Christ is anointed by Mary of Bethany
12
📚Then six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus, who had died and whom he raised from the dead, was living.12:1 Notes on the Passover at Exodus chapter 12; Lev 23:4-8. Here we begin the record of the last week of Christ before His crucifixion. The time had come for Him to die for the sins of the world. God had chosen both the time (at this Passover), and the place (Jerusalem), and the Lord Jesus was fully prepared to do the Father’s will.⚜
2 📚There they made a supper for him, and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. 3 📚Then Mary took a pound of fragrant oil of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance 📖 of the oil.
4 📚Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray him, said,
12:4 Matthew and Mark do not mention it was Judas who said this.⚜
5 📚“Why wasn’t this oil sold for three hundred silver coins 📖, and given to the poor?”
6 📚He said this, not because he was concerned for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money bag, and he used to take what was put in it.
12:6 What a contrast there is in these verses – Mary poured out the best she had because she loved Christ; Judas wanted only to get more money for himself because he loved that. There are still these two types of people in the world. As for Judas, he was not the sort who was once tempted, stole something but repented later and fought his weakness. No. Money which God’s people gave for the work of God he willfully, habitually took for himself. He loved money more than honor, decency, truth, or Christ. Money was his motive in betraying Christ (Matt 26:14-16). His love of money was one of the traits which made him like a demon (John 6:70-71).
Judas is a terrible example of what can happen to those who give themselves to this lust (see 1 Tim 6:5, 9-10). And he was but one of many people, both out of the Church and in it, who have ruined their lives, dishonored God, and lost their souls for money. Alas, how many there are even in Christian work who cannot be trusted with money, who will only prove themselves, like Judas, to be thieves! But see how the other disciples regarded Judas – they trusted him and let him be the treasurer of their group.
Notice also in this verse the hypocrisy of Judas – he cared nothing for the poor but he pretended that he did. His idea was that money for the poor would come through his hands and he could take some of it for himself. At the smell of money the Son of God, His wonderful teaching and miracles, and His offer of eternal life, became as nothing to Judas – nothing but a way of making more money. He completely ignored the teachings of the Lord Jesus on this subject (Matt 6:19-21, 24; Luke 6:20, 24; 12:20-21, 33). If we ignore them we may become like Judas. It is always better to be poor than to lie, cheat, or steal – Prov 19:22.⚜
7 📚Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial. 8 📚For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me”.
12:7-8 Note at Matt 26:10-13.⚜
9 📚Now a great many Jews found out that he was there, and they came, not only because of Jesus, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 📚But the chief priests made a plot to put Lazarus also to death, 11 📚for because of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
12:10-11 Here is another glimpse into the nature of these unbelievers (and unbelievers in general). They could not deny that Jesus had raised Lazarus. The evidence was too clear, too powerful. But rather than move in the direction the evidence pointed they preferred to destroy the evidence. Compare Jer 36:1-26.⚜
Christ rides into Jerusalem
12 📚The next day, many people who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 📚took palm tree branches and went out to meet him, crying out,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the King of Israel,
coming in the name of the Lord!”
14 📚And Jesus, when he had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written,
15 📚Do not fear, daughter of Zion.
See, your King is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt.
12:12-15 Matt 21:4-9; Mark 11:9-10; Luke 19:37-38. Each of the four Gospels records somewhat different words spoken by the crowd. Which is correct? All are correct. No Gospel has all the words spoken, but each has some of the words actually spoken. Compare John 19:19. Note at Mark 4:1-20.⚜
16 📚His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified 📖, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him. 17 📚Therefore the crowds that were with him when he called Lazarus out of his tomb, raising him from the dead, were giving testimony about it. 18 📚For this reason the people also came to meet him, for they heard that he had performed this miraculous sign 📖.
19 📚Therefore the Pharisees said among themselves, “Don’t you see that you are accomplishing nothing? Look, the world has gone after him”.
12:19 This incident seemed to confirm their worst fears (John 11:47-48).⚜
Christ speaks of His death
20 📚And among those who came up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.
12:20 The Passover was a Jewish festival. Greeks (and those of other nations) would not have been allowed to take part in any way in Jewish festivals unless they became converts to Judaism. That there were such among the Greeks we know from verses like Acts 17:4.⚜
21 📚So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus”.
22 📚Philip came and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
12:22 Philip thought such a request needed consultation with a fellow disciple. We are not told whether the request of these Greeks was granted or not. But Jesus used the occasion to speak of His death – an event He knew must take place before Greeks or anyone else could have a place in heaven or see God.⚜
23 📚And Jesus answered them, saying, “The time has come for the Son of man to be glorified.
24 📚Truly, truly 📖 I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit 📖. 25 📚He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
12:25 The Lord gave this same truth in slightly different words on a number of occasions. Evidently it is one of His most important sayings, and we ignore it to our great peril. See Matt 10:39; 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; 17:33. Here in John He makes it even more emphatic by using the word “hate”. Compare Luke 14:26. And by using the words “eternal life” He makes it abundantly clear that the real choice is between this present brief life and life with God in eternity. We must decide what we will value, what we will live for – this world or the next.⚜
26 📚If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.
12:26 See John 10:27. No one is serving Christ who does his own thing in his own way. Those who follow Christ will be where He is in this world, for He is their Shepherd who leads them where they should go. And if this means trials, dangers, sufferings and a martyr’s death, He will be with them and they with Him in all of that. His followers will be with Him in the next world too and throughout eternity. This is what He prayed for them (John 17:24) and this is what they will have.
Christ’s servants may meet with much injustice, persecution, humiliation and dishonor in this world. They may be despised and rejected of men as their Master was. Their honors are still to come. The eternal God Himself will exalt, praise, honor and reward Christ’s servants (John 5:44; Matt 25:21; Rom 2:6-10; 8:18; Heb 6:10; 1 Pet 5:1, 4; Rev 22:12). Any loss they face here He will more than make up then. So we must choose what honors to pursue, whose praises we desire – those that come from men or those that come from God.⚜
27 📚Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this reason I have come to this hour. 📖 28 📚Father, glorify your name”. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again”.
12:28 As in His prayer later in Gethsemane His concern is for the glory of God the Father, not His own glory; the Father’s will not His own will. He was willing to endure the cross so that the Father might be glorified. All His followers must learn to pray like this. See Matt 6:9-10. This is the third time in the Gospels that God spoke from above (Matt 3:17; 17:5). God had glorified His name all through the events described in the Old Testament, all through the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus. Now He would glorify it through the death and resurrection of Christ.⚜
29 📚Therefore the people who stood there and heard it said that it thundered. Others said, “An angel 📖 spoke to him”.
30 📚Jesus responded and said, “This voice did not come because of me, but for your sakes.
12:30 Christ did not need to be told what He already knew so well. But men need to be told it very emphatically.⚜
31 📚Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world 📖 will be thrown out.
12:31 Christ was about to die in the place of guilty men, as the Lamb of God bearing the sins of the world (John 1:29). This means that it was the whole world of mankind that deserved to die. The cross was like a pronouncement of judgment about this. It is as though God were saying to the world, “Because of your sins you are guilty and worthy of death. By the death of my Son in your place I declare this verdict. And you will condemn yourself by crucifying my Son, thus proving my verdict is right” (John 3:18-19).⚜
32 📚And I, if I am lifted up 📖 from the earth, will draw all men to me”.
33 📚He said this to indicate what death he would die.
12:33 He knew from the beginning that He would die on a cross.⚜
34 📚The people answered him, “We have heard from the Law that Christ will remain forever. How can you say, ‘The Son of man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of man?”
12:34 They were probably referring to verses such as Ps 89:36; 110:4; Isa 9:7; Dan 7:14. They knew Jesus often called Himself “the Son of man”, and wondered what He meant by the name, and whether the Son of man was the same as the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Note on “Son of man” at Matt 8:20.⚜
35 📚Then Jesus said to them, “The light will be with you only for a little while. Walk while you have the light, so darkness does not overtake you. For he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
36 📚While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may be children of the light”. Jesus spoke these things and went away and hid himself from them.
12:36 This means to trust Christ and so become children of God who is “Light” (1 John 1:5). It is only by receiving Christ the light and believing in His name that anyone can become a child of God (John 1:12-13). The phrase “sons of light” also suggests those who have the quality of light, who have come to the light and love the light, who are light-bearers themselves. Compare Matt 5:14-16; Eph 5:8; 1 Thess 5:5.⚜
Christ is rejected by unbelieving Jews
37 📚But though he had performed so many miraculous signs in front of them, still they did not believe in him, 38 📚that the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke might be fulfilled,
“Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord
been revealed?”
39 📚Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again,
12:2-3 Compare Matt 26:6-13; Mark 14:1-9. Some scholars are sure that John described a different event than that found in Matthew and Mark.⚜
40 📚He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
so that they would not see
with their eyes,
or understand with their heart,
and be converted,
and be healed by me.
12:37-40 All through this Gospel we see the unbelief of many of the Jews. No evidence Christ gave could convince them. Their unbelief was unreasonable and strange. But here is an explanation for it. They were fulfilling Old Testament prophecy – Isa 53:1; and 6:10. And their unbelief was a judgment of God on them for their sins. The nation had long chosen the way of unbelief; now God abandons them to it. See note at Matt 13:14-15.⚜
41 📚These things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him.
42 📚Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, so they would not be put out of the synagogue. 43 📚For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
12:42-43 Was the faith of these men real? Perhaps there was a seed of true faith which later sprouted and grew and made them braver. But we can hardly help being doubtful of those who say they believe and yet who are ruled by fear and the desire for the praises of men. See Matt 10:33; Rom 10:10.⚜
Christ pleads with unbelievers
44 📚Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in me, does not believe in me, but in him who sent me. 45 📚And he who sees me sees him who sent me.
12:44-45 Could Jesus have expressed His oneness with God the Father more clearly? Compare John 10:30; 14:9. To believe Jesus is to believe God, to see Him is to see God.⚜
46 📚I have come, a light, into the world, that whoever believes in me would not remain in darkness.
47 📚And if anyone hears my words, and does not believe, I do not judge him, for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 📚He who rejects me and does not receive my words, has one that judges him. The word that I have spoken, it will judge him in the last day.
12:48 The “last day” is the day of judgment God has appointed. See references at Matt 10:15. One of the books that will be opened at that time (Rev 20:12), it seems, will contain the words of Christ. These words we have in the four Gospels. If we do not act on what they say we bring condemnation on ourselves. Compare John 7:21-23.⚜
49 📚For I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say, and what to speak.
50 📚And I know that his command is everlasting life. 📖 Therefore whatever I speak, I speak just as the Father has said to me”.