What does John 12:23 mean?

In prior moments, Scripture has made the point that Jesus' "time had not yet come." Some of these come from Jesus' own lips (John 2:4; 7:6), or references to that effect (John 8:20). It's clear He is acting on a divine timetable. The drama of the triumphal entry is part of that loyalty to God's schedule—following many ancient prophecies (Daniel 9:25–26). Recently, Jesus has been approached by a group of Gentiles—referred to as "Greeks"—who first encounter Philip and Andrew. These two appear to be running some kind of security screening for Jesus, in response to the obvious threats of local religious leaders (John 10:39–40; 11:8).

It's not an accident that John recorded specific words from the Pharisees who were upset by the crowd's reaction to Jesus riding into Jerusalem (John 12:19). There, critics claimed "the world has gone after Him." In this incident, those approaching Jesus are from the group Jewish people consider as outsiders. In the Israeli mindset, there are two main divisions among mankind: Jews, and everyone else. In a literal and symbolic sense, what's happening now is evidence that "the whole world" is going to be called to Jesus, not merely the people of the nation of Israel (John 10:16).

Jesus will continue to explain the significance of this moment in upcoming verses. Among the analogies He makes is that of a seed which is planted (John 12:24). The seed, in a sense, apparently "dies," but in reality, it is transformed into the more mature and always-intended form. Paul echoes some of this terminology in his letters (1 Corinthians 15:36–42).