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Gospel according to John 12: 20-26 (NIV)
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like to see Jesus.’ 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.
Somebody asked me recently about a friend who was a multiple-amputee. The question went something like this: if somebody carried a physical impairment in this life, would that person carry the same impairment into eternity with the Lord? My thoughts went immediately to Jesus’ remarks to his disciples in this reading from John 12: 24, “Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
The Apostle Paul had encountered a similar question and wrote to the church in Corinth about it (1 Corinthians 15: 35), “But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?’” Paul’s response (verse 37) paralleled the words of our Lord, “When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.”
He continued (verses 42-44a): “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
We know from our own experience that the yield we might harvest from a single grain or seed looks very different from the grain or seed from which it sprouted. Where I live, the acorns are dropping off the oak trees in their thousands. Already I see that some of those dirty, soggy acorns are producing a tiny white root. A little later they will split further and sprout a soft white stem and then green oak leaves eventually emerge and appear about 10 cm above the ground.
In our passage from John 12, Jesus may have been reflecting to his disciples about his own death, resurrection and glorification however his message is also an encouragement to his followers that we are to produce fruit or, in Jesus’ words, many seeds. The fruit we are to produce in our own lives is the fruit of righteousness.We are to be attractive as Christian women and men so that others are drawn to follow Jesus too. They too will produce many seeds to the glory of God and, in that, the Son of Man will also be glorified.