John 12 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Six days before the Passover {\cf2\super [189]} festival, Jesus went to Bethany. Bethany is the town where Lazarus lived. (Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from death.)

² In Bethany they had a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food. Lazarus was one of the people eating with Jesus.

³ Mary brought in a pint of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. {\cf2\super [190]} Mary poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet. Then she wiped his feet with her hair. And the sweet smell from the perfume filled the whole house.

⁴ Judas Iscariot was there. Judas was one of Jesus’ followers. (He was the one that would later be against Jesus.) \{Judas did not like what Mary did.\} Judas said,

⁵ “That perfume was worth 300 silver coins. {\cf2\super [191]} It should have been sold, and the money should have been given to the poor people.”

⁶ But Judas did not really care about poor people. Judas said this because he was a thief. Judas was the one that kept the money box \{for the group of followers\}. And Judas often stole money from the box.

⁷ Jesus answered, “Don’t stop her. It was right for her to save this perfume for today—the day for me to be prepared for burial.

⁸ The poor people will always be with you. But you will not always have me.”

⁹ Many of the Jews heard that Jesus was in Bethany. So they went there to see Jesus. They also went there to see Lazarus. Lazarus was the one Jesus raised from death.

¹⁰ So the leading priests made plans to kill Lazarus too.

¹¹ Because of Lazarus, many Jews were leaving \{their leaders\} and believing in Jesus. That is why the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Lazarus too.

¹² The next day the people in Jerusalem heard that Jesus was coming there. These were the many people that had come to the Passover {\cf2\super [192]} festival.

¹³ The people took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Jesus. The people shouted,

¹⁴ Jesus found a donkey and rode on it. This was like the Scripture {\cf2\super [194]} says:

¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, city of Zion {\cf2\super [195]} !\par Look! Your king is coming.\par He is riding on a young donkey.”\par \i (Zechariah 9:9)\i0 \par

¹⁶ The followers of Jesus did not understand at that time what was happening. But after Jesus was raised to glory, they understood that these things were written about him. Then the followers remembered that they had done these things for him.

¹⁷ There were many people with Jesus when he raised Lazarus from death and told him to come out of the tomb. {\cf2\super [196]} Now those people were telling other people about what Jesus did.

¹⁸ Many people went out to meet Jesus, because they heard that Jesus did this miracle. {\cf2\super [197]}

¹⁹ So the Pharisees {\cf2\super [198]} said to each other, “Look! Our plan is not working. All the people are following him!”

²⁰ There were some Greek people there too. These were some of the people that went to Jerusalem to worship at the Passover {\cf2\super [199]} festival.

²¹ These Greek people went to Philip. (Philip was from Bethsaida, in Galilee.) The Greek people said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.”

²² Philip went and told Andrew. Then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

²³ Jesus said to them, “Now is the time for the Son of Man {\cf2\super [200]} to receive his glory.

²⁴ I tell you the truth. A grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die. Then it grows and makes many seeds. But if it never dies, then it will always be only a single seed.

²⁵ The person that loves his own life will lose it. But the person that hates his life in this world will keep it. He will have life forever.

²⁶ The person that serves me must follow me. Then my servant will be with me everywhere I am. My Father will give honor to people that serve me.

²⁷ “Now I am very troubled. What should I say? Should I say, ‘Father save me from this time \{of suffering\}’? No, I came to this time so that I could suffer.

²⁸ Father, do what will bring you glory!”

²⁹ The people standing there heard the voice. Those people said it was thunder.

³⁰ Jesus said to the people, “That voice was for you and not for me.

³¹ Now is the time for the world to be judged. Now the ruler of this world (the devil) will be thrown out.

³² I will be lifted up from the earth. And when this happens, I will bring all people to me.”

³³ Jesus said this to show how he would die.

³⁴ The people said, “But our law says that the Christ {\cf2\super [201]} will live forever. So why do you say, ‘The Son of Man {\cf2\super [202]} must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

³⁵ Then Jesus said, “The light will be with you for only a short time more. So walk while you have the light. Then the darkness (sin) will not catch you. The person that walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

³⁶ So put your trust in the light while you still have it. Then you will become sons of light.” When Jesus finished saying these things, he left. Jesus went to a place where the people could not find him.

³⁷ Jesus did all these many miracles. {\cf2\super [203]} The people saw these things, but they still did not believe in him.

³⁸ This was to make clear the full meaning of what Isaiah the prophet {\cf2\super [204]} said:

³⁹ This is why the people could not believe. Because Isaiah also said,

⁴⁰ “God made the people blind.\par God closed their minds.\par God did this so that they will not\par see with their eyes\par and understand with their minds.\par God did this so that they would not turn and be healed.”\par \i (Isaiah 6:10)\i0 \par

⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory. So Isaiah spoke about him.

⁴² But many people believed in Jesus. Even many of the Jewish leaders believed in Jesus. But they were afraid of the Pharisees. {\cf2\super [205]} So they did not say openly that they believed. They were afraid that they would be put out of the synagogue. {\cf2\super [206]}

⁴³ These men loved praise from people more than praise from God.

⁴⁴ Then Jesus said loudly, “The person that believes in me is really believing in the One (God) who sent me.

⁴⁵ The person that sees me is really seeing the One who sent me.

⁴⁶ I am light, and I came into this world. I came so that every person that believes in me would not stay in darkness.

⁴⁷ “I did not come into the world to judge people. I came to save the people in the world. So I am not the one that judges the people who hear my teaching but don’t obey.

⁴⁸ There is a judge for the person that refuses to believe in me and does not accept what I say. The message I have taught will judge that person on the last day.

⁴⁹ Why? Because the things I taught were not from myself. The Father (God) who sent me told me what to say and what to teach.

⁵⁰ And I know that eternal life comes from what the Father commands. So the things I say are what the Father told me to say.”