The last week
12
Mary anoints Jesus' feet
1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was (the deceased whom He raised from the dead).
2 So they gave a dinner for Him there—Martha was serving, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.
3 Then Mary, bringing a pound of pure oil of nard, very costly, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped His feet with her hair! And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Judas has a problem
4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son (who was about to betray Him), said,
5 “Why wasn't this oil sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?”
6 (Now he did not say this because the poor mattered to him, but because he was a thief and had the money box; and used to pilfer what was put in it.)
7 So Jesus said: “Let her be; she has performed this with a view to my burial.
8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
Lazarus is a problem
9 Then a large crowd of the Jews learned that He was there; and they came, not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
10 So the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus as well,
11 in that because of him many of the Jews were defecting and believing into Jesus.
The Triumphal Entry
12 The next day a large crowd that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem,
13 took branches from palm trees and went out to meet Him. And they started shouting:
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“King of Israel!”
14 And finding a young donkey Jesus sat on it; just as it is written:
15 “Fear no more, daughter of Zion.
Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!”
16 (Now His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him, and they had done them to Him.)
17 So the crowd that had been with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify.
18 That is also why the crowd met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.
19 So the Pharisees said among themselves: “You can see that you are not making any difference! Just look, the world has gone off after Him!”
Some Greeks
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast.
21 So these men approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
22 Philip goes and tells Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
23 But Jesus answered them saying: “The hour has come for the Son of the Man to be glorified.
24 Most assuredly I say to you, if a grain of wheat, having fallen into the ground, does not die, it remains alone; but if it dies it bears a lot of fruit.
25 The one ‘loving’ his life will waste it, and the one ‘hating’ his life, in this world, will preserve it into eternal life.
26 If anyone would serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, my servant will be too. Further, if anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
A Voice out of Heaven
27 “Now my soul is distressed, and what should I say—‘Father, rescue me from this hour’? But this is why I came to this hour—
28 ‘Father, glorify your name!’ ” Then a Voice came out of Heaven, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again!”
29 So the crowd that was standing by and listening said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
30 Jesus answered and said: “It was not for my sake that this Voice came, but for your sakes.
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be thrown out.
32 While I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”
33 (Now He said this to indicate by what kind of death He was about to die.)
34 The people answered Him: “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah remains forever; and so how can you say, ‘The Son of the Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘the Son of the Man’?”
35 Then Jesus said to them: “The Light will be with you just a little longer. Walk 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 into the Light, so that you may become sons of light.” Jesus said these things, and going away He was hidden from them.
An editorial comment
37 Although He had performed so many signs in their presence, they were not believing into Him;
38 so that the word spoken by Isaiah the prophet should be fulfilled:
“Lord, who has believed what we heard?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord really been revealed?”
39 Therefore they were unable to believe, in that Isaiah said again:
40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
lest they should see with their eyes
and understand with their hearts
and should turn around, and I would heal them.”
41 Isaiah said these things when he saw His glory and spoke concerning Him.
42 Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed into Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, so they would not be expelled from the synagogue;
43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
The last public word
44 Jesus called out and said: “The one believing into me believes not into me but into Him who sent me.
45 And the one seeing me sees Him who sent me.
46 I, Light, have come into the world so that everyone who believes into me will not remain in the darkness.
47 Also, if someone hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him; because I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken, that is what will judge him on the last day;
49 because I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me, He gave me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.
50 And I know that His command is eternal life. So whatever I say, I say it just like the Father told me.”