The major theme of the Gospel, Jesus' identity as the Son of God, continues dominant. It was just as important for Jesus' disciples to grow in their understanding of who He was and to grow in their faith in Him as it was for the general public to do so. This section of the Gospel shows Jesus withdrawing from Jerusalem (11:1-12:11) and then returning to it for His triumphal entry and His final appeal to the people to believe on Him (12:12-50). This section also takes the reader to the climax of belief and unbelief in Jesus' public ministry.
Jesus had presented Himself as the Water of Life, the Bread of Life, and the Light of Life. Now He revealed Himself as the resurrection and the life. This was the seventh and last of Jesus' miraculous signs that John recorded, and it was the most powerful revelation of His true identity.376It shows Jesus' authority over humankind's greatest and last enemy, death.
"The claim of Jesus to be working in complete and conscious union with His Father led the Jews to attempt unsuccessfully to stone Him [10:31]. But it was His claim to bestow upon believers the gift of eternal life by raising them from spiritual death which led, according to the Johannine narrative, to His crucifixion [11:53]."377
"Physical death is the divine object lesson of what sin does in the spiritual realm. As physical death ends life and separates people, so spiritual death is the separation of people from God and the loss of life which is in God (John 1:4). Jesus has come so that people may live full lives (10:10)."378
In contrast to the hatred that the religious leaders manifested stands the love that Mary demonstrated toward the One she had come to believe in. Her act of sacrificial devotion is a model for all true disciples. This is the climax of belief in this section of the Gospel that records Jesus' public ministry (1:19-12:50). Chapter 12 records Jesus' last teaching before the general public.
12:1 The day when Jesus arrived in Bethany was evidently Saturday.402As we have noted before, John frequently grouped the events he recorded around the Jewish feasts and related them to those feasts. At this Passover the Lamb of God would die as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. John's reference to Lazarus helps the reader identify which of the two Bethanys that John mentioned is in view here. It also shows that Lazarus was still alive, another testimony to the reality of the resurrection miracle that Jesus had performed.
12:2 The dinner (Gr. deipnon) was evidently the evening meal on Saturday. Those who hosted it must have included Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and Simon, the former leper in whose house the meal took place (Matt. 26:6; Mark 14:3). John's reference to Lazarus implies that he was of special interest. This was undoubtedly because of his recent resurrection. Lazarus had become something of a celebrity (v. 9). He appears to have retreated from the public spotlight following his resurrection but made this uncommon appearance to honor Jesus (cf. v. 9).403
12:3 Mary anointed Jesus with a litreof ointment. The Greek litreequalled about 11 ounces and was a lavish amount to pour out on someone. Its quantity indicates Mary's great love and high regard for Jesus. The ointment was nard or spikenard, an imported Indian oil that came from the roots (i.e., spikes, therefore "spikenard") of the nard plant.404It was pure ointment and therefore of a high quality as well as imported and consequently very expensive (cf. v. 5). Matthew and Mark noted that the liquid was in an alabaster flask the neck of which Mary broke to pour it out on Jesus (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:2).
John wrote that Mary proceeded to anoint Jesus' feet with the ointment. The Synoptic accounts say that she anointed His head (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3). Probably she did both. There was enough ointment to anoint not only Jesus' head and feet but also other parts of His body as well (cf. Matt. 26:12; Mark 14:8). Perhaps Matthew and Mark mentioned Jesus' head to present this act as one that honored Jesus. John could have mentioned Jesus' feet to stress Mary's humility in contrast to the Sanhedrin's pride and the disciples' pride (cf. 13:1-17).405
Only John noted that Mary wiped Jesus' feet with her hair, another act of humility. Normally Jewish ladies never unbound their hair in public since loose hair was a sign of loose morals. Evidently Mary's love for Jesus overrode her sense of propriety. She probably wiped the ointment in and the excess off with her hair. It would have been easy for Mary to anoint Jesus' feet. The guests undoubtedly reclined on mats on the floor with their heads and hands close to the table and their feet extending out in the opposite direction.
The fact that the fragrance of the perfume filled the house shows again how lavish Mary's display of love was. In that culture when the male head of a household died and left only female survivors, the women usually had great difficulty making ends meet and often became destitute. If this was the situation that Lazarus' death created for Mary and Martha, we can appreciate how grateful they must have been to Jesus for restoring their brother to them. Even if they were rich, and the cost of Mary's ointment suggests that they may have been, the restoration of a loved brother was reason enough for great gratitude and festivity.
12:4-5 Judas, as well as some other disciples who were present (Matt. 26:8; Mark 14:4), objected to what seemed to be an extravagant waste. Three hundred denarii was a full year's wages for a working man in that culture. Mary would not give to the Lord what cost her nothing (cf. 2 Sam. 24:24). Real worship always costs the worshipper; it always involves a sacrifice.
"When she came to the feet of Jesus, Mary took the place of a slave. When she undid her hair (something Jewish women did not do in public), she humbled herself and laid her glory at His feet (see 1 Cor. 11:15). Of course, she was misunderstood and criticized; but that is what usually happens when somebody gives his or her best to the Lord."406
12:6 John knew Judas' real motive for objecting (cf. 10:13). Judas' selfish materialism helps us understand why He was willing to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
"His remonstrance over the gift of the ointment revealed that he had a sharp sense of financial values and no appreciation of human values."407
Evidently the other disciples learned of their treasurer's larcenous behavior after He betrayed Jesus.
12:7 Probably Jesus meant that the disciples should permit Mary to keep the custom of anointing for burial since Jesus' burial was not far away. There is no indication that Mary realized that Jesus would die soon any more than the other disciples did. However she was anointing Jesus out of love, as mourners anointed the bodies of loved ones who had died. It was not uncommon to do this at lavish expense. Jesus viewed her act as a pre-anointing for His death, though Mary may not have viewed it as such (cf. 11:51).408
It is a good idea to express our love for people we appreciate to them before they die. Flowers at a funeral are nice, but flowers before the funeral are even better.
12:8 Unless Jesus was the Son of God who was due the same honor as His Father (5:23) this statement would have manifested supreme arrogance. Jesus was not encouraging the disciples to regard poverty as inevitable and, therefore, to avoid doing anything to help those in need. He was comparing the unique opportunity that His impending death presented with the continual need that the poverty of some will always present (cf. Mark 14:7).
John's Gospel has been contrasting the growing belief of some people and the growing unbelief of others. This incident contrasts the great love of one disciple with the great apathy of another disciple.
"Mary of Bethany is in fact another of the timeless, representative figures so wonderfully portrayed in this Gospel. She is a type of the true Christian worshipper, even as the sinful woman in the very different anointing story in Luke vii. 36-50 is a type of the true Christian penitent."409
To make the contrast between belief and unbelief even more striking, John returned from Mary's love to the chief priests' hatred (cf. 11:47-57).
12:9 Jesus had disappeared after Lazarus' resurrection and had not yet showed Himself in Jerusalem for Passover (11:54-57), but now the news was that He was in Bethany. The appearance of the resurrected Lazarus intensified the curiosity of many Jerusalem residents and pilgrims who travelled to Bethany hoping to see both men. They were the subjects of much controversy.
Martha had worked for the Lord by serving the supper (v. 2), Mary had worshipped Him (v. 3), and Lazarus witnessed for Him (v. 9). They are model disciples.
12:10-11 The huge numbers of people that were heading for Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus made the Sanhedrin members conclude that they would have to terminate Lazarus as well as Jesus. Many of the Jews believed on Jesus when they heard about Lazarus' resurrection and or saw him. The man born blind whom Jesus had healed had also become a problem for the Sanhedrin earlier. They had dealt with him differently because Jesus' popularity was not as great earlier (9:34).
The hatred of the Sanhedrin contrasts with Mary's love for Jesus. The intensity of both feelings, shared by many other people, pointed to the inevitability of a major conflict soon.
The importance of this incident in Jesus' ministry is evident from the fact that all four Gospel evangelists recorded it. Matthew and Mark placed this event before Mary's anointing of Jesus in Simon's house (vv. 1-8). However, John's order is probably the chronological one in view of his time references and the fact that Matthew and Mark frequently altered the chronological sequence for thematic purposes.
The scene now shifts from a quite dinner with a few close friends in the small town of Bethany. We see next a noisy public parade through the streets of Jerusalem. This was the only public demonstration that Jesus allowed during His earthly ministry.
12:12 The next day would have been Sunday (cf. v. 1). The great multitude that had come to Jerusalem for the Passover undoubtedly included many pilgrims from Galilee, where Jesus had His greatest following. The crowd evidently surrounded Jesus since Matthew and Mark wrote that there were many people in front of Jesus and many behind Him (Matt. 11:9; Mark 11:9).
12:13 The waving of date palm fronds (i.e., branches) had become a common practice at national celebrations in Israel (Lev. 23:40). Palm fronds had become a national symbol (cf. 1 Macc. 13:51; 2 Macc. 10:7). They appear on the coins that the Jewish nationalists produced during the war with the Romans in 66-70 A.D.410Used on this occasion they probably signalled popular belief that Israel's Messiah had appeared (cf. Rev. 7:9).
"Hosanna"is the transliteration of a Hebrew phrase meaning "give salvation now."The Jews commonly used this word in their praise at the feasts of Tabernacles, Dedication, and Passover. It was part of the Hallel (Ps. 113-118) that the temple choir sang at these feasts (Ps. 118:25).411"Blessed is He . . ."is the very next statement in Psalm 118 (Ps. 118:26). The Jews of Jesus' day regarded the phrase "He who comes in the name of the Lord"as referring to Messiah (cf. 11:27). Originally it referred to pilgrims who went to Jerusalem for the feasts and perhaps in the first instance to the Davidic king whose coronation the psalmist wrote the psalm to honor. "Even the King of Israel"is not in Psalm 118. It was the people's identification of Jesus as the Messiah (cf. Luke 19:38; John 1:49; 18:37; 19:19).
"I imagine that some of the Roman soldiers must have smiled at the Triumphal Entry,' because it was nothing like their own Roman triumph' celebrations in the city of Rome.
"Whenever a Roman general was victorious on foreign soil, killing at least 5,000 of the enemy, and gaining new territory, he was given a Roman triumph' when he returned to the city. It was the Roman equivalent of the American ticker-tape parade,' only with much more splendor. The victor would be permitted to display the trophies he had won and the enemy leaders he had captured. The parade ended at the arena where some of the captives entertained the people by fighting wild beasts. Compared to a Roman triumph,' our Lord's entry into Jerusalem was nothing."412
12:14-15 The Synoptic writers gave more detail about Jesus securing the young donkey. John simply reported that He entered Jerusalem riding on it and thereby fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy about how Messiah would present Himself to the nation (Zech. 9:9). "Fear not"comes from Isaiah 40:9, which addresses those to whom good news about Zion comes. "Daughter of Zion"is a common Old Testament description of the people of Jerusalem as the oppressed people of God (cf. Isa. 1:8; Jer. 4:31; Lam. 2:4; Mic. 4:8; Zeph. 3:14; Zech. 2:10; et al.). The context of Zechariah 9:9 is worthy of examination since it describes more about Messiah's reign. Even though Messiah had appeared, His reign would not begin then. He would not "give salvation now"because of Israel's rejection of her King.
12:16 Jesus' disciples did not realize all the implications of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem at this time. After Jesus' resurrection and ascension they did (cf. 2:17, 22). Obviously they and the crowd realized that Jesus was the Messiah, as they conceived of the Messiah. However they did not understand the nature of His messiahship, the necessity of His death, or the plan for His kingdom then. For example, they did not understand the significance of His riding a donkey's colt rather than a war-horse. John's statement here helps the reader understand the difference between the disciples' understanding and comments before the Cross and their conduct and teaching after that event.
"The Passion and the Resurrection were keys in unlocking the mystery of Jesus' person."413
12:17-18 John noted another witness to Jesus' person, namely the crowd that had observed Jesus' healing of Lazarus and had accompanied Jesus from Bethany to Jerusalem. The multitude that had come out of Jerusalem to welcome Jesus joined the other people physically and as witnesses to Jesus' true identity. The raising of Lazarus was a miracle that very many people regarded as a sign that Jesus was the Messiah.
12:19 Yet many other people did not believe. The Pharisees looked on in unbelief frustrated by Jesus' popularity and unable to do anything to stop Him at the moment. Hyperbolically they said the whole world had gone after Jesus. This is another ironic comment that John recorded for His readers' instruction. Really relatively few people had truly believed on Jesus (vv. 37-43), but the whole world would go after Jesus as the Savior of the world to a greater degree than the Pharisees believed then (cf. 3:16-17). Their unconscious prophecy (cf. Caiaphas' unconscious prophecy in 11:50) received a partial fulfillment almost immediately in the request of some Greeks to see Jesus (vv. 20-22). The Pharisees later found it just as impossible to curtail the spread of Christianity as they did to restrict Jesus personally.
One example that Jesus was attracting people from other parts of the world follows. These individuals contrast with the Pharisees.
"This rather curious incident is rather peculiar to John. I say rather curious' because it is unusual that we encounter Greeks in a narrative of events at Jerusalem, because the other Evangelists do not mention the incident, and because the Greeks simply say, Sir, we would like to see Jesus' and then disappear from the narrative. Clearly John regards their coming as significant but he does not treat their presence as important. Jesus recognizes in their coming an indication that the climax of his mission has arrived. Immediately when he hears of them he says, The hour has come,' and goes on to speak of his glorification and of death. In this Gospel we see Jesus as the world's Savior, and evidently John means us to understand that this contact with the Greeks ushered in the climax. The fact that the Greeks had reached the point of wanting to meet Jesus showed that the time had come for him to die for the world. He no longer belongs to Judaism, which in any case has rejected him. But the world, whose Savior he is, awaits him and seeks for him."414
This section of the Gospel contains the writer's explanation of the significance of the events so far in Jesus' ministry. John first explained the conflict between belief and unbelief, and then He recorded Jesus' final appeal for decision. This is the final climax of the decision theme before Jesus' passion. The key word in this section is "believe,"which appears six times.
