Calvary Road Baptist Church
“CHRIST HONORED BY THE GREEKS”
John 12.20-26
I think it is most fitting that God, in His Providence, has brought us to this third opportunity to address a matter that has generally been lost to our culture. It is the notion of honor. A husband who cheats on his wife leaves his wife or fails to support his wife dishonors her financially. A wife who badmouths her husband, criticizes him and reviews his faults to others, dishonors him. Someone who willingly and eagerly receives ministry from a pastor for years, and then suddenly disappears without so much as a word dishonors him. Would it surprise anyone to discover that those who dishonor one will dishonor another?
You may recall that in two previous messages, I have addressed the Apostle John’s record of the Lord Jesus Christ being honored in John chapter twelve. In verses 1-11 I brought a message from God’s Word that centered on Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, honoring the Savior in a most unusual way, while also pointing out how her siblings honored the Lord Jesus. That was two weeks ago. Last Sunday, I brought a message focusing on the multitudes honoring the Lord Jesus Christ on the occasion of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. That was in John 12.12-19. In both messages, we observed the Lord Jesus Christ, honoring His subjects and positioning Himself to be honored by His subjects. We also took note of those who were indifferent to Him being honored or were oblivious to Him being honored. Finally, we took note of those who objected to the eternal Son of the living God, the Virgin-born Son of God, the King of the Jews, the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, being appropriately honored.
As we turn once more to the twelfth chapter of John’s Gospel you might want to perform a brief self-examination of the category you occupy by your conduct, by your personal spiritual and devotional life, and by your associations such as friends and colleagues. Are you an individual who seeks opportunities and occasions to honor the Lord Jesus Christ, perhaps every week? Are you indifferent concerning honoring the risen from the dead and now enthroned and glorified king of the universe? Or are you one of those individuals who is actively opposed to honoring Him? To make sure you know what it is to honor someone, let me remind you. To honor someone, you show that individual great respect or high regard.[1] John 12.20-26:
20 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.
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Honor was paid to the Lord Jesus by “certain Greeks” that respectfully sought an audience with Him. We are not told what day of our Lord’s last week this took place. It may not have been the same day He rode into Jerusalem, but a day or two after. However, it is most interesting that the evangelist introduces the Greeks who sought an audience with the Savior immediately after informing his readers of the complaint of the Pharisees in the preceding verse. They complained,
“behold, the world is gone after him.”
Then comes the passage we just read. We are told three things related to the honoring of the Lord Jesus Christ in our text:
First, WE ARE TOLD WHO THEY WERE THAT PAID THIS HONOR TO OUR LORD JESUS
Verse 20:
“And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast.”
There are three possibilities concerning the identities of these men identified by John as “certain Greeks”:
Some suggest that the apostle might here be referring to Greek-speaking Jewish men. There is a valid reason for concluding that opinion is unlikely. In Acts 6.1, we are told of a dispute in the Jerusalem Church between the Greek-speaking Jewish Christians and the so-called Hebrews, the Jewish Christians who spoke Aramaic. The word used by Luke in Acts 6.1, Hellenistoon, is not the same word used in John 12.20 by the Apostle John, Hellenes, suggesting that although Luke was referring to Greek-speaking Jewish Christians, John is not in our text identifying Greek-speaking Jewish men.
The other two options regarding the identities of these Greek men are related to whether they are Greeks who have embraced Judaism and become proselyte Jews or if they are Greeks who are described as God-fearers. In our Lord’s day and throughout the apostolic era, some Gentiles were attracted to Judaism for a variety of reasons: The Jewish people with their Hebrew Scriptures had a coherent concept of God. They had a well-defined moral code. They had a sophisticated concept of family. And they had other intriguing and attractive features. Gentiles were welcomed to worship with Jewish people in their synagogues, but they were segregated from the Jewish people and not allowed to sit with them in the synagogue. There was also provision for a Gentile who wanted to become a proselyte Jew but to do so required circumcision for men and embracing submission to the Law of Moses. Thus, while God-fearing Gentiles who had not submitted to the rite of circumcision were forbidden to eat the Passover, numbers of them did travel to Jerusalem to worship at the feast.[2] It is thought that many of both types of Greek-speaking Gentiles, realizing they did not have to become proselyte Jews to become Christians, later trusted Christ.[3] Perhaps the Ethiopian eunuch was such an individual, or perhaps the Roman centurion Cornelius.[4] Thus, it is clear that those referred to in our text by the apostle were not Jewish men in Jerusalem for the Passover, but were Gentiles generally described as Greeks because of the language they spoke, who had keen interest in spiritual matters. Perhaps some of them were proselytes to Judaism and perhaps some of them were God-fearing Gentiles.
Next, WE ARE TOLD WHAT THEY DID TO PAY HONOR TO THE LORD JESUS
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.
Having a desire to see the Lord Jesus, these “certain Greeks” made good use of their opportunity. Recognize that their approach to the Lord was a challenge for them because the Lord was so besieged by admirers. Nevertheless, they did what had to be done because the stakes were so high. Those who want to know the Savior must seek Him. Let’s explore the three steps the Greeks took to honor the Savior that are recorded by the Apostle John:
First, we have described for us their approach to Philip, verse 21:
“The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.”
Why did they come to Philip, of all people? Valid question, with the answer perhaps provided for us by John when he wrote, “which was of Bethsaida of Galilee.” Philip’s hometown might have been a connection to these “certain Greeks” by their proximity to Bethsaida, resulting in them searching for him because they knew him or knew of him. Take a look at a map of the region of that day, and you will see that Bethsaida is quite near to territory then occupied by Greek-speaking Gentiles, and was perhaps even the region where the Syrophenician woman lived.[5]
Thus, these “certain Greeks” might have known Philip or known of him and his association with the Savior. An alternate explanation is the cities of Decapolis, ten predominately Greek-speaking cities to the East and South of Bethsaida that the Lord and Philip and the other disciples had passed through during our Lord’s earthly ministry. But now they are in Jerusalem. They know the Savior is in Jerusalem. And they reached out to someone they knew to be His disciple.
Once they had connected with Philip, notice their request: “Sir, we would see Jesus.” They gave him a title of respect, as one worthy of honor, because he was a disciple of the One they sought. Notice that they were not insistent but respectful. They addressed Philip as “Sir.” Their plea was direct, concise, and undemanding. They were not clamoring. They were not pushy. They were not seeking to honor the Lord Jesus by being dishonorable to the Lord’s representative. With these few words, they communicated their desire to honor the Lord Jesus Christ, since “we would see Jesus” means far more as expression than merely a wish to set eyes upon Him, which anyone could have done at a distance. They wanted to meet Him, to come to know Him, and to commune with Him.
In response to them, Philip then reached out to Andrew, verse 22:
“Philip cometh and telleth Andrew.”
It is interesting, at this point, to take note of what is not contained in this account. There is no indication, one way or the other, that the Greeks did accompany Philip when he searched out and came into contact with Andrew. It would be reasonable to assume Philip brought the Greeks to Andrew, who then took them to the Savior. He had done that kind of thing in the past, first when he brought Peter to the Savior, John 1.41-42, and then when he brought the boy with the loaves and fishes to the Lord, John 6.8-9. However, we are not so informed here. It may be that instead of taking the Greeks to the Savior Philip sought out Andrew to do that, or sought out Andrew to bring the Savior. Why might Philip do that? Perhaps he is somewhat confused or indecisive. Remember, on one occasion the Lord did say “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” Matthew 15.24. As well, the Lord had mentioned that He had other sheep, not of this fold, John 10.16. But it still might be that at the Passover feast in Jerusalem one of our Lord’s disciples wondered about the propriety of bringing Gentile men to Him, as busy as He was fulfilling Jewish prophecies.
In any event, the two disciples then informed the Lord Jesus (whether with or without the Greeks being in their immediate company we do not know):
“and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.”
The reason I make mention of so incidental a matter of the Greeks might have been or might not have been with Philip and then with Andrew when they approached the Savior can be seen in the next main point. There is something else that some commentators miss, if their failure to make mention of it is any indication. That the “certain Greeks” desired to see “Jesus” may be an indication that they were aware of His notoriety, aware of His miracles, aware that He had raised Lazarus from the dead, but had no concept of Him being Israel’s Messiah or Zechariah’s predicted King of the Jews. No reference was made by them of Jesus being the Christ. Thus, in this third passage in which our Gospel writer provides us with a scenario in which the Savior is honored we see that He is honored by different people, with differing grasps of who and what He is. This shows to us that the Lord Jesus Christ deserves to be honored for many reasons and that His honor is related to understanding Him on many different levels. This would suggest that the person who is indifferent to honoring the Savior, having no regard for Him one way or the other, is troubled with an incredible spiritual deficiency, that suggests an extremely serious issue requiring divine intervention. And the person who is antagonistic respecting Him being honored? That’s a whole different level of serious.
Finally, WE ARE TOLD THE SAVIOR’S RESPONSE TO THEM HONORING HIM
The Lord Jesus accepted the honor the Greeks paid Him, as was indicated by what He said to His audience, verse 23, as was indicated by the honor which He should have in being followed, verses 23-24, and as indicated by the honor bestowed on those that follow Him, verses 25-26:
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.
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Perhaps the Greeks were in the Lord’s immediate company. Or perhaps they are standing a bit away, and this answer was intended for the direction and encouragement of these Greeks, and all others that desired acquaintance with the Lord. Observe three aspects to this general topic of honoring the Lord Jesus:
First, the Lord indicated that the end of honoring Him is to glorify Him, verse 23:
“And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”
Recognize that honoring the Lord Jesus Christ is but one aspect of glorifying Him. If honoring Him is showing Him great respect and high regard, glorifying Him has to do with His “divine and heavenly radiance,” His “loftiness and majesty” as God, and His deity.[6] It is important to note that the glory of the earthly Jesus could be seen only by faith.[7] It would not be until after His resurrection, except for that time on the Mount of Transfiguration, that His glory was visible to any human being.[8] An individual can and should honor the Lord. But to glorify Him is a matter that is far more weighty than it is to show Him great respect and high regard. While an individual can seek to glorify Him, His glorification is ultimately a thing that can only be accomplished by God. It is almost as if to the Greeks and the others in attendance He was telling them that it was a good thing that they sought to show Him respect and regard, but for Him to be glorified required the involvement of God. He had referred to “the hour” previously as something important that would happen. He now informs His disciples that “the hour” is upon them.[9] He refers, of course, to His passion, His saving work on the cross of Calvary. He would be my Substitute on the cross, shed His blood an atonement for my sins, and rise from the dead in victory over sin, death, Hell, and the grave.
Next, the strange way in which His glorification would be attained, verse 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.”
Of course, Christ is the corn of wheat in this metaphor. And two things are illustrated with this metaphor:[10] First, the necessity of Christ’s humiliation is suggested. Our Lord could not have accomplished His saving work unless He descended from heaven to this earth, unless He was then lifted up on a cross, and so accomplished our redemption. The picture of this illustration is not perfect (He is not a seed), but it is sufficient. Then, the advantage of Christ’s humiliation is shown. Only by being born of a virgin could He become a man. And only by dying on the cross could He die and be buried, as a seed is buried when it is planted. It is from that place of humiliation, that planting, that burial after dying that serves as the place from which life springs forth. Again, the picture of this illustration is not perfect, because the germination of a seed is not identical to the resurrection, but it is a sufficient demonstration. As the shoot rises to the sunlight in demonstration of life, so the Lord Jesus Christ rose in glory as the Resurrection and the Life. And as the one seed grows to bear many seeds, so the Lord Jesus Christ will bring forth much fruit.
Third, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks of the disciple’s future, showing the end of honoring Him and being a beneficiary of God glorifying Him, verses 25-26:
25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Notice the two parts of the Lord’s prediction, the first part has to do with the paradox of loving yourself and the second part having to do with honoring the Lord: If you love your life better than you love Christ, you will, paradoxically, lose your life, verse 25. If you comparatively hate your life in this world, and you prefer the favor of God and Christ, the paradox is that you thereby gain your life unto life eternal. Do you see the paradox? You cannot out give God. You win by losing, and you lose by vainly trying to hold on to what you must eventually lose. This is why you must trust Christ or end up losing everything. Then comes serving Him, in verse 26. Three phrases are to be found in this verse: If you serve Him, then you must follow Him. Where He is His servant will be found. If you serve Him, His Father will honor you. The first phrase reveals that you cannot truly serve the Savior without being a follower.
Thus, there is no serving Him while going your own way. The second phrase suggests delight and satisfaction with Him so that you are a servant who chooses to be with his Master rather than a servant who seeks to hide from his Master. The final phrase shows that serving Him is honoring Him because serving Him will result in the Father honoring you. This is the law of sowing and reaping.[11] If you reap honor, it must of necessity be that you previously sowed honor. And what is honor when speaking of the Lord? We come to see that it is more than showing great respect and high regard. With the Lord Jesus Christ, it is serving Him. Thus, if you do not serve Him, you do not honor Him. “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?” Luke 6.46.
Those Greek men sought to honor the Lord Jesus by seeking Him out, by desiring a personal encounter with Him, and by overcoming some rather challenging obstacles to discover His disciple to be brought to Him. Their design to honor Him was useful to the Apostle John to show us the connection between honoring the Lord Jesus Christ, showing Him great respect and high regard, and Christ being glorified. You and I are fully capable of honoring the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone of us can choose to show Him great respect and high regard. And while honoring the Lord is a good thing to do, it is but the beginning of something far more significant, about divine majesty. I speak, of course, of glory, something that ultimately has to do with God. Glory is of paramount importance to God, and He will not share His glory with another.[12] Glorifying Him is the ultimate reason for our creation and existence, Revelation 4.11.
So you see, life is most certainly not ultimately about you and what you want. It is about God, and Christ, serving Him and thereby honoring Him. And the paradox is that by dying to yourself you live and by serving Him, you will be honored by God.
So many people take the short view, opt for personal and immediate gratification, and achieve a measure of it in this life only to burn in the lake of fire forever when they finally and inevitably die. But those who consider the Gospel claims of Christ and turn to Him from their sins, serving Him as a means of thereby honoring Him, are promised to receive honor from God the Father someday.
Imagine being honored by God, being treated with great respect and high regard by God. But that end is only for those who in this lifetime bend the knee, bow the head, and confess Jesus Christ to be Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
__________
[1] Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1996), page 873.
[2] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary On The Whole Bible, (Bronson, MI: Online Publishing, Inc., 2002), bible@mail.com
[3] 1 Corinthians 14.23-24
[4] Acts 8.26-39; 10.1-48
[5] Mark 7.26
[6] Gerhard Kittel, Editor, Theological Dictionary Of The New Testament, Vol II, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1964), page 237.
[7] Ibid., page 249.
[8] Mark 9.2-9; John 1.14; 12.41
[9] Matthew 26.45; Mark 14.35, 41; John 5.25, 28; 16.32; 17.1
[10] Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1996), page 1132.
[11] Galatians 6.7
[12] Psalm 8.1; 19.1; 29.2; Isaiah 42.8; 48.11
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