John 12

John 12 concludes Jesus' public ministry. It follows John 11, in which the chief priests plot to kill Jesus after he raises Lazarus, and covers the final days before the Passover. Beginning with chapter 13, the narrative turns to Jesus' last night with his disciples.

Outline

• Verses 1–8: At a supper in Bethany six days before the Passover, Mary pours a pound of pure spikenard on Jesus' feet and wipes them with her hair. When Judas Iscariot objects that the ointment could have been sold for three hundred denarii, Jesus replies that she has kept it for the day of his burial.
• Verses 9–11: Crowds gather to see Lazarus, and the chief priests plot to kill Lazarus as well.
• Verses 12–19: The next day the crowd comes out to meet Jesus with palm branches, crying "Hosanna," and Jesus rides on a young donkey. The Pharisees lament, "the world is gone after him."
• Verses 20–36: Certain Greeks ask, through Philip and Andrew, to see Jesus. Jesus speaks of a grain of wheat, and a voice comes from heaven. After declaring that if he is lifted up from the earth he will draw all people to himself, he departs and hides himself.
• Verses 37–43: John explains, through the words of Isaiah, why the people do not believe despite the many signs. Many among the rulers also believe, but they do not confess it openly for fear of being put out of the synagogue.
• Verses 44–50: Jesus cries out that to believe in him is to believe in the One who sent him, and that he came not to judge the world but to save it.

Key Verses

• John 12:24, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die … it bringeth forth much fruit": the central image of the chapter, conveying that Jesus' death will bear fruit.
• John 12:13, "Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord": the best-known verse associated with the Triumphal Entry.
• John 12:32, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me": verse 33 explains this as signifying his death on the cross.

People and Places

• Jesus
• Martha and Mary: sisters living in Bethany; Mary pours out the ointment.
• Lazarus: the sisters' brother, raised to life after being dead four days.
• Judas Iscariot: the disciple who kept the money bag; verse 6 describes him as a thief.
• Philip and Andrew: the disciples who relayed the Greeks' request to Jesus.
• The Greeks: introduced as Gentiles who had come up to worship at the feast.
• Bethany: a village near Jerusalem.
• Jerusalem: the city at the time of the Passover feast.

Points for Reflection

• The anointing account also appears in Matthew 26 and Mark 14, but there the woman is unnamed and pours the ointment on Jesus' head. A Western interpretive tradition identifies this Mary with Mary Magdalene, but the text itself does not say so.
• Verse 38 quotes Isaiah 53:1, and verse 40 quotes Isaiah 6. Interpreters who hold to predestination tend to read this passage in terms of God's sovereignty, while those in the Wesleyan tradition tend to read it as the consequence of persistent unbelief.
• "The prince of this world" in verse 31 is generally interpreted as Satan.

In the Korean Church

Verses 12–19 are frequently used as a sermon text on Palm Sunday, and verse 24 is often cited in sermons on dedication, missions, and martyrdom.