If you recall the story, one day a group of people came to Jesus’ disciples, Andrew and Philip, and asked to see Jesus. The people had just witnessed the raising of Lazarus, and it could be that they had wanted to see more. Or it could be they had wanted to hear more. I personally think they wanted to see the person who performed this miracle do something, anything, because they had just seen an incredible miracle. Jesus gave a reply, but his reply was totally unexpected. He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” What does this mean? In the middle of a conversation, was Jesus giving a lesson on horticulture? Why did he say that at that moment?
At the minimum, let us understand Jesus was using a farming illustration to make a point. In the 1st century, farmers were everywhere and everyone knew at least something about agriculture. Any person living in the 1st century would know how a grain grows and know the different stages of a grain’s lifecycle. My wife enjoys gardening. I do not, I am a city boy. So, naturally she would understand what Jesus was saying far better than me. I did a little study on the different stages of a grain’s lifecycle. When a grain of wheat dies, as a seed, it falls to the ground, and when it comes into contact with the soil, it enters the germination stage. The grain absorbs the water, the roots grow downward into the soil, but a shoot rises upward. In the tillering stage, side shoots (tillers) grow, and one can see the formation of leaves and the grain head. Stalks grow in the stem elongation stage, pushing the grain head up through the leaf sheaths. Flowers pollinate and a kernel is developed in the heading stage (also called flowering stage). Kernels harden, turning yellowish color, and they are ready for farmers to pick the mature grain from the dried stalks. All that from just one grain of wheat. Wow. Jesus would know all about the grain and the different stages of its lifecycle, not because he lived in the 1st century, but because he created the grain and the different stages of its lifecycle.
Therefore, if a grain of wheat is kept out of the germination stage, it continues to be just that, a grain of wheat. It is a lone grain of wheat among other lone grains of wheat. Nothing to see here. It is only when a farmer decides to detach the grain of wheat from the head and the grain comes into contact with the ground will it have any chance of producing more grain.
And here is the point that Jesus wanted to make. If a person loves his earthly life, and grips tightly to his earthly life, he continues to be just that, a person who loves his earthly life. He lives his life for himself. Jesus says this person will lose eternity. He will lose it all. On the other hand, if a person dies to his earthly life, and holds lightly to this earth, he will gain everything. The person who lives his life for Christ gains eternal life. He who dies to his earthly life bears much fruit and gains it all. How do I know this was Jesus’ point? He said so himself. “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” Notice Jesus says there are two choices only. A person will either love his life or hate his life. There is no such thing as a person who is in between.
When Jesus gave this illustration, some Christians think he was talking about his own impending death. I can understand why some think this way, for Jesus himself said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Jesus knew that his obedience to the Father’s call would cost him everything, but if he chose to go to the cross, dies, and was buried in the soil, he would bear much fruit by bringing forgiveness of sin to all men. But if he didn’t, nothing would happen and sin remains on all of us. It is true Jesus was speaking of his own impending death, but his illustration was not saying that in the same way his death brought much fruit, you and I shall die also so we ourselves may bear much fruit. Rather, his point was that in the same way a grain of wheat must die in order to bear much fruit, we must die to our earthly lives in order to gain eternity. We must love Christ more than we love ourselves.
John 11.25–26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
1 John 5.11–12
And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
This is hard teaching. You and I must die to our earthy lives. If we don’t have faith, we won’t do it. It is too scary. But if we have faith, we will choose to live for Christ daily. We choose to live for Christ today, and we do it again tomorrow. Having faith says I believe it is more profitable for me to live for Christ than it is to live for myself. Living for Christ makes no sense to the people in our world, but the Bible is clear. Living for Christ is the only sensible way to live. Don’t be like the group of people on that day who demanded to see Jesus. Nothing wrong with seeing miracles. But recognize what had just happened. Jesus came so we may have life, and have life abundantly. The grain of wheat must fall.