John 12 Bible Study

What is "Passover" (John 12:1)?
Passover is a feast that commemorates God's deliverance of His people from bondage in Egypt by pouring out His wrath on the land but 'passing over' and sparing those who were in houses marked by the blood of a sacrificial lamb that had been killed. Read the earlier notes about Passover.

Who is "Lazarus ... who had been dead" (John 12:1)?
See Lazarus.

Where is "Bethany" (John 12:1)?
Bethany is a village located "about fifteen stadia" (John 11:18), which is 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers), east of Jerusalem, past the Kidron Valley and on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives (photo). Bethany is still inhabited, with a population of about 20,000, and is now called Al-Azariya, which means "The Place of Lazarus" in Arabic.

Where did Jesus come from?
Most likely from "Ephraim," where He had gone after raising Lazarus from the dead, which had triggered Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, to plot His murder: "Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples" (John 11:53-54).

Was Jesus afraid of the Jewish leaders?
Jesus had scheduled His sacrificial death on the cross for this Passover and had known that raising Lazarus from the dead would prompt the Sanhedrin to issue His (Jesus') death sentence. With things put in order, Jesus had spent a few more days with His disciples in Ephraim.

Why did Jesus come to Bethany "six days before the Passover" (John 12:1)?
As we will soon see, He had to enter Jerusalem precisely five day before this Passover, so He arrived at the village just on the other side of the Mount of Olives one day before His scheduled entry into Jerusalem.

Since "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus" (John 11:5), why didn't He come to Bethany a few days earlier and spend a little more time with them?
An earlier arrival in Bethany, which was just 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) from Jerusalem, would have given the Jews the time to organize and arrest Jesus in Bethany before He could enter Jerusalem five days before the Passover as prophesied (see Hosanna).