As we read the scriptures in John 12:21, “…Sir, we would see Jesus”, we see a very important request. The men who asked that question were Greeks (Gentiles). They had come to Jerusalem, Israel, the home of the Jews, God’s chosen people, for a very important feast; and as Gentiles, they were sort of out of place. Remember, this particular feast goes back many years to the Passover in Exodus 12. God told Moses, “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.” ( Exodus 12:3-7) In Exodus 12:12-14, He continues: “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.”
That’s quite a bit of scripture reading, but it is important to understand the feast these Greek men had come up to worship at in John 12:20. It appears that these Greek men had noticed that Jesus was at the Passover, and they wanted to see Him. “The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus” (John 12:21-22).
So Philip and Andrew told Jesus the Greek men wanted to see Him. Well, what is interesting is the way He answered. He did not say, “Well, tell them to come on up, I will be glad to speak with them.” He did not speak to them as such, but he did not just turn them away either. Thank God! He told them what they needed to hear. He still tells everyone today the same thing: He took them to the cross. There is no seeing Jesus apart from the cross. Notice what he says in John 12:23-24: “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 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.” He of course is speaking of Himself here and of his death on the old rugged cross as the Passover lamb, the last lamb, the Lamb of God. Then he goes on to the next verse, verse 25. “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” So to the Greek men that desire to see him, and, of course, all the Jews present at the feast also, He put to them the question, “Do you really want to see me? It will take you dying at the foot of the cross to yourselves, sin, and this old world.” Then he goes on in verse 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 honor.”
Notice, He says that if we are willing to die at the foot of the cross, then that puts us in the position to follow him and serve Him. I don’t know if those particular Greek men understood all this or not. At that particular time they might not have, but after Calvary they probably connected the dots. You have to remember, even the disciples did not understand Calvary. They were looking for their King, the King of Israel, to go to the throne, not to the cross.
So what are some takeaways that we can get from these passages of scripture? Well, for beginners, we can see these Greek men represent a group of people not normally found at these feasts. First off, they were gentiles. It is said they were “among” them (the Jews) that came up to worship. That sets them apart from the Jews. Also they “saw” someone they desired to see: Jesus. In a sense, this pictures the Bride of Christ, because they were Gentiles and were looking to Jesus in a different light. The common folk, Jews, that were there saw Him as the King of the Jews who was going to the throne. At the same time, the chief priests and Pharisees, the religious elite, wanted to put Him to death. And yes, He was, and is, King of the Jews, but was rejected by the nation of Israel and therefore went to the cross instead of the throne. “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:11-13). To anyone reading this that does not know the Lord Jesus, I would like to point out what Jesus said. Even though this was a Jewish feast, there were Greek men there (gentiles). In verse 26, He said, If ANY man, twice in that verse He said ANY man. I’m so thankful He said ANY man because that included you too. He said in John 3:3, “…Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Cannot “see”. Once again, if you are willing to die to sin and self at the foot of the cross and realize your need as a sinner, lost and without hope apart from Jesus, Who died in your place, and if you are willing to believe that God has raised Him from the dead, He has promised to save you. He cannot and will not lie. John 6:37: “…and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” You will be able to see Jesus like you have never seen Him before. Not with natural eyes, but with spiritual eyes from the heart. You will see Him as the lamb, slain from before the foundation of the world. You will see Him as a Father that loves you because you belong to Him, as a Friend that will always be there, as a Big Brother that will fight your battles. You will see Him to be all you will ever need through the good times and the bad times. One day you will see Him face to Face. If you really want to see Jesus, it will take being willing to confess to Him that you are a sinner, believing by simple child-like faith that He died for you and arose from the dead, being obedient to His word, and following Him. He has a plan for each of our lives according to His will, and it is not possible to improve on God’s will for our lives.