Chapter 12

1Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived—the man Jesus had raised from the dead.

2They gave a dinner there in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those eating with him.

3Mary took a Roman pound—about a third of a kilogram—of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. She poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the perfume filled the house.

4But Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples and the one who was going to betray him, said,

5“Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii—nearly a year’s pay for a laborer—and the money given to poor people?”

6Judas did not say this because he cared about poor people. He said it because he was a thief. He carried the group’s money box and used to take money from it.

7Jesus replied, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.

8You will always have poor people among you, but you will not always have me.”

9A large crowd of Jewish people learned that Jesus was there. They came not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

10So the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus as well,

11because Lazarus was causing many Jewish people to go over to Jesus and put their trust in him.

12The next day, the large crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

13They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Save us now! May God bless the one who comes in the Lord’s name—that is, with God’s authority—the King of Israel!”

14Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as Scripture says:

15“Do not be afraid, people of Zion—Jerusalem. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

16At first, Jesus’ disciples did not understand what these events meant. But after Jesus was revealed in glory, they remembered that these words had been written about him and that the people had done these things for him.

17The crowd that had been with Jesus when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead kept telling others what had happened.

18That was also why the crowd went out to meet Jesus: they had heard that he had performed this miraculous sign.

19The Pharisees, members of a strict Jewish religious movement, said to one another, “You can see that we are accomplishing nothing. Look—the whole world has gone after him!”

20Among those who came up to worship at the festival were some Greeks who were not Jewish.

21They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

22Philip went and told Andrew. Then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

23Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man—the human figure I use as my title—to be revealed in glory.

24I tell you the absolute truth: unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain. But if it dies, it produces a large harvest.

25Whoever clings to their life loses it, but whoever is willing to give up their life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.

26Anyone who serves me must follow me. My servant will be wherever I am, and the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

27Now I am deeply troubled. What can I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? Yet this is the very reason I came to this hour.

28Father, reveal the greatness of who you are.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have revealed it, and I will reveal it again.”

29The crowd standing there heard the voice. Some said it had thundered, while others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

30Jesus answered, “This voice came for your sake, not mine.

31Now this world is being judged. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out.

32And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”

33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was going to die.

34The crowd answered him, “We have heard from our Scriptures that the Messiah remains forever. So why do you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

35Jesus replied, “The light will be among you only a little longer. Live by the light while you have it, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in darkness does not know where they are going.

36Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become people who belong to the light.” After Jesus said these things, he left and hid from them.

37Although Jesus had performed so many miraculous signs in front of them, they still did not put their trust in him.

38This fulfilled what the prophet Isaiah had said: “Lord, who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord’s powerful arm been revealed?”

39They were unable to believe, because Isaiah also said:

40“God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they would not see with their eyes, understand with their hearts, turn back, and be healed by me.”

41Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

42Even so, many of the Jewish leaders put their trust in Jesus. But because they feared the Pharisees, they would not admit it publicly, since they did not want to be expelled from the synagogue community.

43They cared more about receiving honor from people than honor from God.

44Jesus called out, “Whoever trusts me is trusting not only me, but also the one who sent me.

45Whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.

46I have come into the world as light, so that everyone who trusts me will not remain in darkness.

47If anyone hears what I say but does not follow it, I do not judge that person. I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.

48Whoever rejects me and refuses to accept my words already has a judge: the message I have spoken will judge that person on the final day.

49I have not spoken on my own authority. The Father who sent me has given me a command about what to say and what message to speak.

50I know that his command is eternal life. So I say exactly what the Father has told me to say.”