John 12 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - John) Free Bible Online

John 12

1 - Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

2 - So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him.

3 - Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.

Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.

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4 - Then Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said,

5 - "Why wasn't this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?"

6 - Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the money box, used to steal what was put into it.

7 - But Jesus said,"Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial.

8 - For you always have the poor with you, but you don't always have me."

9 - A large crowd therefore of the Jews learned that he was there, and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

10 - But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also,

11 - because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

12 - On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13 - they took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!"Psalm 118:25-26

14 - Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written,

15 - "Don't be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey's colt."Zechariah 9:9

16 - His disciples didn't understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him.

17 - The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, was testifying about it.

18 - For this cause also the multitude went and met him, because they heard that he had done this sign.

19 - The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him."

20 - Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast.

Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast.

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21 - These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we want to see Jesus."

22 - Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus.

23 - Jesus answered them,"The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

24 - Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

25 - He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.

26 - If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

27 - "Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? 'Father, save me from this time?' But for this cause I came to this time.

28 - Father, glorify your name!"Then there came a voice out of the sky, saying, "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."

29 - The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him."

30 - Jesus answered,"This voice hasn't come for my sake, but for your sakes.

31 - Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out.

32 - And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Now He said this to indicate the kind of death He was about to experience" [i.e., of being lifted up on a cross].

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33 - But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die.

34 - The multitude answered him, "We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say,Isaiah 9:7; Daniel 2:44 (but see also Isaiah 53:8)'The Son of Man must be lifted up?' Who is this Son of Man?"

35 - Jesus therefore said to them,"Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn't overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn't know where he is going.

36 - While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light." Jesus said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them.

37 - But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn't believe in him,

38 - that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke,"Lord, who has believed our report?To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"Isaiah 53:1

39 - For this cause they couldn't believe, for Isaiah said again,

40 - "He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart,lest they should see with their eyes,and perceive with their heart,and would turn,and I would heal them."Isaiah 6:10

41 - Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.Isaiah 6:1

42 - Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn't confess it, so that they wouldn't be put out of the synagogue,

43 - for they loved men's praise more than God's praise.

44 - Jesus cried out and said,"Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me.

45 - He who sees me sees him who sent me.

46 - I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.

47 - If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn't believe, I don't judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

48 - He who rejects me, and doesn't receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke, the same will judge him in the last day.

49 - For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

50 - I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak."

The Book of John

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 20:31 - But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

Painting of St. John the Evangelist by Reni - 1620

Introduction to The Gospel of John

The Word Gospel. The fourth book of the New Testament is the Gospel of John. John is the fourth of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of The Book of John

Brief Summary. Jesus was Jehovah God, the eternal Word made flesh. He came to His home, Israel, and He was rejected. He came to this world, and the world rejected Him, but anyone who  would believe and receive Him would have life through His name, and be given authority to call themselves a "son of god."

Purpose. John makes one thing clear in John 20:30, 31 - "these ( things) are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ; and that believing ye may have life in his name." John sought to lead men to eternal life by first convincing them of His deity, the miracles were actually recorded as "signs" to confirm His deity, that He was Jehovah God, the incarnate Word made flesh. John called Jesus the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, the way the truth and the life, the true vine, all clearly pointing to the deity of Jesus. In fact John points to everything in His life and teachings as a sign that Jesus of Nazareth was truly the Eternal Word of God who "became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth" (John 1: 14).

John Compared to the Other Gospel Accounts. The "Synoptic Gospels" - Matthew, Mark and Luke all have their unique perspective of the life of Jesus Christ, as well as John's approach. John is always emphasizing the deity of Jesus as well as His divine miracles. John also gives us a bit more information about Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem, where Matthew, Mark and Luke focus more on His Galilean ministry. There is also a difference regarding the chronology of the last week (Passion Week) of Christ's life. It is important to note that the Gospel accounts do not necessarily place their focus on chronology and orderly biography of the ministry of Jesus with names, places, and dates, but rather a full perspective of their unique portrayal of Jesus Christ.

Authorship. The author of the Gospel of John is identified in John 21:20 as "The disciple whom Jesus loved" who leaned on Jesus' breast. It is clear that John was that disciple and he did not wish to use his own name directly as the author, possibly for reasons of humility. Early church historical writings from early second century AD recognize the Gospel of John as a sacred book. Theophilus of Antioch (170 AD) was the first to write the name John as the author. Shortly after this Irenaeus identified John as the disciple who had leaned on Jesus' breast. This is especially important because Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, who had known the man John personally. Clement of Alexandria mentions John as having composed a "spiritual gospel."

Critics of John as the Author. There is a statement that was made by Papias that there were actually two men named John in Ephesus at the same time, and John the Apostle was referred to as "John the Elder". Many opponents of the apostle John's authorship give credit to the other John as the writer of the fourth Gospel. Although the answer cannot be positively determined by history, tradition and internal evidence definitely point to John the apostle as the author.

Date. It is worthy to consider the words of the most famous archaeologist of all time that according to archaeological evidence there is "no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80." Most scholars conclude that the book of John was written around 85 or 90 AD probably before the exile to Patmos. It is also important to consider John 5:2 when it mentions "Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep [market] a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches." This verse would indicate that this existed at the current time that the Gospel of John was written. This would place the written work before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. There is also no evidence as to whether John wrote the Gospel before or after his return to Ephesus from the Island of Patmos.

The Man John. John's book attributes the work to "the disciple whom Jesus loved." This say a lot about the man John, and the fact that Jesus left his mother Mary in John's care, having spoken the words from the cross, is very significant. Another indicator of John's character is found in the book of 1 John, he continually talks about love, loving one another, and that God is love, etc. It is also safe to say that John was a Jew, this can be clearly seen by his accuracy about Jewish customs, Jewish way of thinking, and by his quotations from the Hebrew Old Testament. He knew the topography of the land of Israel from a Jewish perspective quite well. It is easy to see in his writings that he was a close disciple of Jesus, an eyewitness of the events surrounding Jesus' ministry. One can determine by process of elimination, that the author is not just any John but John the apostle, the son of Zebedee, who is prominently mentioned in the Gospel accounts.

John and Church History.  Church tradition records that John came to Ephesus after Paul's work was finished there. Later, during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, he was banished to the Island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation. Shortly thereafter he was released and returned to the city of Ephesus.

Archaeology. The Rylands Papyrus Fragment was discovered in 1920 in Egypt containing a few verses from John 18 dating back to about 120-135 AD.

Outline of the Book of John

The Word of God - Chapter 1:1-51
His Public Ministry - Chapters 2:1-12:50
His Private Ministry - Chapters 13:1-17:26
His Death and Resurrection - Chapters 18:1-20:31
John's Conclusion - Chapter 21:1-25

The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

John Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire