The Gospel of John Chapter 12, verses 1 - 11
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Listening Practice:

Watch the video clip again and fill in the missing words from the dropdown box:


1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to , the home of Lazarus, the man he had raised from .

2 They prepared a dinner for him there, which Martha helped . Lazarus was one of those who were sitting at the with Jesus.

3 Then Mary took a whole pint of a very expensive made of pure nard, poured it on Jesus' feet, and them with her hair. The sweet smell of the perfume filled the house.

4 One of Jesus' disciples, Judas Iscariot - the one who was going to him - said,

5 "Why wasn't this perfume sold for three hundred coins and the money given to the poor?"

6 He said this, not because he cared about the , but because he was a thief. He carried the money and would help himself from it.

7 "Leave her alone! Let her keep what she has for the day of my .

8 You will always have poor people with you, but you will not have me."

9 A large number of people that Jesus was in Bethany, so they went there, not only because of Jesus but also to Lazarus, whom Jesus had from death.

10 So the chief priests made to kill Lazarus too,

11 because on his account many Jews were them and believing in Jesus.

True or False Questions: Write True or False before each statement. If the statement is false, make a correct statement.

  1. This event happened about a week before an important festival.
  2. Lazarus was very ill at the time.
  3. Lazarus, Martha and Mary were wealthy people.
  4. All Jesus' s friends were good and honest people.
  5. Judas thought Mary wasted the perfume.

Matching exercise: Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right:

  1. silver
  2. reject
  3. plan
  4. poor
  5. bag
  6. serve
  7. perfume
  8. burial
  9. wipe
  10. betray
  • a. to hurt people who believe they can trust you
  • b. a pleasant-smelling liquid made from flowers used on the body to create an attractive impression
  • c. putting a dead person in a grave
  • d. to rub away unwanted dirt, water, etc.
  • e. to act as a servant, clerk, server, etc.
  • f. the class of people with little or no money
  • g. to refuse, not accept
  • h. a program of action to do something in the future usually including a series of steps toward a goal
  • i. a white, shiny, metallic element used for making jewelry and other objects
  • j. a sack or a container made of paper, plastic, cloth, etc.

Completion exercise: Complete these sentences with words from the exercise above: (Hint: you may need to change the form of the word.)

  1. A waiter the table clean with a damp cloth.
  2. The soldier his friends by telling the enemy where they were hiding.
  3. The waitress me coffee.
  4. We made a for raising money to build a new library.
  5. He asked her to go to the movies four times, and each time she him.
  6. My grandfather has a dollar from 1887.
  7. He gave her some for her birthday.
  8. After the funeral there will be a brief ceremony at the cemetery.
  9. I carried the groceries home in a shopping .
  10. Charities urge people with money to give some to the .

Comprehension and discussion questions: Discuss these questions in your group or with a partner.

  1. Where did Jesus eat dinner?
  2. Who did he eat dinner with?
  3. What did Mary do?
  4. Why do you think she did it?
  5. Who disagreed with Mary's actions? Why?
  6. What two pieces of information does the writer give us about Judas?
  7. How did Jesus feel about what Mary did?
  8. Why did many people go to Bethany?
  9. Who made plans to kill Jesus? Why?
Lessons Developed by: Colin Brewster, Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries - http://eslministries.org | Web Designed by: Ramon Sa