particular effort, and that effort is simply to weigh in our lives everyday the options before us.  What is worthy of us, and what is not?  What are the higher goals?  Whom do we serve?  There is no loss in this sacrifice, only a choice to be made for what produces more fruit, more grain, and especially a higher and greater love.  Let us note that Jesus begins by putting all of this under the umbrella of glory:  "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  We are invited into this fellowship to share in that glory, and there is where we should see our own crosses, our own sacrifices for the higher and greater meaning of our lives.

Most assuredly, I 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

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

- John 12:20–26 

 

Yesterday we read that a great many in Jerusalem knew that Christ was there for the Passover; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; / Behold, your King is coming, / Sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  These Greeks, my study bible explains, are Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, and have come to participate in the Passover feast.  Since they are still called "Greeks" it indicates that they were not yet full converts to Judaism.   As Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5, 15:24), the disciples approach Him first before bringing these inquirers to Him.   The hour that He should be glorified is the time of His death on the Cross.  My study bible adds that Christ's obscure response indicates two things.  First, that the answer these Greeks seek will not be found in words, but in the Cross; and second, that the Cross will be teh event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles.  

"Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  My study bible comments that the image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ's death will give life to the world.  It is traditional in many Orthodox denominations to serve boiled whole grains of wheat, sweetened and spiced, at memorial services for the departed faithful.  It's an affirmation of God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.

In today's reading, it's almost as if the meeting of the Greeks from abroad who wish to see Jesus sparks in Him an understanding that this is the sign of His approaching death, the time in which He will be glorified.  In that context, His statement about the grain of wheat that dies in order to produce much grain is sad and wistful, although it is the truth of what will happen.  We can read into it at once the deeply human desire for life, to thrive, and at the same time the acknowledgement that what is to happen will happen for a reason, in order to give life to many.  Have there been times in your life when the Cross came in the form of asking you to give something up, in order to reap a much greater harvest?  Have you made sacrifices in time so that there will be later on a greater abundance or harvest of something?  Speaking strictly of spiritual life and spiritual fruit, there are, of course, many ways this can happen, and each particular to an individual, and also to a particular time in one's life.  Indeed, one can look back upon life and mark intervals by such choices and such sacrifices.  I can remember making a choice to depart from a path of a particular career because I felt it was the way my prayer led me; I may have forgone some financial and other rewards, but my spiritual life had time and space to grow as a result.  I chose to give up development of a career using one particular talent, but found instead gratification in another -- and one which allowed me to use my skills to study and write about the Bible, such as I do on this blog.  And there have been many such choices along the way in which a time of "crisis" became a time of the Cross, a time for making choices, and one which in retrospect exemplified Jesus' example of the grain of wheat falling to the ground in order to give life to much more.  I was simply following my faith and my prayer, and had no idea what lay down the road when I made a change.  But I can look back in retrospect and see the growth Christ is speaking of.  The ultimate sacrifice is, of course, Christ's on the Cross.  He made the choice so that we may all benefit, and take what we receive from Him in so many ways that affirm that in Him is the power of life, and of rejuvenation, revival, resurrection.  Again, when the Cross comes in our own lives we can experience through our faith this process of death and rebirth, such as I did in the various career paths mentioned above.  But it can happen in so many ways.  We might find that life is full of deaths and resurrections, grains of wheat we allow to fall to the ground in order to bring about a harvest of more abundance.  What is most important is that, in following our own prayer to Christ, we place in Him our trust, and know that He went first to show us the way.  He taught us that we must each carry our own cross, and follow Him.  These Greeks who appear at the feast, and seek Him, are in some sense a sign letting Him know that His Gospel is already going to the Gentiles, and that the grain of wheat that will fall in Jerusalem will be one that spreads a harvest out to the whole world.  Jesus gives to His disciples -- and thereby to us -- an image which will serve posterity so that we understand what is happening, and what will happen, in the proper context of the faith and Jesus' broader mission.  Let us keep in mind that His ministry and mission remain ongoing.  The fruit of that grain of wheat continue to be produced and to spread, to be experienced in the world by more and more people, and in new and broadening ways.  When we participate in His life, so we also participate in this death and rebirth, this giving up of a little in exchange for so much more.  We enter into His life, and into the life of His ministry by laboring in these same fields He planted.  Jesus says, "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."  What of your life do you exchange for the greater life He promises to you?  Into which labor do you enter?

If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

- John 12:20-26

Yesterday we read about Jesus' return to Bethany before the Passover, that a great many of those among the leadership knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  These Greeks, my study bible explains, were Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, and have come to participate in the Passover feast.  My study bible explains that the fact that they were still called Greeks shows that they were not yet full proselytes (converts).  As Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5; 15:24), these disciples approach Him before bringing the inquirers to Him.

But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  Christ's hour is the time of His Crucifixion, and glorified refers to His saving death on the Cross.  My study bible writes that His obscure response indicates two things:  (1)  the answer these Greeks are seeking won't be found in words, but in the Cross; and (2) the Cross will be the event that opens all kinds of grace to the Gentiles.

"Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  The image of the grain of wheat which dies in order to bear fruit tells us that Christ's death will give life to the world.  In many denominations, this image is read at each funeral service, and it is also traditional to serve boiled wheat, which has been sweetened and spiced, at memorial services for the departed faithful.  My study bible calls this practice an affirmation that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.  But Jesus gives us our own formula for eternal life:  our worldly understanding is given up in exchange for His understanding that He gives us; whatever sacrifice we make for our faith in Christ will be honored by God the Father.

We notice the emphasis on death in today's passage.  I think it is not simply that we are heading toward the Cross of crucifixion and that this is the beginning of Holy Week.  But the resurrection of Lazarus also figures prominently here.  It is that seventh sign in the Gospel of John that sealed Jesus' fate with the authorities, where they have openly declared their desire to put Him to death at the Council, and the chief priest has pronounced an unwitting prophecy about His death (11:49-50).   In this week recounted in the Gospel, we are reliving events which center around life and death, dark and light, and the stark contrast between that which brings death and He who gives life.  So powerful is the message and meaning of Christ's deliberate and voluntary sacrifice unto death that He will transfigure this Roman image of the most terrifying sentence of death into one of eternal life, resurrection, salvation, and hope in all times and through all things.  But there we get into Jesus' message about the grain of wheat, and our paradoxical faith given to us by Christ.  It is that which St. Paul speaks of as "foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18).  There will be times in our lives when we are asked to make sacrifices for our faith, and what Christ teaches us is that those particular sacrifices are instruments of abundant life.  We may feel like we are giving something up, and we are -- and although we may be unaware of the eventual outcome, we are actually investing in the power of life by suffering through a kind of death.  In Christ's case, it will be the greatest sacrifice a human being can make ("Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends," 15:18).  But each of us, in ways from the very small to the very great, may also be called upon daily to make sacrifices like Christ's.  That is, a sacrifice that is not for a job, or in order to buy a new car, or to lose some weight, or any number of the infinite sorts of investments we make for particular outcomes, but a sacrifice for the sake of our faith, made from our love of Christ.  This is taking up our own cross and following Him.  We may choose to practice good to someone who has wronged us, just because our love of Christ seems to ask that of us.  We may choose to put aside some money to purchase something that would benefit someone else out of this love for Christ, or give time to express our faith, or any one of infinite opportunities that present themselves.  We take time in our lives to pray; this, too, is a sacrifice that puts the Kingdom and our love of Christ first.  Each personal sacrifice made within such a plan of love for Christ -- from small to big -- is a kind of death, like the grain of wheat falling to the ground.  But it is a death which is an investment in a much greater sort of life than whatever it is that we gave up:  our time, some money, some effort, even our thoughts.  It seems to me that the greater the sacrifice, and the greater the gift and outcome of abundant life, the longer it may take to fully manifest so that we realize it.  But the power of that gift will surprise us, if we but allow ourselves to be led into it through love -- the love of Christ and God the Trinity, the beauty of the Church, and the communion of the saints which we can feel through prayer and through services.  This is why a focus on Christ will never steer us wrong; it is there we need to be rooted and find our pathway and choices.  Let us consider life in abundance and what it means.  Christ's death on the Cross will also usher in judgment against whatever it is that manifests death in this world, be that force one of spiritual battle or worldly sin and selfishness.  Let us consider how deep is that light is shines in the darkness, that the darkness does not comprehend (1:5), and magnify it in the ways and means and opportunities we are given to do so (Matthew 5:16).   And how deep is that darkness indeed that fails to grasp such tremendous light (Matthew 6:23).

He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

- John 12:20-26

Yesterday we read that a great many of those from Judea and Jerusalem knew that Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Lazarus and his sisters; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of their followers went away and believed in Jesus.  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it, as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion;  Behold, your King is coming,  sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

  Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."   These Greeks are Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, and who have come to participate in the Passover feast.  That the Gospel calls them Greeks shows that they weren't yet full proselytes (or converts), according to my study bible.  Jesus had earlier taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5, 15:24), and so the disciples approach Jesus before bringing these inquirers to Him.  When Jesus says that the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified, He is referring to His death on the Cross.  This "obscure response" means two things, says my study bible.  First, the answer these Greeks are seeking won't be found in words, but rather in the Cross; and secondly, the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles. 

"Most assuredly, I 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."  This image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit teaches us that Christ's death will give life to the world.  In many Eastern churches, the tradition at memorial services is to prepare boiled whole wheat kernels, sweetened and spiced, to affirm God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.  Jesus once again reaffirms the consistent teaching and promise we read throughout John's Gospel, of the closeness of relationship between Himself, the Father, and His followers in an absolute bond.

"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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  Jesus follows His teaching about the grain of wheat with one that emphasizes those who follow Him, and our own responsibility for obedience and love.  It extends even to all the things of our own lives.  He calls us to be like Him.

Christ teaches that he who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.   He is not only speaking about Himself, but He is teaching us all that His example is just that -- an example for the rest of us.  It is the supreme example, but He calls all of us to follow Him.  In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus ties today's teaching with the cross for each of us.  He says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" The kind of obedience Jesus asks for isn't a soulless, mindless obedience.  It is the obedience found in the love of and loyalty to God who is love and who loves us.  Over and over again, Jesus has emphasized that the true lodestone of faith is the love of God.  He has repeatedly chastised the religious authorities for knowing the minutiae of the Law and scrutinizing the Scriptures, but failing to have the love of God in their hearts.  It is this love, this bond, that unlocks the value and the blessings of everything else.  It is out of this love that Jesus' obedience comes, even unto death -- to the Cross.  It is this love that makes sense of the Crucifixion.  It is the answer to Job.  It is the key to Jesus' teaching, "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."   It is the key to that rock over which the gates of Hades cannot prevail.  It is in that love and loyalty and faith that Jesus can liken His life to that of a grain of wheat, and in which we can behold the working of God whose ways are not our ways and whose thoughts are not our thoughts.  It is in this sense that we are bound to Christ, and in which He can tell us that we must follow Him, and then where He is, so we shall be, for the Father shall honor those who serve Him.  Let us remember what is truly precious, what binds us in love, even beyond the life we know.  It's only in love that we can follow Him, and it's in this love that the Son of Man is glorified.

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

- John 12:20-26

Yesterday, we read that a great many people knew that Jesus was at the Passover; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion;  Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."    His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

  Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  The Greeks here at the Passover festival are Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham and have come to participate in the feast.  They are called Greeks because they are not yet full proselytes (converts), says my study bible.   Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5, 15:24), so they approach Him before they bring these people to Him who seek Him.  The hour in which Christ is glorified is the time of His death on the Cross.  My study bible says that Jesus' obscure response indicates two things:  first, that the answer these Greeks are seeking won't be found in words, but rather in the Cross; and second, the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles. 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a .of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."    This image of the grain of wheat that dies in order to produce much grain is the image of Christ's death that will give life to the world.   Jesus is prepared to make the sacrifice that will glorify God.  To produce much grain is also an image of those who will follow in future.  Jesus has already used the image of grain fields white for harvest when speaking of the Samaritans who came to believe in Him after He spoke to the woman at the well (4:35).

The image of the grain of wheat is one that produces countless grain when it dies.  Jesus speaks of a willingness to give up what was knows in order to follow God, and to follow Him, and so doing to bear much fruit.  He also connects following Him with service and honor from both Christ and the Father.  The image of wheat is important:  the fruits that might be born are uncountable, unimaginable, so large they may be infinite and indicate successive harvests that one cannot limit as they produce crop after crop, generation after generation, through time.  It speaks also of all the world, all the nations, Jews and Gentiles.  The grain of wheat is also that which is harvested to make bread -- bread that becomes the bread of life when imbued by the Holy Spirit to be the body and and blood of Christ.  Jesus' images work for us throughout the New Testament, producing yet new understanding of what it is to be a part of the Kingdom of God even in this world.  That He speaks of serving this Kingdom is made more clear in the words that follow the image of the grain of wheat:  to hate one's life in this world is a vivid image of wanting to serve the Kingdom, and just how one comes to sacrifice the things one knows for those which are of Christ, and promised by God, to serve that honor which comes from God.  Above all, the wheat that falls to the ground and dies is that which serves and nurtures the life of the world.  Jesus is "the living bread which came down from heaven."   He asks each of us not to be content only with being nurtured by this bread, but rather to become like Him, to understand the idea of sacrifice for the Kingdom and to follow in His footsteps.  What that means for each individual believer can be as varied as each individual grain that follows, for He loves each of us.  What is important is that we understand that we live and die within a kind of purpose of serving the Kingdom, of participating also in the glory and honor of Christ, in the fullness of the promise of life from the Father.  To hate one's life in this world isn't a prescription for misery or nihilism.  Rather, it teaches us about the abundant life that is promised instead, the so much more life that is added to our lives, rather than the limited perspective of a "worldly life."  It is for this purpose that Jesus has come, for this purpose He will die on the Cross, for this purpose He has followers to bring this mission into the world.  In many Eastern Orthodox churches, a sweetened and spice mixture of whole grains of boiled wheat is served at memorial services, giving us the image of the wheat that will be raised again to eternal life.  It shows us that all the images of life in this world are those which carry the promise of an even greater fullness of life, a life in abundance and for an eternity.  That is the life for which we exchange our "worldly" perspective, the honor we serve.

Most assuredly, I 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

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

- John 12:20-26

Yesterday, we read that a great many Jews from Jerusalem knew that Jesus was in Bethany; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many  went away and believed in Jesus.  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."   His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."   These Greeks are Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham and have come to Jerusalem to participate in the Passover feast.  They are Greek-speakers, foreigners who speak what was at that time the international language (and which would become the language of the New Testament -- even at Jesus' time, the Senptuagint translation of the Jewish Holy Scriptures had been made in Alexandria and so even the Old Testament was studied in Greek).  My study bible says that as they are still called Greeks shows that they were not yet full proselytes or converts to Judaism.   In this period, it was not unusual in the Hellenistic world for Greeks to become Jews and Jews to become Greeks, as such identity was based on sets of values rather than purely ethnic lineage.  My study bible says that since Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5; 15:24), the disciples approach Him before bringing these inquirers.  To be glorified refers to Christ's death on the Cross.  My study bible says that Jesus' obscure response indicates two things:  "(1) the answer these Greeks are seeking will not be found in words, but in the Cross; and (2) the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles."

"Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."   Here, my study bible suggests that the image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ's death will give life to the world.  In many Orthodox churches, my study bible reminds us, boiled wheat that is both sweetened and spiced is served at memorial services for the departed faithful to affirm God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, verse 24 ("Most assuredly, I 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") is read at all memorial services. 

Jesus is given a sign Himself, it seems, in today's reading.  From His response to the notification from Philip and Andrew that there are Greeks (Greek-speakers who are becoming Jews) who have heard about Him and wish to see Him, we infer that this is a sign to Jesus.  His fame is now going beyond Israel, beyond the boundaries of "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" and is reaching out into the world.  From this it seems that He understands clearly that His hour is near, or the time in which He will be glorified.  How can we understand the Cross as glorification?  For those of us brought up on images of great worldly success, how can we at this time understand what it is to be a success in the eyes of God?  Can we understand Christ when He teaches that the Cross will be His hour of glory?  Or that because already Greek-speakers, people from other countries and territories, have heard of Him, it is time for the hour of His glorification?  He makes this very explicit when He speaks of the grain of wheat that falls to the ground, and thereby will raise up and produce much grain.  Adding the next two lines is very important for our understanding:  "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."  He is affirming once again the power of sacrifice for the life that God gives, for the Kingdom, which is where the Father is leading Him.  It is a great teaching that comes as the final "event" of His saving mission.  He will give His life for the sheep, and by doing so He will be glorified.  But this message is not just about the Crucifixion, it's a message for all of us:  "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."    He makes it very clear:  if we are to serve Him, we follow Him, and in so doing we, too, will be honored by the Father.  The message of sacrifice is implicit here, but I think we have to take it properly.  Whatever happens in Jesus' life and ministry, it is all from the direction of the Father.  It is all done in love.  Nothing here is a whim brought on by the desire to be a martyr on Jesus' part; it is the outcome of His following the will of the Father, His teaching in truth, and a fearless way of living life for something, for love, for this mission of salvation.  If we miss that motivation, then we miss everything, it seems to me.  Sacrifice in and of itself is not the point here.  The point here is service.  What do we serve?  Any form of sacrifice that is made as a sort of "feel good" or "pat on the back" effort isn't getting the point here, and it's not a nihilistic sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice.  I think that would be missing the point.  Jesus teaches us that He is life itself; that He is the resurrection and the life, as He has said to Martha.  But our lives are meant to be for something.  The gift of life which we are given holds all kinds of potentials for the glory of God, if we but choose to live it that way.  It is in this spirit, I believe, that Jesus teaches us, "He who loves His life will lose it, and He who hates His life in this world will keep it for eternal life."  That is because there are things we live for, there are things and possibilities included in our lives that we are capable of serving and working for if we but look past a selfish sense of this gift, of what our lives are for.  That is the meaning of His words.   If we serve Him, therefore, we will be on the road with Him -- we "follow Him."  And in so doing, we too will be honored by His Father.  It is an important point to fathom, because Jesus glorifies His life by His choices, and chooses the honor of God the Father in all He does, including going to the Cross.  The Cross will thereby become the symbol of a life that is more than life as we understand it, but a life that doesn't die, that extends to resurrection:  that is, a resurrection that is always with us, ever-present, and working in our own lives in this world to always glorify God through us as well.  Jesus does not go to the Cross for the purpose of sacrifice, He goes to the Cross for the purpose of true life, that we may have life abundantly, something more than just "life in this world" as we understand it.  He goes to the Cross for love of the sheep, for the salvation of all who will be drawn to that Cross and what it means and stands for.  If we follow Him, then we, too, are to understand that our lives are for so much more than what a worldly perspective offers, and that we may glorify God and shine the illumination of God out into the world.  Let us come to understand what these things mean, what the beauty is He's offering us, as well as His joy and peace and grace.  Then we will understand what the sacrifice is for.  We will know the pearl of great price.  Sacrifice is made as an investment in something, a trust, in faith -- for life.

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

- John 12:20-26

Yesterday, we read that a great many of those from the temple in Jerusalem knew that Jesus was arriving for the Passover; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion;  behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

  Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."   My study bible explains that these "Greeks were Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, having come to participate in the Passover feast.  That they were still called Greeks shows that they were not yet full proselytes (converts).  Since Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5; 15:24), the disciples approach Him before bringing these inquirers.  Glorified refers to the Savior's death on the Cross.  Christ's obscure response indicates two things:  (1)  the answer these Greeks are seeking will not be found in words, but in the Cross; and (2) the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles."

"Most assuredly, I 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.  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 I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  My study bible tells us that this image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit shows us that Christ's death will give life to the world.  It says, "In many Orthodox churches, boiled wheat that is sweetened and spiced is served at memorial services for the departed faithful to affirm God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life."  This passage is also frequently read at memorials and funeral services in many churches.

Jesus is clearly speaking here about His death that is to come.  He goes willingly and with the knowledge that "unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."  But when He then characterizes an attitude, it tells us something much greater:  "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."   This characterization goes further than the prediction of His sacrifice so that many, many others may live.  It tells us something about a basic disposition toward life that has to do with selfishness as opposed to the openness to God and God's purposes.  The whole image gives us a picture of someone who holds onto life with a closed fist, afraid to give any of what he or she knows.  To let go, to open the hand and pray to God, and to receive God's word, is an entirely different attitude altogether.    This traditional ancient picture of prayer, called orans from the Latin, depicts a position of hands raised.  One can see this in catacomb paintings (see here and here, for examples of New and Old Testament images -- the latter is Noah praying).  More famously, perhaps, is the image of the Virgin as Platytera in the Greek ("Wider than the Heavens") with hands opened, arms outstretched, bearing the Creator of the universe within herself (see here).  And most specifically, we also see icons of the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist praying to Christ enthroned in majesty (Deesis, a depiction of prayer or supplication), with arms extended with palms open and head bowed, the traditional posture of prayer (see here and here).   Particularly the latter (Deesis) shows us a traditional prayer posture, with palms open, head bowed toward Christ as God -- an image of the openness to God we wish to cultivate, holding nothing back, grasping nothing, but with palms open in acceptance of what God will bring us in our lives, or even, perhaps, take away.  This is the image Christ gives us as He prepares for what is to come in His own earthly life.  It is the image of allowing the grain of wheat to fall that it may produce more, the image of what it is to not love one's life so much that it is not open to God's will.  It is the image of openness to God's work, to the Spirit as it may move within us and in our lives, to God's will that may transform our own ways of thinking and being in the world.  It is the opposite of selfishness.  Let us remember that His words are with us always, instructing us in how we live our lives, what we give to God -- even in how we pray.   St. Paul said, "I die daily."  There may be all kinds of little "deaths" which we open to in order to receive what is more productive, what may glorify God the more, in greater abundance.  Can we keep this in mind in our lives, in prayer?