John 12:20–33 (NRSV)
Read John 12:20–33 on biblegateway.com
Verse 20Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. Verse 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Verse 22Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Verse 23Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Verse 24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Verse 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Verse 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
Verse 27"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say-'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Verse 28Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." Verse 29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Verse 30Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Verse 31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. Verse 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." Verse 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
Devotion
“Sir, we wish to see Jesus,” said the Greeks to the disciples. It’s a curious scene, occurring just after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem in the verses prior. As the Pharisees say in the verse just before this passage, the Greeks’ request is a sign that the whole world is now going after Jesus. But why did they wish to see Jesus? We aren’t told. In fact, when Jesus learns of the Greeks’ wish to see him, he moves into a monologue: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified…”
Metaphorically, the Greeks are a symbol of the reach of salvation into the Gentiles. But in our story, there were some Greeks who journeyed up to worship at the festival. And they wanted to see Jesus. If you could imagine your way into this festival scene, why do you suppose they wanted to see Jesus that day?
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text? Read more here with Enter the Bible.
Prayer
God, through the darkness of the Lenten veil, we too wish to see Jesus. We make this journey—longing, anticipating, hoping-against-hope—that at the end, we will meet him, lifted up from the earth, drawing all people to himself. Amen.