And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
The hour.
John 13:31,32 Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him…
John 17:1-5,9,10 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: …
Isaiah 49:5,6 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength…
The hour has come
"The hour" refers to a divinely appointed time, a recurring theme in the Gospel of John. Previously, Jesus often mentioned that His hour had not yet come (e.g., John 2:4, 7:30). This marks a pivotal moment in His ministry, indicating the imminent fulfillment of His purpose on earth. It is a reference to His impending death, resurrection, and glorification, which are central to the salvation plan.
for the Son of Man
The title "Son of Man" is a messianic term rooted in Daniel 7:13-14, where it describes a figure with authority and dominion. Jesus frequently uses this title to emphasize both His humanity and His divine authority. It underscores His role as the representative of humanity and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
to be glorified
Glorification in this context refers to Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. While the cross was a symbol of shame, in God's redemptive plan, it becomes the means of glorification. This paradox highlights the transformative power of Jesus' sacrifice. The glorification also points to the revelation of Jesus' divine nature and the completion of His earthly mission, fulfilling prophecies such as Isaiah 52:13-15.
The conjunction points back to verses 20-22, where Greeks ask to see Jesus. Their request signals that His influence has crossed Jewish boundaries. Scripture had foretold such worldwide reach (Isaiah 49:6; John 10:16). Up to this moment Jesus often said, “My hour has not yet come” (John 7:30). Now the narrative turns; the “but” marks a decisive shift from delay to fulfillment.
Jesus—God the Son incarnate—speaks with sovereign authority, not speculation. He knows the Father’s timetable and interprets events for His followers. Earlier, He told the disciples, “The Son of Man must suffer many things” (Luke 9:22). Here He confirms that the foretold suffering and glory are no longer future possibilities; they are imminent realities.
“The hour” is more than sixty minutes; it is the divinely appointed season of redemptive climax. John uses this phrase to trace a prophetic countdown (John 2:4; 8:20; 13:1). Every miracle and teaching has pointed toward this moment. Acts 2:23 later explains that Jesus was “delivered by God’s set plan and foreknowledge,” underscoring the literal precision of God’s schedule.
The verb moves us from anticipation to arrival. No force—religious leaders, political power, or demonic opposition—can delay or derail God’s purpose. Jesus states in Mark 14:41, “The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.” The plan, promised since Genesis 3:15, now advances inexorably toward the cross.
“Son of Man” echoes Daniel 7:13-14, where the figure receives everlasting dominion. It affirms both Jesus’ humanity and His messianic authority. In John 3:14 He said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” The title ties His coming glory to His sacrificial lifting up on the cross.
Glory, in this context, shines brightest through the apparent darkness of Calvary. Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension form one seamless act of glorification. He prays, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You” (John 17:1). Philippians 2:8-11 shows the pattern: humility to death, then exaltation “to the highest place.” By embracing the cross, Jesus reveals the full splendor of God’s love, justice, and power, drawing all who believe into that glory (John 12:32).
John 12:23 marks the turning point where Jesus publicly announces that His long-awaited, God-ordained hour has finally arrived. The Son of Man will be glorified—not by earthly acclaim but through His redemptive death, triumphant resurrection, and victorious ascension. Every detail unfolds exactly as Scripture promises, displaying the unwavering faithfulness of God’s plan and inviting believers to behold and trust the Savior whose glory shines through the cross.
(23) And Jesus answered them, saying.--The words are rather the utterance of the thoughts of His own mind, which this visit of the Greeks suggests, than an answer. They are spoken to the Apostles, but the narrative is too compressed for us to know whether any answer was given to the Greeks apart from this. The explanation which is most probable is that the Greeks heard this discourse, and that it is in reality an answer to the thoughts of their hearts, and to the words they wished to have spoken to Him.The hour is come.--This approach of men from outside the limits of Judaism who have been admitted within its pale, and who now, when priests and rulers are seeking to kill Him, are seeking to render Him homage, brings back again the thought of the scattered sheep, for whose gathering the Shepherd's life must be laid down (John 10:16-19). They are the first-fruits of the great flocks of humanity, and their presence is as the first stroke of the bell which sounds the fatal but glorious hour. That hour marked out in the counsels of God, and ever present in His own thoughts, has now come.
That the Son of man should be glorified.--This is to be accomplished in His ascension and return to the glory of Heaven. (Comp. Notes on John 17:1-2; John 17:5.) But the immediate connection implies that He regards the extension of his Messianic work, and the acceptance of His truth by the nations of the earth, as part of the glory of the Son of man. The connection implies also that He regards His own death as the dark path which must be trodden before the path of glory can be entered.
Verses 23-26. -(1) The glorification of the Son of man in and through death. Verse 23. - And Jesus answereth them. Many commentators (Ewald, Godet, Hengstenberg) think that Jesus did not address the following words to the Greeks, that until he had gone through the agony of death, and entered in human nature on his Divine and mediatorial reign, the mission to the Gentiles could not commence. Tholuck supposed that the interview was over, and that the solemn words are addressed to the disciples in the presence both of Greeks and of others afterwards; but there is no such break suggested. It is more probable (with Luthardt, Edersheim, Lunge) that the Greeks were close behind Andrew and Philip, and that our Lord at once, for their advantage, as well as for that of the disciples, proceeded to explain the solemn impression made upon himself by this remarkable desire. Surely it is unnecessary to say that our Lord was anxious not to give umbrage to the priests, or to rouse the animosity of the people. Every word of the terrible address of Matthew 23, all the controversies in the temple, even the triumphal entry itself, would and did give mortal umbrage to the priestly party and to the Sanhedrim He had boldly challenged their entire position, he had smitten down their prejudices and assailed their notions of exclusive privilege, and therefore would not have shrunk, on that ground, from intercourse with devout Greeks worshipping at the feast. The words are surely said to them and about them, but in the main for the instruction of the disciples themselves. The hour is come for which he had been waiting (see John 2:4; John 13:1)-the mysterious "hour" on which his glory would depend, and the destiny of the world turn. God not only contemplates great periods, eons of time, but "acceptable years," "days of the Lord," "moments of time," as parts of the eternal plan. That the Son of man should be glorified. The "Son of man," rather than "Son of God," is the term he uses in reference to, and in the presence of, the Greeks. The highest Man is now about to assume his supreme glory, to go forth, as the mighty Man, to rule the world of men. The Son of man is about to ascend into his eternal throne, to clothe himself with all authority of judgment and mercy in heaven and earth. The glorification of the Son of man is one of the high main themes of the Gospel, and its justification is to be found in the fact that the Son of man is indeed the Logos made flesh, and the Lamb slain, and like the Serpent is being lifted up, and as the true Shepherd is laying down his life that he might take it again. The advent of the Greeks opens prophetic vistas which involve tremendous experiences of his own, and also great principles of service for all his followers. His Passion was so inextricably interwoven with his glory, that the former becomes verily the prelude of his victory and supreme exaltation. His death is but his glory. Moreover, the approach of the Gentiles suggested the universal belief in him which would follow upon his Passion and resurrection, and he" foretells that the hour of his glorification was already come" (Augustine). (See remarks in Introduction, pp. 78-80, on the several epochs in this record of the Lord's life, where the "hour" seems to strike, but is again and again postponed with a view to fresh revelations, exactly as the climax is deferred throughout the Apocalypse.)
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