“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24
There is a principle of fruitfulness in the Scriptures that must not be overlooked when it comes to the things of God, service for the King, and abundant fruitfulness for His glory. That principle has to do with the cross, and what transpired there, and does now transpire in the hearts and lives of believers who would truly follow Christ. What is the principle, and how are we to understand it, as it would apply to our lives?
First and foremost, we need to see that the teaching concerning the cross in the New Testament is not only the fulfillment of that which is seen in the Old Testament, but the magnification of the work of Christ, and the full salvation to which the believer is called. In the Old Testament, when Israel was called upon, even commanded, to come out of Egypt, first by crossing through the Red Sea, Scripture tells us that “…our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” (1 Cor. 10:1,2) The Red Sea crossing was for Israel part of a “death” to Egypt, with its ungodliness and idolatry. It was a point of deliverance from slavery to Pharaoh. It was also a point of no return, for the return of the waters upon the Egyptians who sought to enslave the people of Israel, would block the way back to Egypt. The waters of the Red Sea became an symbol, and proof, of a deliverance that had occurred, one that was to be indelibly written upon the hearts and minds of the Israelites for as long as they should exist as a nation. They were saved from the tyranny of wickedness, to leave it behind, in order to go forward to live an entirely different life, with an entirely new beginning. However, if this was to occur, and be lived, the effects of that crossing of the Red Sea, that baptism into Moses in the cloud and the sea, would mean the casting off of all that was behind them, to embrace all that was before.
In the New Testament, when Christ taught concerning discipleship, and following Him, he spoke of the necessary “event,” or work, that needed to be embraced and lived by, if there would be a new beginning, a new life known and lived, an eternal experience of knowing Him, being fruit-filled. In Matthew’s gospel, the Lord said: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (16:24) What does He mean by these very strong words? He reveals the meaning, and applies the truth at the same time by saying: “…For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.” (v.25) He is speaking of two ways, two means of living, and two destinations. There are but two of all these, as there were only two concerning Egypt and the Israelites. If Israel would know Christ, drink of that Spiritual Rock which followed them in the wilderness, then Egypt must be forsaken, with its idolatry and godlessness. To know Christ is first and foremost to turn to Him, seek Him for grace to forsake all concerning the old life. It is a putting off, a denial of the old life in Adam, to embrace all that is in Christ. The basis for this possibility is Christ’s crucifixion, and ours in Him. Losing one’s “life” to know that of Christ, is the calling of every believer.
When Jesus spoke of his own life as a grain of wheat, which would fall in to the ground and die, He showed us the path, the principle, but also the power, of what it means to truly follow and know Him. All things become possible by the abounding grace of God.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to follow. In Jesus’ name, Amen.