Scripture Reading: John 12:20-26

The Life Cycle of a Seed

“I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone.” (John 12:24a)

Christ’s teaching regarding the life cycle of a seed in John 12 was not the first time he instructed the disciples on this natural progression. In Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8, Christ recounts to his disciples and a multitude of people “The Parable of the Sower.” In that parable, we see four scenarios play out, three of which don’t end well. It is only the seeds that fell on good ground that yielded a crop. Similarly in John 12, Christ conjures up this same image of seeds falling to the ground. Yet here, Christ adds an additional detail – if the grain does not die, it remains alone. At some point in each of our lives we have felt the bitter pain of being alone. When the feelings of overexposure, (Matthew 13:4) shallowness, (Matthew 13:5-6) and weakness (Matthew 13:7) have overcome us and drawn us into the depths of loneliness.

It would also seem that dying to our self encourages this type of loneliness. Dying to one’s self is a solitary act. No one can make us choose selflessness over selfishness. No one can force us to speak in love instead of in anger. The continued moment-by-moment decision to choose Christ over our sinful nature is made only within our own hearts and souls. But in John 12, Christ says that we will not be alone in the death of ourselves. Over and over again throughout the Bible, God clearly and consistently encourages his people that he is with them. God said to Jacob, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.” (Genesis 28:15)
Similarly, after Christ died and rose again, he told his disciples, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

First and foremost, Christ is with us wherever we go and to the end of the age. Each time we choose Christ over our earthly nature we experience the closeness and joy of being in a relationship with God. Christ knows the struggles we face in these daily temptations. The Gospel of Luke includes an example of Christ overcoming the temptations Satan presents. (Luke 4:1-13) We are never alone in our daily choosing of Christ but always together with him.

Secondly, we are not alone because in dying “it produces much grain.” (John 12:24b) The seed that fell on good ground yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. (Matthew 13:8) The Body of Christ is a rich resource to pour into and to receive from. Communing with the Church in sharing our lives strengthens, empowers, and encourages. In being together we not only learn how to continually die to ourselves but also how to produce much grain for the harvest. Inversely, if we choose to live for ourselves we remain solitary beings producing nothing. Giving of ourselves completely in service to Christ, his Kingdom, and the Church promises that our days on this earth are not lived alone but rather lived in community with him and the Body of Christ.

This Lenten season let us remember that in submitting our lives to Christ we are no longer alone in our sin. Rather we enter into a beautiful communion with him and the Body of Christ. May we pray for the strength and courage to continually choose Christ and bear one another’s burdens and in doing so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)