John 12

Then six days before the Passover, ‘ISA1 came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. 3Maryam, therefore, took a pound2 of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of ‘ISA, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. 4Then Judas son of Simon Iscariot, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said, 5“Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii3, and given to the poor?” 6Now 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. 7But ‘ISA said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial. 8For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

9A large crowd therefore of the Jews learned that he was there, and they came, not for ‘ISA’s sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 10But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also, 11because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in ‘ISA.

12On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that ‘ISA was coming to Jerusalem, 13they took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out,

“Praise God! 4 Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the LORD, 5 the King of Israel!”

14‘ISA, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written,

15“Do not be afraid, daughter of Al-Quds. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.” 6

16His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when ‘ISA was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him. 17The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, was testifying about it. 18For this reason also the multitude went and met him, because they heard that he had done this sign. 19The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”

20Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast. 21These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see ‘ISA.” 22Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told ‘ISA. 23‘ISA answered them, “The time has come for the SON OF MAN7 to be glorified. 24Most assuredly 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. 25He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. 26If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.

27“Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ But for this reason I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify your Name!”

Then there came a voice out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

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

30‘ISA answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for your sakes. 31Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. 32And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die. 34The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the Taurat8 that AL-MASIH9 remains forever. How do you say, ‘The SON OF MAN must be lifted up?’ Who is this SON OF MAN?”

35‘ISA therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness does not overtake you. He 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 children of light.” ‘ISA said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them. 37But though ‘ISA had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him, 38that the word of Shaya the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke,

“Lord, who has believed our message? To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” 10

39For this reason they could not believe, for Shaya said again,

40“He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, otherwise they might see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” 11

41Shaya said these things when he saw ‘ISA’s glory12, and spoke of him. 42Nevertheless even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn’t confess it, so that they not be put out of the synagogue, 43for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise.

44‘ISA cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. 45He who sees me sees him who sent me. 46I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness. 47If anyone listens to my sayings, and does not believe, I do not judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48He who rejects me, and does not receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke, the same will judge him in the last day. 49For 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. 50I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”

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  1. 12:1 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
  2. 12:3 a Roman pound of 12 ounces, or about 340 grams. ↩︎
  3. 12:5 300 denarii was about a year’s wages for an agricultural worker. ↩︎
  4. 12:13 Praise God! literally “Hosanna“; a Hebrew exclamation of praise that literally means “save now“, taken from the Zabur 118:25 which says: “Save us now, we beg you, YAHWEH; YAHWEH, we beg you, now send prosperity.” ↩︎
  5. 12:13 Quoting the Zabur 118:26 which says: “Blessed is he who comes in the Name of YAHWEH! We have blessed you out of the House of YAHWEH.” ↩︎
  6. 12:15 Quoting a combination of two verses from the Taurat. Part is from Shaya 35:4 which says: Tell those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not be afraid: behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the reward of God; he will come and save you.” The quote is also partly from Zakariyya 9:9 which says: “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Al-Quds! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” ↩︎
  7. 12:23 SON OF MAN, a title for the Messiah, ‘ISA AL-MASIH, derived from the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like a SON OF MAN coming with the clouds of the sky, and he came to the ANCIENT OF DAYS, and they brought him near before him. There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” The title SON OF MAN was Prophet ‘ISA Ibn Maryam’s most common way of referring to himself. ↩︎
  8. 12:34 Taurat, this Arabic word is derived from Torah (Hebrew) which literally means “instruction” or “teaching.” Depending on context, Taurat can refer to, 
    1. The whole Hebrew Bible contained here under the title Taurat, equivalent to what Jews today call Tanakh, and what Christians call the Old Testament. 
    2. The book of Prophet Musa, which is also called the Law (of Moses), or the Pentateuch. Pentateuch is a Greek word meaning “five books” and includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
    3. Taurat can refer to divine instruction and teaching in general without reference to a particular book.  ↩︎
  9. 12:34 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH.  Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
  10. 12:38 Quoting the Taurat, Shaya 53:1 which says: “Who has believed our message? To whom has the arm of YAHWEH been revealed?” ↩︎
  11. 12:40 Quoting the prophet Shaya 6:10 which says: Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull, and close their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn, and be healed. ↩︎
  12. 12:41 Shaya said these things when he saw ‘ISA’s glory, The quotation from Prophet Shaya happens when the prophet sees this glorious vision in Shaya 6:1-5: “In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the Temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew. One called to another, and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is YAHWEH All-Powerful! The whole earth is full of his glory!’ The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the House was filled with smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, YAHWEH All-Powerful!'” ↩︎