At the turning point in John’s Gospel, Jesus makes a seemingly obscure reference to his death. As we get ready to celebrate Easter, let’s take a moment now to explore a powerful yet often overlooked verse to see in a fresh way what Jesus endured and the life he has won for us.
The moment comes in John 12, when some Greeks visit Jesus shortly after his triumphal entry to Jerusalem. Jesus has previously said that his hour has not yet come, but this moment signals that the time has now come for Jesus to achieve his purpose and display his glory: “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23, 17:1; cf. 2:4, 7:30, 8:20).
But Jesus goes on to explain this glorification in cryptic terms: “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).
The reader knows that he is speaking about his God-forsaken death on the cross and what it will achieve. He is like a seed that is buried—effectively dead—before it brings new life. His disciples, however, haven’t a clue what he is talking about.
It’s a brief and seemingly confusing reference to his death. Jesus quickly turns to discipleship in terms of losing one’s life (12:25-26) and at first glance John does not seem to develop the idea.
But as we read on in John’s Gospel, we get an abundant picture of the fruit achieved by this buried seed. Jesus speaks of himself as a vine and his disciples as branches (15:1-8). As they abide in him, they will bear fruit—not simply life, but eternal life which is full of God-glorifying righteousness and love (15:4-5, 7-9, cf. Gal 5:16-25).
Moreover, John subtly indicates that Jesus achieves this fruitful agenda at the cross. This is the moment the seed dies and is buried, for “in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid” (19:41).
It’s worth pausing here for a moment, to reflect on the truth that the seed that will bear fruit has been planted. Jesus died an excruciating and shameful death. Crucifixion was designed to maximise shame and pain. But in this horrifying death, God’s king died to bear the penalty of sin (19:15, 19-22; cf. 1:29).
Yet, we see in a fresh way that Jesus’ death is not only a sin-bearing death, but also a life-giving death. And not simply because it secures life that goes on eternally, but life filled with the beauty of righteousness and love to the extent that the world will sit up and take notice (13:35). Because if you kill and bury the one in whom life is native (1:4, 5:21, 6:68, 10:17, 20:31), then the one who is life itself will burst through the grave in fruitful growth, gathering up all who belong to him and bearing fruit through them!
And so Easter is not only a moment to celebrate life beyond death, guaranteed as Jesus breaks through the grave, but also to celebrate the abundant life available to us now, as the buried seed bursts through the ground to bring about the fruit of righteousness in our lives (15:4-5).
How might we respond to this profound truth? May I suggest that it’s with grief, gratitude, and confidence.
Several years ago in Queensland, a woman and her baby found themselves trapped in their car during a freak hailstorm. The mother was quick to act. She huddled over her daughter to shield her from the wrath of the storm. The severe bruising on her back tells the story of love and bravery that preserved her daughter’s life.
How will her child look back on that story—and the photos of her mother’s injuries—in years to come? Perhaps with a squeamish sort of grief: “How painful! I can’t believe you did that for me.” Probably with a profound gratitude: “I wouldn’t be here without you; I’m so thankful you did that for me!” Possibly also with great confidence: “I know there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for me, because you did that for me”.
How much more should we feel this kind of grief over the agony of Jesus—the one who was buried like a seed in the ground: “How painful! I can’t believe you endured death and burial for my sin!” Even for those seemingly ‘minor’ sins that we can so easily brush off, for those also Jesus endured the cross and was planted in the ground.
But we need not stay in grief; we can also feel gratitude: “I’m so grateful you did that for me, so I might receive your life now and forever”. What will get us out of the grave, and what will enable us to leave behind the ways of the spiritually dead and embrace the life of Jesus, filled with the fruit of righteousness (Phil 1:11)? The word of life who was buried but has now broken through the grave for us!
Yet more than gratitude, we can also feel great confidence. If Jesus was buried and has broken through the grave in life-giving abundance, how confident can we be not only of our life beyond the grave, but also that he will bring about the fruit he promises in our life here and now. What wonderful truths we celebrate at Easter, so let our hearts be filled with thankfulness,
to him who bore our pain
who plumped the depths of our disgrace
and gave us life again;
who crushed our curse of sinfulness,
and clothed us with his light,
and wrote his law of righteousness
with power upon our hearts.1
- Keith and Kristyn Getty, ‘Our Hearts are Filled with Thankfulness’ (2003). ↩︎