Years ago, when the Betty Crocker Company first began selling their cake mixes, they offered a product which only needed water. All you had to do was add water to the mix which came in the box, and you would get a perfect, delicious cake every time. 

It bombed. No one bought it and the company couldn’t understand why, so they commissioned a study which brought back a surprising answer. It seemed that people weren’t buying the cake mix because it was too easy. They didn’t want to be totally excluded from the work of preparing a cake; they wanted to feel that they were contributing something to it. So, Betty Crocker changed the formula and required the customer to add an egg in addition to water. Immediately, the new cake mix was a huge success. Unfortunately, many people make the same mistake when it comes to "packaging" or presenting the Christian religion. They try to make the call of Jesus Christ as easy as possible because they’re afraid people won’t "buy it" if it seems too hard. 

Jesus said, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies it bears much fruit. Jesus then explained what he meant. He said, "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it." It's true in life isn't it? If we are going to get anything out of it we have to invest ourselves in it. Do you remember the second to last album by the Beatles? It was called "Abbey Road" and for my money it was their best. The last song is a little musical reprise called "The End." It's the last lyrical statement the Beatles make on the album. And it went, "And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make." 

The truth of this is written in creation. It is evident for everyone to see. It is even found in something as small as grain of wheat, a seed. 

I 

Jesus said, first, when a grain of wheat falls it dies. When learn in our text that Jesus is in Jerusalem. It is the feast of the Passover, the week of his death. The town plays host to thousands of pilgrims, the streets swell to twice their normal capacity during this holy festival. Among the pilgrims are gentiles who have converted to Judaism. They are there because they know this is Israel’s most important event and there is no more reverent way to worship God in this season than at the Temple, on Mt. Zion in the Holy City. But now they have learned that Jesus has just arrived. They know he is viewed by many to be the Messiah, the new king of Israel. It is no surprise then that they press upon the disciples a request to speak with Jesus. 

Some scholars have suggested that these gentiles are not converts but plants by the Roman government to spy on Jesus. They are assessing the seriousness of his claims. This may be he case but I think not. Nothing suggests this. The scriptures say they went up to worship at the feast. But either way Jesus uses the opportunity to announce a shift in his ministry. The hour is at hand. It is time, Jesus said, for the Son of man to be glorified. It was that moment when the last sand falls from the hourglass. No time left for the development of new disciples. No time left for miracles to convince the people. No time left for debates with the religious leaders. No time left, the Passion is upon him. The grain of wheat has left the stalk making its descent to the soil below, its death a certainty, its rebirth yet begun. 

For the disciples this is the critical moment. It will be a model for them the rest of their lives. Are they willing to follow Jesus and serve as he has done? Whoever serves me must follow me, Jesus said, and where I am, my servant will also be. 

Next week is the highlight of Lent. We will relive, along with Christians all over the world, the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord. It was the critical moment then for his disciples and it is the critical moment now for all of today’s disciples. So I ask you: Do you intend to follow Jesus? Then you must serve. Do you want the secret to a spiritually alive church? It is serving He who served me. John Wesley wrote to his people called Methodist the following Rule of Conduct: 

Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can. 

This is the meaning of the Passion. The crucifixion of Jesus is God's conduct toward us; it is the rule for our conduct toward one another as lives as long as we shall live. That brings us to Jesus second announcement. 

II 

Jesus said, when a grain of wheat falls it bears much fruit. Many of you saw “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” starring Richard Dreyfus. Mr. Holand dreamed of being a composer but a new baby in the family caused him to reevaluate. So he found a job at a high school teaching. He would spend his spare time writing, composing music. 

But life crashed in again and the overwhelming duties of teaching forced him to chose: His dream symphony or his student’s education. He tries to continue his writing. Slowly the independent composer dies to the teacher. 

His heart was broken but he fulfilled his obligations. Out of the death of his dreams came fulfillment of another. He had composed his opus. Not on paper but in the lives of his students, a brilliant symphony composed of the individual lives that he encouraged and nurtured through his teaching. 

Is this not what Jesus was getting at? “When a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it surrenders to new life and bears much fruit.” 

III 

And who is this grain of wheat? The grain of wheat that dies and bears much fruit is Jesus himself. This is our third point and it is the most critical. Is Jesus simply extolling the virtues of service. No! This is not a secular ethic. Jesus said, “My Father will honor the one who serves me.” Our Lord is the first object of our service. It is interesting to note also that humble service cannot take place unless he first dies. He must be the first grain from the stalk to fall otherwise their can be no fruit. John records these words, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” 

His cross comes first, then we empowered to carry our own. We are his workmanship, the first fruits, the apostle Paul declares. No one here can truly serve unless he first serves at the foot of the cross. It is a shame then when churches and Christian movements de-emphasize the cross. Theologian H. Richard Neibuhr condemns cross-less Christianity whether liberal Protestantism or the evangelical "feel good" seeker-sensitive churches promotes it. With biting sarcasm he describes such beliefs as, "A God without wrath bringing men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross." In a word: There is no Christianity without the Cross! 

The cross is indispensable. For in it we learn of God’s love, his willingness to take our sins upon himself, and his willingness to place his righteousness upon us. The Christian author Walter Wangerin has a wonderful story, called "Matthew, Seven, Eight, and Nine" about how he tried to stop his son Matthew from stealing comic books. He tried various uses of the law over several years and continued to fail. Finally, he resorted to something he rarely used: a spanking. He did it deliberately, almost ritualistically, and he was so upset when he finished that he left the room and wept. After pulling himself back together, he went in to Matthew and hugged him. A number of years later, Matthew and his mother were doing some general reminiscing, and Matthew happened to bring up the time when he kept stealing comic books. "And you know why I finally stopped?" he asked. "Sure," she said, "Because Dad finally spanked you." "No!" replied Matthew, "I stopped because Dad cried." 

The last week of Jesus’ life is called the Passion for this reason. God weeps for the sins of the world. And in his broken body our lives are made whole. Amen.