John 12

Listen to John 12

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

1 Six days before 1the Passover, 2Jesus therefore came to Bethany, 3where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they gave a dinner for him there. 4Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.
3 5Mary therefore took a pound[a] of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said,
5 "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii[b] and 6given to the poor?"
6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and 7having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone, so that she may keep it[c] for the day of my burial.
8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus[d] was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, 8whom he had raised from the dead.
10 9So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well,
11 because 10on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

12 The next day 11the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
13 So they took branches of 12palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 13"Hosanna! Blessed is 14he who comes in the name of the Lord, even 15the King of Israel!"
14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 16"Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"
16 17His disciples did not understand these things at first, but 18when Jesus was glorified, then 19they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.
17 20The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness.
18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him 21was that they heard he had done this sign.
19 So the Pharisees said to one another, 22"You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, 23the world has gone after him."

Some Greeks Seek Jesus

20 Now 24among those who went up to worship at the feast were some 25Greeks.
21 So these came to 26Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
22 Philip went and told 27Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
23 And Jesus answered them, 28"The hour has come 29for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, 30unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
25 31Whoever loves his life loses it, and 32whoever 33hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26 If anyone serves me, he must 34follow me; and 35where I am, there will my servant be also. 36If anyone serves me, 37the Father will honor him.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

27 38"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, 39save me from 40this hour'? But 41for this purpose I have come to 42this hour.
28 Father, glorify your name." Then 43a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."
29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, 44"An angel has spoken to him."
30 Jesus answered, 45"This voice has come for your sake, not mine.
31 46Now is the judgment of this world; now will 47the ruler of this world 48be cast out.
32 And I, 49when I am lifted up from the earth, 50will draw 51all people to myself."
33 He said this 52to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
34 So the crowd answered him, "We have heard from the Law that 53the Christ remains forever. How can you say that 54the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"
35 So Jesus said to them, 55"The light is among you 56for a little while longer. 57Walk while you have the light, lest darkness 58overtake you. 59The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become 60sons of light." When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,
38 61so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 62"Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
39 Therefore they 63could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
40 64"He has blinded their eyes and 65hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them."
41 Isaiah said these things because 66he saw his glory and 67spoke of him.
42 Nevertheless, 68many even of the authorities believed in him, but 69for fear of the Pharisees they did not 70confess it, so that they would not be 71put out of the synagogue;
43 72for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Jesus Came to Save the World

44 And Jesus cried out and said, 73"Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but 74in him who sent me.
45 And 75whoever 76sees me sees him who sent me.
46 77I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.
47 If anyone 78hears my words and does not keep them, 79I do not judge him; for 80I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
48 81The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; 82the word that I have spoken will judge him 83on the last day.
49 For 84I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father 85who sent me has himself given me 86a commandment--what to say and what to speak.
50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me."

Images for John 12

Cross References 86

  • 1. ver. 12, 20; John 11:55
  • 2. For ver. 1-8, see Matthew 26:6-11; Mark 14:3-8
  • 3. John 11:1
  • 4. Luke 10:38, 40
  • 5. [Luke 7:37, 38]
  • 6. John 13:29
  • 7. [See ver. 5 above]
  • 8. John 11:44
  • 9. [Luke 16:31]
  • 10. ver. 18; John 11:45
  • 11. For ver. 12-15, see Matthew 21:4-9; Mark 11:7-10; Luke 19:35-38
  • 12. [Revelation 7:9]
  • 13. Psalms 118:25, 26
  • 14. [John 5:43]
  • 15. See John 1:49
  • 16. Cited from Zechariah 9:9
  • 17. [John 13:7]; See Mark 9:32
  • 18. ver. 23; See John 7:39
  • 19. John 2:22
  • 20. [Luke 19:37]
  • 21. ver. 9-11
  • 22. John 11:47
  • 23. [John 3:26]
  • 24. [1 Kings 8:41-43; Acts 8:27]
  • 25. Acts 17:4; [Mark 7:26]; See John 7:35
  • 26. John 1:44
  • 27. See Mark 13:3
  • 28. John 17:1; [ver. 27; John 13:31, 32; Mark 14:41]; See John 2:4
  • 29. ver. 16
  • 30. 1 Corinthians 15:36
  • 31. See Matthew 10:39
  • 32. [John 11:25]
  • 33. See Luke 14:26
  • 34. John 8:12; John 21:18
  • 35. John 14:3; John 17:24; [2 Corinthians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:17]
  • 36. [John 14:21, 23; John 16:27]
  • 37. 1 Samuel 2:30; Psalms 91:15
  • 38. John 11:33; John 13:21; [Luke 22:44]
  • 39. Mark 14:35; [Hebrews 5:7]
  • 40. ver. 23
  • 41. [John 18:37]
  • 42. ver. 23
  • 43. Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5; Mark 1:11; Mark 9:7; Luke 3:22; Luke 9:35; 2 Peter 1:17
  • 44. Acts 23:9
  • 45. John 11:42
  • 46. John 16:11; [John 16:33]
  • 47. John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12; [Matthew 13:19; Luke 4:6; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:19]
  • 48. [Luke 10:18; Colossians 2:15; 1 John 3:8]
  • 49. John 3:14; John 8:28
  • 50. See John 6:44
  • 51. Romans 5:18; Romans 8:32; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 2:9; 1 John 2:2
  • 52. John 18:32
  • 53. Psalms 89:4; Psalms 110:4; Isaiah 9:7; Ezekiel 37:25; Luke 1:33
  • 54. ver. 32
  • 55. ver. 46; See John 1:4, 9; John 8:12
  • 56. See John 7:33
  • 57. Jeremiah 13:16; Ephesians 5:8
  • 58. 1 Thessalonians 5:4
  • 59. Isaiah 9:2; 1 John 1:6; 1 John 2:11; [John 11:10]
  • 60. See Luke 10:6
  • 61. [Matthew 1:22]
  • 62. Romans 10:16; Cited from Isaiah 53:1
  • 63. [John 5:44]
  • 64. [Isaiah 6:10]; See Matthew 13:14, 15
  • 65. See Mark 6:52
  • 66. Isaiah 6:1
  • 67. [John 5:46]
  • 68. John 3:1; [John 7:48]
  • 69. See John 7:13
  • 70. See John 9:22
  • 71. See John 9:22
  • 72. John 5:44
  • 73. [John 13:20]; See Matthew 10:40
  • 74. John 14:1; [John 5:24; 1 Peter 1:21]
  • 75. John 14:9
  • 76. John 6:40
  • 77. ver. 35, 36; See John 1:4, 5, 9; John 8:12
  • 78. [John 3:36]
  • 79. John 8:15
  • 80. See John 3:17; John 4:42
  • 81. Luke 10:16
  • 82. Deuteronomy 18:18, 19
  • 83. [Romans 2:16]
  • 84. See John 5:19, 30
  • 85. See John 3:17
  • 86. John 15:10

Footnotes 4

  • [a]. Greek litra; a litra (or Roman pound) was equal to about 11 1/2 ounces or 327 grams
  • [b]. A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
  • [c]. Or Leave her alone; she intended to keep it
  • [d]. Greek he

John 12 Commentaries

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.