Today’s
reading in John occurs just after Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and crowds coming
out to see Jesus shouting ‘hosanna’ and ‘blessed is he who comes in God’s
name’. Expectations were high and in that context several Greek worshippers
wanted to speak with Jesus.
Yet Jesus’
words to his disciples did not speak of some immediately triumphant revolution
but instead of difficulty and above all the need to wait. Jesus instead
predicts his own death by talking about a grain of wheat that needs to be
buried so that it can produce fruit many times over.
For those
expecting Jesus was going to do something dramatic immediately, this picture
actually pointed to the opposite approach. When a seed is underground, one
cannot see anything, and it seems pointless. Yet Jesus underlines that in time
so much more is produced. In a separate parable Jesus spoke of a tiny mustard
seed that would become one of the largest trees.
Jesus
recognising his impending death then talks about how he is ‘storm-tossed’ and
asks whether he should ask his father to get him out of this situation.
However, he knows it is necessary that
first he must suffer so a greater good can be accomplished.
As we look
at our own lives and the world, sometimes it must look like God is doing
nothing and we cannot see the hidden seed. We may feel storm tossed and wanting
God to get us out of a situation. However, today’s reading gives us hope of the
unseen and what God is already doing out of sight, which will be so much
greater and more effective as a result.
It may not
be the immediate triumphant victory that was hoped for like some of those
people were waiting for in Jerusalem, but in the longer run it may be so much
more fruitful and glorious.
However,
Jesus does not stop there and as in the message version says that we should not
hold on to our lives but be ‘reckless in your love’. So maybe some of us are
being challenged to step out in some way. Waiting for the unseen seed to grow
does not imply we should be inactive. Indeed, the wonder of the Christian life
is that whilst it is always God that produces the fruit, he requires us to step
out as well.
So what
does today’s reading mean for us? I would say three things: Firstly, Jesus’
death and resurrection are vital for all of us and have already produced so
much fruit and continue to do so today; Secondly, some of us have faithfully
planted a seed and we can know that God who has begun a good work in us will
bring it to completion: and thirdly that maybe for some of us, so that the seed
will grow, we need to step out in some way. However, fear not, God will show us
in a gentle and loving way, if that is the case for us and will put something
or someone on our heart.
Lord
thank you that your death and resurrection give us hope, thank you that even if
we cannot see your work, we know that you are working for our good. Please show
us if there is a seed that we can plant or steps we need to take to help the
seed to grow in our life. Amen.
Matt Harpur
Triumph of the Holy Name of Jesus by Gaulli, Giovanni Battista, 1639-1709, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN, http://diglib.library.
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