12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the place where he had raised Lazarus from the dead.

12:2 They prepared a dinner in Jesus’ honor; Lazarus was there, and Martha served.

12:3 But Mary, taking three-quarters of a pound of genuine and very expensive perfumed oil made from nard, massaged the oil into Jesus’ feet and wiped them down with her hair. The whole house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

12:4 But Judas of Kerioth, one of Jesus’ disciples (the one about to betray him), says,

12:5 “Why wasn’t this oil sold for a year’s wages and the proceeds given to the poor?”

12:6 (Now he didn’t say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he was trusted with the donations given to the disciples but would take what he wanted from it.)

12:7 “Leave her alone!” Jesus replied. “She is doing this for the day of my burial.

12:8 You’ll always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

12:9 Most of the Judeans knew Jesus was there, and they came not only to see Jesus but also Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

12:10 But the ruling priests planned to kill Lazarus too,

12:11 because on account of him many of the Judeans shifted their trust to Jesus.

12:12 The next day the huge crowd that had come to the festival, upon hearing that Jesus came to Jerusalem,

12:13 got palm branches and came out to greet him. They shouted, “Celebrate! Blessed is the one bearing the name of the Master,” and, “The King of Israel!”

12:14 Now Jesus found a young colt and rode on it, in accordance with what has been written:

12:15 “Do not fear, daughter of Zion! Look, your king is coming to you, riding on a young donkey.”

12:16 His disciples didn’t know it at the time, but when Jesus was exalted they remembered that these things the people did were written about him.

12:17 The crowd that had been there when he called Lazarus out of the grave and raised him from the dead was giving their testimony.

12:18 It was on their account of this miracle he did that the huge crowd went to meet him.

12:19 So the Pharisees said to themselves, ”It’s obvious that we’re not getting anywhere. Look, the whole world has gone after him!“

12:20 Meanwhile, some of the Greeks among the festival-goers

12:21 came up to Philip (of Bethsaida in Galilee) and made a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”

12:22 Philip tells Andrew, and the two of them tell Jesus.

12:23 Jesus said to them, “The hour has come for the Human to be exalted.

12:24 I tell you very truly, that unless a kernel of grain falls to the ground and dies it remains a single seed, whereas if dies it will be loaded with produce.

12:25 “Anyone who is too attached to their life destroys it, but anyone who thinks nothing of their life in this world will preserve it for eternity.

12:26 Anyone who wants to serve me should follow me; where I am is where my servant will also be. And whoever serves me will be honored by the Father.

12:27 “Now I am deeply disturbed, but what will I say? ‘Father, rescue me from this hour’? But this hour is precisely why I came!

12:28 Father, exalt your name!Then a voice came from the sky, “I have, and I will exalt it again!”

12:29 The crowd standing there heard it and said, “That was thunder,” while others said “A Messenger has spoken to him.”

12:30 Jesus answered, “This voice was not for my benefit but yours.

12:31 Now begins the judgment of the world; now the ruler of this world will be thrown out!

12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to myself.”

12:33 Now he said this to indicate the manner of his impending death.

12:34 Then the crowd responded, “We heard from the law that the Anointed would remain forever, so how can you say that the Human must be lifted up? Who is this ‘Human’?”

12:35 So Jesus replied, “The light will remain among you for a little while. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness won’t overtake you; the one walking in darkness has no idea where they’re going.

12:36 Trust in the light while you have it, so you can be people of the light.” With that, Jesus went away and concealed himself from them.

12:37 In spite of having done so many miracles in front of them, they still did not put their trust in him.

12:38 This fulfilled the saying of the prophet Isaiah: “Master, who believed our report? To whom was the Master’s strength revealed?”

12:39 Therefore they weren’t able to believe, seeing once again that Isaiah said,

12:40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, to prevent them from seeing with their eyes or understanding with their hearts, such that I would turn around and heal them.”

12:41 Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’ majesty and spoke about him.

12:42 Many of the rulers also put their trust in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not admit it, or they would be excommunicated.

12:43 They loved praise from people more than even praise from God.

12:44 Now Jesus shouted out, “Whoever puts their trust in me is really putting their trust in the one who sent me;

12:45 whoever watches me watches the one who sent me.

12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that all who put their trust in me would not remain in darkness.

12:47 “And if anyone hears my declarations but doesn’t retain them, I am not judging them, because I did not come to judge the world but to save it.

12:48 Yet the one rejecting me and not retaining my declarations is judged by the things I say. That is what will judge them at the last day,

12:49 since I don’t speak of my own accord but of the Father who sent me. He has given me the official edict on what to say and what to talk about.

12:50 And I know that his edict is eternal life. So whatever I say is exactly as the Father has directed me to speak.”