John 12

Jesus Is Anointed at Bethany

12Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ²So they made him a dinner there, and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of the ones reclining at table with him. ³Then Mary took a pound^a of ointment of very valuable genuine nard and^* anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. ⁴But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was going to betray him) said, ⁵“Why^b was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” ⁶(Now he said this not because he was concerned^c about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the money box, he used to steal what was put into it.)^{* 7}So Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my preparation for burial. ⁸For you have the poor with you always, but you do not always have me.”

The Decision to Kill Lazarus

⁹Now a large crowd^d of Jews found out that he was there, and they came, not only because of Jesus, but so that they could see Lazarus also, whom he raised from the dead. ¹⁰So the chief priests decided that they would kill Lazarus also, ¹¹because on account of him many of the Jews were going and believing in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

¹²On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they^* heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, ¹³took the branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, and began crying out,

“Hosanna!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,^e

even the king of Israel!”

¹⁴So Jesus found a young donkey and^* sat on it, just as it is written,

¹⁵“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion!

Behold, your king is coming,

seated on the foal of a donkey!”^f

¹⁶(His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and they did these things to him.) ¹⁷So the crowd who was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were continuing to testify. ¹⁸Because of this also the crowd went to meet him, for they had heard that he had performed this sign. ¹⁹So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing! Behold, the world has gone after him.”

Greeks Seeking Jesus

²⁰Now some Greeks were among those who had gone up in order to worship at the feast. ²¹So these approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and began asking him saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man will be glorified. ²⁴Truly, truly I say to 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. ²⁵The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world preserves it for eternal life. ²⁶If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Jesus Predicts His Death

²⁷“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, deliver me from this hour’? But for this reason I have come to this hour! ²⁸Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have both glorified it,^* and I will glorify it^* again.” ²⁹Now the crowd that stood there and heard it^* said it had thundered.^g Others were saying, “An angel has spoken to him!” ³⁰Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not happened for my sake, but for your sake. ³¹Now is the judgment of this world! Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out! ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³(Now he said this to indicate by what sort of death he was going to die.)

³⁴Then the crowd replied to him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever!^h And how do you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵So Jesus said to them, “Yet a little time the light is with you! Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness does not overtake you! And the one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light.” Jesus said these things, and then he went away and^* was hidden from them.

The People Still Refuse to Believe

³⁷But as many signs as he had performed before them, they did not believe in him, ³⁸in order that the word of the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said,

“Lord, who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”ⁱ

³⁹For this reason they were not able to believe, because again Isaiah said,

⁴⁰“He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their hearts,

lest they see with their^* eyes

and understand with their^* hearts

and turn, and I heal them.”^j

⁴¹Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory, and he spoke about him.

⁴²Yet despite that, even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it,^* so that they would not be expelled from the synagogue. ⁴³For they loved the praise of men more than praise from God.

Jesus’ Final Public Appeal

⁴⁴But Jesus cried out and said, “The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me, ⁴⁵and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me. ⁴⁶I have come as a light into the world, in order that everyone who believes in me will not remain in the darkness. ⁴⁷And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them,^* I will not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ⁴⁸The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has one who judges him; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. ⁴⁹For I have not spoken from myself, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me^k what I should say and what I should speak. ⁵⁰And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So the things that I say, just as the Father said to me, thus I say.”