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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - John 12:20-26

Honour is here paid to Christ by certain Greeks that enquired or him with respect. We are not told what day of Christ's last week this was, probably not the same day he rode into Jerusalem (for that day was taken up in public work), but a day or two after. I. We are told who they were that paid this honour to our Lord Jesus: Certain Greeks among the people who came up to worship at the feast, John 12:20. Some think they were Jews of the dispersion, some of the twelve tribes that were scattered... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - John 12:23-26

12:23-26 Jesus answered them: "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. This is the truth I tell you--unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains all by itself alone; but, if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life is losing it; and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone will serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there will my servants also be." Hardly any passage in the New Testament would... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - John 12:23-26

What was this amazing paradox which Jesus was teaching? He was saying three things, which are all variations of one central truth and all at the heart of the Christian faith and life. (i) He was saying that only by death comes life. The grain of wheat was ineffective and unfruitful so long as it was preserved, as it were, in safety and security. It was when it was thrown into the cold ground, and buried there as if in a tomb, that it bore fruit. It was by the death of the martyrs that the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - John 12:25

He that loveth his life shall lose it ,.... The sense is, that whoever is so in love with this present temporal life, as to be anxiously careful of it, and takes all precautions to secure it; and rather than to expose it to any danger, chooses to deny the faith of Christ, and desert his cause and interest; as such an one shall not long enjoy this life, so he shall come short of an eternal one: and he that hateth his life in this world : on the other hand, whoever seems careless about it,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - John 12:25

He that loveth his life - See on Matthew 10:39 ; (note); Luke 14:26 ; (note). I am about to give up my life for the salvation of men; but I shall speedily receive it back with everlasting honor, by my resurrection from the dead. In this I should be imitated by my disciples, who should, when called to it, lay down their lives for the truth; and, if they do, they shall receive them again with everlasting honor. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - John 12:25

Verse 25 25.He who loveth his soul shall destroy it. To doctrine Christ joins exhortation; for if we must die in order that we may bring forth fruit, we ought patiently to permit God to mortify us. But as he draws a contrast between the love of life and the hatred of lit, we ought to understand what it is to love and hate life. He who, under the influence of immoderate desire of the present life, cannot leave the world but by constraint, is said to love life; but he who, despising life,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:20-30

4. The desire of the " Greeks " —the representatives of the Western world—go see Jesus, and his reply . And now a scene is related of transcendent interest—the one solitary incident of the Passion week between the triumph and the night of the Last Supper. John assumes here a knowledge of all that, in current tradition and narrative, had taken place between these two events. The cleansing of the temple, the solemn parables by which Jesus repulsed the Sanhedrin, the conflict with... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:20-36

The interview of the Greeks with Christ. This is the only incident recorded between the entry into Jerusalem and the institution of the Lord's Supper. I. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS INTERVIEW . "And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast." 1. They were not Gentiles, but-proselytes oft he gate, of Gentile extraction, who had been admitted to Jewish privileges . They came to the Passover as reverent and earnest worshippers. 2. They... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 12:23-26

(1) The glorification of the Son of man in and through death . read more

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