The Seed

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Good morning Chapel family. Welcome to the fifth Sunday of Lent, which means Easter is exactly two weeks from today. We are so excited to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus outside, under the open sky. Of course we have a backup plan in case it rains. But either way, Easter is coming! And I don’t think there has ever been a year when we have needed Easter more than this year. Wouldn’t you agree? There’s been so much loss and discouragement; we need the hope of Easter like we’ve never needed it before. So it’s going to be a great day.

In the meantime, we’re using this period of Lent to focus on the life of Jesus, and specifically the cross of Jesus. And every week we’ve been saying that the cross isn’t just the way Jesus died; it’s also the way that he lived—pouring out his life, letting go of his rights, sacrificing himself for the good of others. So every week during Lent, we’re reflecting on the life of Jesus as he headed toward the cross, and then in response, we’re trying to hear God’s call to repent—which simply means to realize, “There’s a part of my life that doesn’t align with the ways of Jesus,” and then, by God’s grace, to turn around and head in a new direction. Alright? So Lent is a time to reflect and repent.

And today we’re going to look at one of my favorite passages from the life of Jesus. It’s all about something that every human being needs: security. Security. Why did I fasten my seatbelt when I got into my car today? Security. Also because I don’t want to get a ticket, but I would have done it anyway, for security. Why did I lock my car today—even in a church parking lot? Security. Why do I have health insurance? Security. And the examples could go on and on. Security is something that’s desired and needed by every human…including Jesus! But in this passage, Jesus shows us that if we prioritize security too highly, it will backfire on us. We won’t get what we think we’re going to get. And he shows us a radically different way to look at security.

So…let’s look at today’s passage—John chapter 12, verses 20 through 33. I invite you to hear the Word of God…

20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

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.

27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the

earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. This is the Word of the Lord.

So let’s talk about three things today: The Need for Security, The Problem with Security, and A Better Kind of Security. The need, the problem, and a better kind of security.

So, first: The Need for Security. This passage takes place during the final week of Jesus’ life, before he was crucified. He was with his disciples in Jerusalem, which was filling up with people to celebrate the Passover holiday. And it says a group of Greeks—non-Jewish people—wanted to meet Jesus. Apparently, they had heard about him, and they were intrigued, and they wanted to find out more about him. So they go up to one of his disciples, Philip, and they basically say, “Can you get us some face time with Jesus? We want to meet him.” So Philip carries that request to Jesus, and it’s strange: Jesus never directly responds to the request for a meeting. Instead, he very mysteriously says, “The hour has come.” And he starts talking about losing his life like a seed that falls into the ground. So the mind of Jesus is clearly focused on the cross.

And it’s such a vulnerable moment, because in verse 27, Jesus says, “Now my soul is troubled.” That word “troubled” is the same Greek word used to describe Jesus’ inner anguish when his friend Lazarus died. It’s the same word that describes how crushed he was when he realized his fried, Judas, was going to betray him. It’s a word that can be translated, “to be stirred up or unsettled.” Did you ever have something in your life that stirs you up and unsettles you so much that you can’t sleep? That’s how Jesus was feeling. Why? Because he was thinking about being executed on a cross. If that were about to happen to you, do you think your soul might be a little troubled?

So here’s my point: as a human being, Jesus had the same need that you and I have—the need to feel safe and secure. And that basic human need was being seriously threatened.

When you look at your own life, where do you see that desire for security? I see it in three main ways…

First, we crave physical security. We have a strong desire to keep our bodies and our property protected. Raise your hand if you have a security camera on the front door of your house. Those are getting really popular: for about $200, you can get one of these cameras, so even if you’re not home, you put the app on your cellphone, and you can see anyone who comes to your house, and you can talk to them through the speaker so they’ll think you’re home. That’s a nice feeling of security, right? No one’s going to mess with my house. We have laws about seat belts and bike helmets and face masks during a pandemic. And for the ultimate physical security, if we have enough money we can move into a gated community, where all the bad guys are kept out.

Speaking of money, that deserves a separate bullet point: we crave financial security. In Luke chapter 12, Jesus tells a story about a man who had a great year in his farming business. So he makes a plan: he says, “I’ll knock down all my barns and builds bigger ones so I can fit all this grain. And then I’ll say to myself: “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” Man, that’s security, right? Your business has gone well; your 401(k) has built up nicely; and you look forward to a retirement free from stress. We crave financial security.

And let me mention one more: we want relational security. In the world of psychology, one of the most well-accepted concepts is called “attachment theory.” Attachment theory says that in order to be healthy, humans need to know they’re secure in their core relationships—and it starts very young with our parents. So having a healthy attachment with our parents gives us a base from which we can move into the world confidently. But it’s more than just a parent-child thing; we look for relational security in our friendships; we look for it in dating relationships; we hope for it in

marriage. We want to know the people in our life are going to stay in our life, and the thought of losing them scares us.

So deep inside, this desire for security is something that’s shared by every human, including Jesus. Which is why, just days before the cross, his soul was troubled. He was stirred up and unsettled inside, because he knew the plan, and it was terrifying. And he used this opportunity to teach his disciples something profound. I would say it like this: Jesus had to deconstruct the way they naturally thought about security, in order to introduce them to a whole different kind of security.

So here’s the deconstruction part—point number 2: The Problem with Security. I see two big problems with the way we normally approach security. The first problem is this: We Can’t Avoid Death. Remember the story Jesus told, about the guy who had good crops—so he makes a plan to build bigger barns to store all his stuff, and he decided to take an early retirement down on Grand Cayman Island? You know what happens next in that story, right? This is Luke 12, verse 20: “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ He thought he had years to enjoy the security of his wealth, but it turned out to be a false sense of security! Because we cannot avoid death.

So on a very logical level, no matter how secure and safe we try to keep ourselves, ultimately death will find us. And I’m not saying you shouldn’t wear your seatbelt and you should smoke Camels and run with scissors; I’m just saying that ultimately, the thing we’re trying to protect ourselves from is going to happen.

And I hope I don’t offend anyone when I say this, but we don’t really need Jesus to tell us that. Right? In fact, popular culture has done a lot with this idea. If you’ve ever seen Last Holiday with Queen Latifah, or Joe Versus the Volcano with Tom Hanks—that’s one of my favorites—these are movies about people who find out they’re about to die, and that frees them to live with fearlessness and abandon, and they’re finally the people they’ve always wanted to be. The country song, Live Like You’re Dying, has the same message—the guy finds out he’s about to die so he goes skydiving and bull riding and takes his kids fishing. And it’s a great message, right? Since we’re all going to die, stop being afraid and live life to the fullest. We didn’t really need Jesus to tell us that, but he reminds us anyway.

But here’s where we really do need the wisdom of Jesus. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. Hmm…

Quick story: A few years ago, I was out in my front yard, and some neighborhood kids came around, selling something—they had their little clipboard, and their pen. So they came up to me, and it turned out they were selling seeds for a school fund-raiser. Seeds to grow flowers. I think they were from the Netherlands Reformed School—you know the Dutch and their flowers. And this was years ago, but I remember I didn’t want to buy any. But Norma Jean was there, and she said, “Oh, let’s buy some.” She always says that. So we ordered a bunch of seeds, and paid the money. And a few weeks later, here came this delivery of seeds. And they had all kinds of beautiful pictures of flowers on the cover. So about three months later, you know what we had? We had a bunch of packets of seeds on the shelf in our garage. And there they sat, until we cleaned out our garage and threw them away.

So…what’s the moral of the story? Don’t waste your money on school fund-raisers. No—I’m joking. (Because if you die tonight, you’ll wish you bought something from those kids). Actually, the moral is pretty obvious, right? Seeds are useless if you don’t plant them. Totally useless! They just sit there.

So in this teaching, Jesus is using that image of a seed sitting on a shelf to represent a certain way of approaching life. A certain way of pursuing security.

In the next verse he describes it like this: Anyone who loves their life will lose it… That’s strange, isn’t it? I mean, I love my life. But here’s what that means: “loving your life” means being so absorbed in your own security that you become overly protective, overly fearful, trying to control everything. You prioritize your physical security and your financial security and your relational security above everything else. A couple of weeks ago we looked at Mark 8:35… “For whoever wants to save their life with lose it…” Same idea, right? Clinging on to your life leads to losing the ability to really live.

Look, security is a normal human desire. But when we pursue security without God, it can paralyze us. We become over-cautious, so afraid of failure, so afraid of getting hurt; we can become xenophobic, which is the fear of strangers; we can become agoraphobic, which is the fear of leaving your house; we can get stuck in the past, because the future is just too unpredictable and scary; we can experience anxiety and panic attacks. Being obsessed with security stops us from really living.

And Jesus knew that was true for us. But for him, it was especially true. Think about it: if Jesus had lived with self-protectiveness and caution—even if he had still been a great teacher, and performed miracles, and healed people—but if he had held onto his life—he would be a footnote in the history books. If that. We wouldn’t be talking about him today. In fact, none of us would be here today, because there would be no church. If Jesus had prioritized security above all else, it would have ruined everything! So Jesus knew this principle was supremely true in his life! But he knew it was also true for his disciples, and for us.

Which leads to the final point: A Better Kind of Security. In this teaching, Jesus was showing us that there is a kind of security God wants us to have, but it’s different from the kind we’re used to. So let’s talk about it in two ways.

First, How to get it. How do we personalize this kind of security that God offers? Well, look at verse 27 again. Jesus says, “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” In other words, “Yes—I have a desire to remain safe and secure—I’m human! But at the end of the day, I choose the glory of God over my own security.” And then look at verse 32: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. Here’s what he saying: “When I am lifted up on the cross, and I’m hanging there for all the world to see, there is something about that moment that will draw people to me.” Does that make sense? One of the thieves hanging next to Jesus was drawn to him: “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” One of the Roman soldiers at the cross was drawn to him: “Surely, this man was the Son of God.” And in the centuries since then, countless people—millions of people—have heard the good news of the God who entered into the world that he created so he could pay for the sins of his people by dying on a cross, and they have been so overwhelmed by that love that they’ve been drawn to Jesus.

So here’s my question for you: have you been drawn to Jesus? Have you felt yourself, spiritually, being attracted—pulled toward him? Maybe even today: as you think about the human struggle that Jesus overcame in order to go to the cross, do you find yourself being drawn to that love? Because here’s the thing: when that happens—when God draws us—it’s an incredibly important moment. See, God draws, but we have to respond. We have to say “Yes” to him. We have to believe. Like it says in John 1:12, “To all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gives

the right to become children of God.” So if you’re being drawn, that’s such a sacred moment. It’s an opportunity to make this whole thing personal.

And when you take that step—when you receive Christ—you get the deepest kind of security anyone can have. Like Jesus says in John 10, “No one can snatch you out of my hand.” Like it says in Romans 8, “Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” It’s the security that a well-loved child has in the relationship with his father. And parents—you know this: even if your child did all kinds of irresponsible and dumb stuff, would they ever stop being your child? Would you ever stop loving them? Of course not! And that’s the kind of security God offers us. What a priceless gift! And when you have that security, it begins to change the way you live.

So let’s close by talking about How to live it. Through this teaching, Jesus is inviting us to repent from HOLDING ON to POURING OUT. From holding on—like a bag of seeds that stay on the shelf, to pouring out our lives like seeds into the ground. What does that look like?

Well, at the beginning of this message, I talked about three places we try to find security in life: physical security, financial security, and relational security. And there’s nothing wrong with any of those; the problem is, they’re unreliable. They can’t bear the weight we try to put on them. So as we close, let me suggest how those parts of our life will look different when we find our security in Christ.

First, we are Free to take physical risks. And again, I’m not saying we should be stupid. But there are times that following Christ and loving people means that we do things that aren’t the safest things. We take good risks.

Every time a team from the Chapel has gone to Rwanda or Mali, or Colombia, the State Department of the U.S. tells us, “We strongly advise against Americans traveling to this area.” And we weigh that risk, and ultimately we feel it’s worth the tradeoff of the ministry we’re able to do and the people we’re able to love in those places.

How about you? Is there an opportunity for service that God has given you overseas, or maybe in Paterson or Newark, that you’re afraid of? Are you holding back from something because you’ve elevated your personal safety too much? Would you let your security in Christ free you to hold that more loosely?

Second, we are Free to take financial risks. We are living in a very expensive part of the country, and it’s so easy to hold tightly to our money. It’s so easy to worry about our financial future. And it’s so easy to let that worry make us hold our money really tightly. But I’m telling you, it’s a trap. You’ll never feel like you have enough. Ecclesiastes 5:10 says Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. You’ll never be satisfied! And the thing that can free you from that trap is the gospel. So would you allow your security in Christ free you to be more generous? Is there someone around you who’s suffering because of the pandemic, and you could help to alleviate that suffering? Give extravagantly to God’s work, and to the poor, and to the people around you. If God has blessed you, pour out that blessing on others. Like Jesus said, “Freely you have received; freely give.”

And then third, we are Free to take relational risks. When I was younger, one of my biggest mistakes was that I took any sign of rejection way too personally. So when I tried to initiate a friendship with someone, if I got any sign that they weren’t interested, I would take that as rejection, and become intimidated, and back off completely. My security was really riding on that person’s response. So think about this: if you are lonely, it might be because you are afraid of rejection. Because you are

tying your identity and your value as a person to how people respond to you. So you play it safe and you keep to yourself. But what if you started to find your deepest security in Christ? Then, you could begin to interact with people without so much riding on it. Does that make sense? So even if you’re rejected, that wouldn’t devastate you. Because your true identity lies deeper than that.

Or, maybe you’re in a relationship. But it’s not a healthy relationship, because the person you’re with is abusive toward you, or they’re addicted to alcohol or drugs or porn. But you don’t confront them on their behavior. Why? Because you’re afraid of losing them. Because you don’t know who you would be without this person. So you allow it; you enable it; because to you, it’s just not worth the risk! But what if you were so secure in Christ, that you were able to take that risk? What if you were able to do the right thing, and the loving thing, and confront that wrong behavior? How freeing that would be.

Or, maybe you’re afraid to talk to anyone about your faith. Because you’re afraid they might be offended or just not interested, and that’s a terrifying thought. So you have long-term relationships with people that you really care about, and you’ve never shared with them the most important part of your life—your faith. Would you allow the love of God to make you so secure that you take that risk? You might be amazed to find that your friend is intrigued with your faith—in fact, maybe God has been drawing them! But even if they’re not interested, you’ve still done the right thing.

When you find your security in Christ, and you hold tightly to him, that frees you to hold everything else more loosely. It’s the way we were meant to live.

Let me say one more thing. At the beginning of today’s passage, when the Greeks came up to the disciples, do you remember what their request was? “We want to see Jesus.” And in response to that request, Jesus says, “I’m about to give up my life, like a seed that falls into the ground.” I don’t think he was ignoring their request! I think he was actually responding to it. In other words, “If you really want to see me, the essence of who I am will be seen most clearly when I give up my life on the cross.”

So here’s what this means for us: if we want the world to see Jesus through us—if that’s what we want, and I hope that’s what we want—we need to pour ourselves out just like Jesus did. We need to take physical risks and financial risks and relational risks for the good of the people around us and the blessing of this world. We need to stop clinging to security the way the world does, and instead pour ourselves out in the name of Christ.

So take a second and think about your life—all the potential that God has given you. Are you clinging tightly to security? Is God showing you that you are a lot like a package of seeds, still sealed up on the shelf? So much wasted potential! If you see any of that in yourself, here’s what you need to know: Jesus has you. He will never let you go. So you can let go. Hold your life loosely. Pour out your life for him. And you will be like a seed that goes into the ground and produces something amazing.