Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 12:20-24

"Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast: these therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: Andrew cometh, and Philip, and they tell Jesus. And Jesus answereth them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit." — John 12:20-24 (ASV)

And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

I think that our Saviour looked upon these Greeks as a sort of vanguard of the great army of Gentiles who would come to him as the result of his death.

But he fixed his eye upon the cause rather than the result, and so he began to talk about that death of his, and how it would work such glorious results.

If you want a corn of wheat to grow, you must put it into the ground; it must be resolved into its primary particles—for that is what "to die" means—and then it must spring up again with newness of life, or else it can never be multiplied.

It was so with the Lord Jesus himself; it is still so with us. It is in proportion as we ourselves shall be prepared to die that we shall be prepared to give life to others.