1Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, to the home of Lazarus who had been raised from the dead.
2There a dinner was arranged in his honor. Martha helped serve the food while Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus and the other guests.
3Mary brought a pint of pure nard perfume and anointed Jesus' feet, wiping them dry with her hair. The scent of the perfume filled the whole house.
4But one of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, who would later betray Jesus, asked,
5“Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth three hundred denarii.”
6He wasn't saying this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was the one who looked after the disciples' money and he often took some for himself.
7“Don't criticize her,” Jesus replied. “She did this in preparation for the day of my burial.
8You'll always have the poor with you, but you won't always have me here.”
9A large crowd of Jews had found out that he was there. They came there not just to see Jesus but because they wanted to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead.
10So the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus as well,
11since it was because of him that many people were no longer following the Jewish leaders but putting their trust in Jesus.
12The following day the crowds of people who had come for the Passover festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.
13They cut off palm branches and went to welcome him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one coming in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel.”
14Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, as Scripture says:
15“Don't be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, riding a donkey's colt.”
16At the time, Jesus' disciples did not understand what these things meant. It was only later when he was glorified that they realized what had happened had been prophesied and applied to him.
17Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb and raise him from the dead, and were telling the story.
18That was the reason so many people went to meet Jesus—because they had heard about this miracle.
19The Pharisees said to one other, “Look, we're getting nowhere. Everyone's running after him.”
20Now some Greeks had come to the festival to worship.
21They came to Philip of Bethsaida in Galilee, and said, “Sir, we'd like to see Jesus.”
22Philip went and told Andrew. Then they both went to Jesus and told him.
23Jesus responded, “The time has come for the Son of man to be glorified.
24I tell you the truth: unless a grain of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains just one grain. But if it dies, it produces many more grains of wheat.
25If you love your own life you will lose it, but if you don't love your own life in this world you will keep your life forever.
26If you want to serve me you need to follow me. My servants will be where I am, and my Father will honor anyone who serves me.
27Now I am troubled. What should I say? ‘Father, save me from this coming time of suffering?’ No, for this is why I came—to go through this time of suffering.
28Father, show the glory of your character.” A voice came from heaven, saying, “I have shown its glory, and I will show it again.”
29The crowd that was standing there heard it. Some said it thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30Jesus told them, “This voice spoke not for my sake, but for yours.
31Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be thrown out.
32But when I am lifted up from the earth I will attract everyone to me.”
33(He said this to point out the kind of death he was going to die.)
34The crowd responded, “The Law tells us that the Messiah will live forever, so how can you say the Son of man must be ‘lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of man’?”
35Jesus replied, “The light is here with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that the darkness doesn't overtake you. Those who walk in the dark don't know where they're going.
36Put your trust in the light while you still have it so that you can become children of light.” When Jesus had told them this, he left and hid himself from them.
37But despite all the miracles he had done in their presence, they still did not trust in Jesus.
38This fulfilled the message of Isaiah the prophet, who said, “Lord, who has believed what we told them? To whom has the Lord's power been revealed?”
39They were not able to trust him, and as a result they fulfilled what Isaiah also said:
40“He blinded their eyes, and made their minds dull, so that their eyes would not see, and their minds would not think, and they would not turn to me—for if they did I would heal them.”
41Isaiah saw Jesus' glory and said this in reference to him.
42Even so many of the leaders did trust in him. However, they did not openly admit it because they did not want the Pharisees to expel them from the synagogue,
43loving human admiration more than God's approval.
44Jesus called out, “If you trust in me you're not just trusting in me but also in the one who sent me.
45When you see me, you're seeing the one who sent me.
46I have come as a light shining into the world, so if you trust in me you won't remain in the dark.
47I don't judge anyone who hears my words but doesn't do what I say. I came to save the world, not to judge it.
48Anyone who rejects me and does not accept my words will be judged at the end-time judgment in accordance with what I have said.
49For I'm not speaking for myself but for my Father who sent me. He is the one who instructed me what to say and how to say it.
50I know that what he told me to say brings eternal life—so whatever I say is what the Father told me.”