Joh 12:20-36 | TNotes | STEP | 12:20 Among the people drawn to Jesus (12:19 ) were some Greeks , God-fearing Gentiles who had come to Passover to worship. Jesus’ mission was not simply to Israel but encompassed the entire world (10:16 ; 11:52 ). Following Jesus’ resurrection, the church’s mission was to go beyond Judea to Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth (Matt 28:19 ; Acts 1:8 ).

12:20 ^a Among the people drawn to Jesus (12:19 ^b) were some Greeks, God-fearing Gentiles who had come to Passover to worship. Jesus’ mission was not simply to Israel but encompassed the entire world (10:16 ^c; 11:52 ^d). Following Jesus’ resurrection, the church’s mission was to go beyond Judea to Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth (Matt 28:19 ^e; Acts 1:8 ^f).
12:21 ^g The Greeks approached Philip because he had a Greek name and was no doubt Greek.
12:23 ^h Jesus often said that the time (literally the hour) had not yet come (2:4 ⁱ; 7:30 ^j; 8:20 ^k), but now it had. The coming of the Greeks also marked the beginning of the key moment in Jesus’ ministry—the time of his glorification. This occurred when Jesus’ sacrificial work on the cross was completed (19:30 ^l), he rose from the dead (20:1-31 ^m), he gave the Spirit (20:22 ⁿ), and he returned to his place of glory in heaven (17:5 ^o, 11 ^p). The connection with the Greeks who had come to Jerusalem (12:20 ^q) was significant: Jesus’ ministry among the Jews alone was finished and he now belonged to the wider world.
12:24 ^r The central event of Jesus’ glorification (12:23 ^s) was the cross. As with a kernel ... planted in the soil, Jesus’ death would bring abundant life.
12:25 ^t For disciples, sacrifice and self-effacement are means of gaining the fullness of life provided by Jesus’ sacrifice. Those who renounce the world will join Jesus in eternity and be honored by God just as Jesus is.
12:27 ^u my soul is deeply troubled: John used the same term (Greek tarassō) to describe Jesus’ strong emotion of agony before Lazarus’ tomb (11:33 ^v; also 13:21 ^w). When Jesus stood before death, he could not be impassive. Jesus experienced genuine anguish, yet he remained strong in obedience to the Father’s will (5:19-23 ^x; 6:37 ^y; 8:29 ^z, 38 ^aa; 14:31 ^ab).
12:28 ^ac a voice spoke from heaven: Cp. Matt 3:17 ^ad; 17:5 ^ae; Mark 1:11 ^af; 9:7 ^ag; Luke 3:22 ^ah; 9:35 ^ai.

• God had already brought glory to himself when Christ entered the world (John 1:14 ^aj) and through Jesus’ work, which showed God’s power to the world.

• I will do so again: The final display of glory would come at the cross (see 12:23 ^ak; 17:1 ^al). In John, the cross is an event of glory as Christ was “lifted up” (12:32 ^am) and glorified there. Jesus was prepared for crucifixion like a king coming to his coronation; the cross was like a throne (see 19:19-22 ^an), and he was buried like royalty. Jesus’ time of glorification included the entire sequence from arrest through resurrection.
12:29 ^ao It was impossible for people to comprehend what was happening with Jesus, and many of his signs led to confusion and division in the crowd. Only later did his disciples understand (2:22 ^ap; 12:16 ^aq), when Jesus was glorified and the Spirit was given. Still, God’s voice symbolized his validation of his Son before the world.
Summary for John 12:31-33: 12:31-33 ^ar The time for judging does not occur only on Judgment Day; it began when the light penetrated the darkness and unmasked it (3:19 ^as; 5:24 ^at; 9:39 ^au).

• Satan, the ruler of this world, is the architect of darkness, corrupter of the world, and promoter of death. Although Satan’s final demise lies in the future, the work of Christ unraveled Satan’s domain (see Luke 10:17-18 ^av; Mark 3:27 ^aw). Christ is now enthroned as ruler in heaven (Acts 7:55-56 ^ax; Eph 1:19-22 ^ay).
Summary for John 12:32-34: 12:32-34 ^az when I am lifted up from the earth (see 3:14 ^ba; 8:28 ^bb): The crowd did not understand what Jesus meant. The Greek verb refers to being exalted (Matt 23:12 ^bc) or honored (Luke 10:15 ^bd). In John, the cross was not a place of shame and disgrace for Jesus, but the place where Jesus’ true glory was shown.
12:34 ^be Popular Judaism believed that the Messiah would live forever and triumph over his foes. Jesus’ point of view seemed incomprehensible.

• who is this Son of Man, anyway? The Jews did not understand what sort of Messiah planned to die.
12:36 ^bf Jesus was the light (1:4 ^bg, 7-9 ^bh; 3:19-21 ^bi; 8:12 ^bj), and he urged the crowd to quickly make the choice to believe in him before it was too late.

• They had the choice of becoming children of the light by rebirth through the power of God (1:12-13 ^bk).

• Jesus ... was hidden from them: Jesus withdrew first from Judea (11:54 ^bl) and then from this audience (12:36 ^bm), and soon he would withdraw from the world (17:11 ^bn).