How much did the perfume Mary used cost?
John mentions a pound of pure nard, and Judas says it was worth three hundred denarii, roughly a laborer's wages for a year. It was a gesture of great generosity.
John · chapter 12 of 21
John 12: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
Updated on
What happens in John 12?
John 12 begins six days before Passover, when Mary anoints Jesus' feet at Bethany. Jesus enters Jerusalem riding a donkey amid acclaim, some Greeks ask to see him, and he announces that his hour has come, comparing himself to a grain of wheat that dies to bear fruit. The chapter closes his public ministry with a call to believe in the light.
With John 12 the public part of the Gospel, which began in chapter 1, comes to an end. From chapter 13 on Jesus will speak only with his disciples. This chapter brings together the anointing at Bethany, the entry into Jerusalem and the declaration that the hour has come, and it sums up why many did not believe even after so many signs.
John 12 summary
Six days before Passover, Jesus comes to Bethany, where Lazarus, whom he raised, is at the table. Mary takes a pound of very costly pure nard, anoints Jesus' feet and wipes them with her hair; the house is filled with the fragrance. Judas Iscariot objects that it could have been sold to give to the poor; John clarifies that Judas did not care about the poor but was a thief. Jesus answers that she should be left alone, for she kept it for the day of his burial. The chief priests plan to kill Lazarus too.
The next day, the crowd that had come to the feast goes out with palm branches to meet Jesus and cries hosanna to the King of Israel. Jesus finds a young donkey and sits on it, as written in the prophet. His disciples do not understand this at first, and remember it when Jesus is glorified. The Pharisees say the world has gone after him.
Some Greeks who went up to the feast ask Philip to see Jesus; Philip tells Andrew, and together they tell Jesus. He answers that the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified: unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit. He says his soul is troubled, but he will not ask the Father to save him from this hour, because for this he came. A voice from heaven answers his prayer. He says that when he is lifted up from the earth he will draw all people to himself. He urges them to walk while they have the light, and then hides himself.
Despite so many signs, many did not believe, and John connects this to Isaiah. Some leaders believed but did not confess it for fear. Jesus cries out that whoever believes in him believes in the one who sent him, and that he came as light and not to judge the world but to save it.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-8: At Bethany, Mary anoints Jesus' feet and Judas protests.
- vv. 9-11: Many go to see Lazarus, and the leaders plan to kill him too.
- vv. 12-19: Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey amid acclaim.
- vv. 20-26: Some Greeks want to see Jesus; the grain of wheat must die to bear fruit.
- vv. 27-36: The hour has come; a voice from heaven and the promise to draw all people.
- vv. 37-43: The people's unbelief and the fear of some leaders.
- vv. 44-50: Jesus' last public appeal: he came as light and to save.
Key verses in John 12
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
John 12:3
Mary anoints Jesus' feet with costly perfume and wipes them with her hair, and the house fills with fragrance. It is a generous gesture of love and worship, without calculation, which Jesus receives and defends.
John 12:13
The crowd goes out with palm branches and acclaims Jesus as the one who comes in the Lord's name, the King of Israel. It expresses a real hope, although many expected a different king from the one Jesus would be.
John 12:24
Jesus says that a grain of wheat that does not die remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit. He speaks of his own death and the life it will produce, and also of the path of those who follow him.
John 12:32
Jesus promises that when he is lifted up from the earth he will draw all people to himself. John explains that he speaks of the manner of his death, and the cross, far from defeat, is the means by which he draws people from everywhere.
Main themes
- Costly worship
- The humble king
- Dying to bear fruit
- The hour of glory
- Unbelief and fear of people
People and places
- Jesus
- Mary
- Martha
- Lazarus
- Judas Iscariot
- The crowd
- The Pharisees
- Philip and Andrew
- Some Greeks
- Bethany
- Jerusalem
John 12 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. What did Mary do at the supper in Bethany?
Answer: She anointed Jesus' feet with pure nard and wiped them with her hair. — John 12:3
2. What did Jesus say when Judas protested?
Answer: That he should leave Mary alone, for she had kept the perfume for the day of his burial. — John 12:7
3. How did Jesus enter Jerusalem?
Answer: Sitting on a young donkey, while the crowd acclaimed him with palm branches. — John 12:13-15
4. Who asked Philip to see Jesus?
Answer: Some Greeks who had gone up to worship at the feast. — John 12:20-21
5. What does Jesus compare his death to?
Answer: A grain of wheat that falls into the earth and dies to bear much fruit. — John 12:24
6. Why did some leaders who believed not confess it?
Answer: For fear of the Pharisees and of being put out of the synagogue, because they loved the glory of men more. — John 12:42-43
Application for today
Mary shows us worship that does not count the cost. In a group you can reflect on what we are willing to give for Jesus, not out of duty but out of love. Judas' reaction, with a concern that seemed noble, reminds us that we can hide dishonest motives behind right words.
The image of the grain of wheat challenges how we live: a fruitful life comes through giving oneself, not clinging to what is one's own. And the fear of the leaders who believed in secret asks whether we prefer the approval of people or of God.
John 12 closes Jesus' public life with an invitation to the light and a warning about unbelief. From John 13 the scene shifts to the upper room, where Jesus washes his disciples' feet before the last supper.
Frequently asked questions about John 12
What does hosanna mean?
It is a Hebrew word that originally was a cry for salvation, something like save us, and that over time was also used as a shout of praise. In John 12 the crowd shouts it as they welcome Jesus as king.
How does Jesus' entry relate to a prophecy?
John says Jesus sat on a young donkey, as it was written, alluding to Zechariah's prophecy of a king who comes humbly riding a donkey. Jesus is a king, but one whose path goes through humility and the cross.