1 Six days before the Passover celebration started, Jesus arrived in Bethany village, along with us. That was where Lazarus lived. He was the man Jesus previously caused to be alive again after he died. 2 There they gave a dinner to honor Jesus. Martha served the meal. Her younger brother, Lazarus, was among the people who were eating with Jesus. 3 Then Mary took a bottle of expensive perfume called nard and poured it on Jesus’ feet to honor him. Then she wiped his feet with her hair. The whole house was filled with the beautiful smell of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, (OR, Judas, the man from Kerioth Town) objected. He was the one who later enabled Jesus’ enemies to seize him. 5 He said, “◄We should have sold this perfume and given the money to poor people!/Why did we not sell this perfume and give the money for it to the poor people?► [RHQ] We could have gotten 300 days’ wages for it!” 6 He said that, not because he cared about the poor people, but instead, because he was a thief. He was the one who kept the bag of funds that people gave to help Jesus and us his disciples, and he often stole some of the money that was {that people} put into it. 7 Then Jesus said, “Do not bother her! She bought this perfume in order to save it until the day when they will bury me after I die. 8 There will always be poor people among you, so you can help them whenever you want to. But I will not be with you much longer, so it is good that she showed right now how much she appreciates me.”

9 A large crowd of Jews heard people say that Jesus was there in Bethany. So they came, not only to see Jesus but also to see Lazarus, the man whom he had caused to become alive again after he died. 10 So the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus also, 11 because many of the Jews were deserting them and going to Jesus and believing in him because of Jesus causing Lazarus to be alive again.

12 The next day the huge crowd of people that had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they cut branches from some palm trees and took the branches out of the city to wave them when they met him. Some of them were shouting things like, “Hooray!” “May the Lord God bless the one who is coming with his authority [MTY]!” Some other people were shouting, “May God bless the King of Israel!” 14 When Jesus came near to Jerusalem, he got a young donkey and sat on it as he rode into the city. By doing this, he fulfilled what had been written {what a prophet had written} in Scripture,

16 At first we disciples did not understand those things. But after Jesus had returned to heaven, we realized that those things had been written {that a prophet had written those things} about him, and that by doing those things for him the people had fulfilled what the prophet prophesied.

17 The crowd that was with him continued to tell other people that he called Lazarus to come out of the tomb, and that Lazarus had then become alive again. 18 Because of that, many people, because they heard others say that he had performed this miracle, went to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to each other, “It is obvious that we are making no progress in trying to stop him! It looks like [HYP] everyone [MTY] is becoming his disciple!”

20 Among those who went up to Jerusalem to worship God during the Passover celebration were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida town in Galilee province. They wanted him to do something for them. They said, “Sir, we would like to talk with Jesus.” 22 So after Philip went and told that to Andrew, they both went and told Jesus. 23 Then, to show them that he must die in order to give eternal life to non-Jews like those Greeks, Jesus replied to them, “It is time for God to honor me, the one who came from heaven. That will happen when I die. 24 Listen to this carefully: My life is like a seed [MET]. If someone does not plant a kernel of grain in the ground, it does not change. It remains only one seed. But if it changes after it is planted in the ground, it will grow and produce many seeds. 25 Anyone who strongly wants to keep on living here on earth will surely lose his life forever. But anyone who is willing to die [HYP] for my sake will surely gain eternal life. 26 If any of these Greeks or anyone else wants to serve me, they must become my disciples. Then, after they die, they will be where I am, in heaven. My Father will honor all those who serve me.

27 Now I am deeply disturbed. ◄I do not know what to say./What shall I say?► [RHQ] Should I say, ‘My Father, save me from this time when I will suffer and die!’? No, I should not say that, because the reason I came ◄into this world/from heaven► was that I would suffer [MTY] now. 28 My Father, show how great you are!”

Then God spoke [EUP] from heaven, saying, “I have already shown how great I am, and I will do it again!” 29 The crowd that was there heard it but they did not understand the words. Some said it was thunder. Others said an angel had spoken to him. 30 Jesus replied to them, “The voice that you heard speaking was God’s voice, but it was not for my benefit. It was for your benefit! 31 Now is the time for God to judge the people in [MTY] the world. Now is the time when I will destroy the power of Satan, the one who rules this world. 32 But as for me, when I am lifted {when men lift me} up from the ground on a cross, I will make a way for gathering everyone to myself.” 33 He said this to show us the way in which he was going to die.

34  Someone in the crowd answered him, “We understand from the Scriptures that the Messiah will live forever. So why do you say that the one who came from heaven, who is the Messiah, will be lifted up {that men will lift up the one who came from heaven, who is the Messiah,} on a cross? What kind of man who came from heaven are you talking about? (OR, That’s not the kind of Messiah we are expecting!)” 35 Then Jesus said to them, “My message is like [MET] a light for you. I will be with you for only a little while longer. Live and act as you should while I am still with you, because suddenly you will have no more opportunity to hear my message! You do not want to be like [MET] someone who cannot see where he is going any more when it suddenly becomes dark! 36 Believe in my message [MET] while you still have an opportunity to do it, in order that you may become people who have accepted my truth [MET]!”

After Jesus said those things, he left them and hid from them. 37 Although he had done many miracles while people were watching, most of them refused to believe that he is ◄the Messiah/from God►. 38  Their stubbornness and refusal to believe was similar to the stubbornness of the people that the prophet Isaiah wrote about long ago:

39 That was the reason why they were unable to believe. It was like Isaiah wrote somewhere else that God said:

41 Isaiah wrote that because it was as though he saw ahead of time how great Jesus would be, and he prophesied those things about him.

42 Although most of the Jewish leaders [SYN] did not believe that Jesus is ◄the Messiah/from God►, some of them believed in him. But they would not tell anyone that they believed in him, because they were afraid that if they said that, the Pharisees would not let them worship in the synagogues. 43 They wanted people to praise them more than they wanted God to praise them.

44  Another day, when Jesus was teaching the people, he shouted, “Those who believe in me, they are not believing in me alone. Instead, it is as though they also believe in the one who sent me. 45 When they see me and what I am doing, it is as though they are seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world to show people God’s truth, as a light shows people what is around them. I have come in order that people who believe in me will not remain ignorant of God’s truth [MET], as those who are in the darkness are ignorant of what is around them.

47 As for those who hear my message but do not obey its commands, I am not the one who judges them. The main reason that I came ◄into the world/from heaven► was not to judge the people of [MTY] the world. Instead, I came to save them from being punished for their sins. 48 There is something that will judge those who reject me and do not accept my message. On the judgment day God will condemn them because they rejected the message that I have told them. 49 I have not said things from my own authority. Instead, my Father, the one who sent me, instructed me what to say and how I should say it. 50 I know that paying attention to what he has instructed us leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is exactly (OR, only) what my Father has told me to say.”