“Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like to see Jesus’ ” (John 12:20-21).
Some Greeks were called “God-fearers.” They hadn’t fully converted to Judaism but they attended the synagogues. Other Greeks were proselytes who had become converts to Judaism. All of them, though, were Gentiles and they all spoke the Greek language.
Philip had a Greek name and came from Bethsaida in Galilee. There were many Gentiles living in that region and it is possible that they knew him. At any rate his Greek name made them more comfortable in approaching him.
Their request speaks for so many of us who have hungered for spiritual truth. “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Their Gentile paganism had failed them. They had sought the truth in Jewish worship and now they were willing to pursue the truth that can only be found in Jesus.
The pulpit from which I preached while I pastored in Virginia Beach had a quote inscribed on it. Every time I stood there to preach I saw this inscription, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” It kept me focused on the purpose of my ministry. It is actually a reminder every believer can keep in mind. We do everything we can do to reach people with the good news about Jesus but our task really is simple. People want to see Jesus and it is the joy of every believer to introduce people to Him.
