John 12:23-26
Jesus Predicts His Death
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 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. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
The death of Jesus was near and He knew it...He predicted His Own death...Jesus tells us that the hour had come for Him to be glorified...In Truth He said that unless a seed of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only one single seed...But if the wheat seed which appears to have died and then is put into the ground, something wonderful happens...A wheat seed looks dead and lifeless, yet when put in the ground and planted, it produces wheat and more wheat...The dead seeds of wheat can produce an abundant harvest...
It was upon the cross that Jesus died...He suffered hanging on that cross until His death...Then Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus put Him into the ground and buried Him...And like the dead wheat seed He too was put into the ground, a tomb...And it was like Jesus had said unless His death happened, He would remain only a Single One...But with His death He would bring forth more and more fruit from His resurrection...His death on the cross was necessary for His followers to see what would happen next...His death on the cross was atonement for our sins...Then He rose from His death so that we might have an abundant life...And so that we might live with Him and have eternal life...His Body had risen from death, like the wheat seed planted in the ground...His death on the cross and His resurrection would produce an abundant harvest...