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 from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Here we find out that Greeks would come to worship at the Jewish feasts as well as Jews. They asked the disciples if they could see Jesus and I believe they brought them to Jesus, although it doesn’t exactly say that here. Since “Jesus answered them” I think He was answering them all, Greeks included.

Jesus starts to say some heavily encoded things at this point. First He says that now is the time “for the Son of Man to be glorified.” “Son of Man” is one of the titles that Jesus gives Himself. It is used more often in other accounts of Jesus’ life in the Bible. What is this glory that Jesus is talking about? I think that the next line gives us more information about that.

Jesus switches to an agriculture metaphor and says that if you don’t bury a dead seed, it can’t make more food than just itself. Jesus appears to be talking about His death here. Unless He dies, He can’t raise again from the dead and produce more people like Himself.

Colossians 1:18 : He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

It is a kind of glory when a plant grows and produces more than it was and it turned out to be glorious when Jesus raised from the dead, started Christianity and saved many “Greeks” and Jews like the ones He’s talking to. The word “Greek” is often used in contrast to “Jew.” It can be a synonym for “Gentile.” It is true that Jesus’ death was to bring many Gentiles to God through Christianity. It was to be Jesus’ death and resurrection that would bring this all about.