Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.
“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.
Gospel Trivia:
The presence of Greeks provide the significance in this Gospel passage. Greeks are non-Jews and are considered pagans. It was also common during biblical times for anyone who was a non-Jew to be called a "Greek" whether or not he or she was of the Greek race.
Interestingly, the names Philip and Andrew are also Greek names and perhaps the Greeks approached them to be introduced to Jesus, thinking that someone who has some affinity can assist them in seeking an audience with Jesus.
When Jesus was advised that there were Greeks who wanted to see him, he replies: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified."
Throughout his gospel, John often refers to Jesus as the "savior of the world" or the "light of the world", and not of the Jews alone. Thus, John uses the desire of non-Jews to see him as the signal that the "hour" has come.
The "hour" refers to the sacrificial death of Jesus. As usual in John, the glory of Jesus is associated with the cross. This paradox is reflected in the symbol of the wheat dying in order to bear fruit. The wheat symbol is also very closely related to Jesus as the "bread of life."
The phrase "hates his life" does not exactly mean a strong dislike for one's life. When used in juxtaposition with the word for "love," the use of the Jewish word for "hate" actually means to "love less."
Thus, the message: a Christian disciples loves his/her life less than the life of others; we are glorified when we live our lives for others.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Hungry No More (Manila: St. Paul's Publications, 1989), pp. 160-168.
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