John 12

Mary Honors Jesus

1 Jesus came to Bethany six days before the Passover, where Lazarus was, the one He raised from the dead.

2 They made Him a dinner there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with Him.

3 Mary took a pound of very expensive perfume, pure nard, and anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair, and the whole house was filled with the fragrance.

4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who was going to betray Him, said,

5 “Why was not this perfume sold for a lot of money and given to the poor?”

6 He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief and used to take from the money bag.

7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so she may keep it for the day of My burial.

8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”

9 A large crowd of Jews found out He was there and came, not just for Jesus, but to see Lazarus, the one He raised from the dead.

10 But the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too,

11 because on account of him many were leaving them and believing in Jesus.

The King Comes in Humble

12 The next day, the large crowd who had come to the feast heard Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

13 They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just like it is written,

15 “Do not fear, daughter of Zion, behold your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but after Jesus was glorified, they remembered that these things were written about Him and had been done to Him.

17 The crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb kept testifying about it.

18 That is why the crowd went to meet Him, because they heard He had done this sign.

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see you are getting nowhere. Look, the whole world has gone after Him.”

Some Greeks Want to See Jesus

20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast.

21 They came to Philip and said, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

22 Philip told Andrew, and they went and told Jesus.

The Hour Has Come

23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

24 For real, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”

25 “The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.

26 If 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 Talks About His Death

27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what should I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’, But this is the reason I came to this hour.

28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

29 The crowd standing there heard it and said it had thundered. Others said, “An angel spoke to Him.”

30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not Mine.”

31 “Now judgment is upon this world, now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.”

33 He said this to show what kind of death He was about to die.

34 The crowd answered, “We heard from the Law that the Christ is to remain forever. How can You say the Son of Man must be lifted up, Who is this Son of Man?”

35 Jesus said, “The Light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the Light, so darkness does not overtake you. The one who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.

36 While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so you may become sons of Light.” After He said this, He went away and hid Himself from them.

They Still Do Not Believe

37 Even though He had done so many signs in front of them, they still were not believing in Him.

38 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, “Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

39 For this reason they could not believe, because Isaiah also said,

40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they would not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I would heal them.”

41 Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke about Him.

42 Still, many even among the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, so they would not be put out of the synagogue.

43 They loved the approval of people more than the approval of God.

The Final Call to Believe

44 Jesus cried out, “The one who believes in Me does not believe in Me only, but in Him who sent Me.

45 The one who sees Me sees the One who sent Me.

46 I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”

47 “If anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him right now, because I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

48 The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has a judge, the word I spoke will judge him on the last day.”

49 “I did not speak on My own, but the Father who sent Me gave Me the command of what to say and what to speak.

50 I know His command leads to eternal life. So the things I speak, I speak exactly as the Father has told Me.”