Today’s Gospel begins with the words of a group of Gentile worshippers visiting Jerusalem for Passover. They come to Philip and make their request:
“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” (John 12:21) I don’t know why they want to see Jesus but I have a few ideas. Jesus turned water into wine. He cleansed the temple. He fed 5000 with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. He walked on water. He gave sight to a blind man. He raised Lazarus from the dead.
On this fifth Sunday in Lent, we wish to see Jesus, too. His response is the same to us as it was to them. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies, it bears much fruit. This verse demonstrates the pattern of loss and renewal that runs throughout our lives and our world. We might think about this pattern as the secret to life.
It’s the pattern of loss and renewal that runs throughout our lives and our world. Even if you’ve never thought of this as the secret to life, you’ve lived and experienced it, sometimes by choice and other times by chance. Either way it’s there.
Look at the way this pattern is present in your life. If you have ever fallen in love and committed your life to another you had to let parts of your old life go! Parts of your life as a single person died. If you are a parent you know that you have had to make sacrifices in order for the life of your child to develop and grow. We give up parts of ourselves for the other. Have you ever had to take care of an aging parent or a disabled sibling? If so, you could name the parts of your life that died so that another might live with dignity, compassion, and love.
What about the costs and sacrifices, you made for an education or a career? You chose certain losses and let go of some things so that other things could develop. For every choice we make, every yes we say, there is at least one no and probably many.
This same pattern exists in nature. You can see it in the changing of the seasons, falling leaves and new blooms, and the setting and rising of the sun.
In scripture there are stories of loss and renewal. Adam and Eve lost their innocence so that consciousness might be born. James and John left their father, boats, and nets to become disciples of Jesus and fishers of people. And, according to Mark 9:31 Jesus taught his disciples, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again”.
The pattern of loss and renewal, dying and rising, letting go and getting back, leaving and return is everywhere. It’s at the core of our baptism and we affirm it in the eucharist.
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
What in your life do you need to let go of today? What might you need to leave behind? What needs to die so that something new can live?
This is not a command to become a victim, but to recognize that following Jesus requires that we give up our selfish agendas and step into our identity as children of God.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
What is the grain of wheat in your life today that needs to fall to the earth and die? What are the things that if you lost them you are sure you would just die? Maybe those are the very places waiting to bear much fruit in your life. Maybe that’s where you’ll see Jesus.
In the next verse, Jesus says, with reference to our lives as his disciples: “Those who love their life will lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25)
In this verse, Jesus presents a contradictory statement that challenges our natural instincts. But, by looking closely at the key words and phrases in this verse, we can learn more about its meaning.
First, Jesus presents a contrast between loving one’s life and hating it. “Loving” one’s life is being devoted to personal desires, ambitions, and being aligned with self-centered values. In contrast, “hating” one’s life represents rejecting the worldly way of life that prioritizes self-interest and instead choosing a life of selflessness and service.
Jesus teaches that those who hang on to their selfish desires and ambitions will ultimately lose what truly matters. This loss might include our connection with God. On the other hand, those who reject the selfish values of the world and embrace a life of selflessness and service will keep their lives by experiencing a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment now, and obtaining eternal life in the future.
A central theme in John’s Gospel is the promise of eternal life. And here, Jesus emphasizes that this ultimate reward is connected to our willingness to live life with selfless ambition and to surrender our lives to the will of God.
Jesus calls us to examine our priorities! He calls us to examine the way we live our lives. If we look for ways to apply these principles, we can experience a deeper purpose for our daily lives.
We can evaluate our priorities and consider whether they align with Jesus’ teaching of selflessness and service. We can seek opportunities to serve by actively looking for opportunities to put the needs of others before our own. We can deepen our own spiritual lives by striving to live a life of self-sacrifice and service. We do this by spending time in prayer, meditation and Bible study.
We can also encourage others to embrace selflessness by sharing our personal experiences with others and encouraging them to join us in a life of service. By supporting others and sharing our journey, we can create a community that reflects the values and teachings of Jesus.
As we enter this last week of lent and look toward Holy Week and Easter may we remember that planting the seeds of love and commitment takes time to show fruit. Yet, even when unseen, unbelieved, or unrecognized, the power of God is present and at work in our lives. Just as we know that you don’t plant a seed and go back in a few minutes or even a few days to see a new sprout, growth can be slow and the fruit of new life can take time. Even when unseen, unbelieved, and unrecognized, the power and the life of God are present and at work in our lives.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Amen.