John 12

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

12:1–8Ref—Mt 26:6–13; Mk 14:3–9; Lk 7:37–39

12Six days before the Passover,^h Jesus came to Bethany,ⁱ where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ²Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served,^j while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. ³Then Mary took about a pint^a of pure nard, an expensive perfume;^k she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.^l And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

⁴But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him,^m objected, ⁵“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.^b” ⁶He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag,ⁿ he used to help himself to what was put into it.

⁷“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.^{o 8}You will always have the poor among you,^cp but you will not always have me.”

⁹Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.^{q 10}So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, ¹¹for on account of him^r many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.^s

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

12:12–15pp—Mt 21:4–9; Mk 11:7–10; Lk 19:35–38

¹²The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³They took palm branches^t and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!^d”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^eu

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”^v

¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;

see, your king is coming,

seated on a donkey’s colt.”^fw

¹⁶At first his disciples did not understand all this.^x Only after Jesus was glorified^y did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

¹⁷Now the crowd that was with him^z when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign,^a went out to meet him. ¹⁹So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”^b

Jesus Predicts His Death

²⁰Now there were some Greeks^c among those who went up to worship at the festival. ²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida^d in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

²³Jesus replied, “The hour^e has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.^{f 24}Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,^g it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it^h for eternal life.^{i 26}Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.^j My Father will honor the one who serves me.

²⁷“Now my soul is troubled,^k and what shall I say? ‘Father,^l save me from this hour’?^m No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven,ⁿ “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

³⁰Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit,^o not mine. ³¹Now is the time for judgment on this world;^p now the prince of this world^q will be driven out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up^g from the earth,^r will draw all people to myself.”^{s 33}He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.^t

³⁴The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law^u that the Messiah will remain forever,^v so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man^w must be lifted up’?^x Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

³⁵Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light^y just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light,^z before darkness overtakes you.^a Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”^b When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.^c

Belief and Unbelief Among the Jews

³⁷Even after Jesus had performed so many signs^d in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”^he

³⁹For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

⁴⁰“He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their hearts,

so they can neither see with their eyes,

nor understand with their hearts,

nor turn—and I would heal them.”^if

⁴¹Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory^g and spoke about him.^h

⁴²Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.ⁱ But because of the Pharisees^j they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;^{k 43}for they loved human praise^l more than praise from God.^m

⁴⁴Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.^{n 45}The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.^{o 46}I have come into the world as a light,^p so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

⁴⁷“If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.^{q 48}There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them^r at the last day. ⁴⁹For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me^s to say all that I have spoken. ⁵⁰I know that his command leads to eternal life.^t So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”^u