20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
Verse 20 indicates that “Greeks” came to the Passover feast. Among the gospels, only John gives this account of the Gentile request to meet Jesus. Jesus gave the rational for His death out of this request.
12:20
Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.
The “Greeks” here are Gentile (non-Jewish) believers in Jehovah. The Greek word for “Greeks” is Hellenists. Hellenists were not necessary from Greece but from the Greek-speaking world. Therefore, this term is broader than the word “Greeks” as it carries the idea of anyone except a Jew; the idea then is Gentiles. The Jews allowed these Jehovah-believing Gentiles into the courts of the temple because of their belief.
12:21
Then they came to Philip,
The coming of these people to Philip was symbolic of Gentiles coming to Christ as a whole. Philip was one of the Twelve who spoke Greek.
who was from Bethsaida of Galilee,
Bethsaida was a fishing town to the northeast of the sea of Galilee.
and asked [were asking] him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
The desire of the Greeks to “see” or visit with Jesus introduced a strategic move toward Gentiles in the ministry of Christ. They kept asking, showing persistence in their quest (imperfect tense). They had heard about the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
12:22
Philip came and told Andrew [both from the same town],
Since they both spoke Greek it was natural that Greek-speaking Gentiles would approach them.
and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
Both Philip and Andrew argued the case of the Gentiles to Jesus. The process of Philip and Andrew discussing the issue together before bringing the issue to Jesus was to screen the situation before taking it up with Jesus.
PRINCIPLE:
The gospel is for the entire world.
APPLICATION:
Jesus viewed the approach of Gentiles as a climax in His mission. He would die for the world, not just Jews. This was one of the purposes of why He came.
