John Chapter 12

Overview: This finishes a most important division of John's Gospel; Jesus’ public addresses to the unbelieving Jews of Jerusalem is brought to an end. After this chapter, John records nothing but what was said in private to the disciples.

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

Bethany, located on the lower eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, is a convenient place to stay outside the city walls, as it is within easy walk­ing distance of Jerusalem. During His last weeks, Yeshua stayed overnight in Bethany and travelled to and from Jerusalem until His last Passover.

By the Jewish calendar, was the eighth of the month of Nisan. This corresponds to the modern western calendar date of March 31, A.D. 30.

2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.

3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anointed the feet of Jesus with precious ointment, and wiped them with the hair of her head. Nor was this ointment poured on with a niggardly hand.

She did it so liberally and profusely that "the house was filled with the odour of the ointment."

She did it under the influence of a heart full of love and gratitude. She thought nothing too great and good to bestow on such a Saviour. (JCR)

4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said,

We see, for another thing, in this passage, what unkindness and discouragement Christ's friends sometimes meet with from man. (JRR)

5 "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"

6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

The heart which could conceive such thoughts must have had low views of the dignity of Christ's person, and still lower views of our obligations to Him.

A cold heart and a stingy hand will generally go together.

We see, lastly, in this passage, what desperate hardness and unbelief there is in the heart of man. (JCR)

So long as the world stands this unhappy man will be a lasting proof of the depth of human corruption.

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

8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

Summary

Let us thank God if we know anything of faith, and can say, with all our sense of weakness and infirmity, "I believe." Let us pray that our faith may be real, true, genuine, and sincere, and not a mere temporary impression, like the morning cloud and the early dew. Not least, let us watch and pray against the love of the world. It ruined one who basked in the full sunshine of privileges, and heard Christ Himself teaching every day. Then "let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Cor. 10:12.)

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

The uniqueness of the resurrection of Lazarus—apart from being the most recent resurrection Yeshua had performed—was that Lazarus had been dead for four days. According to Jewish theology, it was impossible to dismiss the miracle by claiming that he had simply been resuscitated. Many people desired to visit Lazarus when they received word that he was raised after being dead for four days.

10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well,

Many believed on Yeshua when He first per­formed the miracle, and many more believed when they saw Lazarus. The Sanhedrin’s illogical conclusions are apparent.

11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The chief priests not only conspired to kill Yeshua, they also wanted to kill Lazarus be­cause he had the audacity to allow himself to be resurrected, causing many Jewish people to believe Yeshua was the Messiah.

Did the chief priests think they could keep Lazarus dead this time?

The Triumphal Entry

(Mat 21:1–11; Mar 11:1–11; Luk 19:28–40 )

The day of the triumphal entry came to be referred to as Palm Sun­day. It was on the tenth of Nisan, or the second of April, A.D. 30.

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

1. Not Jesus formally offering himself as King of Jews

2. Not Jesus offering the kingdom to Israel.

Israel rejected His Messiahship about one-and-a-half years earlier (Mt. 12:22-45). Yeshua declared that the generation of His day was guilty of committing the unpardonable sin and rescinded the offer of the kingdom to that generation. Israel were now under the judgment of A.D. 70.

From the tenth until the fourteenth day of Nisan, the lamb was tested to ensure it was spotless and without blem­ish. Yeshua’s ride into Jerusalem occurred on the same day that the Passover lamb was set aside. Herein lies the theological significance of this event.

13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"

When John the Baptizer first intro­duced Yeshua as the Messiah, the title he used (and there were many from which he could have chosen) was: the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). Just as on the tenth day of Nisan, the Jews set aside the literal lamb, on this same day, Yeshua rode into Jerusalem and was set aside as the Passover Lamb of God.

On two previous occasions, palm branches were broken off in preparation for the arrival of a victo­rious Jewish military leader. 1) second century B.C., when Judah Maccabee entered Jerusalem, this was repeated 2) for the celebratory recognition of military success for Simon, the last of the Maccabees, when he entered Jerusalem.

Furthermore, one of the statements they applied to Yeshua was baruch haba b’shem Adonai, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From a Jewish perspective, that phrase is an official messianic greeting. The rabbis taught that when the Messiah comes, He must be greeted with these words, which come from a messianic psalm in the Hebrew Bible (Ps. 118:26). The myriads of people applied these words to Yeshua, thus proclaiming Him to be the Messiah of Israel.

14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

15 "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.

Yeshua had need of the animals because He was about to fulfil the messianic prophecy of Zechariah.

 As He rode the colt into Jerusalem, the rumours quickly spread that He was coming, just as Zechariah had prophesied.

17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness.

18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

However, they failed to realize that Yeshua had come to fulfil the Passover, not the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Passover would be fulfilled by His death, not the establishment of His kingdom.

So, clearly, the multitude misinterpreted the purpose of His riding into Jerusalem. They made the same mistake that Peter made during the transfiguration.

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him."

This is the language of men baffled, angry, and at their wits’ end from vexation, to see their plans defeated. Instead of finding people willing to lay hands on Jesus as a malefactor, and to deliver Him up into their power, they beheld a large multitude surrounding Him with joyful acclamations, and saluting Him as a King!

Some Greeks Seek Jesus

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.

JC Ryle believe’s they were men who were by birth heathens, but had become proselytes to Judaism, and as such were regular attendants on the Jewish feasts.

21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

Judaism. Because they were Gentile converts to Judaism, the disciples did not know what to do with their request to come and see the Messiah.

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

23 And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Our Lord saw the state of mind in which His followers were. He saw them excited by His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and the desire of strangers like the Greeks to see their Master. He saw they were secretly expecting a glorious kingdom to be immediately set up, in which they would have chief places, power, and authority.

He proceeds to rectify their conceptions, and to remind them of what He had repeatedly told them, His own death (JCR).

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

The analogy of a grain of wheat “dying” in the ground and producing much fruit teaches that death is necessary for a harvest. Apart from the cross there is no spiritual harvest.

25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.

It appears from Yeshua’s response that He never really answered their question, but that is not the case. He responded to them, albeit indirectly, by spelling out His program of death and resurrection: By His death He would produce life “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

For most people death is their humiliation. But for Jesus death was His means of entry into glory. His willingness to die for others’ sins in obedience to the Father (Isa. 53:10, 12) brought Him glory.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

27 "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

The weight of the world’s imputed sin laid upon our Lord’s head, which pressed Him downward, and made Him cry, "Now is my soul troubled."

(It is worth noticing that this verse, Matthew 26:38, and Mark 14:34, are the only three places in the Gospels where our Lord speaks of "My soul.")

28 Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

RJ Ryle writes: “How anyone in the face of this passage can deny that the Father and the Son are two distinct Persons, it is very hard to understand. When one person is heard speaking to another, common sense seems to point out that there are two persons, and not one.”

29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him."

30 Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not mine.

31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

Effected by the death and resurrection of the Son and the coming of the Holy Spirit. See also Rev 12:9

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

By saying that after His death, He would draw all men to Himself, He in­cluded both Jews and Gentiles. However, it also meant that at this point in time, Yeshua was only ministering to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

The hour had not yet come for Gentiles to freely approach Him. Only after His death would they be permitted to come to Him, but for now, these Greeks were not free to see Yeshua.

33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

Concerning the true meaning of these words, there can be but one opinion in any honest mind. They do not mean, as is often supposed, that if the doctrine of Christ crucified is lifted up and exalted by ministers and teachers, it will have a drawing effect on hearers. This is undeniably a truth, but it is not the truth of the text. They simply mean that the death of Christ on the cross would have a drawing effect on all mankind. His death as our Substitute, and the Sacrifice for our sins, would draw multitudes out of every nation to believe on Him and receive Him as their Saviour.

By being crucified for us, and not by ascending a temporal throne, He would set up a kingdom in the world, and gather subjects to Himself. (JCR)

34 So the crowd answered him, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"

35 So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

1. The DOCTRINE of the imputation of man's sin to Christ is indirectly provide.

2. The MYSTERY of much inward conflict of soul without sin.

3. A MIRACLE of the heavenly voice: "i have glorified my name, and will glorify it again."

4. A great PROPHECY delivered. The Lord Jesus declared, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (JCR)

The Unbelief of the People

37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,

The Greek reads, "they kept on not believing."

Their unbelief was confirmed by the fact that they did not even believe the signs they had witnessed. Their unbelief was irrational, as sin always is.

38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,

40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them."

In John 1:1 John said that He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

The Jews' national, irrational unbelief had been predicted by Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 53:1, their blindness was judicially im­posed upon them by God, as predicted in Isaiah 6:1-10. The clearest Old Testament passage concerning the suffering Servant (Isaiah 53:1–12) began by stating that Israel would not perceive God's revelation in and through the Servant.

41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.

Isaiah was not seeing the actual essence of God but the Shechinah glory in the Person of the Messiah. What Isaiah was seeing was high and lifted up, and so magnificent was the appearance of Messiah as He was revealed to Isaiah that His robe filled the entire Temple in heaven. (CS)

42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;

Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea belonged to this group initially, but eventually came out openly in their confession of Christ (John 19:38ff). In the early church, there were numbers of Pharisees (Acts 15:5) and even priests (Acts 6:7).

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 (John 9:22), and these "secret believers" wanted the best of both worlds.

43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Jesus Came to Save the World

44 And Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me.

45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.

Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God, the One who sent Him (1:18; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3), so that to believe in Jesus is to believe in God. People do not have two objects of faith: God and/or Jesus. When one sees Jesus, he sees the Father who sent Him (cf. John 12:41; 14:9)

46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment--what to say and what to speak.

50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me."

Since Jesus is God's Word to people, God spoke decisively and finally in Him (Heb. 1:1–3). The issue is the command of the Father. To obey the Father is to come to eternal life (John 12:50). To reject the Father's word—which is Jesus' very word (v. 48; cf. v. 50b; 7:16; 14:10, 24)—is to abide in death. Moses predicted the coming of the great Prophet (One who would speak for God). Moses said, "You must listen to Him" (Deut. 18:15).

Condemnation at the last day is the penalty for rejecting the One whom the Father sent (Deut. 18:18–19; John 3:18, 36; 5:24). (CS)