John 12:20-36

International Standard Version

Some Greeks Ask to See Jesus

²⁰ Now some Greeks were among those who had come up to worship at the festival. ²¹ They went to Philip (who was from Bethsaida in Galilee) and told him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”

²² Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ Jesus told them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, I tell all of you^[a] emphatically, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces a lot of grain. ²⁵ The one who loves his life will destroy it, and the one who hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me. And where I am, there my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

Jesus Speaks about His Death

²⁷ “Now my soul is in turmoil, and what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No! It was for this very reason that I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again!” ²⁹ The crowd standing there heard this and said that it was thunder.

Others were saying, “An angel has spoken to him.”

³⁰ Jesus replied, “This voice is for your benefit, not for mine. ³¹ Now is the time for the judgment of this world to begin.^[b] Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. ³² As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was about to die.

³⁴ Then the crowd answered him, “We have learned^[c] from the Law that the Messiah^[d] remains forever. So how can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

³⁵ Jesus replied to the crowd,^[e] “The light is among you only for a short time. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The person who walks in the darkness is in the darkness and does not know where he is going. ³⁶ As long as you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” After Jesus had said this, he went away and hid from them.