John 12:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said,

NIV: But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,

NASB: But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who intended to betray Him, *said,

CSB: Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray him), said,

NLT: But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said,

KJV: Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,

NKJV: But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said,

Jesus is being treated to a dinner celebrating His resurrection of Lazarus (John 12:1–3). During the dinner, Lazarus' sister Mary performed an act of profoundly intimate, sacrificial worship. She anointed Jesus with an expensive oil, which was probably most of her life savings. In doing so, she also wiped His feet with her hair, something her culture would have considered intensely submissive, intimate, and humble (1 Corinthians 11:15; John 13:1–5). The extravagant use of the oil created an aroma that permeated the entire house, leaving little doubt about the depth of her sacrifice.

Judas is pointedly labelled as the one who will eventually betray Jesus to His enemies (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:19). John's purpose in making this point is probably to emphasize just how insincere this criticism is. According to the following verse, Judas will point out that Mary's act took up a great deal of money, which could have been used for the poor (John 12:6). One denarius was about the typical day's wages. This quantity of oil is worth 300 denarii—nearly a year's pay (John 12:5)—and was used all at once, to anoint one man! To some people in the room, Judas' complaint makes sense, and Mark explains how others echo it (Mark 14:3–11).

However, Judas' analysis is a well-dressed lie. His real anger is in seeing money "wasted" on Jesus instead of going into the disciple's communal money-bag, where he can steal some of it (John 12:6). Jesus, for His part, will defend her actions in light of His impending death (John 12:7–8).

John 12:1–8 describes a dinner held at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus has recently raised Lazarus from the dead, in a spectacularly public miracle. As a result, the religious leaders of Jerusalem have banded together to have Him killed. In this scene, Mary sacrifices an extremely expensive container of oil in order to anoint Jesus. Judas objects to this, dishonestly claiming that his concern is for the poor which the ointment's value could have supported. This is similar to an event related in Mark chapter 14, but not the same as the one recorded in Luke chapter 7.

Jesus is treated to an honorary dinner at the home of Lazarus, whom He has recently raised from death. At this dinner, Lazarus' sister, Mary, anoints Jesus with expensive oil. Jesus then enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, stoking fears that His popularity will attract the anger of the Roman Empire. That anger even inspires a murder plot against Lazarus. After being approached by non-Jewish seekers, Jesus offers a final plea for people to understand His ministry. In effect, these are the last public words spoken by Jesus in the gospel of John.

In the prior chapter, Jesus spectacularly raised Lazarus from death in front of a crowd of witnesses. This inspired local religious leaders to commit to having Him killed. Here, after a celebratory dinner where Jesus is anointed with oil, He will fulfill prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated with shouts of ''Hosanna'' and a massive crowd. This leads to a group of curious non-Jews approaching Him. Christ then offers a final plea for belief in Him and His message. After this, His ministry will turn to preparing the disciples for His impending death and resurrection. The next several chapters of the gospel of John are almost entirely made up of his teachings to these men.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.