The Fruitful Grain Of Wheat
(Kent Heaton)
In a matter of days, Jesus would be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. (John 3:14) As the lingering moments of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem faded away, the thoughts of the Savior turned to what was before Him. "Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, 'Sir, we wish to see Jesus.' Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, 'The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.'" (John 12:20-26)
Jesus had spoken of His "hour" often during His short ministry. He knew that now -that "hour" had come. The purpose of His coming in the likeness of a man from being in the form of God was now at hand. In a few days He would be glorified by the Father through the power of the resurrection. Before the glorification, there would be a sacrifice. Always the master teacher, Jesus illustrates the importance of His death contrasting the natural course of a grain of wheat bearing fruit.
A grain of wheat of is little value until it serves its complete purpose through death. In creation, the seed is in itself according to its kind to yield fruit according to its kind. (Genesis 1:11,12) There will be no harvest unless first there is a death. The blessings of salvation will only be possible by the death of the Son of God. As great an event the birth of Jesus was; as powerful the story of His life among men; as moving His messages of His Father's will to men; as important of each step He took - His glorification would not come without death.
As the grain of wheat, He must be offered up for the purpose of producing a harvest white to the saving of men's souls. He would be buried in the earth so in the transformation of the grain of wheat to a bountiful crop of blessings, so all men could enjoy the rich fruit of redemption through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus knew that death was necessary and He willingly offered Himself as the lamb. (Revelation 5)
His illusion to the grain of wheat and His own death goes much further with the unfolding of what it will mean to be a disciple of Christ. Jesus always sought to impress upon the minds of His disciples that to serve Him, they would have to follow in His steps. In following Him, His disciples would find themselves in like situations as He endured in His life. The grain of wheat is an apt illustration of how men are changed in Jesus Christ. In verse 25, Jesus shows how that a death must take place in the lives of those who seek to follow Him.
Paul wrote of this transformation in Ephesians 4:22-24 - "That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." The action of putting off is the death that takes place when the grain of a person's life is buried with Christ in the watery grave and risen anew. The old life is left in the burial and from the death of the grain of the old man, a new man is born in a harvest of blessings.
"If a grain of wheat saves itself, it remains but one grain until it rots; but if it yields up its life germ as a sacrifice to the law of growth, it multiplies itself thirty, sixty or a hundred fold and continues its multiplication through an innumerable posterity." [McGarvey/Pendleton, "The Fourfold Gospel," page 614]
When men obey the gospel of Christ, they must give up the old man to serve a new man. Often there is the action of a new birth but the old man remains in the heart and life of the individual. What happens with the grain of wheat must happen with the one who comes to Christ. The grain itself must die to allow the germ of life to live. The former conduct of life must die in the new birth. The old man is the seed of corrupt and deceitful lusts and must be buried in death.
As the new birth takes place, the germ of life transforms into a new man created to righteousness and true holiness. Paul illustrates in Ephesians how the new life takes place. What dies in the old man is lying, anger uncontrolled, stealing, corrupt communication, bitterness, wrath, clamor, evil speaking, fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, coarse jesting, drunkenness, unfaithful spouses, disobedient children, unruly servants and unjust masters. These all die as the grain of wheat dies.
The new life of the Christian is a harvest of truth, laboring to share with others, edifying speech, graceful ornaments to those who hear them, kindness, tenderness, forgiving, followers of God, walking in love, walking as children of light, goodness, righteousness, walking circumspectly, being filled with the Spirit, submitting to one another in the fear of God, wives submitting to their husbands, husbands loving their wives, children who are obedient, slaves who respect their masters and masters who honor their servants.
Jesus said, "He who loves life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:25) The follower of Christ will change his life as the grain of wheat will change from the seed to the bounty of harvest. This change demands one give up the selfish desires of the flesh and love God more than men. The cost of being a follower of Jesus Christ is high. Matthew writes the words of Jesus when he said, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ... And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. (16:25,26; 19:25)
Men must die to live again. All men must put off the former conduct and be in the image of God. There is nothing in this world that is worth keeping in life when the soul is in danger. What profit can be found in a grain of wheat that is unwilling to die but to be cast out and burned up? This death may even involve our personal relations of parents, siblings, marriage and children.
If we are to serve Him, we must follow Him. Our death is a spiritual death that takes place in our putting off the old man. Jesus illustrates how that we are to follow in His steps as He had to die to rise to glory. The glory we have can only be brought about by death. Paul exhorted the church at Colosse: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth:" (Colossians 3:1-5)
As Jesus used the grain of wheat to show the need of death to bring forth a harvest, Paul shows how that as Christians we are to put to death our members on the earth (3:5-11) and put on the character of the new man (3:12-4:6). Can this be the reason the body of Christ is filling with hearts tuned more to the world than to the Spirit of God? Worldly Christians have not fully died to the Lord and shed the husks of the earthly man. A new birth must take place for the harvest of blessings to be enjoyed. Their sinful lives do not glorify the Father.
"If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." (John 12:26) In the final day of harvest, the angels of God will take home those who have died to the world and blossomed into a field of white to His glory. Among the field of grain will be those who never shed their garments of sin and they will be gathered together and burned. The fruitful grain of wheat must die! "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24)