Reflection on Jn 12:24-25

Amen, amen, 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. He who loves his life will lose it,

and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

After raising Lazarus, on the day when the crowd cried out: “Hosanna!”, Jesus speaks about loving and hating one’s life (or soul), about saving or losing it and about eternity. Chapter 12 describes the reaction to the raising of Lazarus. The reaction was “Hosanna!” shouted in praise of Jesus by people in a procession. “Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.” (v.9-11) During the procession, the crowd that had seen Jesus call Lazarus back to life bore witness to it. There were also some pilgrims from Greece. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. Jesus said: “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Amen, amen, 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. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (v.24-25)

If we wish to see Jesus in us, in our brothers and sisters in Christ, and eventually in eternal glory, we need to know that the greatest obstacle is false love for our own soul. Jesus speaks about hatred for it in this world. He speaks that we must die like a grain of wheat. This is the essence of the Gospel, the essence of salvation. To hate our soul means to deny ourselves, to renounce our will and to accept and do the will of God. To renounce our will means to love God and at the same time to hate the root of evil in our soul. It is not enough to believe in Jesus. It is not enough to shout “Hallelujah!”. Why? Because in a life crisis without evangelical hatred we will betray Christ like Judas. The Gospel highlights this truth. This truth is expressed in the words: “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (v.42-43) They believed in Jesus but did not give Him the first place in their lives. They preferred the praise of men to the praise of God which is eternal.

Similarly, in chapter eight, Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (v.31-32) The words Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him were shocking: “You seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.” (v.37) If a believing Christian easily commits a grave sin, he kills Jesus in his heart and Jesus’ word has no place in him. Jesus said to those Jews, and He says the same to such Christians: “You are of your father the devil.” (v.44) What was the response of the offended believers? They said to Jesus twice: “You have a demon.” (v.48-52) Finally, those believers “took up stones to kill Him” (v.59).

The mystery of original sin in us is connected with the riches of the soul which do not allow us to be poor in spirit and to abide in God’s presence. It is really spiritual bondage. It means that we are in bondage to sin, vanity, fear, envy, lies. Only Jesus can deliver us from this bondage. He says: “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (Jn 8:36) This deliverance requires that we not only believe in Jesus but also accept the greatest commandment of love. It means to die to sin in our soul, to lose or hate our soul, and thus to save it for eternity. Jesus says: “Whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it.” (Mk 8:35) If anyone does not strive to lose his soul, i.e. to hate sin which is the root of evil in our soul, he is governed by false love – self-love, selfishness. Selfishness is a great obstacle to salvation. To love God with all one’s heart is the duty of all who have believed in Christ. Our spirit is imprisoned by the riches of the soul, fears, worries or plans. Jesus said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” He spoke about poverty of heart, which means that man should strive not to cling to the riches of the soul, vanity or deceit, but to deny himself, to lose his soul for the sake of Christ and thus to save it. One can be a beggar and yet filled with envy and greed, which makes him a rich man who will not enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for such a “rich beggar” to enter the kingdom of God. On the other hand, a rich man can be poor in spirit if he does not cling to his wealth but rather uses it to spread God’s kingdom.

The mystery of a grain of wheat is not a matter of philosophy but of the practical following of Christ. It is about renouncing our will in every-day life. One form is to give thanks for everything. Not to blaspheme or grumble in suffering but to accept it as purgatory on earth and to give thanks to God, being aware of one’s own sins.

We repeat in the prayer stop seven times a day: “Now I lose my soul for Your sake and the Gospel’s.” Think about these words at least for one minute a day and embrace them in your heart. At that moment you become a grain of wheat which dies and produces much grain for eternity. Being mere pilgrims, we make a journey through time towards death and eternity. Let us make the best use of the time.

A number of people died in Odessa on the First Friday 2 May 2014. May their death bear the fruit of spiritual resurrection of Ukraine! Memory eternal!

The moment will come when we too will end our life’s journey and pass over to eternity. Let us lose our soul every day, that we may save it for eternity.

Download:  Reflection on Jn 12:24-25