The Plot to Kill Jesus

The Plot to Kill Jesus

⁴⁵nMany of the Jews therefore, owho had come with Mary and phad seen what he did, believed in him, ⁴⁶but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷So the chief priests and the Pharisees qgathered rthe council and said, s“What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. ⁴⁸If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and tthe Romans will come and take away both our uplace and our nation.” ⁴⁹But one of them, vCaiaphas, wwho was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. ⁵⁰Nor do you understand that xit is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” ⁵¹He did not say this of his own accord, but ybeing high priest that year zhe prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, ⁵²and anot for the nation only, but also bto gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³So from that day on they cmade plans to put him to death.

⁵⁴Jesus therefore dno longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.

⁵⁵Now ethe Passover of the Jews was at hand, and fmany went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover gto purify themselves. ⁵⁶hThey were looking for6 Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” ⁵⁷Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

¹Six days before ithe Passover, jJesus therefore came to Bethany, kwhere Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ²So they gave a dinner for him there. lMartha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. ³mMary therefore took a pound1 of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ⁵“Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii2 and ngiven to the poor?” ⁶He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and nhaving charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. ⁷Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it3 for the day of my burial. ⁸For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

⁹When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus4 was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, owhom he had raised from the dead. ¹⁰pSo the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, ¹¹because qon account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

¹²The next day rthe large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³So they took branches of spalm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, t“Hosanna! Blessed is uhe who comes in the name of the Lord, even vthe King of Israel!” ¹⁴And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

¹⁵w“Fear not, daughter of Zion;

behold, your king is coming,

sitting on a donkey's colt!”

¹⁶xHis disciples did not understand these things at first, but ywhen Jesus was glorified, then zthey remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. ¹⁷aThe crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. ¹⁸The reason why the crowd went to meet him bwas that they heard he had done this sign. ¹⁹So the Pharisees said to one another, c“You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, dthe world has gone after him.”

Some Greeks Seek Jesus

²⁰Now eamong those who went up to worship at the feast were some fGreeks. ²¹So these came to gPhilip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went and told hAndrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³And Jesus answered them, i“The hour has come jfor the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Truly, truly, I say to you, kunless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵lWhoever loves his life loses it, and mwhoever nhates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶If anyone serves me, he must ofollow me; and pwhere I am, there will my servant be also. qIf anyone serves me, rthe Father will honor him.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

²⁷s“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, tsave me from uthis hour’? But vfor this purpose I have come to uthis hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name.” Then wa voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, x“An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰Jesus answered, y“This voice has come for your sake, not mine. ³¹zNow is the judgment of this world; now will athe ruler of this world bbe cast out. ³²And I, cwhen I am lifted up from the earth, dwill draw eall people to myself.” ³³He said this fto show by what kind of death he was going to die. ³⁴So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that gthe Christ remains forever. How can you say that hthe Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵So Jesus said to them, i“The light is among you jfor a little while longer. kWalk while you have the light, lest darkness lovertake you. mThe one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become nsons of light.”

The Unbelief of the People

When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. ³⁷Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, ³⁸oso that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

p“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

³⁹Therefore they qcould not believe. For again Isaiah said,

⁴⁰r“He has blinded their eyes

and shardened their heart,

lest they see with their eyes,

and understand with their heart, and turn,

and I would heal them.”

⁴¹Isaiah said these things because the saw his glory and uspoke of him. ⁴²Nevertheless, vmany even of the authorities believed in him, but wfor fear of the Pharisees they did not xconfess it, so that they would not be xput out of the synagogue; ⁴³yfor they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Jesus Came to Save the World

⁴⁴And Jesus cried out and said, z“Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but ain him who sent me. ⁴⁵And bwhoever csees me sees him who sent me. ⁴⁶dI have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. ⁴⁷If anyone ehears my words and does not keep them, fI do not judge him; for gI did not come to judge the world but to save the world. ⁴⁸hThe one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; ithe word that I have spoken will judge him jon the last day. ⁴⁹For kI have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father lwho sent me has himself given me ma commandment—what to say and what to speak. ⁵⁰And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”