In present times, we often associate the religious dimension of our lives with “values,” both ethical and aesthetic. This passage from the Gospel helps us question the value we attribute to the Cross on which Jesus was crucified. The crucifixion certainly became a little overwrought in 19th century interpretations, and this was later redressed to a certain degree. But what do we make of the Cross now, this instrument of torture and torment, presented here as the means by which Jesus was elevated and glorified by God? This Gospel reading casts the cross in a more positive light.
At first, the text appears to be paradoxical. As is often the case, Jesus shifts the logic of those with whom he is in dialogue. In the Gospel, he replies to two disciples who speak on behalf of some Greeks who wish to “see Jesus.” Unlike his fellow Jews, many others maintained greater distance from Jesus. Yet it is not only through personal contact that non-believers can access Jesus and his message, but also in the present by understanding his journey through the passion and his death on the cross.
By being raised on the gallows of the cross, Jesus was brought closer to his Father. Far from being destroyed by his death on the cross, the relationship is expanded in a dual elevation that corresponds to a dual abasement of Jesus Christ in the Letter to the Philippians (2: 6-8):
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!”
In Christ’s dual elevation, God glorifies Jesus and his name. We should pause before we interpret this glorification in light of the forceful representations common in baroque art. Rather, the glorification indicates God’s great involvement in Jesus’ story and, through this, his involvement in the story of all humankind. Although it is sometimes interpreted as a sign of God’s abandonment, the passion of Christ in fact demonstrates his proximity, by breaking through the framework of divine presence in human life. God does not abandon Jesus in his passion or in his death. He reaffirms his devotion to his Son; He is the only one to glorify Jesus’ name, which confirms their privileged relationship in this most crucial hour.
The parable of the grain of wheat and the two commentaries that accompany it help us clarify Jesus’ message and understand the search of those who want to meet him. The fruit is the “attraction” emanating from Jesus, which is felt “by all humankind.” Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross determines his disciples’ disposition by presenting them with an alternative. Through the commentaries, the Gospel denounces ways of living that focus only the self and one’s worldly successes and accomplishments.
The example of Jesus’ life calls upon us to discern the signs of the true kingdom among the “values” of the world. It invites us to recreate the same disposition of service in going beyond oneself that is implied by the paradoxical dual elevation on the cross. By following in his path, anyone can come to know Jesus profoundly, Jews and others alike.
This alternative is the response given to the Greeks who want to “see Jesus.” But to see Jesus or to meet Christ, the way is to follow in his footsteps until one’s steps no longer makes sense, or until following requires some kind of sacrifice. This could be the opening of a breach and having to welcome something that doesn’t come naturally or does not come directly from oneself.
In this way, for the disciple of Christ, the parable of the grain of wheat also invites us to direct our understanding to the grains sown by those who came before us, to find out how God glorified his name in times past and in different places. The parable puts us in a secondary position and disengages the glorification of the name of God in Jesus Christ from that which we produce. To truly know Christ we must defer to God alone to glorify his name.
