John 12

1 Six days before the Passover Feast, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. (Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from the dead.)

2 There they had a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food, and Lazarus was one of the people eating with Jesus.

3 Mary brought in a pint of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. She poured the perfume on Jesus' feet, and then she wiped his feet with her hair. And the sweet smell from the perfume filled the whole house.

4 Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' followers who would later turn against him, was there. Judas said,

5 "This perfume was worth three hundred coins. Why wasn't it sold and the money given to the poor?"

6 But Judas did not really care about the poor; he said this because he was a thief. He was the one who kept the money box, and he often stole from it.

7 Jesus answered, "Leave her alone. It was right for her to save this perfume for today, the day for me to be prepared for burial.

8 You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me."

9 A large crowd of Jews heard that Jesus was in Bethany. So they went there to see not only Jesus but Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead.

10 So the leading priests made plans to kill Lazarus, too.

11 Because of Lazarus many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.

12 The next day a great crowd who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast heard that Jesus was coming there.

13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Jesus, shouting, "Praisen God! God bless the King of Israel!"

14 Jesus found a colt and sat on it. This was as the Scripture says,

15 "Don't be afraid, people of Jerusalem! Your king is coming, sitting on the colt of a donkey."

16 The followers of Jesus did not understand this at first. But after Jesus was raised to glory, they remembered that this had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

17 There had been many people with Jesus when he raised Lazarus from the dead and told him to come out of the tomb. Now they were telling others about what Jesus did.

18 Many people went out to meet Jesus, because they had heard about this miracle.

19 So the Pharisees said to each other, "You can see that nothing is going right for us. Look! The whole world is following him."

20 There were some Greek people, too, who came to Jerusalem to worship at the Passover Feast.

21 They went to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus."

22 Philip told Andrew, and then Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

23 Jesus said to them, "The time has come for the Son of Man to receive his glory.

24 I tell you the truth, a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die to make many seeds. But if it never dies, it remains only a single seed.

25 Those who love their lives will lose them, but those who hate their lives in this world will keep true life forever.

26 Whoever serves me must follow me. Then my servant will be with me everywhere I am. My Father will honor anyone who serves me.

27 "Now I am very troubled. Should I say, 'Father, save me from this time'? No, I came to this time so I could suffer.

28 Father, bring glory to your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have brought glory to it, and I will do it again."

29 The crowd standing there, who heard the voice, said it was thunder. But others said, "An angel has spoken to him."

30 Jesus said, "That voice was for your sake, not mine.

31 Now is the time for the world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be thrown down.

32 If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people toward me."

33 Jesus said this to show how he would die.

34 The crowd said, "We have heard from the law that the Christ will live forever. So why do you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this 'Son of Man'?"

35 Then Jesus said, "The light will be with you for a little longer, so walk while you have the light. Then the darkness will not catch you. If you walk in the darkness, you will not know where you are going.

36 Believe in the light while you still have it so that you will become children of light." When Jesus had said this, he left and hid himself from them.

37 Though Jesus had done many miracles in front of the people, they still did not believe in him.

38 This was to bring about what Isaiah the prophet had said: "Lord, who believed what we told them? Who saw the Lord's power in this?"

39 This is why the people could not believe: Isaiah also had said,

40 "He has blinded their eyes, and he has closed their minds. Otherwise they would see with their eyes and understand in their minds and come back to me and be healed."

41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.

42 But many believed in Jesus, even many of the leaders. But because of the Pharisees, they did not say they believed in him for fear they would be put out of the synagogue.

43 They loved praise from people more than praise from God.

44 Then Jesus cried out, "Whoever believes in me is really believing in the One who sent me.

45 Whoever sees me sees the One who sent me.

46 I have come as light into the world so that whoever believes in me would not stay in darkness.

47 "Anyone who hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge, because I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.

48 There is a judge for those who refuse to believe in me and do not accept my words. The word I have taught will be their judge on the last day.

49 The things I taught were not from myself. The Father who sent me told me what to say and what to teach.

50 And I know that eternal life comes from what the Father commands. So whatever I say is what the Father told me to say."

John 12 Commentary

Chapter 12

Christ anointed by Mary. (1-11) He enters Jerusalem. (12-19) Greeks apply to see Jesus. (20-26) A voice from heaven bears testimony to Christ. (27-33) His discourse with the people. (34-36) Unbelief of the Jews. (37-43) Christ's address to them. (44-50)

Verses 1-11 Christ had formerly blamed Martha for being troubled with much serving. But she did not leave off serving, as some, who when found fault with for going too far in one way, peevishly run too far another way; she still served, but within hearing of Christ's gracious words. Mary gave a token of love to Christ, who had given real tokens of his love to her and her family. God's Anointed should be our Anointed. Has God poured on him the oil of gladness above his fellows, let us pour on him the ointment of our best affections. In Judas a foul sin is gilded over with a plausible pretence. We must not think that those do no acceptable service, who do it not in our way. The reigning love of money is heart-theft. The grace of Christ puts kind comments on pious words and actions, makes the best of what is amiss, and the most of what is good. Opportunities are to be improved; and those first and most vigorously, which are likely to be the shortest. To consult to hinder the further effect of the miracle, by putting Lazarus to death, is such wickedness, malice, and folly, as cannot be explained, except by the desperate enmity of the human heart against God. They resolved that the man should die whom the Lord had raised to life. The success of the gospel often makes wicked men so angry, that they speak and act as if they hoped to obtain a victory over the Almighty himself.

Verses 12-19 Christ's riding in triumph to Jerusalem is recorded by all the evangelists. Many excellent things, both in the word and providence of God, disciples do not understand at their first acquaintance with the things of God. The right understanding of spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom, prevents our misapplying the Scriptures which speak of it.

Verses 20-26 In attendance upon holy ordinances, particularly the gospel passover, the great desire of our souls should be to see Jesus; to see him as ours, to keep up communion with him, and derive grace from him. The calling of the Gentiles magnified the Redeemer. A corn of wheat yields no increase unless it is cast into the ground. Thus Christ might have possessed his heavenly glory alone, without becoming man. Or, after he had taken man's nature, he might have entered heaven alone, by his own perfect righteousness, without suffering or death; but then no sinner of the human race could have been saved. The salvation of souls hitherto, and henceforward to the end of time, is owing to the dying of this Corn of wheat. Let us search whether Christ be in us the hope of glory; let us beg him to make us indifferent to the trifling concerns of this life, that we may serve the Lord Jesus with a willing mind, and follow his holy example.

Verses 27-33 The sin of our souls was the troubled of Christ's soul, when he undertook to redeem and save us, and to make his soul an offering for our sin. Christ was willing to suffer, yet prayed to be saved from suffering. Prayer against trouble may well agree with patience under it, and submission to the will of God in it. Our Lord Jesus undertook to satisfy God's injured honour, and he did it by humbling himself. The voice of the Father from heaven, which had declared him to be his beloved Son, at his baptism, and when he was transfigured, was heard proclaiming that He had both glorified his name, and would glorify it. Christ, reconciling the world to God by the merit of his death, broke the power of death, and cast out Satan as a destroyer. Christ, bringing the world to God by the doctrine of his cross, broke the power of sin, and cast out Satan as a deceiver. The soul that was at a distance from Christ, is brought to love him and trust him. Jesus was now going to heaven, and he would draw men's hearts to him thither. There is power in the death of Christ to draw souls to him. We have heard from the gospel that which exalts free grace, and we have heard also that which enjoins duty; we must from the heart embrace both, and not separate them.

Verses 34-36 The people drew false notions from the Scriptures, because they overlooked the prophecies that spoke of Christ's sufferings and death. Our Lord warned them that the light would not long continue with them, and exhorted them to walk in it, before the darkness overtook them. Those who would walk in the light must believe in it, and follow Christ's directions. But those who have not faith, cannot behold what is set forth in Jesus, lifted up on the cross, and must be strangers to its influence as made known by the Holy Spirit; they find a thousand objections to excuse their unbelief.

Verses 37-43 Observe the method of conversion implied here. Sinners are brought to see the reality of Divine things, and to have some knowledge of them. To be converted, and truly turned from sin to Christ, as their Happiness and Portion. God will heal them, will justify and sanctify them; will pardon their sins, which are as bleeding wounds, and mortify their corruptions, which are as lurking diseases. See the power of the world in smothering convictions, from regard to the applause or censure of men. Love of the praise of men, as a by-end in that which is good, will make a man a hypocrite when religion is in fashion, and credit is to be got by it; and love of the praise of men, as a base principle in that which is evil, will make a man an apostate, when religion is in disgrace, and credit is to be lost for it.

Verses 44-50 Our Lord publicly proclaimed, that every one who believed on him, as his true disciple, did not believe on him only, but on the Father who sent him. Beholding in Jesus the glory of the Father, we learn to obey, love, and trust in him. By daily looking to Him, who came a Light into the world, we are more and more freed from the darkness of ignorance, error, sin, and misery; we learn that the command of God our Saviour is everlasting life. But the same word will seal the condemnation of all who despise it, or neglect it.