John 12:1–19

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