John 12:24

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. VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, EXCEPT A GRAIN [OR 'GRAIN' kokkos (G2848 )] OF WHEAT FALL INTO THE GROUND AND DIE, IT ABIDETH ALONE, [ autos (G846) monos (G3441) menei (G3306)] - 'by itself alone,' BUT IF IT DIE, IT BRINGETH FORTH MUCH FRUIT. The necessity of His death is here brightly expressed, and its proper operation and fruit-life springing forth out of death-imaged forth by a beautiful and deeply significant law of the vegetable...

24._Unless a grain of wheat having fallen into the ground, die, it remaineth alone. If a grain of wheat do not die _or putrefy, it continues to be dry and unfruitful; but the death of the seed has the beneficial effect of quickening it, that it may yield fruit. In short, Christ compares his death to sowing, which appears to tend to the destruction of the _wheat, _but yet is the cause of far more abundant increase. Though this admonition was especially necessary at that time, yet it is of continual use in the Church. And, first, we ought to begin with the Head. That dreadful appearance of disgrace and cursing, which appears in the death of Christ, not only obscures his glory, but removes it altogether from our view. We must not, therefore, confine our attention to his death alone, but must likewise consider the fruit which has been yielded by his glorious resurrection. (21) Thus there wil...

20-26 In attendance upon holy ordinances, particularly the gospel passover, the great desire of our souls should be to see Jesus; to see him as ours, to keep up communion with him, and derive grace from him. The calling of the Gentiles magnified the Redeemer. A corn of wheat yields no increase unless it is cast into the ground. Thus Christ might have possessed his heavenly glory alone, without becoming man. Or, after he had taken man's nature, he might have entered heaven alone, by his own perfect righteousness, without suffering or death; but then no sinner of the human race could have been saved. The salvation of souls hitherto, and henceforward to the end of time, is owing to the dying of this Corn of wheat. Let us search whether Christ be in us the hope of glory; let us beg him to make us indifferent to the trifling concerns of this life, that we may serve the Lord Jesus with a willi...

Verse 24. _EXCEPT A CORN OF WHEAT FALL INTO THE GROUND AND DIE_] Our Lord compares _himself_ to a _grain_ of wheat; his _death_, to a grain _sown_ and _decomposed_ in the ground; his _resurrection_, to the _blade_ which springs up from the dead grain; which grain, thus dying, brings forth an abundance of fruit. I must die to be glorified; and, unless I am glorified, I can not establish a glorious Church of Jews and Gentiles upon earth. In comparing himself thus to a grain of wheat, our Lord shows us: - 1. The _cause_ of his death - the order of God, who had rated the redemption of the world at this price; as in nature he had attached the _multiplication_ of the corn to the _death_ or _decomposition_ of the _grain_. 2. The _end_ of his death - the redemption of a lost world; the justification, sanctification, and glorification of men: as the multiplication of the corn is t

VERILY, VERILY - An expression denoting the great importance of what he was about to say. We cannot but admire the wisdom by which he introduces the subject of his death. They had seen his triumph. They supposed that he was about to establish his kingdom. He told them that the time had come in which he was to be glorified, but not in the manner in which they expected. It was to be by his death. But as they would not at once see how this could be, as it would appear to dash their hopes, he takes occasion to illustrate it by a beautiful comparison. All the beauty and richness of the harvest results from the fact that the grain had died. If it had not died it would never have germinated or produced the glory of the yellow harvest. So with him. By this he still keeps before them the truth that he was to be glorified, but he delicately and beautifully introduces the idea still that he must di...

EXPOSITION The twelfth chapter neither belongs intrinsically to that which precedes nor to that which follows. It is a paragraph of high significance, as bearing on the construction of the Gospel. It is the transition between the public and the private ministry, the great pause between the two classes of manifestation forming the climax of the public ministry. III. CONSUMMATION OF THE PUBLIC MINISTRY. JOHN 12:1 1. _The feast of love and gratitude_. JOHN 12:1 JESUS THEREFORE, SIX DAYS BEFORE THE PASSOVER. Every preliminary of that solemn feast is memorable to our evangelist. The coincidence of the

VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU,.... This is a certain truth in nature, Christ was about to assert; and what he signifies by it would be a certain fact, and which he mentions, that his death might not be a stumbling block to his disciples, or any objection to his glorification; but was rather to be considered as a means of it, and necessary in order to it: EXCEPT A CORN OF WHEAT FALL INTO THE GROUND; or is sown in the earth; for sowing with the Jews is expressed by the falling of the seed into the earth; Matthew 13:4; and is a very fit phrase to set forth the death of Christ by, who fell a sacrifice to justice by the hands of men: AND DIE; or is corrupted, and putrefies; and which is done in three days time in moist land, but is longer in dry ground ere it perishes z: and a corn of wheat is almost the only seed, that being cast into the earth, does die;

John 12:1. _Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead._ The days Christ was to spend upon the earth were getting to be very few so he paid another visit to that Bethany home where he was always so welcome, and more so than ever since he had raised Lazarus from the dead. John 12:2. _There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment._ All the members of the re-united family were present, Martha busy as usual with the domestic duties which fell to her share, La

EXCEPT Chapters 12-17 are a progression according to the order of approach to God in the tabernacle types: chapter 12, in which Christ speaks of His death, answers to the brazen altar of burnt-offering, type of the cross. Passing from the altar toward the holy of holies, the laver is next reached (Exodus 30:17); answering to Chapter 13. With His associate priests, now purified, the High Priest approaches and enters the holy place, in the high communion of Chapters 14-16. Entering alone the holy of holies (John 17:1); the High Priest intercedes. Compare (Hebrews 7:24). That intercession is not for the salvation, but the keeping and blessing of those for whom He prays. His death (assumed as acc

CHAPTER 12 1. The Feast at Bethany. (John 12:1 .) 2. The Entrance into Jerusalem. (John 12:9 .) 3. The Inquiring Greeks and His Answer. (John 12:20 .) 4. His Final Words. (John 12:34 .) From the close of the previous chapter we learn that the Lord had gone with His disciples to a city called Ephraim. Six days before the Passover He came to Bethany again. They made Him a feast. Lazarus is especially mentioned as well as Martha, who served; Mary also was present with others who were of His disciples. It is a beautiful type of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, when He will have His own with Him. Lazarus represents the Saint