A Grain of Wheat
John Rogers Cox (American, 1915–1990), Wheat Field, ca. 1943. Oil on Masonite, 16 × 20 in. The John and Susan Horseman Collection of American Art, St. Louis, Missouri.
It is sometimes too easy to sit back and shake our heads at those who breathed the same air as Jesus and yet “didn’t get it”, when in reality there is so much of who Jesus is and what He does that we do not understand, even with all of the resources we have at our fingertips.
This scripture passage begins with people approaching the disciples, seeking to meet Jesus. There is a yearning, particularly following the raising of Lazarus, that has the crowds gathering and longing to know more of who this Jesus is.
I find Jesus’ response to the request for an introduction a little jarring: “Time’s up” and then He pontificates on what may, at first listen, seem like simple agricultural science. It must have been a little confusing for those present, but Jesus is preparing His disciples for what lay ahead, using His trademark teaching style. He creates a word picture of His death and resurrection.
The application to each of us personally is that when we are willing to die to self, the rewards are a hundred-fold. This is a good reminder to let go of the things we try so desperately to hold onto, out of fear or a need to control. It is when we let go, with hands wide open, that we are able to fully receive from God what He is longing to give us.
The closing exhortation is to “walk in the light”. We have been given the Light, asked to believe in the Light, and called to trust the Light for guidance. Then the Light will be in us, shine through us, and we will be known as “children of light”. May it be so.
Dear God, Open our hearts and imaginations to the beauty and wonder of You. Teach us to trust You fully, to approach You (and the life You have gifted us) with hands wide open. May we release whatever we have been grasping tightly, so that we may receive what You long to give us. Help us to turn to You, our Light that dispels darkness, that we may be known as Children of Light. Amen
Valerie Reynolds