The Gospel According to John Chapter 12

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The Gospel According to John Chapter 12

The Bible Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/JHN.12.NIV

Jesus, the Watershed of Faith

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

1 Six days before the Passover(1), Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. (Jesus came to Bethany six days before the Passover. Now we see the last one week of Jesus before His death and resurrection which is recorded in the last part of the Book; more than the two third of the Book.)

2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.(At the Jesus honoring dinner, Martha and Lazarus served the table.)

3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard(2), an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (Mary served Jesus by washing His feet with a very precious and expensive pure nard.)

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,

5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” (Judas Iscariot blamed Mary for wasting the asset.)

6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (He was an accountant among the disciples. And he stole money from the account for himself. His complain was not just but from the heart of a thief.)

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (It was the last week before the death of Jesus. Jesus justified the "so-called-waste" as the preparation of His death. No worldly value is bigger than His death, and Mary proved it with her dedication. Nothing is too much or too little as a token of a heart for Jesus.)

9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. (Many people came to there to see Jesus and Lazarus who came back to life.)

10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. (So the Jewish leaders decided to kill Lazarus too, to erase the evidence of the power of Jesus.)

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King (Palm Sunday)

12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. (The people came to know that Jesus is 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!” (Ps. 118:25-26)

“Blessed is the king of Israel!” (They welcomed Jesus, shouting Hosanna which means, save us or savior, as like they welcoming the king David; a political leader of this world.)

14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: (Jesus rode a young donkey to reveal His humble kingship in the Kingdom of God.)

15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” (Zech, 9:9, It had been foretold in the Old Testament.)

16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. (The disciples came to understanding of how the prophesy is related to Jesus later. They were learning one by one more and more.)

17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. (Those who had seen the miracle of Jesus for Lazarus spread words about Jesus.)

18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. (Many people came to Jesus because of His reviving power over the death of Lazarus; an indication of the resurrection.)

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” (The popularity of Jesus upsetted the Pharisees and cornered them more.)

Jesus Predicts His Death

20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. (There were some Greek converts to Judaism; the Proselytes.(3))

21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”

22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. (Some of those Greek converts wanted to see Jesus.)

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. (It was a sign that the time came to the final stage of the ministry of Jesus. Gal. 4:4)

24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (Time to die to produce more.)

25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (The life in this world is a moment but in the Kingdom eternal.)

26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. ("Serve Me, follow Me. I am the perfect Representative of God." Jesus said.)

27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. (It was painful for Jesus facing the torturing death as a Son of Man. But it is why Jesus came to the world. It was the Must-Go-Through.)

28 Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (A heavenly voice proves that Doing God's will, Glorifying God is the ultimate goal for Jesus and us alike.)

29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. (The people heard the thundering sound from heaven.)

30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. (The sound which proves the heavenly origin of Jesus was intended for the sake of disciples and the people.)

31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. (The death of Jesus will bring everyone under the judgement.)

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (The death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension is the summit of the salvific ministry of Jesus.)

33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. (He will be hanged up on the crosse as like the hanged bronze snake. Num. 21:4-9)

34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?” (People only knew the Messiah partially not understanding what Jesus said.)

35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. (We must stay in light before the darkness. Jesus is the light of truth and enlightenment.)

36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. (This was the moment in which Jesus shined most on this earth and moment to believe.)

Belief and Unbelief Among the Jews

37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. (Some could not accept the new revelation of Jesus. They are in darkness. V.35, 5:44, Prov. 27:22)

38 This (unbelief) was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isa. 53:1)

39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.” (Isa. 6:10)

41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him. (The prophets knew the Messiah who's coming.)

42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. (Many of them, however, believed in Jesus.) But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God. (But they hid their faith due to the fear of the existing authorities. It is not easy to turn from the man-made culture to the truth of God. But we have to turn to God. Rom.12:1-2)

44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. ("I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life of God." 14:6)

45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. (The Son of God came as the Son of Man.)

46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. (Jesus is the true light of Life, Truth, and Enlightenment. It's a matter of the identity and functional power of Jesus.)

47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. (Jesus brought the salvation to the world, not the judgement. 3:17)

48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. (Those who remain in darkness stay in judgement and eternal punishment by themselves. 3:18)

49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.

50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” (Jesus came from the above and does the things of the above. 1:1-18, 3:13, 6:38. 51)

(1,Six days before the Passover) (Google AI)

Based on John 12:1, Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover, which is widely understood in Christian tradition to be Saturday evening (the end of the Sabbath) or Sunday morning (Palm Sunday). He arrived to visit Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead, before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

(2,The price of a pint of pure nard) (Google AI)

A pint (or pound/litra) of pure nard in Jesus' time was worth over 300 denarii, representing an entire year's wages for an average laborer. This extravagant amount of perfume was likely a family heirloom or a woman's entire dowry, equivalent in value to tens of thousands of dollars in modern currency.

In Jesus' time, "pure nard" (or spikenard) was an extremely precious, imported, and luxurious ointment derived from the root of the Nardostachys jatamansi plant, found in the Himalayas. It was a highly aromatic, light amber-colored oil, often stored in alabaster jars, valued for its intense scent and medicinal properties.

(3,The Proselytes) (Google AI)

A proselyte is a person who has newly converted from one religion, belief, or party to another. Originating from the Greek prosēlytos ("stranger" or "newcomer"), it commonly refers to a Gentile who adopted Judaism, or in broader contexts, a convert to Christianity or any new opinion/theory.