JESUS IS ANOINTED AND ENTERS JERUSALEM IN TRIUMPH. The crisis resulting from the raising of Lazarus moves the narrative into its final stage. That miracle is mentioned here twice, once in John 12:1 and again in John 12:9, and there is a reminder of it in John 12:2; John 12:17. And the final end of... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Six days therefore before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead'. It was clearly now still ‘day' (John 11:9). But His time had come and He did not hesitate to put Himself in danger. The visit to Bethany, only two miles from Jerusalem, and to Lazar... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS IS ANOINTED (JOHN 12:1). This incident is significant in that it is unintentionally prophetic. By her action in anointing Jesus, Mary is intending to proclaim her gratitude and love, but what she does not know, although the readers are intended to recognise it, is that she is anointing Him bo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘So there they made him a supper and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those at the table with him'. He was welcome here in Bethany, as He always was, and the scene was one of quiet neighbourly activity. It was the calm before the storm. Possibly Jesus stayed here for a few days for Mark tell... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Mary therefore took a pound of very costly fragrant oil of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the aromatic oil.' The fragrant oil was nard or spikenard, an import from North India which came from the roots (i.e... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But Jesus Iscariot, one of his disciples, the one who would betray him, said, “Why wasn't this perfume sold for 300 denarii, and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he held the communal purse he used to take money from it'. It is... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus therefore said, “Leave her alone, that she may keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me with you'. This is a brief summary of what Jesus actually said. Mark's clarification makes it easier to understand. John knows that his readers ha... [ Continue Reading ]
MANY SHOW INTEREST IN JESUS AND LAZARUS (JOHN 12:9). ‘When the great crowd of the Judaisers learned that he was there, they came, not only because of Jesus, but also in order to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus also to death because, on acco... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The next day a great crowd who had come to the Feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him crying, “Hosanna (save now)! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel”. And Jesus having found a young ass,... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM IN TRIUMPH (JOHN 12:12). John deals with this subject very succintly. Again he knows that his readers are aware of the facts from the tradition behind the other Gospels, so he concentrates on the significance of what happened. We know that annually when the people gathered a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘His disciples did not understand this at first, but when Jesus was glorified they then remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him'. Even the disciples did not get the point about His action immediately, an important fact to note. Only Jesus really knew what He... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The crowd therefore who were with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. This was why the great crowd also went and met him, because they heard he had done this sign.' John then connects the enthusiasm of the crowds with the raising of Lazarus. This... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The Pharisees then said to one another, “You observe that you cannot do anything. See, the world has gone after him'. The Pharisees watched all these events with cynical eyes. They, who should have been at the forefront of His welcome, were too hidebound to recognise the truth before their eyes. I... [ Continue Reading ]
LIFE COMES THROUGH HIS DEATH (JOHN 12:20). ‘Now among those who went up to worship at the Feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus”.' At this stage some Greeks approached Philip in order to meet with Jesus. ‘Gree... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew went with Philip and they told Jesus'. It is indicative of how uncertain the disciples were about things that Philip felt that he needed help in broaching the matter with Jesus. The question in his mind was, would Jesus be willing to give time to these Gentil... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. With great emphasis (truly, truly) I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit”.' ‘The hour has come.' Previously we were told that His hour... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He who loves his life loses it, but he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me he must follow me, and where I am there will my servant be as well. If anyone serves me the Father will honour him.' Jesus then applies a similar thought to His followers. Lik... [ Continue Reading ]
“Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, for this purpose have I come to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” The coming of these earnest Greeks had brought home to Him the closeness of His hour, and He shuddered as He considered what lay before Him. ‘Fa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then a voice came from Heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again”.' The very coming of Jesus, and His powerful ministry, have glorified the Father's name. We beheld His glory, glory as of the only son of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). His signs and wonders have re... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The crowd standing around, heard it and were saying it thundered. Others were saying, “an angel spoke to him”. The actual words of the thunderous cry from Heaven were not understood by the crowd, although Jesus understood them. But the crowd were moved by the roar. Some ‘were saying' - there were a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus answered and said, “This voice occurred not for my sake, but for your sake”.' Jesus then explained to them the purpose of the voice from Heaven. It was true that His Father had spoken to Him for His comfort and in response to His yearning, but that could have been said in His heart. It came... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ “Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out, and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself”. (He said this to show by what death he would die).' The cross would declare that God had passed judgment, not on Jesus, but on the world. As... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RESPONSE OF THE CROWDS (JOHN 12:34). ‘The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah remains for ever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up. Who is this Son of Man?” The crowds were puzzled by His words, which raise a number of questions. We must ask firs... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light lest the darkness overtakes you, for he who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become the sons of light”.' As we ha... [ Continue Reading ]
‘These things Jesus spoke, and he departed and hid himself from them'. He had given them their opportunity and now that opportunity was over earlier than they might have thought. That His action was deliberate is stressed - He _hid_ Himself. It may well have been that He was very tired with the p... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Though he had done so many signs before them still they did not believe in him. This was in order that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, “Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1 LXX)' John stresses here the people's... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Therefore they could not believe, for Isaiah again said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and turn for me to heal them”. Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him.' When does God blind men's ey... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in (eis) him, but because they were afraid of the Pharisees they did not confess it in case they were put out of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God'. The use of eis usually, but not always, signifies genu... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in me believes not (only) in me but in him who sent me. And he who closely observes me sees him who sent me'. This then was the essence of Jesus' proclamation. He was the One sent from God, and in Whom God could be seen. To believe in Jesus was to beli... [ Continue Reading ]
A FINAL SUMMARY OF HIS TEACHING (JOHN 12:44). John is now concerned that the last that we hear of Jesus before the hours leading up to His crucifixion will be the essence of His message, a message that has been constantly repeated. It is for this that He will be put to death, and John wants it to b... [ Continue Reading ]
‘I have come as light into the world so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.' With the coming of Jesus light has come into the world (compare John 1:5), a light that reveals the glory of God (John 1:14; John 1:18), a light that reveals man's sinfulness (John 3:17), a light that en... [ Continue Reading ]
‘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. He who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge, the word that I have spoken will be his judge in the last day'. Believing in Jesus also means hearing His wo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me, he has instructed me what I should say and speak. And I know that his instruction is eternal life'. And this is because His words are God's words in a unique sense, and carry a unique authority. He was sent by the Father, and Hi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And what I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me I must'. Jesus confirms that all He has said has been because God has instructed Him in what to say and has made Him say it under the divine necessity. He is God's mouthpiece, God's voice. So John stresses at the end of this section which... [ Continue Reading ]