Paradox At The Depth of Reality - Robert Barron

HOLY SATURDAY - GRAIN OF WHEAT

What is the message that Jesus has for the world? At first he seems to confirm his followers' hopes: "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified." Great! Finally, after putting things off for so long, he is ready; the moment has come. But then he clarifies: "I solemnly assure you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat, but if it dies it produces much fruit." Believe me, this is not what his followers wanted to hear. The Jews had had more than enough experience with death. They had lived under oppression for centuries and their glory days were long ago. The Roman boot was pressing down upon them. Those who would endeavor to throw it off were imprisoned or killed. And now this one, upon whom they had pinned their hopes, at the high point of his life, is speaking of falling to the earth and dying. Then it gets stranger: "The man who loves his life loses it, while the man who hates his life in this world, preserves it to life eternal." Come again?! To understand what all this means, we should go back to the great image that Jesus uses, the grain of wheat that falls to the earth. A seed, resting by itself, can exist for a long time. In fact, they have found seeds in the tombs of the Pharaohs and seeds in fossil remains. But unless they fall into the soil and crack open, nothing further comes of them. Their life is inside, yes, but it's a life that grows by being given away and mixing with the soil around it. It has to crack open and be destroyed. But even after a very long time, a seed can grow into a flourishing plant. The oldest seed that has grown into a viable plant was a 2000-year-old date palm seed from excavations at Herod the Great's palace on Masada in Israel. It was germinated in 2005. When you look at a great tree or a plant, you see none of the original seed, and yet you see life. The same is true of the cross. When Christians look at the cross, we no longer see death, but eternal life.