John 12 - Wiersbe Study Bible

12:1–11 The account of Mary’s anointing of her Lord is found also in Matthew 26:6–13 and Mark 14:3–9. But it must not be confused with the account given in Luke 7:36–50, where a former harlot anointed Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Mary was a virtuous woman, and she anointed Jesus in the house of Simon the (former) leper (Mark 14:3). The Luke 7 event took place in Galilee, while the account we are now considering occurred in Judea.

12:3a In a sense, Mary was showing her devotion to Jesus before it was too late. She was “giving the roses” while He was yet alive, and not bringing them to the funeral! Her act of love and worship was public, spontaneous, sacrificial, lavish, personal, and unembarrassed. Jesus called it “a good work” (Matt. 26:10; Mark 14:6) and both commended her and defended her.

12:3b It would have required a year’s wages from a common laborer to purchase that ointment. Like David, Mary would not give to the Lord that which cost her nothing (2 Sam. 24:24). Her beautiful act of worship brought a fragrance to the very house in which they were dining, and the blessing of her deed has spread around the world (Matt. 26:13; Mark 14:9). Little did Mary realize that night that her gesture of love for Christ would be a blessing to believers around the world for centuries to come!

12:4–7 Matthew 26:13,14 gives the impression that immediately after this rebuke, Judas went to the priests and bargained to deliver Jesus into their hands. But it is likely that the events recorded in Matthew 21–25 took place first. No doubt the Lord’s rebuke of Judas at Bethany played an important part in his decision to actually betray Jesus. Also, the fact that Jesus once again openly announced His death would motivate Judas to escape while the opportunity was there.

12:7,8 This quiet evening of fellowship—in spite of the cruel way Judas treated Mary—must have brought special encouragement and strength to the Savior’s heart as He faced the demands of that last week before the cross. We should examine our own hearts and homes to ask whether we are bringing joy to His heart by our worship, work, and witness.

12:12–19 The procession between Bethany and Jerusalem was a part of His obedience to the Father’s will. The prophet Zechariah (Zech. 9:9) prophesied that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem in that manner, and Jesus fulfilled the prophecy. Certainly Jesus was openly announcing to the people that He indeed is the King of Israel (John 1:49), the promised Messiah. No doubt many of the pilgrims hoped that now He would defeat the Romans and set the nation of Israel free.

12:13 What did the “triumphal entry” mean to the people of Israel? The pilgrims welcomed Jesus, spread their garments before Him, and waved palm branches as symbols of peace and victory (Rev. 7:9). They quoted from Psalm 118:26, which is a messianic psalm, and they proclaimed Him the “King of Israel.” But while they were doing this, Jesus was weeping (Luke 19:37–44)! But He wasn’t weeping because He was overcome by their adulation; He was weeping because of the unbelief that lay behind the welcome.

12:15 The name Jerusalem means “city of peace” or “foundation of peace,” and the people were hoping that Jesus would bring them the peace that they needed. However, He wept because He saw what lay ahead of the nation—war, suffering, destruction, and a scattered people. At His birth, the angels announced peace on earth (Luke 2:13,14), but in His ministry Jesus announced that He came not to “give peace on earth . . . but rather division” (Luke 12:51,52). It is significant that the crowds shouted “peace in heaven” (Luke 19:38), because that is the only place where there is peace today!

12:19 As they watched the great crowd gather and honor Jesus, the Pharisees were quite sure that Jesus had won the day. They were anticipating some kind of general revolt during the Passover season. Perhaps Jesus would perform a great miracle and in that way capture the minds and hearts of the restless people. How little they really understood the mind and heart of the Master! What they did not realize was that Jesus was forcing their hand so that the Sanhedrin would act during the feast. The Lamb of God had to give His life when the Passover lambs were being slain.

12:21 These Gentiles asked Philip for the privilege of an interview with Jesus. Philip finally told Andrew (who was often bringing people to Jesus), and Andrew gave the request to the Lord. No doubt there were many people who wanted private interviews with the Lord, but they were afraid of the Pharisees (9:22). Being from out of the country, the Gentile visitors either did not know about the danger, or did not fear the consequences.

12:23 The central theme of this message is the glory of God (vv. 23,28). We would have expected Jesus to say, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be crucified.” But Jesus saw beyond the cross to the glory that would follow (see Luke 24:26; Heb. 12:2). In fact, the glory of God is an important theme in the remaining chapters of John’s gospel (see John 13:31,32).

12:24–26 God’s children are like seeds. They are small and insignificant, but they have life in them—God’s life. However, that life can never be fulfilled unless we yield ourselves to God and permit Him to “plant” us. We must die to self so that we may live unto God (Rom. 6; Gal. 2:20). The only way to have a fruitful life is to follow the example of Jesus Christ as we die to self and experience His resurrection power.

12:29 The people heard a sound but did not know the message that had been conveyed. Yet if the voice was for their sakes and they could not understand it, what good was it? In that the voice assured Jesus, who was to die for their sakes, the voice was for their good. They heard Him pray and they heard a sound from heaven in response to that prayer. That should have convinced them that Jesus was in touch with the Father.

12:32 We have met the phrase “lifted up” before (3:14; 8:28). Its basic meaning is crucifixion (see 12:33), but it also carries the idea of glorification. “Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high” (Is. 52:13). The Son of Man was glorified by being crucified!

12:36b This marked the end of our Lord’s public ministry as far as John’s record is concerned. Jesus departed and hid Himself. It was judgment on the nation that saw His miracles, heard His messages, and scrutinized His ministry, and yet refused to believe on Him.

12:37 There were those who would not believe, and there were those who would not openly confess Christ even though they had believed (12:42,43). Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea belonged to this group initially, but they eventually came out openly in their confession of Christ (19:38,39). There were numbers of Pharisees (Acts 15:5) and even priests (Acts 6:7) in the early church. It was the old struggle between the glory of God and the praise of men (John 12:25,26). It was a costly thing to be excommunicated (9:22), and these “secret believers” wanted the best of both worlds. See 5:44 in this regard.

12:44–50 Forms of the word “judge” are repeated four times in the closing words of this message, and solemn words they are. Jesus did not come to judge; He came to save (3:17; 8:15). But if the sinner will not trust the Savior, the Savior must become the Judge. But the sinner is actually the one passing judgment on himself, not the Lord! As you have studied these twelve chapters of the gospel of John, you have seen Jesus Christ in His life, His ministry, His miracles, His message, and His desire to save lost sinners.