John Chapter 12 brings us close to the cross.

In John Ch11, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and the leaders began plotting to kill Him. In John 12, Lazarus is alive at the table, Mary anoints Jesus, Judas objects, the crowds welcome Jesus as King, and Jesus says His hour has come.

This chapter is full of glory, but it is glory through death.

Jesus is the King.

But He is the King who will be lifted up on the cross.

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

Six days before Passover, Jesus comes to Bethany, where Lazarus was. They give a dinner for Him. Martha serves, Lazarus reclines at table, and Mary takes expensive ointment and anoints Jesus’ feet.

The house is filled with the fragrance.

This is a beautiful scene of love and worship. Lazarus is living proof of Jesus’ power over death. Martha serves. Mary gives what is costly. She does not treat Jesus casually. She honors Him with devotion.

Judas objects, saying the ointment could have been sold and given to the poor. John tells us Judas did not say this because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief.

That is sobering.

Religious-sounding words can hide a corrupt heart.

Jesus defends Mary and says she has kept it for the day of His burial. The cross is drawing near. Mary may not understand everything fully, but Jesus receives her act as preparation for His death.

This connects with John Ch10, where Jesus says the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. In John 12, He is being anointed as the Shepherd-King who will die.

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

Many Jews come not only to see Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead.

The chief priests then make plans to put Lazarus to death too, because many people are believing in Jesus because of him.

That is spiritual blindness.

They do not deny that Lazarus was raised. Instead, they want to silence the evidence.

A living man has become a threat to their power.

From a Christian Reformed lens, this shows how hard unbelief can become. Sin does not only need more information. The heart must be changed by grace. People can stand near resurrection power and still resist Christ.

The Triumphal Entry

The next day, the crowd hears that Jesus is coming to Jerusalem. They take palm branches and cry, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

Jesus enters on a young donkey, fulfilling Scripture.

He is King, but He comes humbly.

This connects with Mark Ch11, where Jesus enters Jerusalem and the final week begins. The crowds welcome Him, but many still do not understand the kind of King He is.

Jesus is not coming to take earthly power by force.

He is coming to lay down His life.

John says the disciples did not understand these things at first, but later, after Jesus was glorified, they remembered.

That is often how faith grows. The disciples saw events before they understood their full meaning. Later, after the cross and resurrection, the pieces became clear.

Some Greeks Seek Jesus

Some Greeks then come and say, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

That is a major moment.

The nations are beginning to come.

But Jesus does not respond by giving a political speech or by seeking popularity. He says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

Then He speaks of a grain of wheat.

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Jesus is speaking about His own death.

His glory will come through the cross.

His death will bear fruit beyond Israel, gathering people from the nations.

This connects with John Ch10, where Jesus says He has other sheep not of this fold, and there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

The Greeks seeking Jesus are a glimpse of that wider gathering.

Losing Life and Serving Christ

Jesus then says whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

This does not mean we should despise life as God’s creation. It means we must not cling to this fallen world as ultimate. To love life in this world above Christ is to lose everything. To follow Christ is to surrender self-rule and receive true life from Him.

Jesus says, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me.”

That connects with Mark Ch10, where Jesus says the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Christ serves by dying.

His people follow by dying to self.

We do not save ourselves by surrender. Christ alone saves. But true faith follows the crucified Savior.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

Jesus says His soul is troubled, but He does not ask to escape the hour. He says, “Father, glorify your name.”

Then a voice comes from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

The crowd is confused. Some say it thundered. Others say an angel spoke.

Jesus says the voice came for their sake. Then He says, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”

This is striking.

The cross will look like defeat, but it is victory.

Satan will appear to have triumphed, but through the cross Jesus will overthrow the ruler of this world.

Then Jesus says, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

John explains that He said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die.

Jesus is pointing to the cross.

This connects with John Ch3, where Jesus said the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.

The lifted-up Christ is the crucified Christ.

And the crucified Christ draws sinners to Himself.

Walk While You Have the Light

The crowd struggles with Jesus’ words. They expected the Christ to remain forever, so they ask who this Son of Man is.

Jesus answers by calling them to walk while they have the light, lest darkness overtake them.

This connects with John Ch8 and John Ch9, where Jesus is the light of the world.

The Light is among them.

But the time is urgent.

To reject the Light is to remain in darkness.

John then says that although Jesus had done many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him. This fulfilled Isaiah’s words about unbelief and blindness.

That is sobering.

Miracles alone do not create faith.

The heart must be opened by God.

Some rulers did believe in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so they would not be put out of the synagogue. John says they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

That is a warning.

Fear of man can silence confession.

The approval of people can become an idol.

The Word That Will Judge

The chapter ends with Jesus crying out that whoever believes in Him believes not in Him only, but in the Father who sent Him. Whoever sees Him sees the Father who sent Him.

Jesus has come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in Him may not remain in darkness.

He says He did not come to judge the world in that moment, but to save the world. Yet the one who rejects Him and does not receive His words has a judge: the word He has spoken will judge him on the last day.

That holds mercy and judgment together.

Jesus comes as Savior.

But rejecting the Savior is not neutral.

His word will judge.

The Message of John Chapter 12

John Chapter 12 shows Jesus moving toward the cross with full awareness.

Mary anoints Him for burial.

Judas hides greed under religious language.

The leaders plot against Lazarus.

The crowds welcome Jesus as King.

The Greeks seek Him.

Jesus says the grain of wheat must die.

The Father speaks from heaven.

The ruler of this world will be cast out.

The Son of Man will be lifted up.

And the Light calls people to believe before darkness overtakes them.

From a Christian Reformed lens, this chapter reminds us that the cross is not an accident. Jesus is not trapped by human evil. He goes willingly. His death is the path of glory, the defeat of Satan, and the gathering of His people.

John 12 calls us to honor Christ like Mary, not use religious words like Judas.

To receive the humble King.

To come to the Light.

To stop loving the glory of man more than the glory of God.

And to see that the grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies so that much fruit will come.

The King is going to His cross.

And through His death, sinners live.