Christ Jesus' dramatic, triumphal entry into Jerusalem had brought him irrevocably out into the open as the Messiah of prophecy. His popularity among the common people seemed assured.
Throughout the four Gospels it is evident that all walks of life were represented among the crowds that followed the Galilean Prophet. And now John's Gospel speaks of certain Greeks among those who had come to the Passover feast. They came to Philip saying, "Sir, we would see Jesus" (12:20, 21). Philip brought word to Andrew, and the two approached Jesus.
In this incident Jesus seems to have recognized the fulfillment of his worldwide mission. On other occasions he had said his time had "not yet come" (see 2:4; 7:6, 8), but now he unhesitatingly announced, "The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified" (12:23).
