John 12:20-26

Among those who came to worship at the Passover Feast were some Greeks, and they wanted to see Jesus. So they approached His disciples and asked to see Him, and the disciples went and told Jesus that these God-worshiping Greeks wanted to see Him.

 

His answer seems strange: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” How does Jesus’ answer relate to the request?

 

On the one hand, we don’t see Jesus saying, “Sure, I’ll meet with them,” and going over to talk with these Greeks. But on the other hand, He doesn’t say, “No, I won’t say anything to them,” and turn away. Instead Jesus speaks of His messianic mission. Why?

 

Because it was Greeks who requested to see Him. Ultimately, this is the goal. Not only the Jews, but also the Gentiles are to call Jesus their King. Jesus refers to Himself here as the Son of Man, and the Son of Man is mentioned in Daniel as the one who comes on clouds to rule the whole earth, including Jews and Gentiles. Jesus is glad that the Greeks are coming to Him. Ultimately, Jesus is telling the disciples and all within earshot that the path allowing Gentiles to see Him as their King has come to its conclusion.

 

Jesus knows that He must die. His death will mean salvation not only for the Jews, but also for the Greeks. And He will be glorified, and all men will have Jesus Christ as their King. Jesus explains how this will happen in amazingly simple terms: He must die so that there will be a great harvest of life, just as a seed’s death produces many more seeds. Jesus’ life is concerned with producing many more seeds, and if He guards His own life, this will not happen. But as He gives up His life, hating it in this world, He will achieve the goal of His life. This is a pattern Jesus’ disciples will follow: “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.” And ultimately, it will result in great blessings for the disciples, too: “My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

 

We talk about how exclusive the good news is, because only those who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved. But this passage expresses the inclusive nature of the gospel. The gospel is not about self-preservation. It is not about maintaining a Christian clique. It is not about being comfortable in our salvation, rejoicing that we are saved and letting the lost stay lost. Jesus died to include Jews and Greeks in His kingdom. Yes, those who refuse Him will perish. But look how much He does to try to include everyone; see how much it costs Him to offer salvation to all. He dies! And His disciples are to follow Him. Jesus disciples should be where He is. On the cross, giving up their lives, sacrificing their desires and even their bodies to include more people in Christ’s kingdom. “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.” The gospel is not about staying alone; we should not be single seeds. We must give up everything to produce many new disciples of Jesus Christ. How? “But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” What will it take for the people who seem the most different from us, the most opposed to Christ – what will it take for them to be a part of His kingdom?