The apostle Paul wrote, “A seed must die before it can sprout from the ground.”(1)

i don’t know about you, but that statement put me off a bit. i’ve never thought about seeds needing to die. To me, seeds are always the picture of new life just bursting to get out. But the fact of the matter is that the seed must die in order for life to burst out. As it dies, it transforms into roots that go deep, and stems that soon make their way out of the dirt into the air in order to grow and blossom. If you dig up a plant after it has blossomed you won’t find the seed – only the product of the dead seed. Because … a seed must die!

Paul made this statement as he was explaining that God’s people will be raised to life.  He wrote, “These bodies will die, but the bodies that are raised will live forever. … Our physical bodies will be changed into spiritual bodies.”(2) In order for us to have spiritual bodies that will live forever, the bodies we now have must first die – either at the moment Jesus returns, or as our bodies await His return in the grave. At some point … a seed must die!

But the reality is so much more than what will happen to our physical bodies. The reality holds true for the very essence of who we are – our soul. Don’t lose sight that our body is not who we are – it is merely what we walk around in. Our soul was created by our Maker to live forever. Sin has crippled us – body and soul. In order for our soul to live on in the fullness of our Maker’s purpose, it must also be made new. There must be a surrendering of our lives – our hearts, our wills and our emotions – to the One who created us and made the way for us to be made new through His Son. There must be a conscious decision that … a seed must die!

Paul explained it well when he wrote, “I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave His life for me.”(3) The seed of my life that i have surrendered to Him is now dead – once for all. That seed no longer exists, because Christ lives in me. i am a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.(4) The old must first pass away before the new can come. By God’s grace … a seed must die!

But Jesus teaches us that the death of that seed is not solely once and for all, there is also a death that is ongoing and daily. It is a death to self. A death to the seed within each one of us that wants to raise its ugly head on an ongoing basis. Jesus could see into the hearts of His apostles and the crowd who was following Him, just as easily as He can see into our hearts. As He looked into their hearts, He knew that His disciples were preoccupied with stepping into the positions of power that they thought awaited them in an earthly kingdom. As for the crowd, He knew they saw Him as their ticket to get out from under Roman rule. They all had their own agenda – just like we do. But … a seed must die!

Jesus said to them (paraphrased), “If you want to follow Me, you must give up your right to be your own master, and you must take up an instrument of death.”(5) That was not the message His followers were expecting to hear! The people were thinking about what the Messiah was going to do for them, and Jesus interrupted their happy thought and told them they must die to themselves. It was true then … a seed must die!

They weren’t any different from us today. When we look at Jesus from our point of view, we’re expecting Him to do things for us – heal us, bless us, provide for us, and the list goes on. We tend to remain focused on what Jesus can do for us. Now, does Jesus heal, bless and provide? Of course He does. But that can’t be our focus. Jesus said that day, “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost?”(6) We must die to our point of view and turn to Him. And it’s just as true today … a seed must die!

He’s looking to bear fruit though our lives. What fruit? His fruit. Fruit that remains and fruit that brings glory to God.(7) Does that fruit simply burst forth out of the “big” moments in our lives when we’re on our best behavior? No! The lasting fruit is most often borne through the everyday moments of our lives – through every aspect of our lives. That’s why, by His grace, He has redeemed us. That’s why He has made us new. That’s why we remain – to be the seeds He plants in His garden to bear His fruit. If we would be seed used for His purpose, we must never forget – a seed must die!

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(1)  1 Corinthians 15:36 (CEV)

(2)  1 Corinthians 15:42, 44 (CEV)

(3)  Galatians 2:20 (CEV)

(4)  2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

(5)  Luke 9:23 paraphrased

(6)  Luke 9:25 (NLT)

(7)  John 15:8

Adapted from Walking With The Master, Ch. 36

Photo by Chu Tai on Unsplash