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The Gospel of John 12

12 Jesus arrived in the village of Bethany six days before the Jewish Passover celebration began. Bethany was the village where Lazarus dwelled. He was the man whom Jesus made alive again after he had died. 2 There in Bethany, some of Jesus’ friends gave a dinner to honor Jesus. Martha served the food to the guests, and Lazarus was among those who were sitting together and eating with Jesus. 3 Mary then took a bottle that contained about half a liter of very expensive perfume, which was pure oil from nard plants, and she poured it out on Jesus’ feet and then wiped his feet with her hair. The pleasant scent of the perfume filled the entire house.

4 However, Judas Iscariot objected. (He was the one among Jesus’ disciples who would soon help the Jewish leaders arrest Jesus.) He said, 5 “We should have sold this perfume for the money that a man can earn in 300 days of work. Then we could have given that money to poor people!” 6 (Judas did not say this because he cared about poor people. Rather, he said this because he was a thief. He kept charge of the bag that held their money, but he would steal the money that people gave him to put in the bag.) 7 So Jesus said, “Leave her alone! She saved the perfume in order to keep it to prepare me for the time when I die and am buried. 8 She did the right thing because poor people will always be among you whom you can help, but I will not be with you much longer.”

9 A large crowd of Jews heard that Jesus was in Bethany, so they went there. They came not only because Jesus was there, but also because they wanted to see Lazarus. He was the man whom Jesus made alive again after he had died. 10 By contrast, the ruling priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus. 11 The ruling priests wanted to kill Lazarus because he was the reason why many of the Jews were no longer believing what they were teaching and were trusting in Jesus instead.

12 The next day the large crowd of people that had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover celebration found out that Jesus was on his way there. 13 So they cut branches off of palm trees and went out to the road to welcome him as he came into the city. They were shouting, “Please, save us! May God bless the one who comes with his authority. That one is the King of Israel!” 14 When Jesus came near to Jerusalem, he found a young donkey and sat on it in order to ride it into the city. By doing this, he fulfilled what some prophets had written in Scripture:

15 “Do not be afraid, you who live in Jerusalem.

Look! Your King is coming.

He is riding on a donkey’s colt!”

16 When these events happened, his disciples did not understand that they were a fulfillment of what those prophets had written. However, after God glorified Jesus by bringing him back to life, they remembered what the prophets had written about him and that people had done those things to him.

17 The crowd of people that was following along with Jesus kept telling others that they had seen Jesus summon Lazarus to come out of the tomb and had seen Jesus make him alive again after he had died. 18 A different crowd of people went out of the city gate to meet Jesus. They did so because they heard that he had done the miraculous sign of making Lazarus alive again. 19 So the Pharisees said to each other, “See! We are failing to stop him. Look! Everyone is becoming his disciples!”

20 Some people who were not Jews were among the people who went up to Jerusalem in order to worship God during the Passover celebration. 21 They came to Philip, who was from the city of Bethsaida, which is in the region of Galilee. They asked him, “Sir, would you introduce us to Jesus?” 22 Then Philip reported this to Andrew, and they both went and told Jesus about the Greeks. 23 Jesus answered Philip and Andrew, “It is now the time for God to show everyone how great I, the Son of Man, am. 24 I am telling you the truth: My life is like a seed. Unless a seed of wheat is planted in the ground and dies, it will only be one seed. But if it dies in the ground, then it will grow and produce much wheat. 25 Anyone who wants to keep on living more than be my disciple will die, but anyone who wants to be my disciple more than to keep on living in this sinful world will keep his life forever. 26 Anyone who wants to serve me must be my disciple. My servant will be with me in heaven. My Father will honor anyone who serves me.

27 At this moment I feel greatly distressed. I should surely not say, ‘Father, prevent me from experiencing this time when I will suffer and die!’ No, I will not do that, because this is the very reason I have lived up to this time when I will suffer and die. 28 Father, show how great you are!”

Then God spoke from heaven, “I have already shown how great I am; I will do it again!” 29 The crowd of people that was standing there heard the voice of God as well. Some of them said it was just the sound of thunder. Some other people said that an angel had spoken to Jesus. 30 Jesus replied to them, “The voice that you heard was God’s voice. He did not speak for my benefit, but for yours! 31 Now is the time for God to judge the people in this world. Now is the time when he will throw out Satan, who is the one who rules this world. 32 As for me, when people raise me high on a cross, I will cause all peoples to come to me.” 33 (He said this to let the people know the way he would soon die.)

34 The crowd of people then replied to him, “We have learned from Scripture that the Messiah will live forever. So why do you say that the Son of Man will be lifted up to die on a cross? Who is this ‘Son of Man’ you are speaking about?” 35 Jesus told them, “I am the light that reveals God’s truth and goodness. I will be with you only a little longer. Live according to my example while I am still here in order to prevent the darkness that is sin and evil from controlling you. Those who live sinfully are like people who wander around in darkness, not knowing where they are going! 36 Trust in me, the light that reveals God’s truth and goodness, while I am still with you. Do this in order to be God’s people, those who know his truth and goodness.”

After he said those things, Jesus left them and hid himself from the people. 37 Even though Jesus had done many miraculous signs in front of the people, most of them did not trust in him. 38 Their unbelief happened in order to make come true what Isaiah the prophet had written long ago:

“Lord, no one has believed what we said!

It seems like no one has seen the power that the Lord has revealed!” 39 They could not trust in Jesus for this reason: Isaiah had also written, 40 “The Lord has made them unable to perceive what they see,

and he has made them stubborn.

He has done this in order that they would not perceive what they see,

and would not truly understand,

and would not turn away from sin to God, and I would not forgive them.”

41 Isaiah wrote that long ago, because he saw how great Jesus is and spoke concerning him.

42 Although this was true, many members of the highest Jewish governing council trusted in Jesus. Nevertheless, they did not tell others that they trusted in Jesus, because they feared that the Pharisees would ban them from entering the Jewish meeting place. 43 They feared this because they preferred that other people honor them rather than that God would honor them.

44 Jesus spoke loudly to a crowd of people, “Those who trust me are not only trusting me but also are trusting my Father, who sent me. 45 Those who see me are also seeing my Father, who sent me. 46 I came into this world as the light that reveals God’s truth and goodness to everyone in the world in order that anyone who trusts in me will not stay in the darkness that is sin and evil.

47 I do not condemn anyone who listens to my teachings but refuses to obey them, because I did not come into this world in order to condemn the people in the world. Rather, I came into this world in order to save them from being punished for their sins. 48 Anyone who rejects me and does not accept and obey my teachings will be condemned according to the very teachings I have spoken. On the last day when God judges everyone, God will judge that person on the basis of my teachings. 49 This will happen because I did not speak on my own authority. Rather, my Father himself, who sent me, commanded me regarding what I should say and how I should say it. 50 I am certain that what my Father has commanded me to say is what people must believe in order to live forever in heaven. So I say exactly what my Father has told me to say.”

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