“Despite initial appearances, a grain of wheat was such a fitting symbol of Christ’s person and work. Like it, Christ often looked small, feeble, worthless, useless, and powerless. But, like the grain, beyond the surface, ‘underneath’ His humanity, was incredible power, value, worth, usefulness, and potential.”

If you could choose a symbol of your life from nature, something that would describe and define you, what would you choose? A mountain – to portray your reliability? A rose – to convey your beauty? A stallion – to impress with your strength? An orange tree – to remind of your fruitfulness? Jesus chose a grain of wheat. A tiny, insignificant, unnoticed, little-thought-upon seed. And a dying one at that.

“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” (John 12:24).

Jesus announced this stunning comparison when Gentiles were beginning to follow Him. He did it to remind Himself and His followers that, however many were showing interest in Him, He had to die if He was to produce more than just a few handfuls of followers.

The Grain of Wheat

Yet, despite initial appearances, a grain of wheat was such a fitting symbol of Christ’s person and work. Like it, Christ often looked small, feeble, worthless, useless, and powerless. But, like the grain, beyond the surface, “underneath” His humanity, was incredible power, value, worth, usefulness, and potential.

The Fall

Although Jesus was enjoying a brief moment of popularity in these verses of John 12, He forces Himself to face the solemn fact that this was a relatively small and short burst of interest, and that for massive and eternal benefit, the grain had to fall into the earth and die.

Christ’s whole life was a life of falling, of humiliation, of downward-mobility. He descended from heaven to earth, from the warm embrace of God to the cruel hands of men, falling with increasing acceleration, until eventually all restraints are removed and He goes into the darkest, scariest free-fall in Gethsemane and on the cross.

The Death

Like the grain, he does not only fall on the earth, but into the earth. He disappears from sight, buried in the bowels of the earth. Dead. As dead as can be.

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