John 12:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

NIV: Jesus replied, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

NASB: But Jesus *answered them by saying, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

CSB: Jesus replied to them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

NLT: Jesus replied, 'Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.

KJV: And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

NKJV: But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

In prior moments, Scripture has made the point that Jesus' "time had not yet come." Some of these come from Jesus' own lips (John 2:4; 7:6), or references to that effect (John 8:20). It's clear He is acting on a divine timetable. The drama of the triumphal entry is part of that loyalty to God's schedule—following many ancient prophecies (Daniel 9:25–26). Recently, Jesus has been approached by a group of Gentiles—referred to as "Greeks"—who first encounter Philip and Andrew. These two appear to be running some kind of security screening for Jesus, in response to the obvious threats of local religious leaders (John 10:39–40; 11:8).

It's not an accident that John recorded specific words from the Pharisees who were upset by the crowd's reaction to Jesus riding into Jerusalem (John 12:19). There, critics claimed "the world has gone after Him." In this incident, those approaching Jesus are from the group Jewish people consider as outsiders. In the Israeli mindset, there are two main divisions among mankind: Jews, and everyone else. In a literal and symbolic sense, what's happening now is evidence that "the whole world" is going to be called to Jesus, not merely the people of the nation of Israel (John 10:16).

Jesus will continue to explain the significance of this moment in upcoming verses. Among the analogies He makes is that of a seed which is planted (John 12:24). The seed, in a sense, apparently "dies," but in reality, it is transformed into the more mature and always-intended form. Paul echoes some of this terminology in his letters (1 Corinthians 15:36–42).

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 disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. 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"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.