John 12

Mary anoints Jesus’ feet

1 Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

2 Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table.

3 Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound, of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She anointed Jesus' feet with it, then wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume.

4 Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), complained,

5 "This perfume was worth a year's wages! Why wasn't it sold and the money given to the poor?" (

6 He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would take what was in it.)

7 Then Jesus said, " Leave her alone. This perfume was to be used in preparation for my burial, and this is how she has used it.

8 You will always have the poor among you, but you won't always have me."

9 Many Jews learned that he was there. They came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

10 The chief priests decided that they would kill Lazarus too.

11 It was because of Lazarus that many of the Jews had deserted them and come to believe in Jesus.

Jesus enters Jerusalem

12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him. They shouted, "Hosanna! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the king of Israel!"

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

15 Don't be afraid, Daughter Zion. Look! Your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt.

16 His disciples didn't understand these things at first. After he was glorified, they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

17 The crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were testifying about him.

18 That's why the crowd came to meet him, because they had heard about this miraculous sign that he had done.

19 Therefore, the Pharisees said to each other, "See! You've accomplished nothing! Look! The whole world is following him!"

Jesus teaches about his death

20 Some Greeks were among those who had come up to worship at the festival.

21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and made a request: "Sir, we want to see Jesus."

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

23 Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Human One to be glorified.

24 I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

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

26 Whoever serves me must follow me. Wherever I am, there my servant will also be. My Father will honor whoever serves me.

27 " Now I am deeply troubled. What should I say? ‘Father, save me from this time'? No, for this is the reason I have come to this time.

28 Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

29 The crowd standing there heard and said, "It's thunder." Others said, "An angel spoke to him."

30 Jesus replied, " This voice wasn't for my benefit but for yours.

31 Now is the time for judgment of this world. Now this world's ruler will be thrown out.

32 When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me." (

33 He said this to show how he was going to die.)

34 The crowd responded, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Human One must be lifted up? Who is this Human One?"

35 Jesus replied, " The light is with you for only a little while. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn't overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness don't know where they are going.

36 As long as you have the light, believe in the light so that you might become people whose lives are determined by the light." After Jesus said these things, he went away and hid from them.

Fulfillment of prophecy

37 Jesus had done many miraculous signs before the people, but they didn't believe in him.

38 This was to fulfill the word of the prophet Isaiah: Lord, who has believed through our message? To whom is the arm of the Lord fully revealed?

39 Isaiah explains why they couldn't believe:

40 He made their eyes blind and closed their minds so that they might not see with their eyes, understand with their minds, and turn their lives around— and I would heal them.

41 Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus' glory; he spoke about Jesus.

42 Even so, many leaders believed in him, but they wouldn't acknowledge their faith because they feared that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue.

43 They believed, but they loved human praise more than God's glory.

Summary of Jesus’ teaching

44 Jesus shouted, " Whoever believes in me doesn't believe in me but in the one who sent me.

45 Whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.

46 I have come as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in me won't live in darkness.

47 If people hear my words and don't keep them, I don't judge them. I didn't come to judge the world but to save it.

48 Whoever rejects me and doesn't receive my words will be judged at the last day by the word I have spoken.

49 I don't speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me regarding what I should speak and say.

50 I know that his commandment is eternal life. Therefore, whatever I say is just as the Father has said to me."

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What Do We Learn from Mary Anointing the Feet of Jesus in John 12?

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.