Reading Jesus' Parable of A Fallen Grain of Wheat (John 12:24) during the Spring Equinox Festive Period of Japan

March 20 is spring equinox. 

This is not just a day of scientific fact of celestial objects movement. 

This unique day, one of the two days when day and night have the equal hours to each other during a year, is observed in different ways across the nations and cultures.

Originally, a religious bearing of  spring equinox was brought to Japan upon the introduction of Buddhism. In response, Japan's indigenous Shinto religious tradition integrated this Buddhism concept. The way the Emperor of Japan officiate the imperial spring equinox ritual reflects this integration. 

The way spring equinox is recognized in Japan seems to have nothing to do with the Judeo-Christian scriptures. However, the fact that we read Jesus' parable of a grain of wheat (John 12:24) while the 14 days of spring equinox Period (7 days before and after Spring Equinox) is being celebrated in Japan makes me discern a parallel between the Japanese Emperor's spring equinox prayer ritual and Jesus' parable of the grain of wheat.

The Japanese Emperor's spring equinox prayer evokes the love of Amaterasu sun-goddess, divine ancestor of the Emperor, while  Jesus' parable of the grain of wheat reminds of God's love.  The former brought rice harvest for the sustenance of life in Japan, while the latter brought the bread of life for deliverance and eternal life.

In this article, I will explore various religious background relevant to the way spring equinox is observed in Japan, to juxtapose the Japanese Emperor's spring equinox prayer to Amaterasu to a biblical meaning in Jesus' grain of wheat parable.
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In Japanese Buddhism tradition, the equinox days are when the distance between “this shore” and “that shore” becomes the shortest because neither the North Pole nor the South Pole are tilted in their respective geometrical position with the Sun. 

In this Buddhist view, “this shore” means the world of the “bompu”, who are ordinary people in need to practice paramitas (ways toward perfection) , upaya ( skillful means as guided by Buddha’s teaching ) and nembutsu (chanting prayer) to move toward perfection and awakening  byovercoming  kleshas (inherent defilements and their disposition) . When we overcome kleshas , we reach the other world, “that shore”, which is namely the state of Nirvana, the state free from kleshas. 

A Buddhist metaphor for what divides this world of those who are with kleshas  and that world free from kleshas – what separates this world of suffering  and that world of Nirvana - is a big river. Thus, engaging in paramitas, upaya, and numbutsu is how Buddhists cross this river. 

To compare this to the Christian view, “this shore” is like the World – this world where we, the sinners, live, while the “that shore” corresponds to the Kingdom that Christ is shepherding and ushering us in. In this regard, Jesus, the Son, was sent to this world, for us to be saved from all the sufferings and other harmful effects of sins in this world, as summed up in John 3:16. Thus, for Christians, what is paramitas to Buddhists is the ways Jesus taught us to practice for perfection – toward the fullness of us into the mystery of the risen Christ. And, the most important “paramita” that Jesus has taught us is to love one another (John 13:34). Including Lenten practice, what Christians engage according to the teaching of Jesus can be paramitas practice, as well as upaya, complimented and enhanced by prayer, to make Christian life as “ora et labora” (prayer and work). 

In the Japanese spiritual context, where Buddhism, which was brought from China during the 6^th century, has been well-integrated in the frame of the Japanese indigenous religious tradition, Shinto,  both spring and autumn equinox days are when we practice ancestor reverence with more care. It is because we believe that souls of our passed ancestors have cross the “river” safely and reached the “other shore”, the state of Nirvana.

For Japanese Christians, who continue to value and honor this Buddhist-Shinto tradition, these equinox days are also days to practice one of the Ten Commandments – honoring our parents (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16), further extending the spirit of this commandment to those who before our parents. 

The equinox days are brought twice a year by the law of God’s creation of the universe. And, one way to appreciate this aspect of the Creation is to practice God’s commandment of honoring our ancestors, as Japanese Buddhists make special paramitas, upaya, and numbutsu efforts to assure their connections with their gone ancestors. 

This way, it is our equinox spiritual practice that bridges over the “river” between this world we live and that world our ancestors have been. Because the “river” width becomes the shortest on these days, it is easier to build the “bridge” between these two worlds to assure that we are always together with our ancestors on the equinox days. 

Perhaps, on these equinox days, we can experience a foretaste of the Kingdom or Nirvana.  Through this Japanese-style equinox spiritual practice to be in union with our ancestors, we can also become one with God as we build the “bridge” between God and us.

In the Shinto tradition of Japan, Spring Equinox is also understood as a day to appreciate blessings of mother  nature and to give special reverence to all living beings in nature.  This cultural tradition on spring equinox  reflects Japan’s agrarian roots and its mythological reference to the sun-goddess, Amaterasu. 

According to Kojiki, a mythological account of Japan, Amaterasu sun-goddess wanted the land of the Japanese archipelago to become a land of abundant harvest. Our of this desire of hers, from heaven, she sent her grandson deity, Ninigino to plant rice in the land of Japan. Ninigino is the grandfather of the very first Emperor of Japan, Jinmu. 

Thanks to sun-goddess Amaterasu, Japan has become a land of rice cultivation so that people can live in Japan. This is why rice in Japanese is called “ine”, in addition to “kome”, because “ine”, in a Japanese semantic play,  means a root of life, “ine” (inochi no ne), as “I” as a shorten form of “inochi” means life, “no” is a possessive word, and “ne” means root. 

This story of the rice cultivation origin in Japan by Amaterasu and Ninigino  from the Japanese mytology in Kojiki reminds how life was brought to the land of Japan, and echoes  how God gave vegetation to humans so sustain life (Genesis 2:8-9) in the Semitic mythology of the ancient Middle East.

Because  Amaterasu sun-goddess, whose command to her grandson, Ninigino,  to plant rice in the land of Japan, humans can live and sustain life in Japan. Because the Emperor of Japan is descended from Amaterasu, he, as the Chief Priest of Japan, officiates various rituals, to “bridge” between people of Japan and myriads of deities in the universe. Many of these rituals that the Emperor officiates are for the wellbeing of the people of Japan through a good harvest, as the deities help mother nature to cooperate. 

In the Japanese indigenous spiritual view, from which Shinto emerged as its systematized form, before Buddhism was brought to Japan, deity is found virtually everything  that exists in the universe. Some are good, while others may not. But, this depends on circumstances and time. This aspect of the Japanese spirituality is echoed in the Buddhism teaching of the rising causes and condition – “engi”. Furthermore, the Japanese spirituality’s aspect of prevalent existence of deities in the universe can be compared to the Ignatian spirituality of “finding God in all things”.  For those who are not so comfortable that there are more than one deity in the Japanese spiritual view, then, consider these deities are many different spirits that come out of the one spirit – as white light become rays of various colors through a prism. One God, One Spirit, can be recognized in all things in the universe as myriads of deities or spirits.

On behalf of the people of Japan, as the most influential intercessor to all the deities of Japan, including Amaterasu, the Emperor of Japan prayers for abundant harvest, which means sustenance of life in Japan, through his reverence to the imperial divine ancestors.  As one of this set of the priestly duties, the Emperor of Japan officiates a special ritual for Spring Equinox. Adopting the above-mentioned Buddhist tradition of equinoxes, the Emperor of Japan offers special reference to his ancestors – the myriads of deities, including Amaterasu, as he officiates the Imperial Spring Equinox Ceremony, juxtaposing  a prayer to the deities’ care for mother nature to bring abundant harvest around autumn equinox. 

With this spring equinox ritual by the Emperor, farmers in Japan can plant grains of rice with hope and confidence for rich harvest around autumn equinox. Otherwise, how can Japanese farmers plant seeds meaningfully around this time of the year for abundant harvest in autumn? 

Interestingly, the Gospel reading (John 12:20-33) for the 5^th Sunday of Lent (Year B) falls during the 14 day-period of spring equinox this year. It is quite interesting to read this Gospel in light of the Japanese agrarian view of the spring equinox because Jesus speaks a parable of a grain of wheat in the Gospel story. 

A punchline of this Gospel story  for this equinox period Sunday during Lent  is “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24).  These words in Jesus’ agrarian parable really captures the spirit of the spring equinox in the Japanese agrarian tradition – though it is a grain of rice that represents the Japanese tradition. 

In Japan, grains of rice must sprout around this time of the year. If grains of rice did not sprout around the time of spring equinox, we would not know whether or not to have abundant rice harvest around autumn equinox time.  If Japanese farmers could not harvest enough rice, then, it would be very difficult to survive the winter that follows the poor harvest season and beyond.   

Given this Japanese agrarian background, in which the Emperor of Japan is involved as the chief priest to pray for abundant harvest, the grain of wheat parable of Jesus (John 12:24) gives special meaning to be read during the spring equinox period. 

A grain of rice has to fall on the wet ground in order to sprout. The sprout must be planted in the rice field soon so that it will be ready for abundant harvest around the autumn equinox in Japan. In the Gospel story, a grain of wheat must fall on the ground so that it will bring abundant harvest. 

In the Gospel, the grain of wheat that falls to bring abundant fruit is Jesus himself, metaphorically referring to his own death to bring salvation to sinner.  This is the culmination of what John 3:16 means – what it means for God to send the Word to be made flesh to dwell among us. It is God’s love to save us. 

A grain of wheat falls on Good Friday so that it will bring abundant fruit – the fruit of salvation – on Easter Sunday.  We will celebrate and feast on the abundant of fruit that the fallen grain of wheat brings for the following 50 days with joy. 

There is a striking parallel between God’s salvific  love, symbolized with the fallen grain of wheat, and the Japanese Emperor’s prayer for grains of rice to bring abundant harvest by the grace of deities in mother nature.  

In fact, the fallen grain of wheat will eventually become the bread of life  for us to sustain life (John 6:35-51) by God’s loving grace.  The Gospel context indicates that Jesus told this grain of wheat story as people were preparing for Passover, followed by the Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:4-8).  Through Passover, God’s people were safely delivered from danger of God’s judgement on Egypt. This saving event was followed by God’s further deliverance out of Egypt’s danger into the 40 years of Exodus journey. Of course, God did not send His people to embark on the journey hungry. So, God instructed His people to make bread fast – Matzo, unleavened bread. 

On spring equinox, the Emperor of Japan finds himself in the nearest position to his divine ancestor, Amaterasu, the sun-goddess, whose care brought rice to the land of Japan.  On this special day, the Emperor’s prayer to Amaterasu ensures the grains of rice to fall on the wet land of Japan so that people in Japan will go on life by eating harvested rice.  Otherwise, they would starve to death, as God’s people would perish shortly after escaping Egypt without Matzo bread from fallen grains of wheat at Passover.