Jesus answered them, "The time 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.

~ John 12:23-24

Falling and Rising

Sunday, we waved our Palm branches to remember Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem marking the beginning of what we call Holy Week, an observance of Jesus betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. Today, the lesson before us turns from branches to wheat stalks.

John 12:20-36 is read Tuesday of Holy Week because it shares Jesus’ final public teachings in the Gospel of John. By Thursday, Jesus will be imparting wisdom only to the disciples. Here, Jesus addresses a diverse group; some Gentiles would have also traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover along with Jews.

Passover is a Jewish holiday remembering God’s deliverance of the Jews from Egypt. In the Exodus, plagues in Egypt passed over the Jewish people, as a part of God’s plan to help them flee Pharaoh and his army.

As Jesus explains in John 12, just as wheat seeds fall to the ground, we cannot avoid brokenness, trials, nor death. It will not pass us over and it does not pass him over. The wheat will fall.

But the story continues — the wheat seeds will also bring new life. This passage is about trusting that God does bring new life, even in brokenness. We too can hold fast to that promise, even as we head deeper into Holy Week.

How does this image of wheat falling and rising prepare us spiritually for the events that will follow later in the week? How does the image shape our understanding of new life? I hope to see you Thursday as we continue in the story.