Alone
John 12:23-25 (NASB)
23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 “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 to life eternal.
It takes about 14,400 grains of wheat to make a loaf of bread. Eating one grain by itself would definitely leave you still hungry. If you plant that grain, though, it could yield many more grains of wheat that could be used. The original grain of wheat, though, is “lost” in the process. Was it worth it?
Each wheat stalk (plant) produces an average of five heads. Each head produces about 22 grains or kernels. That means that one grain could produce about 110 grains, if it is planted and is fruitful. That is more than 100 times the original single grain – 10,000% growth!
Draw All Men
John 12:32 (NASB)
32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”
A few verses later, Jesus tells us how much He was about to produce. If He sacrificed Himself, He would draw (call) everyone to Himself. The amount of suffering that Jesus endured is more than we can imagine. He considered the cost and the benefit, and He determined that we were worth it. His love was greater than His suffering.
Die to Yourself
Mark 8:34-37 (NASB)
34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
35 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
37 “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Jesus didn’t tell His disciples that they just needed to give up a couple of things or be nicer to people; He told them that they had to deny themselves (all of their desires), take up their own crosses (crucify their own flesh), then follow Him. At another time, recorded in Matthew 10:38, Jesus said, “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”
We are not even worthy of Jesus unless we die to ourselves. What does that mean?
Service
Just because people are godly doesn’t mean they are perfect. The 12 disciples left everything to follow Jesus. They ministered to Him, helped Him minister to others, and learned from Him, all while being supported by the generosity of others. Many times, they did not even know where they were going to sleep. They sacrificed much, but they were not perfect.
Luke 9:46-48 (NASB)
46 An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.
47 But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side,
48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”
Jesus had just told His disciples that He was going to die at the hands of evil men. The Bible says that they did not understand what Jesus was saying at that time. Instead of asking Jesus about it, though, they started to argue about which one of them was the greatest. Jesus gave them the perfect example – a young child.
Usually, a child knows that they need their parents. They don’t have jobs, their own places to live, or even how to cook. That’s how we are; we need God for everything. Sometimes, a child will leave home, wanting to be “all grown up.” They soon realize that being an adult is harder than it looks. We all need to come to this realization with our heavenly Father. Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Foot Washing
John 13:2-4 (NASB)
2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,
4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.
Throughout His life here on earth, Jesus showed us what it means to be a servant and die to yourself. He knew what Judas Iscariot was going to do, so when the devil himself entered Judas, He was not surprised. For the three years or so of His ministry, He ministered to Judas, entrusting him with carrying the money (John 13:29), and treating him like the rest of the disciples. Even at the end, when Judas was about to actually betray Him, Jesus washed his feet, the act of the lowest of servants.
This was one of His last acts here on earth. He had been teaching the disciples all along about humble service to God and others, but they still didn’t get it. If we begin to think that maybe we have done enough, and just maybe it’s our turn to be ministered to, we need to remember what Jesus did, how He served us, even when we rejected Him. He never stopped serving, even knowing that it was His last night on this earth as a man.
Deity
John 1:1-3 (NASB)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Jesus has always been God. He was not created. In fact, He created everything, along with His Father and the Holy Spirit. Every indication that we have tells us that He is just as powerful, just as much “God” as His Father. At the same time, He has always willingly submitted to His Father, not just here on earth, but for all eternity.
Greater
John 14:28 (NASB)
28 “You heard that I said to you, I go away, and I will come to you. If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
How is the Father greater than Jesus? Is He more capable? No, they both have unlimited power. Did He create Jesus? No, we just saw that Jesus has been from the very beginning. Is He more loving? No, Jesus gave His life to show us how to live, then He took all of our sins and nailed them to the cross.
The only way that I can see that the Father is greater is that Jesus, the Son of God, has willingly submitted Himself to the Father’s authority.
Not Equal
Philippians 2:5-7 (NASB)
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Even though Jesus was equal in power, ability, and deity (being God), He placed His Father above Himself.
Verse 6 says that Jesus existed in the “form” of God. The Greek word used here, morphe, describes something that is intrinsic, something that we see because of who or what it is, rather than just what it looks like on the outside. The same word is used in verse 7, where it says that He took the “form of a bond-servant.” In verse 8, though, where it says that He was “found in appearance as a man”, the word translated “appearance” is schema, which refers more to what someone or something looks like, as opposed to what it actually is.
Jesus actually was God; He actually was a bond-servant, but He looked like only a man. He was fully man, but He was also fully God.
Love
John 13:34-35 (NASB)
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The example of love that Jesus gave us is what He expects from each one of us. He doesn’t just expect it, here He says that it is a commandment, just like not murdering, not lying, or any of the other commandments.
Submission
Earlier, we saw that Jesus was and is just as much God as the Father is, yet He willingly submitted Himself to His Father’s authority. Submitting to someone and serving them in no way indicates that you are any less (or more) capable than they are. It does not mean that you deserve any less (or more) blessings or praise from God or people. All that it means is that we are doing what Jesus commanded us to do.
Ephesians 5:21-22 (NASB)
21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Some people focus on verse 22, but they overlook verse 21. In the church, and in the home, we should humble ourselves and look for ways to serve each other. God has set up positions in the home, in the church, in businesses, and in governments, because without this structure, we have chaos.
In the beginning, God created order out of chaos and nothingness. Order is part of His nature, and it is what is best for us – individually and as a family, church, and nation.
Work
1 Peter 2:18, 21-24 (NASB)
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
22 WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH;
23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
Maybe you work for someone that you don’t think appreciates all of your hard work. Maybe you feel like you deserve more money. You might even know more about their business than they do. It could be that you are right. God, however, wants us to show others, even ungodly people, His love and His grace. In the same way that He loved us, served us, and died for us, we should be willing to do that for others. God shows us over and over that if Jesus can do it, we can, too. We can’t live a godly life in our own strength, but with His help, and by His grace, we can.
Jesus
Philippians 2:8-11 (NASB)
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus deserves our praise simply because of Who He is – our loving, eternal God. On top of that, though, He died in our place, humbly showing us how to live. That is why everyone who has ever lived or ever will live will one day bow their knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
By willingly giving up Himself in this life, His individual grain of wheat has yielded a crop greater than anyone could possibly imagine. Are we willing to follow His lead and sacrifice our individual grains of wheat, so that the kingdom of God can blossom and grow, yielding a tremendous crop for all eternity?
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