John 12:20-26 20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 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. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

What comes first: life or death? Common sense would tell us that life precedes death. First you live then you die. Once again, we find Jesus uttering something utterly ridiculous, uncommon and contrary: first you die then you live. Jesus goes on to say that “those who love their life lose it; and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” He finishes by saying that serving means following and that where he is there will his servant be also.

Jesus speaks about death and life using the image of a grain of wheat. I'm not a farmer. I'm not even a good gardener. I wish I were. I often tell people there is a farmer deep inside of me, I think, perhaps there is in all of us, part of our creatureliness, going back to the creation story. Remember how it goes, “and God formed a human being from the earth”; humans from humus is how the Hebrew words play with one another in the story, earthlings from the earth, adam from adamah. We are of the earth and that may be why we have a longing to play with it and tend to it. I digress.

Jesus is speaking about himself here. He is the grain of wheat. His death on the cross will bear new life, fruit. This has been the confession and hope of Christianity throughout the ages: through the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, all who believe receive a promise of new life, forgiven and loved by God, now and for eternity.

“Those who love their life lose it . . . and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” Jesus is speaking about his followers here. Following Jesus is a life of “letting go” it seems. Again, this runs counter to human instinct, human behavior. It comes naturally to “grab it all” and “hang on.” I always enjoy hearing René recall an interview she heard several years ago, now, with the former first lady of Minnesota, the wife of Jesse Ventura, governor of Minnesota. When asked about her husband's Porsche and large home with stables and such she remarked, rather defensively: “Well, isn't that what it's all about? You work and work and work to get what you can and then you do everything to hang on to it.” Jesus and those who take him seriously, choose another way.

Jesus continued: “Where I am, there will my servant be also.” My 101 year old grandmother spoke of her wishing to go to “be with Jesus” years before her death. We joked of course that God was not yet wishing to be with her quite yet (long-winded and cantankerous as she was). We often think of these words or hear them at funerals and such. When we hear “be with Jesus” during Lent we are reminded that the call to follow Jesus is a call to be with him at the cross, a place where the world's brokenness was carried in his body, and where all who would follow Jesus today carry in their lives the brokenness and needs of others.

Our reading began with a request: Those curious Greeks asked Philip: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” This request becomes a prayer, our prayer, perhaps, for Lent: “Lord, we wish to see Jesus.” We must add, however “O Lord, if we are to see, really see, give us those eyes that can see how glory works in death, how we die to live, how to love and let go, and where it is that you are today, that we, your servants, may be there also.”

-Rev. Dr. Philip Johnson

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