A Grain of Wheat
Scripture Passage: John 12:20-30 (NASB)
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 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. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.
SUMMARY
Some Greeks came to the disciples and said that they wanted to see Jesus. When the disciples told this to Jesus, He told them the parable of a kernel of wheat falling to the ground and dying. Jesus said that this is the way to produce many seeds. Jesus added that the man who hates his life will keep it for eternal life, and that whoever serves Him must follow Him wherever He goes and he will be honored by God. He also mentions that the reason for His coming was for this troubled hour, and proclaims that the Father be glorified.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
When the Greeks expressed to Philip their desire to see Jesus, Jesus doesn’t say “yes” or “no.” Instead, his response is, “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”. (v. 24) Jesus seems to say in this text that the way to know Jesus and get close to the Lord and SEE HIM is to live a life that produces many seeds, many fruits. And HE gives clear instruction that the only way to bear fruit is to fall to the ground and die.
As difficult as it is to follow Jesus’s command, this passage really challenged me. I had to ask myself - are there any areas or circumstances in my life that I am unwilling to surrender (“die”) to the Lord? Are there any areas where I am obstinately trying to be the master of my own life instead of having Jesus as the Master? In re-examining my heart, I realized that the reason I have not been able to see or feel His presence during this time of pandemic is because I am still so proud and self-reliant. I am always trying to control my life and my circumstances with my own knowledge and strength. But Jesus makes it clear that if we want to see Him, we have to let go and die to our own desires by following Him (ver. 26) wherever He goes. That might initially be uncomfortable, inconvenient, even painful at times (like what we are going through at the moment). But Jesus reassures us that God will be glorified (ver. 28) even through this uncertain time, if we trust Him in faith.
APPLICATION
It’s been personally tough being quarantined at home during the past month. Trying to work from home while trying to be a good wife and mom has been challenging and has left me feeling overwhelmed. As a result, I’ve often been short, irritable and cranky towards my husband and my son. But today’s QT challenged me to pray more that God will help me, that God will cause my pride and emotions (which are so often fickle and fleeting) to fall and die on the ground. Only then can I display and produce many life-giving seeds in our family, bearing the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) during this difficult time. Here is my first step: I want to commit to spending more intentional and quality time in prayer and the Word by doing my QT devotionals consistently.
PRAYER
Lord, we confess that we are so weak. We cannot do what You tell us to do without your grace and your help. May your Spirit come and enable our hearts to be strong, to crucify all our fears, anxieties, worries, selfishness and pride by surrendering our control over to You. Continue to teach us to live a life that produces many seeds and bears much fruit, for this is the way to see You and live a life of real Truth, Peace and Freedom.
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