The Cross: A Harvest of Life
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Jeremiah 31:31–34 / Psalm 51:12a / Hebrews 5:7–9 / John 12:20–33
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Reflecting on the Word
By Dr. Karla J. Bellinger
When I taught first graders in religious education class, there was a simple test in the book. It said, “Jesus died because __________ .” The correct answer was “he loves us.” The first graders could spit out that answer. But they looked at me with questions in their eyes, as in, “My mommy loves me; is she going to die, too?” They didn’t really get it. As Lent draws near to its close, I have been wrestling with the meaning of the cross, too. I can spit out that same answer, but I am not sure that I really get it either.
Still pondering the cross, I go out to the garage where my garlic is hanging. In early spring, winter-stored herbs and garden produce dream of becoming more than food. I have to watch carefully, for potatoes want to sprout eyes and onions hope to develop shoots. As I slice the garlic, I see little green centers that wish to become leaves.
Jesus knew that a grain of wheat also desires to get into the ground and grow. He uses that grain as an analogy for himself. But the gardener in me asks, does the wheat actually die?
I looked up the Greek word that Jesus uses here for “die.” This “die” does not mean to go out of existence. It means to be separated, apart from the realm where you have been. Jesus knows that the season has come for him to be separated. The Word who became flesh cannot stay in this earthly realm. He has to go. He prepares his friends for that. Like the wheat and the garlic in early spring, he gives himself away. I am still wrestling with that. But somehow and for some reason, Jesus is willing to become something more for us.
Consider/Discuss
- What happens to Jesus’ grain of wheat and my garlic cloves if they don’t get eaten or go into the ground? They rot. Onions become shells of skins. Potatoes turn wrinkly and bluish with mold. Garlic gets soggy and soft and smells even worse. There comes a season when a plant is designed by nature to give itself away to nourish. What does that mean for us?
- This most famous of Jeremiah’s passages says that God will write his law on our hearts and we will be God’s people and he will be our God. How does/ doesn’t Jesus’ self-sacrifice give you a stronger sense of belonging to God?
Living and Praying with the Word
Jesus, when you were here on earth, you prayed with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save you. Yet you were willing to offer yourself to the Father to become our Savior. That sort of blows my mind. I don’t understand it, but I thank you. Someday, when we are together, show me how much that cost you and what “because I love you” means.