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JOHN 12
page 967
the Roman army will come and destroy both our
Temple* and our nation.”
49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that
time,* said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! 50 You don’t realize that it’s better for
you that one man should die for the people than
for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
51 He did not say this on his own; as high
priest at that time he was led to prophesy that
Jesus would die for the entire nation. 52 And not
only for that nation, but to bring together and
unite all the children of God scattered around
the world.
53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders
began to plot Jesus’ death. 54 As a result, Jesus
stopped his public ministry among the people
and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near
the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and
stayed there with his disciples.
55 It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all
over the country arrived in Jerusalem several
days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. 56 They
kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around
in the Temple, they said to each other, “What
do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will
he?” 57 Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing
Jesus must report it immediately so they could
arrest him.
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany,
the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised
from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’
honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among
those who ate* with him. 3 Then Mary took a
twelve-ounce jar* of expensive perfume made
from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’
feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The
house was filled with the fragrance.
4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would
soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was
worth a year’s wages.* It should have been sold
and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he
cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he
was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often
stole some for himself.
7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this
in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always
have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
12
11:48 Or our position; Greek reads our place. 11:49 Greek
that year; also in 11:51. 12:2 Or who reclined. 12:3 Greek
took 1 litra [327 grams]. 12:5 Greek worth 300 denarii.
A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage.
12:9 Greek Jewish people; also in 12:11. 12:11 Or had
deserted their traditions; Greek reads had deserted.
12:13a Greek Hosanna, an exclamation of praise adapted
from a Hebrew expression that means “save now.”
12:13b Ps 118:25-26; Zeph 3:15. 12:15a Greek daughter
of Zion. 12:15b Zech 9:9. 12:17 Greek were testifying.
9 When all the people* heard of Jesus’ arrival,
they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead.
10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many
of the people had deserted them* and believed
in Jesus.
Jesus’ Triumphant Entry
12 The next day, the news that Jesus was on
the way to Jerusalem swept through the city.
A large crowd of Passover visitors 13 took palm
branches and went down the road to meet him.
They shouted,
“Praise God!*
Blessings on the one who comes in the
name of the Lord!
Hail to the King of Israel!”*
14 Jesus
found a young donkey and rode on it,
fulfilling the prophecy that said:
15
“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.*
Look, your King is coming,
riding on a donkey’s colt.”*
16 His disciples didn’t understand at the time
that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after
Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered
what had happened and realized that these
things had been written about him.
17 Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead,
and they were telling others* about it. 18 That
• Grief
JOHN 11:1-44
The story of Lazarus’s death and resurrection contains a profound teaching
about grief. When Jesus arrived and
was taken to the graveside, he wept
openly. Onlookers were impressed with
the power of his grief and immediately
recognized it as an indication of his great
love: “See how much he loved him,”
they said. The tears Jesus shed that day
forever validate the experience of human
sorrow and grief. Even though we have
the hope of resurrection and we know
that for the believer physical death is not
the final word, our tears and sorrow are
appropriate and good. How comforting
to know that God himself is willing to
walk the way of sorrow with us! Is there
any sorrow that you have been unable
to express fully? You can share it with
the Lord, for he understands your grief
completely.