Six days before Passover began, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus was from, whom Jesus had raised up from the dead. They spread an evening meal for Jesus there, and Martha was serving them well, but Lazarus was dining with him. Mary took a pound of perfumed oil, which is very costly genuine nard, and she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house became filled with the perfumed scent of oil. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, who was about to betray him, said, "Why was this oil made of perfume not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?" He said this, though, not because he was worried about the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box with the money left in it. Jesus said, "Let her alone so that she may keep this observance on the day of my dying. For you always have the poor with you, but you won't always be with me."
Meanwhile, a crowd of Jews had come to know that Jesus was there, and they came not only to see Jesus but also Lazarus, whom He had raised up from the dead. The Jews planned to kill Lazarus since it was because of him that many were putting faith in Jesus while going there. The next day, the large crowd that went to the festival came to Jerusalem. They took palm tree branches, came out to meet him, and shouted, "Save us now, we pray you! Blessed is the One who is coming in God's name, the King of Israel!" When Jesus found a young donkey, he sat on it, as it is written, "Don't fear, daughter of Zion. Look! Your King is coming, riding on a donkey's colt." His disciples didn't understand at first, but when Jesus was praised, they remembered the things that were written about him and that he did those things to him. The crowd that was with him when Lazarus came out from the tomb and was raised up from the dead kept giving witness. This is also why the crowd came to him because they had heard that he had performed that miracle.
The Pharisees said among themselves, "You see that you are not making any progress. Look! The whole world has gone after him." There were some Greeks who had come to the festival to worship. They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and they began to ask him, saying, "Sir, we want to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and they came and told Jesus. Jesus said, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be lifted up. Unless a grain of wheat falls upon the ground and dies, it remains just a single grain with no life, but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, but whoever hates his life in this world will safeguard it for everlasting life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now I am troubled, and what should I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, it is for this very reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came out of heaven, saying, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd heard the voice, and some were saying that it had thundered.
Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus told the crowd, "This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now there is a judging of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all sorts of people to myself." He said this to indicate what sort of death he was about to die. The crowd asked, "How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus said to them, "The light will be with you a little while longer. Walk while you still have the light so that darkness does not overtake you. The one who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light." Jesus said these things and departed and hid from the crowd. However, the crowd did not believe in Jesus, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, who said, "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of Jehovah been revealed?" The reason why they were not able to believe was that Isaiah said again, "He has blinded their eyes and has made their hearts hard, so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and turn around and I heal them." Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory, and he spoke about him. Nevertheless, even many of the rulers put faith in him