John 12 - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible

12:2–8 See section 2 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John.

12:3 Spikenard: A valuable and fragrant ointment derived from the dried roots of the herbal plant called nard. By the first century A.D., it was already being imported from its native India in alabaster boxes. Because of its costliness, spikenard was used only for very special occasions.

12:8 Jesus did not belittle the poor, and His statement must be read against Judas’s reprimand of Mary’s extravagant devotion. Judas’s apparent concern for the poor, however, was only pretense. The disciples were to serve the disadvantaged, but in this case Mary practiced her servanthood on Jesus while He was still with them.

12:12–18 The pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for Passover had heard about Jesus’ raising of Lazarus and were convinced that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (v. 18). So they accompanied Him into the city, shouting praises to God and singing the words of Ps. 118:25, 26. Their euphoria, however, was at fever pitch because they expected their messianic hopes to be fulfilled along nationalistic lines. See notes on Matt. 21:1–11.

12:19 The ironic statement that the world was going after Jesus, spoken by the frustrated Pharisees, contrasts His success with their failure.

12:20–36 Jesus redefined His impending death. The sufferings of Jesus, and particularly His death, were the Father’s profoundest occasion to glorify Him. From the perspective of John, Jesus was not glorified in His resurrection and ascension as much as already in His sacrificial death on the cross. In v. 32 and its commentary in v. 33, we see that the Cross is at the heart of the church’s mission and message, which draws all peoples to Jesus.

12:31 The Cross dethroned Satan’s uncontested rulership in the world, further “binding” him (see text and note on Matt. 12:25–29 and Kingdom Dynamics on Col. 2:13–15).

12:32 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John.

12:37–50 Apart from the trial of Jesus, these were the Master’s last words addressed to a public broader than the circle of His disciples. There is a sense of finality ringing from these words—a last appeal, as it were.

12:38–40 See note on Mark 4:12.