Mary Anoints Jesus

12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, who had died, the one Jesus raised from the dead. ² They gave a dinner for him there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him.

³ Then Mary took about twelve ounces^[a] of very expensive perfume (pure nard) and anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

⁴ But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray him, said, ⁵ “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii^[b] and given to the poor?” ⁶ He did not say this because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief. He held the money box and used to steal what was put into it.

⁷ Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She intended to keep this for the day of my burial. ⁸ Indeed, the poor you always have with you, but you are not always going to have me.”

⁹ A large crowd of the Jews learned that he was there. They came not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus too, ¹¹ because it was on account of him that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.

The King Comes to Jerusalem

¹² The next day, the large crowd that had come for the Festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³ Taking palm branches, they went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!”^[c]

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

¹⁶ At first, his disciples did not understand these things. But when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they did these things for him.

¹⁷ The crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead kept telling what they had seen. ¹⁸ This is another reason a crowd met him: They heard he had done this miraculous sign.

¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see? You are accomplishing nothing. Look! The world has gone after him.”

Death and Glory

²⁰ Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went to tell Andrew. Andrew came with Philip and told Jesus.

²³ Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it continues to be one kernel. But if it dies, it produces much grain. ²⁵ Anyone who loves his life destroys it. And the one who hates his life in this world will hold on to it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

²⁷ “Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, this is the reason I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name!”

A voice came from heaven: “I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again.”

²⁹ The crowd standing there heard it and said it thundered. Others said an angel talked to him. ³⁰ Jesus answered, “This voice was not for my sake but for yours.

³¹ “Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to indicate what kind of death he was going to die.

³⁴ The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Scriptures that the Christ will remain forever. So how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”

³⁵ Then Jesus told them, “The light will be with you just a little while longer. Keep on walking while you have the light, so that darkness does not 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, so that you may become sons of light.”

Jesus spoke these words, and then went away and was hidden from them.

³⁷ Even though Jesus had done so many miraculous signs in their presence, they still did not believe in him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, who said:

³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, because Isaiah also said:

⁴¹ Isaiah said these things when^[g] he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

⁴² Nevertheless, even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing him, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. ⁴³ For they loved praise from people more than praise from God.

⁴⁴ Then Jesus called out, “The one who believes in me does not believe in me only, but in him who sent me. ⁴⁵ And the one who sees me sees him who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come into the world as a light, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness. ⁴⁷ If anyone hears my words but does not hold on to 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 does have a judge. The word which I spoke is what will judge him on the Last Day, ⁴⁹ because I have not spoken on my own, but the Father himself who sent me has given me a command regarding what I am to say and what I am to speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that his command is eternal life. So the things I speak are exactly what the Father told me to speak.”