John 12:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.

NIV: Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival.

NASB: Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast;

CSB: Now some Greeks were among those who went up to worship at the festival.

NLT: Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration

KJV: And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:

NKJV: Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.

Jesus is in Jerusalem for Passover. This is one of the festivals for which Jewish men are required to make a pilgrimage to the city (Deuteronomy 16:16). That has resulted in Jerusalem being packed with visitors, many of whom celebrated Jesus as He entered the city on a donkey (John 12:12–19). Not all of those visiting are ethnic Jews, however. Some of those who have come to celebrate Passover are Gentiles, who nonetheless honor the God of Israel. In this era, the term "Greeks" was used as a generic term for non-Israelites (John 7:35; Romans 1:14; 1 Corinthians 10:32; Galatians 3:28).

John does not say whether the men mentioned in this verse are God-worshippers. That seems likely, especially since there would have been little reason for them to try to speak to Jesus otherwise.

Scripture also does not specify why the men approached Philip, rather than someone else (John 12:21). They might have chosen him due to his Greek name. Or, it might have been because he knew some of them from Bethsaida. It's also possible they had no choice, and Philip was acting as the first layer of security screening for Jesus. Local religious leaders are secretly plotting Jesus' death (John 11:53), but only the details are secret. There's no question in anyone's mind that they mean Him harm (John 10:39–40; 11:8).

John 12:20–26 describes a group of Greeks—non-Jewish people who worshipped God—who approach Jesus after the triumphal entry. The disciples appear to be carefully vetting everyone who wants to come near Jesus, knowing that local religious leaders have marked Him for death. Jesus' response indicates that the time has come for His ultimate sacrifice, an event which opens the gospel of grace to the entire world.

Jesus is treated to an honorary dinner at the home of Lazarus, whom He has recently raised from death. At this dinner, Lazarus' sister, Mary, anoints Jesus with expensive oil. Jesus then enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, stoking fears that His popularity will attract the anger of the Roman Empire. That anger even inspires a murder plot against Lazarus. After being approached by non-Jewish seekers, Jesus offers a final plea for people to understand His ministry. In effect, these are the last public words spoken by Jesus in the gospel of John.

In the prior chapter, Jesus spectacularly raised Lazarus from death in front of a crowd of witnesses. This inspired local religious leaders to commit to having Him killed. Here, after a celebratory dinner where Jesus is anointed with oil, He will fulfill prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated with shouts of ''Hosanna'' and a massive crowd. This leads to a group of curious non-Jews approaching Him. Christ then offers a final plea for belief in Him and His message. After this, His ministry will turn to preparing the disciples for His impending death and resurrection. The next several chapters of the gospel of John are almost entirely made up of his teachings to these men.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.