Sermon Audio

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."

Some Greeks wanted to see Jesus. They find Philip, who in turn finds Andrew, who then, together, bring news of these foreigners' desire to Jesus. Make note of that: foreigners wanted to see Jesus. Sure, it doesn't sound at all strange to us, unless we put it in context.

The people of Israel were not what they were supposed to be. That which we sing in the Nunc Dimittis, Simeon's song, sums up what the Word of God had many times proclaimed (and still proclaims) of His people. The prophet Isaiah constantly reminded them of their calling from God before the world. They were to be that light of God to the world, the beacon on the hill, shining forth the Word of God to a world that desperately needed to know of Him. They were to reveal to the world who God was and what God has done, is doing, and will do.

But they weren't. They didn't. To them, God was their god. Beyond Israel's borders, the people didn't matter to them, so they didn't bother to reveal God to them. If they converted to YHWH worship, well and good, but they were otherwise not worth any effort or time. They were the outcasts, the undesirables, the non-chosen—the goyim.

So, here come some Greeks wanting to see Jesus. They are in Jerusalem for the Passover. They might have been in the company of people who, as we heard earlier this morning, shouted "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! The King of Israel!" They were gentile converts to Judaism. They were Jews, to be sure, but because of their gentile heritage, in the eyes of the pure-blooded Jews, whose mothers were Jews and their mothers before them, they were Jews of a lower class. They were of the goyim—the nations, the people beyond Israel's borders—and they would never be able to shake that moniker.

So, when Jesus hears that Jews from the other nations wanted to see Him, He says, "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." He said this to signify the kind of death He would suffer. For as He would in a few short days be nailed to a cross, that cross would lift Him over the hill outside of Jerusalem called Golgotha. And, by His dying, He would draw all peoples—all nations—to Himself.

His death was not only for the people inside the borders of Israel or Judah, but also for those outside of those borders. By His death, He draws all peoples to Him, and of all who by His death receive Him, there is no lower class citizenship or membership.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

"And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed." Yes, that brings us back to how Jesus first responded, doesn't it? "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."

Now, I'm no farmer. I'm no gardener. I often say that I make up for all of those green thumbs out there with brown thumbs. But this I do know, thanks to natural science and biology classes, when a seed is planted and it germinates, is ceases being a seed. You know that if you were to plant a seed and give it a little time then dig it up, it no longer looks like the seed you planted. The seed, in essence, dies.

However, leave that seed alone, apart from the earth, and it remains a seed—no death, no germination, no growth, no production. What good is it? It's just a single seed.

But by the death of that seed, when sowed, a plant springs forth that bears much fruit. Now that "the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified," He will be gloriously lifted up on the throne of His cross, whereby all will be drawn to Him, and like that seed, be buried dead in a dark tomb. He will spring forth—rise again on the third day—a plant that bears much fruit: a Church with numbers beyond counting, having drawn all to Himself.

What He had once said before bears repeating: "I am the vine, you are the branches." Jesus is the vine Who, by His death and resurrection, nourishes the members of His Church, the branches, with the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation won when He was lifted up, drawing all nations to Himself. It is truly a life-giving death!

Hear also what the prophet Isaiah had to say:

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots...And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.

Rods and branches, growing from roots. Jesus is the Rod descended from the line of Jesse; He is the seed planted in a gruesome death on a cross and burial in a dark tomb. By His death and resurrection, He stands as a banner to all the people, for His death was once for all, a life-giving death for all who receive Him—Jew, Greek, slave, free, male, female—all made one in His life, passion, death, and resurrection. And the Gentiles shall seek Him...

...Much like the Gentiles in today's Gospel. That is now a reminder to us who sit here having received Him. God is not only the god within these walls, but He is the God of the universe, Creator and Redeemer of all that is, all who were, all that are, and all who are yet to come. You who have received Him are Abraham's seed, because you have received Him; that is, you have been claimed by Christ in Holy Baptism. Therefore, hear what He has to say: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned," "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Let us not be like the Israelites who thought of God as god only of the chosen people.

Jesus called His disciples, inviting them to follow Him. To those who sought Him and repented of their sins, He spoke the good news of sins forgiven, and invited them to follow Him. So it was, most likely, with the Greeks who wanted to see Jesus in this morning's Gospel. So it was, also, to the many who were in Jerusalem at Pentecost, many from the goyim. To all of them was proclaimed the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation won for all when Christ the Seed was planted, that is, when He died with the sins of all on the cross and rose victorious over death again on the third day. "God does not show favoritism," both St. Paul and St. Peter said.

Dear hearers, what a joyful privilege it is to live in the forgiveness of sins and to announce to the world beyond these walls that the seed has been planted and died and has come forth a fruitful plant—that Christ has died that we might live. Dear hearers, what great joy it is to know that the shouts of Hosanna—now, save us—have been answered. And it is with great joy that I announce to you that whether you are Jew or Greek, slave or free, male of female, that you have been clothed with Christ, that you are the branch that grows from Him who is your Vine, planted as a seed in His death on the cross and sprung forth from the grave, and because of that, you are forgiven for all of your sins.