John • The passed-over passages 13 • Jesus returns to Jerusalem

Steve Schott
Dec 20
14 min read

► Previously in John we looked at the 7 signs recorded, and referenced in John 20:30-31, where it says

30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

► We also explored the 7 "I AM" statements that do not always correspond to the signs, but also add definition to the nature and purposes of Jesus.

► Links to all of these posts can be found at the end of this posting

► Now I'm going to turn my attention to what I call the "passed-over" passages, Those passages from chapter 1 to chapter 12 which I haven't previously dealt with.

► After that we'll deal with chapters 13 to 19, which I call "the end of it all". These chapters deal with a single 24-hour period, that starts with the last supper in the upper room, and takes us all the way to the cross and the tomb.

► And then we'll end with chapters 20 and 21 that I call "the new beginning".

► After the last of the 7 signs, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, there was a significant response from the leaders of Israel - and not a positive one. In John11:43-44 we see Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life...

⁴³ When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” ⁴⁴ The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

► Jesus had "cried out with a loud voice," which is very clear in the Greek. "Loud" in Greek is "megas" and "voice" in Greek is "phone (pronounced fo-nay)", which is where we get the English word "megaphone". When Jesus called Lazarus to "come forth", He did it in a way so that there would be no confusion on anyone's part about what He was saying. I can almost see Jesus cupping His hands around His mouth to direct His voice toward the people watching. They all heard Him give the command. They all saw Lazarus obey.

► The people's response was immediate → John 11:45-46...

⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.

► We see two different responses to this event...

1st, some "believed in Him." They saw the impossible happen and understood that Jesus had the power to raise people from the dead.

2nd, others "went to the Pharisees" and tattled. They communicated to the Pharisees what Jesus had done, but it wasn't to help them believe - it was to give them evidence with which to incriminate Jesus.

► The immediate response of the Pharisees is once again to attempt to kill Jesus. For a short time Jesus would relocate to Ephraim, a town north and east of Jerusalem. Now, Jesus will return to Jerusalem for the last time.

John 12:1-50 → Jesus returns to Jerusalem

Mary Anoints Jesus → John 12:1-11

¹ Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. ³ Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume 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 perfume. ⁴ But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, ⁵ “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” ⁶ Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. ⁷ Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. ⁸ For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”

⁹ The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. ¹⁰ But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; ¹¹ because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.

► 3 things that happen in this section...

1 → (vs 1-3) Jesus returns to the village of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem on Saturday. While there, Mary anoints Jesus' feet with expensive perfume.

• Mark 14:3 tells us that this event actually happened at the home of Simon the Leper, a neighbor of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. This passage also tells us that Mary anointed Jesus' head as well as His feet.

• It's typical that we see Martha serving, but Mary worshipping.

• I often think of the movie "Sense and Sensibility", when reading about Martha and Mary. Martha is Elinor; Mary is Marianne. One is practical and reserved. The other is emotional and expressive. Only in this case, Mary is the one making the best choices.

2 → (vs 4-8) Judas Iscariot objects to what he perceives to this extravagance.

• The text also tells us that Judas has already fixed in his heart to betray Jesus.

• 300 "denarii" - a denarius was a days wage in this time frame. This about a years worth of pay.

• It also states that Judas had been "pilfering" the collective money box.

• Jesus rebukes Judas and tells him to "let her alone", and predicts His own death.

3 → (vs 9-11) Some Jews come to see both Jesus AND Lazarus. The chief priests plan to kill BOTH of them.

• Lazarus had become something of a celebrity - "the man who lived"! And people were believing in Jesus because of it.

• But now that he's in the spotlight he's got a target on his back.

Jesus Entres Jerusalem → John 12:12-19

¹² On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, ¹³ took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” ¹⁴ Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, ¹⁵ “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” ¹⁶ These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. ¹⁷ So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. ¹⁸ For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”

► (vs 12-15) Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey, as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. Palm Sunday.

► (v 16) The disciples don't understand what is going on.

► (vs 17-18) The witnesses to Lazarus' resurrection are witnessing and the people are coming to see Jesus because of it.

► (v 19) The Pharisees on the other hand are frustrated by those following Jesus, and are trying to figure out something to do, since all their previous attempts to silence Him have failed.

Greeks Seek Jesus → John 12:20-26

²⁰ Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; ²¹ these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus. ²³ And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. ²⁶ If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

► Some Greeks want to see Jesus also and ask Philip for... permission?

► Jesus responds to their request by talking about dead wheat. What He's really talking about is the disciples future - to follow the risen Jesus, investing in heaven, rather than the earth.

Jesus Foretells His Death → John 12:27-50

²⁷ “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose 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 of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” ³⁰ Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.

► (vs 27-30) Jesus in this section begins His dialogue by stating that His "soul has become troubled;...". The word "troubled" in the Greek literally means that He is discomforted or restless within Himself. What His Father has asked Him to do is no small thing. He postulates with the idea of the ridiculousness of asking God to intervene. Why would God save Jesus from the very thing that He sent Him to earth to accomplish. Jesus' response to His rhetorical question is to verbally respond to His Father by asking Him to "glorify Your name", which is an acknowledgement on Jesus' part that He will see it out to the end. God's response is verbal and loud enough that the crowd could hear it. Some are only hearing thunder. Others think it something more specific. Not knowing it's source, the people reason amongst themselves that "an angel has spoken to Him." Not an angel, but God the Father Himself has said these words. Jesus responded to them by stating that the voice they heard wasn't for His benefit, but "for your sakes."

³¹ Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. ³² And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” ³³ But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. ³⁴ The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵ So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. ^36aWhile you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”

► (vs 31-36a) Jesus changes the direction of this dialogue by stating that "judgement" is coming, and the "ruler of this world" is soon to be ejected. He is setting the stage for the basis of this judgement and victory. Jesus states the phrase "if I am lifted up from the earth" and He is actually referring to two things...

1st → Jesus is speaking forward to His crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension. It's one thing to be "lifted up", in the sense of being executed on a cross, but by adding the phrase "from the earth" He can be both referring to His death, which under normal circumstances would be the end of His existence on earth, but also because of His pending resurrection is also referring to His ascension, as at that time the risen Christ will leave us.

2nd → Jesus is mentioning what is referred to in John 3:14-15, where it says "¹⁴ As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; ¹⁵ so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life." In that passage, Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, and He was referencing the event in Numbers 21:6-9, where the Jews were saved from God's wrath when they looked upon the bronze serpent hanging on the wood pole. In like fashion, when people would see Jesus on the cross (or looking back in our imagination to that time), when we understand that He was taking on Himself the punishment for our sins (He couldn't be paying for His own sins as He had none), and we acknowledge and trust that this is the only way we could be saved, we ARE saved.

^36bThese things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them. ³⁷ But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” ³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, ⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.” ⁴¹ These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. ⁴² Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

► (vs 36b-43) Jesus leaves the people for a short time, but we are not told where He went or how long He was there. It would have been frustrating to me to have "performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him." And again, it's easy to be critical of people who saw all of this first hand. I wonder if I would have been any more receptive than they were (or weren't as the case may be). We need to remember that what Jesus was saying was extremely radical for the time. It is mentioned here that this is actually fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah. Verse 38 here is a quote from Isaiah 53:1. And verse 40 is a quote from Isaiah 6:10. But verse 42 gives me a little hope when it mentions that "many even of the rulers believed in Him,...". It does mention that they aren't being obvious about their belief because of their "fear that they would be put out of the synagogue;...". Those that believed haven't yet come to a point where they are ready to lay it all on the line. But we know that some will - at least Nicodemus will be very public in his ministrations to Jesus' body after His death. I'm guessing that we'll all be able to attend a workshop in heaven where Nick will explain how he overcame his fear to follow Jesus.

⁴⁴ And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. ⁴⁵ He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. ⁴⁶ I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. ⁴⁷ If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ⁴⁸ He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. ⁴⁹ For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. ⁵⁰ I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

► (vs 44-50) Now Jesus is back somewhere where He is once again speaking to someone. We are not told where or to whom He is speaking at this point, but He makes several points...

v44 → believing in Jesus is synonymous to believing in God.

v45 → if we see Jesus, we are seeing God.

v46 → Jesus is the "Light of the world", and those who believe are no longer in darkness.

v47 → those who hear and choose not to believe are not judged by Jesus at this time as He came to "save the world."

v48 → those who reject Jesus and what He has said will be judged by those words "at the last day."

vs49-50 → Jesus said the things that He spoke, which are the source of eternal life, were ordained by the Father for Him to speak.

So what?

► So Jesus' last week before the cross was a little busy. A grand entrance coming into Jerusalem, with people literally worshipping Him as he rode on the donkey's colt. Even Gentiles were coming seeking to follow Jesus. At the same time, the leaders are trying to not only kill Jesus, but they also wanted to kill Lazarus, who was the ultimate proof of Jesus' divine power. They didn't just want to eliminate Jesus, but they also wanted to remove any proof of His power as well. Jesus wrestled a little bit with what is coming, the cross, yet without hesitation submits to the Father's plan. He throws out some last teaching moments with the people, making sure they understood that to receive eternal life they would need to accept Jesus for who He is and for what He is about to do. From this point on, Jesus' time will be spent primarily with His disciples for one last day. At least a part of a day. Then He'll be arrested, tortured, and eventually nailed to a cross as a common criminal.

The Signs

► Sign 1, Water to Wine, Jesus is the master of the ELEMENTS → John 2:1-12

► Sign 2, Nobleman's Son, Jesus is the master over DISTANCE → John 4:46-54

► Sign 3, Lame Man at Bethesda, Jesus is the master over TIME → John 5:1-18

► Sign 4, Feeding of 5,000+, Jesus is the master over DIMENSION → John 6:1-15

► Sign 5, Jesus walks on water, Jesus is the master over NATURE → John 6:15-21

► Sign 6, The Man Born Blind, Jesus is the master over HISTORY → John 9:1-41

► Sign 7, The Raising of Lazarus, Jesus is the master over DEATH → John 11:1-46

The "I AM" Statements

► I AM #1 • I AM the Bread of Life - Jesus ELIMINATES HUNGER → John 6:26-58

► I AM #2 • I AM the Light of the World - Jesus ELIMINATES DARKNESS → John 8:12-9:5

► I AM #3 • I AM the Door of the Sheep - Jesus ELIMINATES DEATH & DESTRUCTION → John 10:1-10