Parables---------The Grain of Wheat Pg.1
Scripture: John 12:17-26 - Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. John 12:18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. John 12:19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" John 12:20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival.
John 12:2-26 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn toldJesus. Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.
Why study this parable? It is not difficult to relate the death of a living person to that of a plant, or the seed of a plant. The seed must die in order to provide new growth and produce more seeds. What is difficult though is to relate this to the living persons who become Disciples of Christ. We know that death of our old self must occur in order for the new life to flourish. This is a difficult concept that Jesus was teaching his disciples, and now us.
Meditation: What is the spiritual analogy to which Jesus alludes? Is this, perhaps, a veiled reference to his own impending death on the cross and resurrection? Or does he have another kind of "death and rebirth" in mind for his disciples? Jesus, no doubt, had both meanings in mind for his disciples. The image of the grain of wheat dying in the earth in order to grow and produce a harvest can be seen as a metaphor of Jesus' own death and burial in the tomb and his resurrection.
Jesus knew that the only way to victory over the power of sin and death was through the cross. Jesus reversed the curse of our first parents' disobedience through his obedience to the Father's will -- his willingness to go to the cross to pay the just penalty for our sins and to defeat death once and for all. His obedience and death on the cross obtain for us freedom and new life in the Holy Spirit. His cross frees us from the tyranny of sin and death and shows us the way of perfect love.
There is a great paradox here. Death leads to life. When we "die" to ourselves, we "rise" to new life in Jesus Christ. What does it mean to "die" to oneself? It certainly means that what is contrary to God's will must be "crucified" or "put to death". God gives us grace to say "yes" to his will and to reject whatever is contrary to his loving plan for our lives
Jesus also promises that we will bear much "fruit" for him, if we choose to deny ourselves for his sake. Jesus used forceful language to describe the kind of self-denial he had in mind for his disciples. What did he mean when he said that one must hate one’s own life? The expression to hate something often meant to prefer less. Jesus says that nothing should get in the way of our preferring him and the will of our Father in heaven. Our hope is in Paul's reminder that "What is sown in the earth is subject to decay, what rises is incorruptible" (1 Cor. 15:42)
Jesus' offering of himself will save us. We will be offered eternal life. We are the fruit of Jesus' offering of himself. He is the seed that will bring forth much fruit. He will restore the relationship between God and humanity. Furthermore, his death will be the beginning of a new community of God's people. This community will follow Christ's example. The members of this community will be known by their willingness to follow Christ. They will be known by their offering of themselves to God. They will be known by their willingness to die to their own desires, their own needs, and live to follow God and serve others.
This community is us. We are the followers of God. We are the followers of Christ. We are the ones who are to die to our own desires and needs. We are the ones called to live for God and to serve others. By following this example we too can bear fruit. We too can be planted seeds bearing fruit in God’s Kingdom Our fruit is not to save others. Jesus has already done that and that offering was once and for all. Our fruit is to help others learn about the love of God. We help others learn by the way we live our lives. The words we speak and the actions we take can help others see that we are part of a wonderful Christian community. In this community there is always room for more.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Verse by Verse study++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
John 12:17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. John 12:18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. John 12:19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" John 12:20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival.
The Grain Of Wheat Pg.2
John 12:24-26 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn toldJesus. What do we learn from these verses?
The great desire of our souls should be to see Jesus; to see him as ours, to keep up communion with him, and derive grace from him.
John 12:23 Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified
The appointed time, set as Jesus knew, before the beginning of time. How did he know this?
By rising from the dead, ascending to heaven, sitting at the right hand of God, and from thence pouring forth the Spirit upon his disciples. Who is to be glorified? what does it mean? Who is involved in this transformation? When did the disciples think his rule would start? When will it happen?
John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, An expression denoting the great importance of what he was about to say. We must listen carefully to this, which is to be the subject of his death. And the disciples thought otherwise. Why? What is the real significance of Jesus’ death? That of his resurrection, He rises and begins to bear much fruit, and produces many grains of wheat meaning his disciples, his followers, Us; All of us which our Lord intends should be accommodated to himself, and to his death, and the fruits of it. What are the fruits of it?
unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; This is a very fit phrase to set forth the death of Christ, who fell a sacrifice to injustice by the hands of men as it was prophesied.
What was Jesus saying to his disciples? What does it mean? “It remains alone” means what? Jesus was born for a single purpose, was it so he could be alone? Does that have meaning to us today?
John 12:25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Why did Jesus make that statement? Why would anyone choose to deny Jesus Christ and pursue other than the Christian life? Why would I hate my life in this world? What is the promise of a life lived in response to God’s will?
John 12:26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; Who is anyone?
How is it that one serves Jesus? How do we seek his will? What must we do in order to serve Jesus?
and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.
Is it possible to be in the company of Jesus? How does one follow Jesus? Follow him, as in the exercise of the graces of love, humility, patience, self-denial, and resignation of will to the will of God, and in the discharge of every duty attendant thereto. What does that require of us today? 1Jn_4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. What does this statement mean to us today?
1 Why would he start his parable with. “Truly, Truly”?
2.How Is this important to us as Christians today?
3.How do we emphasize our announcements? Do we send out notices?
4 Jesus was preparing his disciples for what?
5. That he had to die in order to what?
6.What do we know about sowing wheat or grain?
7. What must naturally happen for the grain to begin to grow?
8.Why did he use this metaphor? Did it create a better understanding?
9.Does the same thing apply to us? We are now cloning life and studying cryonics,
10. to serve what purpose?
11.What must happen before we can truly belong to God?
12. What is it in this life that makes that so difficult?
13.What is there about Jesus’ life that makes this parable so relevant?
Closing prayer
Father God, You are ever present in our lives and so often we fail to grasp the real meaning of that. We become so taken with our own concerns that we stray from seeking your will for our lives.. "Lord, let us be wheat sown in the earth, to be harvested for you. We want to follow wherever you lead. Give us fresh hope and joy in serving you in all that we do. "In Jesus Holy Name Amen
Scripture: John 12:17-26 - Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. John 12:18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. John 12:19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" John 12:20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival.
John 12:2-26 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn toldJesus. Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.
Why study this parable? It is not difficult to relate the death of a living person to that of a plant, or the seed of a plant. The seed must die in order to provide new growth and produce more seeds. What is difficult though is to relate this to the living persons who become Disciples of Christ. We know that death of our old self must occur in order for the new life to flourish. This is a difficult concept that Jesus was teaching his disciples, and now us.
Meditation: What is the spiritual analogy to which Jesus alludes? Is this, perhaps, a veiled reference to his own impending death on the cross and resurrection? Or does he have another kind of "death and rebirth" in mind for his disciples? Jesus, no doubt, had both meanings in mind for his disciples. The image of the grain of wheat dying in the earth in order to grow and produce a harvest can be seen as a metaphor of Jesus' own death and burial in the tomb and his resurrection.
Jesus knew that the only way to victory over the power of sin and death was through the cross. Jesus reversed the curse of our first parents' disobedience through his obedience to the Father's will -- his willingness to go to the cross to pay the just penalty for our sins and to defeat death once and for all. His obedience and death on the cross obtain for us freedom and new life in the Holy Spirit. His cross frees us from the tyranny of sin and death and shows us the way of perfect love.
There is a great paradox here. Death leads to life. When we "die" to ourselves, we "rise" to new life in Jesus Christ. What does it mean to "die" to oneself? It certainly means that what is contrary to God's will must be "crucified" or "put to death". God gives us grace to say "yes" to his will and to reject whatever is contrary to his loving plan for our lives
Jesus also promises that we will bear much "fruit" for him, if we choose to deny ourselves for his sake. Jesus used forceful language to describe the kind of self-denial he had in mind for his disciples. What did he mean when he said that one must hate one’s own life? The expression to hate something often meant to prefer less. Jesus says that nothing should get in the way of our preferring him and the will of our Father in heaven. Our hope is in Paul's reminder that "What is sown in the earth is subject to decay, what rises is incorruptible" (1 Cor. 15:42)
Jesus' offering of himself will save us. We will be offered eternal life. We are the fruit of Jesus' offering of himself. He is the seed that will bring forth much fruit. He will restore the relationship between God and humanity. Furthermore, his death will be the beginning of a new community of God's people. This community will follow Christ's example. The members of this community will be known by their willingness to follow Christ. They will be known by their offering of themselves to God. They will be known by their willingness to die to their own desires, their own needs, and live to follow God and serve others.
This community is us. We are the followers of God. We are the followers of Christ. We are the ones who are to die to our own desires and needs. We are the ones called to live for God and to serve others. By following this example we too can bear fruit. We too can be planted seeds bearing fruit in God’s Kingdom Our fruit is not to save others. Jesus has already done that and that offering was once and for all. Our fruit is to help others learn about the love of God. We help others learn by the way we live our lives. The words we speak and the actions we take can help others see that we are part of a wonderful Christian community. In this community there is always room for more.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Verse by Verse study++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
John 12:17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. John 12:18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. John 12:19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" John 12:20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival.
The Grain Of Wheat Pg.2
John 12:24-26 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn toldJesus. What do we learn from these verses?
The great desire of our souls should be to see Jesus; to see him as ours, to keep up communion with him, and derive grace from him.
John 12:23 Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified
The appointed time, set as Jesus knew, before the beginning of time. How did he know this?
By rising from the dead, ascending to heaven, sitting at the right hand of God, and from thence pouring forth the Spirit upon his disciples. Who is to be glorified? what does it mean? Who is involved in this transformation? When did the disciples think his rule would start? When will it happen?
John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, An expression denoting the great importance of what he was about to say. We must listen carefully to this, which is to be the subject of his death. And the disciples thought otherwise. Why? What is the real significance of Jesus’ death? That of his resurrection, He rises and begins to bear much fruit, and produces many grains of wheat meaning his disciples, his followers, Us; All of us which our Lord intends should be accommodated to himself, and to his death, and the fruits of it. What are the fruits of it?
unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; This is a very fit phrase to set forth the death of Christ, who fell a sacrifice to injustice by the hands of men as it was prophesied.
What was Jesus saying to his disciples? What does it mean? “It remains alone” means what? Jesus was born for a single purpose, was it so he could be alone? Does that have meaning to us today?
John 12:25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Why did Jesus make that statement? Why would anyone choose to deny Jesus Christ and pursue other than the Christian life? Why would I hate my life in this world? What is the promise of a life lived in response to God’s will?
John 12:26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; Who is anyone?
How is it that one serves Jesus? How do we seek his will? What must we do in order to serve Jesus?
and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.
Is it possible to be in the company of Jesus? How does one follow Jesus? Follow him, as in the exercise of the graces of love, humility, patience, self-denial, and resignation of will to the will of God, and in the discharge of every duty attendant thereto. What does that require of us today? 1Jn_4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. What does this statement mean to us today?
1 Why would he start his parable with. “Truly, Truly”?
2.How Is this important to us as Christians today?
3.How do we emphasize our announcements? Do we send out notices?
4 Jesus was preparing his disciples for what?
5. That he had to die in order to what?
6.What do we know about sowing wheat or grain?
7. What must naturally happen for the grain to begin to grow?
8.Why did he use this metaphor? Did it create a better understanding?
9.Does the same thing apply to us? We are now cloning life and studying cryonics,
10. to serve what purpose?
11.What must happen before we can truly belong to God?
12. What is it in this life that makes that so difficult?
13.What is there about Jesus’ life that makes this parable so relevant?
Closing prayer
Father God, You are ever present in our lives and so often we fail to grasp the real meaning of that. We become so taken with our own concerns that we stray from seeking your will for our lives.. "Lord, let us be wheat sown in the earth, to be harvested for you. We want to follow wherever you lead. Give us fresh hope and joy in serving you in all that we do. "In Jesus Holy Name Amen
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