[2026. 6. 14.] When a Grain of Wheat Dies | John 12:20–26

[2026. 6. 14.] When a Grain of Wheat Dies | John 12:20–26

Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Chuch) 

 

2026. 6. 14. 주일예배 설교- 요한복음 강해 35
본문: 요한복음 12:20–26

제목: 한 알의 밀이 죽으면

설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)

 

Today’s passage begins with several Greeks coming to see Jesus after His entry into Jerusalem. What did they say to Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples? [Verse 21] They approached Philip from Bethsaida in Galilee and said, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” They said, “We want to see Jesus.” When this request was brought to Jesus, He responded by speaking about a kernel of wheat that dies. Why would Jesus speak this way to people who simply wanted to see Him?

Through today’s passage, I hope we can understand this and come to know the heart of Jesus more deeply.

 

1. From “seeing” to “union”

Why did the Greeks want to see Jesus? They had likely heard reports about Him or seen His works during their time in Jerusalem. To them, Jesus appeared to be a respectable figure, a great teacher, and they wanted to meet Him. So they requested an introduction through the disciples. But Jesus’ response is unexpected:

[Verses 23–24] Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, 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.”

Jesus uses the image of a kernel of wheat to speak about His own death—He is the kernel that will fall and die to bear much fruit. He is revealing that He is the Savior who will die and rise again for many.

[Matthew 20:28] The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Why does Jesus speak about His death to people who want to see Him? Because Jesus is not someone to merely observe—He is someone to believe in and unite with. Those who only “watch” Jesus cannot experience His life. It is only when we go beyond admiration and become united with Him that we abide in Him and receive life.

Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian nationalist, learned about Jesus through missionaries and came to admire Him. His nonviolent resistance movement was influenced by Jesus’ teachings, especially the Sermon on the Mount and sacrificial love. He respected Jesus deeply and was inspired by His words. Yet Gandhi never united with Jesus—he refused to receive Him as Savior.

Many people around us are like this. They admire Jesus as a great figure but refuse to unite with Him. A life that knows about Jesus but does not belong to Him is a tragic life.

C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, also initially viewed Jesus only as a great moral teacher. In Mere Christianity, he wrote: “I wanted to keep Jesus as merely a great teacher. But He did not leave us that option.” Eventually, Lewis moved from “seeing” Jesus to believing in Him as Lord and God, and his life was transformed.

Isn’t that true for us as well? May every believer here experience the grace and blessing of being united with the Lord and becoming one with Him.

[Application] Do I see Jesus merely as an object of interest, or as the Lord with whom I must unite? Am I at the level of “I want to know Him,” or “I will follow Him”?

 

2. Only through death can fruit be produced

[Verse 23] Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” This means the time was near when Jesus would be glorified. What was about to happen? Jesus spoke these words five days before His death. He knew He would die in five days. Yet He said that His death would be the moment of glory. Why is Jesus’ death on the cross His glory?

[Verse 24] Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

This is the law of the grain. A kernel that does not fall and die remains alone and bears no fruit. But when it falls and dies, it produces many seeds. Why? Because life is inside the grain. But that life cannot emerge unless the outer shell dies and decays.

The same is true of Jesus. Jesus is life. [John 1:4] In Him was life, and that life was the light of all people. [1 John 5:11] God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

But that life was within His flesh. When His flesh died, the life within Him was released and brought forth fruit.

The same is true for believers. When we “die,” the life of Jesus within us begins to work. We hear the gospel because missionaries gave up their own lives to bring the life of Jesus to others.

Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, left a stable life in England and devoted his entire life to the gospel in inland China. He said: “When God wants to do a great work, He first breaks a man.” — Hudson Taylor, A Retrospect, 1894

Through Hudson Taylor’s “death-like devotion,” countless Chinese people heard the gospel. Like a kernel of wheat, when he placed his life in the place of death, much fruit was produced.

[Application] What areas of my life refuse to “die”? (Pride, time, money, plans, comfort…)

 

3. The path of the dying grain is the path of glory

We often think that falling to the ground and dying means loss, failure, or the end. But Jesus teaches the opposite:

[Verse 25] Anyone who loves their life will lose it, but anyone who does not cling to their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

To “hate” one’s life means not placing it above all else.

The first reason the path of the dying grain is the path of glory is that it leads to eternal life.

The second reason appears in the first part of verse 26:

[Verse 26a] Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, My servant also will be…

Jesus reveals the astonishing blessing given to those who serve Him—they will be with Him. How do we serve Jesus? By following Him. And Jesus told us how to follow Him:

[Matthew 16:24] Whoever wants to follow Me must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Me.

Denying ourselves and taking up our cross is how we serve the Lord. This is the path of the dying grain. And the second reason this path is the path of glory is that it leads us to be with Jesus.

Beloved saints, do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that Jesus is God and the Lord of your life? A person who steps down from the throne of their life and gives that place to Jesus is a believer—and such a person walks the path of the dying grain.

Last Saturday, our evangelist’s mother, Deaconess Lee Soon-ok, passed away after a long struggle with dementia. Even when she could no longer recognize her children, when asked if she believed in Jesus, she answered “Amen.” When prayer ended with “In Jesus’ name,” she responded “Amen.”

Five days before she passed, another pastor’s wife in our denomination died after four years of battling cancer. Her memorial service was held yesterday. She served as a pastor’s wife and missionary and went to be with the Lord at age 48. Even in sorrow, we were grateful as we remembered her life.

Both Deaconess Lee and Pastor Pyeon’s wife lived the life of the dying grain—denying themselves and believing Jesus as Lord. Where are they now? With the Lord in heaven.

What is the greatest success in life? I believe it is to be with Jesus at the end. If we cannot be with Jesus at the end, that is hell and the greatest failure. Jesus says that those who will be with Him are those who serve Him. And Jesus explained what kind of person serves Him.

Jesus told a parable to His disciples. The King calls those on His right “the righteous” and “the blessed,” and tells them to inherit the kingdom prepared for them:

[Matthew 25:35–36] I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, a stranger and you invited Me in, naked and you clothed Me, sick and you cared for Me, in prison and you visited Me.

The righteous respond, “Lord, when did we ever do these things for You?” And the King answers:

[Matthew 25:40] Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.

A believer—one who receives Jesus as Lord and serves Him—is someone who serves the “least one” God has placed near them. Jesus says that serving that person is serving Him. And He gives a remarkable promise at the end of today’s passage:

[Verse 26b] …Whoever serves Me, My Father will honor.

Beloved saints, may you serve those in need with love for the Lord, and may our heavenly Father honor each one of you.

[Application] Will the end of my life be with Jesus? Who is the “least one” I must serve today?

 

 

하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.

Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.