John 12

The Explanation

Six days before Passover, Jesus is a guest in Bethany. He is eating with Lazarus, the man He recently raised from the dead. Imagine that: sitting at the table with someone who was buried a little while ago. Martha is busy serving food. And then Mary does something strange. She takes a jar of very expensive perfume, made from pure nard, and pours the whole thing over Jesus' feet. Then she wipes His feet with her hair. The whole house begins to smell of it.

Judas gets angry. He says the perfume should have been sold for three hundred denarii, almost a year's wages, and given to the poor. But John lets us know something painful: Judas did not really care about the poor. He was the treasurer of the group, and he was stealing from the money box. Jesus defends Mary. He says she has done this for the day of His burial.

The next day, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a young donkey. Crowds run out with palm branches shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" They have heard about Lazarus, and they want to see this King. But the Pharisees look on and grumble that the whole world is running after Him.

Then some Greeks come to Philip and say, "Sir, we want to see Jesus." When Jesus hears it, He says something surprising. The time has come for Him to be glorified. But glorified in a strange way. He speaks about a grain of wheat that has to fall into the ground and die before it can bear fruit. He is talking about Himself.

Jesus admits that His soul is troubled. He does not hide it. Then He prays, "Father, glorify your name!" And a voice comes out of the sky, so loud that some people think it thundered. Jesus tells them to walk in the light while the light is still with them, before darkness comes. Right after that, He hides Himself from them.

What Does This Mean?

In this chapter you see two ways of looking at Jesus. Mary sees Him and gives away her most precious possession. Judas sees Him and thinks about money. The crowd sees Him and shouts hurray, but a few days later many of them will be silent when He is arrested.

Jesus speaks openly about His death. Not because things are getting out of hand, but because this is exactly why He came. The grain of wheat has to fall into the ground. That sounds sad, but Jesus means: without His dying, no fruit can come. Without the cross, no new life for us.

And notice: Jesus is honest. He says His soul is troubled. He does not pretend to be a hero without fear. He knows what is coming, and still He goes.

The Common Thread

Long before this day, the prophet Zechariah wrote that the King would come sitting on a donkey. Isaiah wrote about a Servant who would suffer, and about people who would look but not see. John shows that Jesus fits exactly into that long story God has been telling for centuries. He is the promised King. But His throne turns out to be a cross. And through that cross He draws people from all over the world to Himself, even those Greeks who came asking for Him.

For You

Sometimes you have to choose between what looks good in front of others and what is honest before God. John writes that many rulers really did believe in Jesus, but they did not dare to say it, because they wanted people's praise more than God's praise. That is a sharp sentence. Do you dare to be known as someone who belongs to Jesus at school, in your class, in your group of friends?

And think about Mary. She gave the most precious thing she had. What is precious to you? Your time, your money, your talent? What would it look like if you gave something to Jesus without calculating whether it was worth it?

Talk About It

Why do you think Jesus lets Mary pour out that expensive perfume, while there really are poor people who could have used the money?

Jesus says His soul is troubled. What does that tell you about Him?

Praying Together

Lord Jesus, thank You that You went the way of the grain of wheat, all the way to the cross, so that we could live. Help us not to be ashamed of You. Teach us to give You what is precious. Amen.