Yohanes 12:23-26

12:23 Jesus replied, ¹  “The time ²  has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ³  12:24 I tell you the solemn truth, ⁴  unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. ⁵  But if it dies, it produces ⁶  much grain. ⁷  12:25 The one who loves his life ⁸  destroys ⁹  it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards ¹⁰  it for eternal life. 12:26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow ¹¹  me, and where I am, my servant will be too. ¹²  If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

[12:23]  ¹ tn Grk “Jesus answered them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[12:23]  ² tn Grk “the hour.”

[12:23]  ³ sn Jesus’ reply, the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified, is a bit puzzling. As far as the author’s account is concerned, Jesus totally ignores these Greeks and makes no further reference to them whatsoever. It appears that his words are addressed to Andrew and Philip, but in fact they must have had a wider audience, including possibly the Greeks who had wished to see him in the first place. The words the time has come recall all the previous references to “the hour” throughout the Fourth Gospel (see the note on time in 2:4). There is no doubt, in light of the following verse, that Jesus refers to his death here. On his pathway to glorification lies the cross, and it is just ahead.

[12:24]  ⁴ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[12:24]  ⁵ tn Or “it remains only a single kernel.”

[12:24]  ⁶ tn Or “bears.”

[12:24]  ⁷ tn Grk “much fruit.”

[12:25]  ⁸ tn Or “soul.”

[12:25]  ⁹ tn Or “loses.” Although the traditional English translation of ἀπολλύει (apolluei) in John 12:25 is “loses,” the contrast with φυλάξει (fulaxei, “keeps” or “guards”) in the second half of the verse favors the meaning “destroy” here.

[12:25]  ¹⁰ tn Or “keeps.”

[12:26]  ¹¹ tn As a third person imperative in Greek, ἀκολουθείτω (akolouqeitw) is usually translated “let him follow me.” This could be understood by the modern English reader as merely permissive, however (“he may follow me if he wishes”). In this context there is no permissive sense, but rather a command, so the translation “he must follow me” is preferred.

[12:26]  ¹² tn Grk “where I am, there my servant will be too.”