If a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it produces much fruit.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Of course, we know that Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, which fostered Irish culture and food, and Irish bread, which comes from wheat. Jesus in John 12:24 alludes to his passion, death, and resurrection in the death and new growth of wheat. This brings us back to St. Patrick who proclaimed Jesus as sustenance for the life of the world. It’s one big circle.
Who are the nameless Greeks mentioned in John’s Gospel? They were probably recent converts to Judaism who came to worship at the feast and wanted to meet Jesus and learn from his teaching. So, they approached Phillip (whose name means “lover of horses”), and Phillip led them to Andrew (whose name meant “strong or manly”)—both Greek names. They represent all of us outsiders who also want to meet Jesus.
The Greeks may have gotten more than they had bargained for in their request to see Jesus. They wanted to meet this famous, holy, rabbi and miracle worker. The next thing they knew, Jesus was giving a serious speech about how we all have to die like wheat to produce much fruit. How confusing that must have been.
I think this happens to us too. We make a certain need known to God in prayer and look for an answer, a sign, a nudge or even a wink. Sometimes the response is different from that which we were looking for. God’s response can take us by surprise.
Today’s Gospel comes after the Palm Sunday events where Jesus has entered Jerusalem in glory journeying to his probable death, his own execution. It is the conclusion of Jesus’ public ministry and Jesus senses that he is heading to his end and becomes distressed. At one point he says, “I am troubled now.” It’s a deeply human moment of anxiety that we can all relate to.
But Jesus invites the people of his day (and ours) to still meet and see him and to get to know him—even in times of great struggle and uneasiness. His kind of glory—losing one’s life to gain it—is not what most people want to hear. He speaks the whole truth that he will be killed and if we follow him, we may also be hated and killed. But it will not end in death, but rather in glory. And we believe that is exactly what happened.
Jesus assures the Greeks, his disciples, enemies, and us, that his death will end in glory for all who follow him. The thundering voice of God from the clouds backs him up for extra emphasis. Do we desire to meet Jesus and stay with Jesus in tough situations? Can we give up our preconceived notions of glory and success and keep the faith. It takes a lot of faith to believe, which is why we keep praying.
Today’s Gospel reminds me of the song, from the 1975 play, A Chorus Line, “What I Did For Love.” I invite you to listen to this song on YouTube and reflect on what you have done, what you are doing, what you will do for love. Then, consider what Jesus did for love and what he is asking us each to do. He is asking us to die to ourselves and follow his way. And this is his way: “If a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it produces much fruit.”
Part of this dying process involves a de-husking. Until the husk falls off the grain, new life is not possible. What is the husk in our life that needs to fall off to allow new growth?
Can we also see the connection of this image to the Parable of the Sower present in the Synoptic Gospels? In these Gospels the seed is the Word of God. Here in John’s Gospel, we are invited to be the seed—to fall to the ground, lose our husk and yes, end up in good soil, be nurtured and voila, we can grow up and be harvested and help feed someone or become the seed for the next generation.
This grain-of-wheat kind of love leads to transformative change which blesses the other is a love that gives itself for the greater good of all (including plants, animals, and all creation on Earth).
The grain of wheat makes the bread of life. How are we being called to be a grain that becomes bread for the life of the world?