Section 2
highly esteemed Him and warmly welcomed Him (vv. 12-19). They welcomed Him by shouting, "Hosanna, blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" Humanly speaking, this very hour was the most glorious time for the Lord while He was on earth. All the people praised Him, welcomed Him, honored Him, and respected Him. Even the Greeks came to seek Him (vv. 20-22). Could the Lord have produced and increased the church by accepting this kind of welcome and honor? No, this is not the way to produce or increase the church. This is not the way to bring the church into existence and increase it in life.
A GRAIN OF WHEAT
At that very moment, when the Lord was wel comed and honored by both Jews and Greeks, what did He say? If we had been there, or if such a welcome were extended to us, we would have said, "Praise the Lord. Now is the time for us to do something to glorify God." The Lord Jesus, however, was not excited. He told the seekers that He was a grain of wheat. He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (v. 24). This was the