John 12:20–43

Jesus Predicts His Death

²⁰Now there were some Greeks^c among those who went up to worship at the festival. ²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida^d in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

²³Jesus replied, “The hour^e has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.^{f 24}Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,^g it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it^h for eternal life.^{i 26}Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.^j My Father will honor the one who serves me.

²⁷“Now my soul is troubled,^k and what shall I say? ‘Father,^l save me from this hour’?^m No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven,ⁿ “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

³⁰Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit,^o not mine. ³¹Now is the time for judgment on this world;^p now the prince of this world^q will be driven out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up^g from the earth,^r will draw all people to myself.”^{s 33}He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.^t

³⁴The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law^u that the Messiah will remain forever,^v so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man^w must be lifted up’?^x Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

³⁵Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light^y just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light,^z before darkness overtakes you.^a Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”^b When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.^c

Belief and Unbelief Among the Jews

³⁷Even after Jesus had performed so many signs^d in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”^he

³⁹For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

⁴⁰“He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their hearts,

so they can neither see with their eyes,

nor understand with their hearts,

nor turn—and I would heal them.”^if

⁴¹Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory^g and spoke about him.^h

⁴²Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.ⁱ But because of the Pharisees^j they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;^{k 43}for they loved human praise^l more than praise from God.^m