This reading begins with the enigmatic statement that a few Greeks (described in some translations as Gentiles) were present at a Passover feast in Jerusalem. It is unclear whether these are Greek-speaking Jews, who are described as Greeks because they are not from Jerusalem and speak Greek rather than Aramaic, or Greek-speaking Gentiles. Clearly, however, they are not from Jerusalem or from Galilee. Symbolically in the story they represent the world beyond Jerusalem and Palestine, the world of Greek culture and the world of Roman authority. The gospel says these men of the world are interested in Jesus.
Jesus explains to them his mission by referring to a grain of wheat that dies in the earth in order to produce a great harvest. All four gospels include explanations of the death of Jesus, but only the gospel of John contains this particular verse. Paul, too, uses this image to explain resurrection (1 Cor. 15). Might our lives be seeds of life? Might our death be part of the miracle of the harvest?
Grace and peace . . . Bob
