John 12 - NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible

12:1–3 Jesus left Ephraim and arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover. The last time he had been in the village, he had raised Lazarus from the dead. Now the setting was a dinner celebrating his arrival. Mary took an expensive perfume and, with great humility, anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The beautiful fragrance filled the home.

12:4–6 John’s narration contrasts Mary’s devotion with Judas’s greed. Mary’s actions demonstrate that no expense was too great to express her love for Jesus. The perfume was worth about a year’s wage for a common laborer. Judas, on the other hand, was concerned with the financial loss. The reason for Judas’s concern was not his compassion for the poor but his plans as a thief (v. 6).

12:7–8 Jesus defended Mary against Judas’s derision. Jesus’ words indicate that Mary’s act was more significant than she knew at the time. Her act of sacrificial devotion symbolized his coming burial. Jesus’ reference to the poor did not imply that he had no concern for them. His entire life and teaching proved that he had a deep love and concern for the poor.

12:9–11 A large crowd gathered, wanting to see not only Jesus but also Lazarus. Lazarus had become a celebrity in his own right. His popularity led the chief priests to determine he too would have to be killed (v. 10).

12:12–13 Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Sunday is narrated in all four Gospels. A large crowd went out to meet him, waving palm branches as he approached the city. Palm branches were a symbol of Jewish nationalism. The waving of the palm branches means that some recognized Jesus to be something of a national hero. In Christian history, this day has become known as Palm Sunday. The crowd’s excitement is evident in their enthusiastic exclamations. Many shouted out the words of Psalm 118, which is a royal psalm sung in thanksgiving for victory in battle. While some in the crowd thought Jesus was the Messiah, many of them did not.

12:14–15 The focus of these verses is on Jesus. These verses depict what kind of king Jesus came to be. He intentionally entered the city on the back of a donkey, a symbolic act fulfilling Zechariah 9:9. Many people anticipated a militaristic Messiah riding into Jerusalem on the back of a white horse; Jesus came as the Prince of Peace.

12:16–19 John describes how various groups responded to Jesus’ entry. The disciples saw the events unfolding but did not understand their true meaning until after Jesus’ glorification. Those who had been present when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead continued to talk about the miracle. Others, who had heard of the raising of Lazarus, went out to greet Jesus. When the Pharisees saw the crowd’s enthusiasm, they felt utterly frustrated.

12:20–24 These verses begin Jesus’ final comments to the crowds. The mention of the Greeks (or Gentiles) who were interested in seeing Jesus likely increased the Pharisees’ frustration and proved that many were following Jesus. The Greeks’ interest foreshadows the church’s outreach to the Gentiles and their status as heirs of God’s promises. Jesus seemingly ignored Philip and Andrew’s request by the Greeks to speak to him and instead announced the arrival of his hour. Jesus’ death would not merely be the pathway to glory but would be glory itself. Jesus explained the significance of the hour’s arrival in a parable describing the result of his death (v. 24). The parable’s point is that the death of a single seed (Jesus) bears much fruit (salvation of sinners). Therefore, Jesus’ death would bring much glory and fruit to God.

12:25–26 Jesus explained to his followers that death is the pathway to life. The choice is clear: love this world and lose your soul, or reject its worldliness for Christ’s sake and experience eternal life.

12:27–29 John returns the focus to Jesus’ “hour” (v. 27). Aware of his impending crucifixion, Jesus was deeply troubled. The agony was not a fear of dying but the contemplation of the sinless Son of God bearing the sins of the world. Jesus’ passion, however, was ultimately for the Father’s glory. Everything Jesus said and did, he did to glorify his Father. The thunder from heaven was God’s response to Jesus’ prayer. Some in the crowd thought the thunder was an angel speaking.

12:30–33 Jesus explained that what they heard was God’s voice, and it was meant for them. The cross was God’s judgment on the world. If one looks at the cross from a worldly perspective, it looks like the defeat of Jesus; in reality it was Satan’s defeat. It was not only the overthrow of Satan but also the means of salvation for sinners. The result of Jesus being “lifted up” means that all kinds of people without regard to nationality or status would be drawn to him (v. 32).

12:34–36 The crowd thought that Jesus’ teaching contradicted the Scriptures concerning the Messiah. They believed in a triumphant Messiah, but Jesus spoke of death. Jesus did not answer their question directly. Rather, he concluded his discourse by making an impassioned appeal for faith. They had to believe while they had the opportunity. After he finished speaking to the crowd, he hid himself from public view. He did not appear publicly again until his arrest (18:12–13).

12:37–43 This section explains why so few believed in Jesus during his earthly ministry. The quotations from Isaiah explain (from a prophetic perspective) what was taking place at this time. The lack of response of the crowds was not a failure on Jesus’ part but was part of the divine plan. While Isaiah referred to God’s glory, John makes no distinction between the glory of God and the glory of Jesus. Not everyone rejected Jesus’ signs as being from God, but because of the fear of the Jews, many did not confess him openly. They loved the praise and glory of people more than the praise of God.

12:44–46 Jesus’ public ministry closed with a stirring call to faith. This passage reiterates many key themes found in the first half of the Gospel. The fact that Jesus “cried out” (v. 44) places great weight on what he said. Jesus reiterated his oneness with the Father. To believe in Jesus is to believe in the Father, and to see him is to see the Father. Once again Jesus identified himself as the light (v. 46). Those who believe in him will not live in spiritual darkness.

12:47–50 Jesus came into the world to save sinners and not to judge. Those who believe in Jesus demonstrate their belief by obedience, while those who live in disobedience demonstrate their lack of faith by their rebellion. Those who accept Jesus’ words accept God’s words, and those who reject Jesus’ words reject God’s words—a truth that is one of the central tenets of John’s Gospel. Jesus came as God’s emissary.