Why Did the Greeks Desire to See Jesus?

Tom: We’re continuing with the gospel of John and presently we are in John chapter 12 verse 20 and again, we are at the beginning of the year and our encouragement is encourage everybody--read the Scriptures.It’s exciting for Dave and me to go through the Word with an audience out there listening to it but our exhortation that for our listeners to read the Scriptures on their own.So verse 20, “And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.Philip cometh and telleth Andrew:and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus, And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.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.”Important teaching there.

Dave:

Yeah Tom, certain Greeks that came to the worship at the feast, so you presume that they were converts to Judaism, apparently to the Rabbis’ Judaism, not necessarily the true biblical Judaism, if you could use that term.And I don’t know where Jesus is at the moment.He made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He went in and threw over the table of the money changers and those that sold doves and so forth and He has been teaching in the temple.That may be what they mean because Greeks could not get into that area, I guess.Well, there was an area for the Gentiles and I guess they want the word sent along, we would like to hear Jesus for ourselves, we would like to be in touch with Him.It’s a wonderful attitude to have, people need to have that today.I know that some pulpits—I can’t remember being in such a pulpit in many, many years, but they have that little sign there in the pulpit:Sir, we would see Jesus.Meaning, of course, let’s talk about Jesus and not about everything else and see if you can’t portray Him biblically in a way that will make Him more real to us.Sirs, we would see Jesus.So Philip comes and tells Andrew and Andrew and Philip find Jesus and tell Him.And interesting, just before verse 19, we covered that last week more or less, but just before we have the Greeks it says, behold, the Pharisees are complaining saying, Behold, the world has gone after Him.Then here we have some people all the way from Greece, for the world has certainly gone after Jesus.Now, there is no doubt about that.

Tom:

Sure, they want Him to support their cause whatever it might be.

Dave:

Jesus answered them saying, The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.And they didn’t know what he meant by that. Remember, Jesus, Luke 24, said to the two on the road to Emmaus. Their hope is gone, they’re convinced Jesus couldn’t have been the Messiah because he was crucified.And that’s how the Rabbis mocked him:What are you doing on the cross?Hey, if you’re the Messiah, come down!But of course the Scriptures said that He would be crucified even hundreds of years before crucifixion was known.So, you remember, Jesus said to these disciples on the road to Emmaus:Luke:24:25-26 [25] Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: [26] Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
See All..., “Fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”So Jesus is saying, The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.I don’t know what they think—they think He’s going to rule and reign and everybody is going to hail Him.

Tom:

Just as they did earlier.Hey, it’s got to get better than this.

Dave:

Right.This is why the Rabbis have backed off.I mean, all these people hailing Him as the Messiah.They don’t know that He means He’sgoing to die.He has to in order to be glorified.“Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory” Jesus says.

Tom:

Dave, it reminds me of the dialogue, the conversation between Jesus and Peter when Jesus said, Who do you say that I am?And Peter explains that He is the Son of God, and flesh and blood did not reveal that to him, Jesus said.But it was revealed, really, from on high.Yet then Jesus explains the road to glory and Peter wants nothing to do with it.

Dave:

Yeah.He says from that time forth he began to explain to them again that he was going to be crucified.And Peter says, oh Lord, you’re getting down on yourself, you’re to negative, you’ve got a bad self image, let’s be positive about this—come on Lord, you can do it.And Jesus says, Get thee behind me, Satan.It was a shock to Peter, although he pledged his undying loyalty:Though all would forsake you, though I die with you, I will not forsake you—but he forsook Him.In fact, we sometimes focus on Peter, but it says they all forsook Him.

Tom:

But Dave, don’t we stand in Peter’s sandals?There are certain things that we have on our mind, things that seems—you know, as the Scripture says there is a way that seems right unto a man but the end thereof is death.Even the most sincere individuals put forth their own way or the way that seems right—and boy, that gets us into trouble.

Dave:

Well, Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and here he says,“Verily, verily, truly, truly, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone, but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit.”That probably was not known in that day.It has to dry out, you don’t want to plant green grain of wheat, it’s not going to work, so it has to dry out.And He is saying that He would have to die and He’s going to have to fall into the ground, that is, be put in that grave, be buried for three days and three nights and then He is going to come forth.And because of His crucifixion, because He has paid the penalty for our sins, the penalty that His own infinite justice required, He will bear much fruit.

Tom:

That’s the glorified part.

Dave:

Right.Tom, it’s beyond my comprehension, I’ve been thinking of it a lot lately when I think of how great God is.I mean, it’s beyond my comprehension.I’m not even worthy to take His name on my lips, it is so pitiful the feebleness of my understanding.I can’t praise Him as I ought to praise Him, it’s just beyond me.And that He would become a man, the only way He could redeem us. He had to become a man to pay the penalty for the sin of the world, the penalty prescribed by His own infinite justice against sin.And that He would do that because He loves me, that the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me, Paul said.And Tom, that the infinite creator of this universe loves me!That’s too much!I think of the hymn that says, Why should he love me so, Why should my Savior to Calvary go, Why should he love me so.Well, it’s not because of what I am, that I am lovable or lovely, it’s because God is love.And we love Him because He first loved us.Even when we hated Him, even when we had no time for God, when we had gone astray like lost sheep, He loved us and He sought us, He pursued us and He paid the penalty for the sins of everyone whether they believe in Him, whether they receive Him or not and that is because He loves all mankind.

Tom:

Now Dave, it doesn’t sound like he did it for your self esteem.

Dave:

Tom, self esteem is such a joke, I’m sorry.How could I possibly esteem myself.The Bible says, in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself, that’s Philippians:2:3Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
See All....But you know sometimes— in fact I was saying it to someone the other day, that if I would pray that he might get humble.And I said, humble? humility? that’s a ridiculous word.I mean, we’ve got a couple of worms before the Creator of the universe and these worms are talking to one another about how, I wish I could be humble.Come on!We’re such pitiful creatures, and yet God loves us and that is so wonderful and He has redeemed us with His blood, He has made us his children and we are heirs and joint heirs with Christ.And throughout eternity He is going to show the riches of His grace on us.Anybody out there that hasn’t believed that, you should.God wants you as one of His children, too.

Tom:

And it’s all because of Him.

Dave:

Amen.