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John 12:24
ESV Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
NIV Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
NASB Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
CSB Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.
NLT I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels — a plentiful harvest of new lives.
KJV Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
NKJV Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

What does John 12:24 mean?

As He often does when making a bold point, Jesus uses the "Truly, truly" phrase. This comes from a repetition of the word amen, which invokes agreement. Used at the end of a statement—as many do with prayer—it implies agreeing with something already said or believed. Used at the beginning of a remark, as here, implies it's the first-hand original knowledge of the one speaking.

Paul expands on this metaphor of planted seeds in 1 Corinthians 15:36–42. The seed which is planted seems to "die." It sacrifices everything and is lost, so far as it appears. In truth, the seed must be planted in order to become what it was always meant to be. Just as the seed must "lose its life" to fulfill its ultimate purpose, so too does each person need to "lose" their worldly life in order to gain eternity (John 12:25). That doesn't literally mean physical death or martyrdom, but rather the willingness to sacrifice everything in order to follow Christ (Mark 8:35–36).

Jesus will continue to refine this idea in the following verses. That explanation includes a typical ancient-middle-eastern contrast using terms like "love" and "hate."
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