Bible Study - John 12.1-8

Bible Study – John 12.1-8

The events of this chapter follow the dramatic and divisive action of Jesus in raising Lazarus from death and come just before his Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem. The religious leaders were plotting to have Jesus killed, other people were seeing him as a potential saviour. Everyone was waiting to see if he would come to Jerusalem for the Passover.

Q1 What did the Passover festival commemorate? What memories, hopes and expectations might people have in the week before Passover?

Q2 Who do think was present with Jesus at the meal in Bethany?

Q3 What motivated Mary to pour perfume on the feet of Jesus? What was unusual or shocking about her behaviour?

Q4 Why do you think the writer tells us that the fragrance filled the whole house?

Q5 How reasonable does Judas’s objection sound to you? Do you thinking he was alone in thinking this way?

Q6 How should we understand Jesus’s reply? Does it contradict our understanding of him as someone who cared for the poor?

Q7 How do you think Judas felt about this reply? How might this relate to his subsequent betrayal of Jesus?

Q8 In what ways does this passage prompt us to have faith and make changes in our lives?

Q9 What can we learn from the example of Mary and that of Judas?

Q10 How does the raising of Lazarus relate to the story of Good Friday and Easter?