There, hopefully, is still a strange sight by Dall Burn (Kinloch Rannoch, Scotland), amongst all the Scots Pines and Silver Birches and the Cedar trees, by the side of the burn, there is
an apple tree. It was planted as a sapling over thirty years ago by a boy from the school there who had lost his Father. Apple tree because his Father likes Apples and because the fruit would be eaten by the local people and of course the boys from the school – which it was - planted in sorrow – grew to be fruitful and to be a reminder to the young boy how strong and loving his father was.
John tells us that some Greek travellers who came to Jerusalem for the Passover wanted to meet Jesus. It was not unusual for Greeks to travel. They loved to journey and discover new things. When these Greeks heard of Jesus, they wanted to meet him personally, but didn’t know how to approach him. So they did something a Greek would feel comfortable doing. They found a sympathetic looking insider named Philip, a disciple of Jesus whose name happened to be a Greek name, and asked him how they could meet with Jesus. Philip wasn’t sure what to say. So Philip told Andrew about some Greeks wanting to see Jesus and Andrew fortunately stepped in
and personally introduced these foreigners to Jesus.
Here were seekers who were not Jews coming to meet the Saviour. It was an exciting moment. And Jesus increases the excitement by saying, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’ The disciples would see this as the coming of the promised kingdom of God. That was exciting indeed. So the next set of words came as a shock as Jesus started to talk of death. He told them how troubled his soul was. (We all know what it is like to feel troubled) Like any human being he did not want to die. He was only 33 years old; he did not seek out death. But he came to do whatever was the will of the Father.
Jesus’ response to meeting these Greek visitors points to the reason why he came to Jerusalem at this Passover Feast. Jesus knew that this was his “hour” -- the time of fulfilment when he would be glorified through his suffering and death on the cross. John in his gospel account points out that it was not only the Jews who were seeking the Messiah, but foreigners as well. Jesus came to offer his life as an atoning sacrifice not only for the chosen people of Israel, but for all nations as well. It is interesting to note that up and until this moment Jesus had said on several occasions, ‘my time has not yet come,’ (John 2:4 the wedding at Cana being one of them). These Greeks coming to see Jesus seemed to signify to Him that now was the right time to say to people ‘That the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified’.
In trying to put across the events which were necessary to happen, Jesus told his disciples a short parable about the nature of seeds to help explain the spiritual significance of death and rebirth. Seeds cannot produce new life by themselves. They must first be planted in the earth before they can grow and produce fruit. So what is the spiritual analogy which Jesus pointing to here? Is this, a reference to his own impending death on the cross and resurrection? Or does he have another kind of "death and rebirth" in mind for his disciples and us? Jesus, I suspect, had both meanings in mind for his disciples. The image of the grain of wheat dying in the earth in order to grow and bear a harvest could be seen as a metaphor for Jesus' own death, burial and his resurrection.
Jesus knew that the only way to victory over the power of sin and death was through the cross. Jesus reversed the curse of Adam and Eve’s disobedience through his obedience to the Father's will -- his willingness to go to the cross to pay the price for our sins and to defeat death once and for all. His obedience and death on the cross obtain for us freedom and new life in the Holy
Spirit. His cross frees us from the clutches of sin and death and shows us the way of perfect love and forgiveness. To show us the way we should conduct ourselves in time of trouble and despondency. For grains of wheat to grow, their burial is necessary. Only by death comes new life. If we hide the grain in a box to keep it safe and secure, it will be useless. Only when it is put in the cold earth can it rise to new life. Only by giving it away to the earth can we receive a good return.
So often we seek comfort and safety. We avoid conflict or having to put ourselves out. We look after ourselves. Jesus tells us that anyone who hoards their life or their talent or skill will lose it. It is no use just surviving; we need to live life to the full. This will involve risk and danger. But of life it can be said: ‘use it or lose it’. Bearing in mind what the world did to Jesus, whoever wants to serve him must realise they will not escape from similar troubles.
BUT with this passage we end with a vision of the future. When Jesus has triumphed over the rulers of this world: ‘when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself’. Looking
back through two millennia, we can see how the cross has drawn all nations to come before Him. We come to him who understands our suffering, who has borne our grief and our sins. We come to him who has triumphed over evil and through death opened to us the way to eternal life.
He saw Himself as a seed that would die and produce fruit and as a conqueror, who would defeat Satan (verse 31 and Col 2:14-15). The cross would open the way of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles (verse 32). Jesus could not serve as priest on earth: but He can serve as priest in heaven. He is there ministering for us today.
If we want to experience the new life which Jesus offers, then the outer shell of our old, fallen nature must be broken and put to death. In Baptism our “old nature” enslaved by sin is buried with Christ and we rise as a “new creation” in Christ. This process of death to the “old fallen self” is both a one-time event, such as baptism, as well as a daily, on-going cycle in which God buries
us more deeply into Jesus’ death to sin so we might rise anew and bear fruit for God. There is a great paradox here. Death leads to life. When we "die" to our selves, we "rise" to new life in Jesus Christ.
What does it mean to "die" to oneself? I believe that it means, all that what is opposite to God's will must be "crucified" or "put to death". God gives us grace to say "yes" to his will and to reject whatever is opposite to his loving plan for our lives. Jesus also promises that we will bear much "fruit" for him, if we choose to deny ourselves for his sake. Jesus used forceful language to describe the kind of self-denial he had in mind for his disciples including us. What did he mean
when he said that one must hate himself? The expression to hate something often meant to prefer less. Jesus says that nothing should get in the way of our preferring him and the will of our Father in heaven. Our hope is in Paul's reminder that "What is sown in the earth is perishable, what rises is imperishable" (1 Cor. 15:42). Do we hope in the Lord and follow joyfully the paths He has chosen for each of us?
"Lord, by your cross you have redeemed the world. May we always have the courage to embrace your will for our life? Though it may produce a cross on earth for us; may it produce a crown in heaven that will last forever". Amen
Questions:
1. Jesus looked upon His death as an opportunity to glorify God. Do you take that attitude when you face a time of trial?
2. How do you meet Jesus in your life and would you introduce Him to others who are searching for him?
3. How can we (all of us at St. Michael’s) help people discover the Lord Jesus today? Please take time to pray with each other in your group I am mindful that these questions may provoke some emotion/s to rise.
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