Matter of Life IN Death – April 11, 2021

“Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
John 12:23,24

Matter of Life IN Death

I had great plans to plant vegetable seeds in a small garden and enjoy the fruits of my labors. The catchy display at the do-it-yourself store grabbed my attention and gave me the vision. Fresh, home-grown vegetables—what a wonderful treat that would be! I bought eight different packets of seeds. And then the distractions came. Some other “pressing” issue gobbled up my time—the weather wasn’t quite right, or I’m not sure if this would be the right spot, so I better mull it over. The packets remained on the workbench in the garage for two weeks. Then on a cleaning day, they were shoved into a cupboard. And there, they hibernated for three years until they were discovered. They never got buried in the ground. They never had the chance to fulfill their purpose of producing a crop.

A short time before Jesus died and was buried, he talked about the importance of his death. He knew he needed to die. Staying on a throne in heaven or hiding away in an out-of-the-way village where no one could possibly find him just wouldn’t work. He needed to die.

Jesus compared the necessity of his death to a seed. If a seed is not buried in the ground, it can’t produce more seeds. So Jesus’ purpose for coming to be the world’s Savior could only be completed by dying. Through his death, he produced an abundant spiritual harvest. Every person who trusts in his death as the payment for their sins is guaranteed eternal life. Thank God that Jesus’ death gives us life!

Prayer:
Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to die for my sins so that I might have spiritual life. Amen.