A corn of wheat – Christ released from shell increase many in resurrection (John 12:1-36)
By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce
Scriptures reading John Chapter 12 (KJV)
Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then Said, Jesus, let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have w3ith you; but me ye have not always...(John 12:1-8 KJV)...Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but it if die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24)...Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the price of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:31-32)...Then Jesus said unto them, yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. (John 12:35-36KJV) I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:46 KJV)
In the John Chapter 12 Bethany means house of
affliction. In this time, Jesus was outside Judaism. Through His resurrection
life He had gained a house in Bethany where He could feast and have rest and
satisfaction. This house of feasting was a miniature of the church life and
depicted the situation of the church (1) produced by the resurrection life –
Lazarus (11:43-44); (2) composed of cleansed sinners –Simon the leper (Mark 14:3);
(3) outwardly afflicted ---Bethany; (4) inwardly feasting in and with the
presence of the Lord (v.2); (5) having more sisters than brother(vv.2-3); (6)
having members with different functions: serving Martha, testifying _Lazarus,
and loving _Mary (vv.2-3); (7) spotted by the false one –Judas (v.4); (8)
persecuted by religion (v.10); (9) being a test and exposing people (vv.6,10);
and (10) bringing in many believers (v.11).
The Lord Jesus was a
test to all those around Him. The chief priests and Pharisees conspired to kill
Him (11:47, 53, 57), Simon the leper prepared his house for Him (Matt.26:6),
Martha served Him, Lazarus testified concerning Him, Mary love Him (vv.2-3),
Judas was about to betray Him(v.4), and many believed into Him (v.11). The Lord
is the center of God’s economy and is a sign set up by God (Luke2:34). Anyone
who contacts Him with inevitably be tested and exposed.
Verse 23 For Jesus as the Son of Man to be glorified was for Him to be
resurrected, that is, to have His divine element, His divine life, released
from within the shell of His humanity to produce many believers in resurrection
(1 Pet.1:3), just as a grain of wheat (v.24) has its life element released when
it falls in the ground and grows up out of the ground to bear much fruit, that
is, to bring forth many gains.
Verse 24 According to
the worldly view, Jesus was in His golden time. A great crowd of the Jews
esteemed Him highly and welcomed Him warmly because of the resurrection of
Lazarus (vv.12-19), and even the Greeks were seeking after Him (vv.20-22). But
He preferred to fall as a grain of wheat into the ground and die that He might
produce many grains for the church.
This “much fruit”
became Christ’s increase in resurrection. This increase is the glory into which
Christ entered through His death and resurrection (Luke 24:26). The portion
from v.23 of this chapter to the end of chapter 17 is a discourse on the
mystery of this glory. Christ had the glory with God
(17:5). His incarnation caused His divine glory to be concealed in His flesh.
Through His death and resurrection His glory was released, producing many
grains, which become His increase as the expression of His glory. What was
spoken in vv.23, 28; 13:31-32; 14:13; 15:8; 16:14; and 17:1, 4, 5, 10, 22, 24
is related to this glory. In the Lord’s last words to the believers in
Chapter 14-16, there are three concrete, corporate expressions of this glory: The Father’s house (the church) in 14:2,
the branches of the vine (the constituents of the Body of Christ) in 15:1-5,
and a newborn corporate man (the new man) in 16:21. All three denote the
church, showing that the church is the glorious increase produced by the
glorious Christ through His death and resurrection. In this glorious
increase, Christ, the Son of God, is glorified, causing God the Father also to
be glorified in Christ’s glorification, that is, to be fully expressed through
the church (Eph.3:19-21). This expression needs to be maintained in the oneness
of the Triune God.
Therefore, the Lord
prayed in particular for this matter in His concluding prayer in Chapter 17
(17:20-23). This glorious increase of Christ is the peak of the mystery
revealed in the Gospel of John, and its ultimate consummation is the New
Jerusalem in Revelation, also written by John. The new holy city will be the
aggregate of Christ’s increase throughout the generations, and in it Christ’s
divine glory will be expressed to the uttermost. In the glorifying of God the
Son, God the Father also will obtain eternal, matchless glory, which will be
His full expression in eternity. Thus His eternal economy will be fulfilled for
eternity.
Verse 25 the same Greek
word as for life in 10:11, 15, 17. The Lord, as a grain of wheat that fell into
the ground, lost His soul-life through death that He might release His eternal
life in resurrection to the many grains. As the many grains, we also must lose
our soul-life through death that we may enjoy eternal life in resurrection.
This is to follow Him that we may serve Him and walk with Him on this way, the
way of losing our soul-life and living in His resurrection as mentioned in
v.26.
Verse 27 as a man, the
Lord was troubled in His soul because of the death He was about to suffer.
Hence, He prayed, “Father, save me out of this hour.” However, it must have
been that in His spirit He realized that it was for the glorifying of the
Father that He had come to that hour. This refers to the glorifying of the
Father’s name in the next verse 28; to glorify the name
of the Father is to cause the Father’s divine element to be expressed. The Father’s divine element, which is the
eternal life, was in the incarnated Son. The shell of the Son’s incarnation had
to be broken through death that the Father’s divine element, the eternal life, might
be released and expressed in resurrection, just as the life element of a grain of wheat is released by the
breaking of its shell and is expressed by its blossom. This is the glorification
of God the Father in the Son.
Verse
31 On the cross the Lord as the Son of Man (v.23) was lifted up in the form of
the serpent (3:14), that is in the likeness of the flesh of sin (Rom.8:3). Satan as the old
serpent (Rev.12:9;20:2). The ruler of this world (the prince of this world) had
injected himself into man’s flesh. Through His death on the cross in the likeness
of the flesh of sin, the Lord destroyed Satan, who is in man’s flesh
(Heb.2:14). By judging Satan (16:11) in this way, the Lord also judged the
world, which is hanging on Satan. Hence, the Lord’s being lifted up caused the
world to be judged and its ruler, Satan, to be cast out. “World” The Greek word
here means arrangement (1 John2).
The World is an evil system arranged systematically by Satan.
All the things on the earth, especially those related to mankind, and all the
things in the air have been systematized by Satan into his kingdom of darkness
to occupy people and frustrate them from accomplishing the purpose of God, and
to distract them from the enjoyment of God. This evil system, the kingdom of darkness,
was judged when its ruler, Satan, was cast out by the Lord being crucified in
the flesh.
Verse 32 in one aspect, the Lord’s death was His falling into the
ground, as revealed in v.24; in another aspect, it was His being lifted up on
the tree (1Pet.2:24). His falling into the ground was to produce the many
grains; His being lifted up on the tree was to draw all men to Himself. The many
gains produced by His falling into the ground are the “all men” drawn by His
being lifted up on the tree.
In chapter 12 the Lord’s death is revealed not as the redeeming
death but as the producing, generating death. By this death His incarnation
shell of humanity was broken that He might accomplish His threefold purpose. (1)
The producing of many grains, the drawing of all men to Himself (vv.24, 32).
(2) The releasing of the divine element, the eternal life (vv.23, 28); and (3)
the judging of the world and the casting out its ruler, Satan (v.31). We must
experience the Lord’s death that we may participate in the threefold purpose
that He accomplished.
Bibliography,
Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.
Roberts, Oral. Holy Bible (King James Verse) Tulsa, OK: Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, Inc.
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