The Lord Jesus fell into the ground and died that His divine element, His divine life, might be released from within the shell of His humanity to produce many believers in resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3), just as a grain of wheat has its life element released by falling into the ground and growing up out of the ground to bear much fruit, that is, to bring forth many grains. Instead of receiving a warm welcome, the Lord preferred to fall into the ground and die as a grain of wheat that He might produce many grains for the church. The Lord, as a grain of wheat falling into the ground, lost His soul-life through death that He might release His eternal life in resurrection to the “many grains.”
In one aspect, the Lord’s death was a falling into the ground as revealed in verse 24; in another aspect, it was a lifting up on the tree (v. 32; 1 Pet. 2:24). To “fall into the ground” as a grain of wheat was to produce the many grains; to be “lifted up” on the tree as the Son of Man was to draw all men to Himself. The many grains produced by His falling into the ground are the “all men” drawn by His being lifted up on the tree.
In chapter twelve of John the Lord’s death is revealed not as the redeeming death (as referred to in 1:29) but as the producing, generating death. According to this chapter, by His death the Lord had His incarnation shell broken that He might accomplish three purposes: the producing of the many grains, the drawing of all men to Himself (vv. 24, 32); the releasing of the divine element, the eternal life (vv. 23, 28); and the judging of the world and the casting out of its ruler (v. 31).
It was by His death that the Lord was glorified and glorified God the Father. In verse 23 the Lord said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” and in verse 28 He prayed, “Father, glorify Your name.” How was the Lord glorified? He was glorified through death and resurrection because it was through death and resurrection that His divine element was released and manifested. How was God the Father glorified? It was by the Son’s being glorified. When the Son’s divine element was released and manifested through His death and resurrection, the Father’s divine life was released and manifested. Thus, the Father was glorified in the Son’s glorification through His death and resurrection. The death and resurrection of the Lord glorified God the Father because His death and resurrection released God’s divine element from within Him. God’s divine element was confined in His flesh, just as the life element of a grain of wheat is confined within its shell. How is the life element of a grain glorified? The grain has to die so that the life element within it can be manifested and glorified. It is the same with God’s divine element.
To glorify the name of the Father was to cause the Father’s divine element to be manifested. The Father’s divine element, which is the eternal life, was in the incarnated Son. The shell of the Son’s incarnation, that is, His flesh, had to be broken through death that the Father’s divine element, the eternal life, might be released and manifested in resurrection, just as the life element of a grain of wheat is released by its shell being broken and is manifested by its blossom. This was the glorification of God the Father in the Son’s glorification.
Suppose we have a flower seed. Although much beauty is in the life of that seed, how can that beauty be manifested? The seed has to die. If the seed falls into the earth, dies, and grows up, the full beauty within it will be manifested. That is the glory, the life in the seed glorified. Likewise, at one time God was confined within the flesh of the Lord. The Lord had to die that God within Him might be released, manifested, and glorified in resurrection.
Glorified simply means manifested. Many times I have used the electricity in a lamp as an illustration. When is the electricity glorified in the lamp? When the electricity is manifested, it is glorified. The electricity manifested is the electricity glorified. Likewise, the God who was confined in the flesh of Jesus was manifested when He was resurrected. So, when God was manifested from within Jesus, God was glorified.