The Grain of Wheat - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

But Jesus answered them saying, The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone; but if it die, it bears much fruit.
John 12:23-24

The Grain of Wheat
At the time when the Lord Jesus was present at the Passover feast in Jerusalem, some Greeks were also there and they approached Philip with the request, "Sir, we desire to see Jesus" (v. 21). Philip communicated their desire to Andrew, and the two of them brought this message to Jesus.

It may seem strange to us that the Lord answered them in the way that He did, as we notice in our two verses above. But He was telling them that for Gentiles to have any part with Him, it could only be on the basis of His own sacrifice. He was indeed the grain of wheat falling into the ground. The grain of wheat must die before it can be multiplied in the bearing of much fruit. Notice that the Lord is not speaking here of vintage, which symbolizes Israel, but rather the harvest of wheat, which pictures the Gentile world. The Lord Jesus was just as concerned for the Gentiles as He was for His own people Israel, but it was necessary for the Gentiles to be reminded that they were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, without hope, and without God in the world (Eph. 2:12).

The Lord Jesus was the one and only sinless Man. He was the grain of wheat, not a grain of wheat. No other man could take that place. In regard to the Lord Jesus, it is said that "He died for all" (2 Cor. 5:15). His sacrifice was effectual for all mankind, for He is no ordinary man. He is the Man who is also "over all, God blessed forever. Amen" (Rom. 9:5). He is not finite, but infinite. Therefore His sacrifice has infinite, unlimited value. Although its value is available for every person on earth, only those who receive its value are saved for eternity.

L. M. Grant