John 12:1-19

Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom He had raised from the dead. [Matt 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9] So they gave a supper for Him there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who was going to betray Him, said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and [the money] given to the poor?” Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor [for he had never cared about them], but because he was a thief; and since he had the money box [serving as treasurer for the twelve disciples], he used to pilfer what was put into it. So Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep [the rest of] it for the day of My burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.” A large crowd of Jews learned that He was there [at Bethany]; and they came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus also, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away [from the teaching and traditions of the Jewish leaders] and believing in Jesus [following Him as Savior and Messiah]. The next day, when the large crowd who had come to the Passover feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, [Matt 21:4-9; Mark 11:7-10; Luke 19:35-38] they took branches of palm trees [in homage to Him as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting “Hosanna! BLESSED (celebrated, praised) IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel!” [Ps 118:26] And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; just as it is written [in Scripture], “DO NOT FEAR, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.” [Zech 9:9] His disciples did not understand [the meaning of] these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified and exalted, they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him. So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to tell others about Him. For this reason the crowd went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this [miraculous] sign. Then the Pharisees [argued and] said to one another, “You see that your efforts are futile. Look! The whole world has gone [running] after Him!”