Today, promises to be even warmer — Spring has arrived. It is too early not to expect more snow in this part of the world nevertheless it is a sign that things are changing. Things that have been hidden are being revealed. Snowdrops are in bloom, green shoots are starting to break the surface, tiny buds are appearing on the trees and I even saw a woodchuck run across the lawn emerging from winter hibernation.
I have always appreciated the cycle of life mirrored in nature — Winter (hiddenness and preparation), Spring (new birth and growth), Summer (full bloom and brightness) and Autumn (maturity and fruit bearing).
I love how in the gospels this cycle can be appreciated in Jesus’ earthly life. Stories of pregnancy and the hiddenness of the womb (winter), birth and childhood (spring), followed by a new ministry launched with a miracle of new wine (summer) moving to maturity and bearing fruit to feed and nurture the next generation (autumn).
Just as an aside — as I don’t want anyone reading this to think I have stopped banging my feminist drum — notice how prominent women were at the onset of each of these stages of Jesus’ life:
a woman kept Jesus safe and hidden in the womb,
a woman gave birth,
a woman told him it was time for ministry to start to bloom,
a woman recognized it was the autumn of ministry and anointed him
and a woman announced the beginning of the next cycle of life as the hiddenness of the tomb was discovered empty.
But back to today’s text, the author of the Gospel of John quotes Jesus, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain: but if it dies it bears much fruit.” (John 20:24)
It is a picture of the cycle of life. It is a powerful image of Jesus’ perception of his ministry. I do think the authors of the gospels placed their stories in the order that told the message they wanted to convey — I don’t think the order was accidental nor necessarily chronological. Here the author of John places this conversation straight after Jesus was anointed with perfume and then the triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
However, there is a puzzling little exchange that happens right at the beginning of today’s text (John12:20-23). I spend much time pondering it, wondering why it was included here. The passage tells that amongst those who were celebrating in Jerusalem were some Greeks. They came to Philip and said, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew and then together they went to tell Jesus. Jesus response was not to welcome the Greeks, but to launch straight into the speech containing the verse quoted above.”
As I read it, I had lots of questions about why this was included at this point. The chapter would have read fine without it. On first glance it does not add anything — yet, I have to conclude it must have been significant for the author of John to include it at this point. In this passage the word Greeks probably refers to Jewish people who had adopted Greek ideas and culture (Hellenistic Judaism)— they were those on the margins. Obviously, Philip was hesitant when they approached him as he went to tell Andrew first. It reads like they were unsure about approaching Jesus or even letting “the Greeks” near him.
My thought is that this little conversation was included to show the expansiveness of Jesus’ ministry. It was an inkling, a hint pointing towards the inclusive nature of the ministry. The seed falling into the ground was for the benefit of all. No longer should people be considered on the margins — a view affirmed by the author of Galatians, “There is no longer Jew or Greek” (3:28).
Yet as I read the text and pondered the cycle of life, I also felt quite sad. I could not help but think of all the people who have not reached the autumn of their lives — or even the summer of their lives. This year has been a year of loss.
As I write this, I especially think of those in Atlanta whose lives were lost because of racism this week. May each of their lives be seeds falling into the ground that will bring forth new shoots of change.
