John 12:20-25 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: 21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. 22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24 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. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

We start out with these wonderful words:

John 12:20-21 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: 21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

Several things are happening in this text. Our Lord Jesus came to this earth to be “The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

A Jew would think the Lamb of God was to take away the sin of ISRAEL. This is, after all, what the Law provided in the sacrifices and Temple.

It was established in the Law of God – the Law written through Moses to Israel – that sin would be covered or atoned for by the sacrifice of a lamb without spot or blemish (Exodus 12:5; Leviticus 4:32; 9:3; 23:12; Numbers 6:14; Ezekiel 46:13). It was during the Feast of the Passover that all who were able went to Jerusalem to the Temple to sacrifice and make atonement for their sins.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem this last time, He rode into Jerusalem on:

John 12:14-15 … Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, 15 Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.

As Jesus came into Jerusalem this last time, crowds formed around Him. They believed that Jesus was the Miracle Worker Who would help overthrow Rome and Roman rule, and return Israel to its rightful place in the world. As these people cheered Jesus, our Lord knew their hearts, and knew that before the week was out they would be demanding His crucifixion before Pilate (Mark 15:12-13). They wanted a Jesus, a Messiah Who would conquer the enemy, which they believed was Rome.

Jesus did come to conquer the enemy called SIN.
Not just for Israel, but the whole WORLD.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He rode in on a donkey, not on a stallion horse. This was a fulfillment of the Prophecy of

Zechariah 9:9 (ESV) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Conquers came into a city on stallions. Jesus did not come to overthrow human government, but to overthrow our sins. The Bible says:

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us (ALL of US) to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit

Jesus was not entering Jerusalem as a Conquering King, though all Israel turned out to shout “Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13). Even the Pharisees thought that Jesus might pull off a coup based on this massive crowd cheering Him on. The Pharisees said:

John 12:19 … Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.

This was not true. Though it appeared that the “world had gone after Him”, the world was actually chasing Jesus for the wrong reasons. This same world would turn against Him in just a few days. Jesus knew this, and I know His heart was breaking. But then we read:

John 12:20-21 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: 21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

We Would See Jesus Is A Fulfillment Of PROPHECY

The Bible tells us that Jesus “Came unto His own, but His own WOULD NOT RECEIVE HIM. But as many as received HIM, to THEM He gave POWER TO BECOME THE SONS OF GOD, even to THEM which BELIEVE on His name …” (John 1:11-13). Though all His disciples will abandon Him, and though it will seem as if the whole world, Roman and Jew would despise Him, God has always had a believing remnant who believe on Him.

So often in our world today, I feel like Elijah after his encounter with Jezebel and the false prophets of Mount Carmel. Though God did great things through Elijah, the people’s hearts were still hardened by sin and narcissim. Elijah went out into the wilderness and prayed, “Lord, take away my life – I am no better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4). Yet God would later remind Elijah:

1 Kings 19:18 … I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Though it appeared to our Lord Jesus as He looked at the hardened hearts of all those cheering souls around Him that there were none who believed, yet here are these “Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast”. These are not JEWS, not PHARISEES or SADDUCEES nor even SCRIBES. These are not ROMAN citizens. These are “GREEKS”. The Grecians loved learning and philosophies. The Grecians had vast libraries, and placed a strong emphasis on philosophy, mathematics, science, and literature. The Grecians had well developed Navies, and travelled the world learning.

The most spoken language of the day was Koine or Common Greek. The Greek Pharaoh of Egypt, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, “sent seventy-two Hebrew translators—six from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel—from Jerusalem to Alexandria to translate the Tanakh from Biblical Hebrew into Koine Greek, for inclusion in his library”. This was about 250 years BEFORE our Lord walked this earth. Called the Septuagint or The Translation Of the Seventy, the Bible made its way into Greek society. As a result there were many Greeks who worshiped the God of Scripture.

This is actually a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. The Bible said that the Messiah, Jesus Christ would be:

Isaiah 42:6 I the Lord have called Thee {the Messiah} in righteousness, and will hold Thine hand, and will keep Thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people {Israel}, for a light of the Gentiles …

Luke 2:30-32 {Simeon on seeing the baby Jesus praised God, saying} For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Though Jesus had often gone to and blessed the Gentiles by healing them (see Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 17:12-19; John 4:5-42; Matthew 15:24, 28; Matthew 8:8, 11-12),

this was the first time the Gentiles sought out Jesus for Jesus’ sake. They did not seek healing, but Jesus!

As they sought out Christ, we are told:

John 12:22-23 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

The Greeks come to “PHILIP” first looking for Jesus. Why Philip? Because Philip is a Greek name, and Philip will later preach in Greece, Syria, and Asia Minor. Philip and Andrew were good friends, so Philip goes to Andrew, and they both go to Jesus. When Jesus sees these Greeks, He declares “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified”. Jesus was encouraged by these Greeks, and knew that the Cross was soon to come. “the Son of man” is a reference to the Messiah (see the prophecy of Daniel 7:13). Jesus said that “the SON OF MAN” …

“has power on earth to forgive sins” (Matthew 9:6)
“is Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8)
“will be betrayed” (Matthew 17:22; 20:18)
“will be crucified” (Matthew 26:2)
“will be three days and nights in the earth” (Matthew 12:40)
“will rise from the dead” (Matthew 17:9)
“will sit on God’s right hand, and will come again” (Matthew 26:64)

This is the glory of the Son of Man, that He and He alone is the one and only Messiah, our Savior and Lord!

“We Would See Jesus” Is The PROGRAM
Of The Church

John 12:24 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.

As God is serious about saving whosoever will through Jesus Christ the Messiah, He calls on His Church to make “we would see Jesus” our priority. The world desperately needs Jesus. In order that others “see Jesus”, sacrifices must be made. Jesus said:

“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,
it abideth alone”

Let’s make this a little clearer by looking at a more modern version of Scripture like the Holman Christian Standard:

“I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop”.

Faith requires the surrender of and death of self. If Jesus had decided to preserve His own life, rather than surrender to the will of the Father and go to Calvary, then we would have never been the Children of God. Jesus Christ is THE Son of God. By willfully and willingly laying down His life (for He said, in John 10:18, “No one takes My life from Me, but I lay it down of My own will”), Jesus made it possible for God to bring others into the Family of God. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 2:9-11 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren …

Jesus Christ laid His life down to bring us into His Kingdom. Had Jesus not done so – had He held on to His life – there would be NO FAMILY OF GOD. But because He did so there are many sons of God brought to glory. Likewise, we as God’s Church must be willing to lay our own lives down – to surrender ourselves to God’s Plan – so that others might hear the Gospel and be saved. We are to “walk by FAITH, and not by SIGHT” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Let me put it bluntly:

If we as Christ’s Church will not step out in faith and follow Jesus, as a Church we will ABIDE ALONE until the last member dies.

Is that clear enough? Jesus went to the Cross in faith, committing Himself unto the Father. Jesus surrendered His life, allowing Himself to drop off of the stalk of life, to be buried for three days and nights. But in so doing He created the House of Christ, the Family of God. Jesus is the Master over His House:

Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Jesus is a little more clear when He repeats verse 24 but in a different way in verse 25:

John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

If you love your life the way it is – without Jesus leading you – you will LOSE it. The Church that will not lay its life down for Jesus will lose its place. We exist so that others might “See Jesus” in us.

That requires surrender.
Surrender of what “I” want.
Surrender of my desires.

It is the heartfelt desire of every true preacher of righteousness that we ALL be like Christ. The Apostle Paul described it thios way:

Galatians 4:19 (ESV) … my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!

“We Would See Jesus” Is The PRESCRIPTION
For The Lost World

People desperately need to see Jesus. A recent Breakpoint Article called “The Epidemic of Despair” quotes a New York Times article that said:

“Nearly three in five teenage girls felt persistent sadness in 2021 … and one in three girls seriously considered attempting suicide.”

People today are saying that they feel totally empty inside. They are looking inward for meaning and, finding none, feel adrift and hopeless. These feelings of inadequacy are not satisfied by “wokeness” or the other forms of insanity that are pushed on the internet today.

People need to see Jesus.

I recently visited my Doctor – an excellent Doctor – and shared with her how much I appreciated all she did to help me and help resolve my annoying and destructive cough. As I talked with her, she share with me how there are times she feels overwhelmed, and this in turn might make her harsher sounding to her patients. I asked permission to share with her, and I shared Jesus and love. She was willing to listen, and even allow me to pray with her and for her. People need to see Jesus. They need Him, His presence, in their lives. Let us reach out together and do all we can to share the love of Christ with others. May God the Holy Spirit guide us to do so. Amen and Amen.