John 12

John 12

Tonight we're going to be back in the book of John. We'll be looking at John chapter 12 tonight, and several things are going to take place. Several really important things are going to take place here and what we're going to see, we're going to start. Off by looking at Mary anointing Jesus. If you remember this story, very, very special story. A special story that shows Mary's devotion to Jesus. But I want to set the scene for just a second, if you will, before we get into looking at the scripture. Remember, Jesus had just brought Lazarus back from the dead. Do you remember that story? Mary and Martha thought that he was four days late. They knew that Jesus had the ability to heal him, but they thought that he had to be there. They thought that he should have been there while Lazarus was still sick, before he died, in order to be able to heal him. But what they found out was God's timing was perfect. They what they found out was that when they thought he was late, in fact, he was right on time.

Now, this story that we're going to look at tonight starts right after that. And let's look at John chapter 12. Let's go ahead and look at the 1st 11 verses. It says, “Jesus therefore, 6 days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made him suffer there, and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of the his disciples, who was intending to betray himself. Said why was the perfume not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor people? Now he said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief and he was, and he had the Money Box he used to pilfer what was put into it. Therefore, Jesus said, Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. The large crowd. Of the Jews then learned that he was there, and they came not for Jesus's sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead. But the chief priest planned to put Lazarus to death also, because on one account of him many Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.”

So now a few things that we need to look at here. First of all, this is 6 days before the Passover and Jesus came to Bethany. He came where Lazarus was. And remember again Jesus. Just raised Lazarus from the dead, and Mary and Martha had made Jesus dinner. He they made him supper there and Jesus and Lazarus was reclining at the table. Mary came over and poured a pound, now usually a pound, referred to approximately 12 ounces of perfume. The term used here for pound usually indicated 3/4 of a pound, approximately 12 ounces. Now it also says here it was pure Nard oil and Nard was an oil that was extracted from the root of a plant in India.

Now what she did was she poured this over Jesus's feet. Why would you do this? It showed that she was devoted to Jesus. Showed that she was completely devoted for him. It showed that she loved Jesus. It also showed her humility as well. It showed that she was humble enough to take herself down to the point of a servant. To anoint his feet with this very expensive oil. And then after that, she took her hair. She wiped his feet with her hair.

Now, I don't know about you, but I can't think of a more humbling thing to do. This shows 100% she was devoted to Jesus. Are we devoted to Jesus today? Now we don't have the ability to do what she did because Jesus is not here in the flesh with us right now. But are we devoted to him in our time? Are we devoted to him in what we do in our words? Are we devoted to him in our actions? It's just something that I want us to think about today. How devoted are we to Jesus?

Think about what this meant to Mary. We know this perfume was probably worth around 300 dinara. That's what Judas said said. Why would you not sell this perfume for 300 denarii and give it to the poor? Now 300 Dinara is a lot of money. In that time, in that day, most common laborers were only given one denarii per day. So if you take away the Sabbath where they were not able to earn money on the Sabbath, and you take away other holy days, that's right out of year's worth of wages. I'm gonna ask you again, are we devoted to Jesus? Would we do that?

Another thing I want to mention about these verses real quick. Jesus said there in verse seven he said keep it for the day of my burial. Now Mary performed this act to signal her devotion to Jesus. But. As in the case of Caiaphas, her act revealed more than she realized at the time. During the 1st century, a lot of money was spent on funerals, especially costly perfumes, and they did this because the Jews didn't embalm the bodies. They did this to try to cover up the smell and the odor of a decaying body. I didn't realize what Jesus was saying at the time He was alluding to his death. He was alluding to things that were getting ready to take place because what we're going to see in these next verses, verse, verses 12 through 19, we see Jesus entered Jerusalem. We know he's entering Jerusalem for the Passover. We know what takes place.

So let's go ahead and look at these verses, verses 12 through 19. It says, “On the next day the Lord's crowd who had came to the feast, when they heard who Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet him, and began to shout, Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Even the king of Israel, Jesus, finding a young donkey, said on it, as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming seated on a donkey's colt. These things his disciples did not understand at first, but when Jesus was glorified, when they remembered that these things were written of Him and that they had done these things to him. So the people who were with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. About him, for this reason also the people went and met him because they heard that he had performed this sign. So the Pharisee said to one another, you see that you are not doing any good. Look, the world has gone after him.”

So we see Jesus entry in Jerusalem. Now, this is just a few days before the Passover. And we know that Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. On a donkey's colt. Now, at first, like the scripture says, his disciples didn't realize what was taking place. They didn't realize why he had to come in on a cult. But it all had to do with prophecy. The prophet Isaiah said that. Your king is coming seated on a donkey's colt. Now, Jesus's entry into Jerusalem was nothing that was as extravagant as we think that it probably should have been. His entry into Jerusalem was as humble as his entire life. He didn't come in on a cloud. He didn't come in with a bunch of soldiers carrying him on a chariot. That's how we would think kings would come in.

As a matter of fact, that's probably how we would do it if we were in that position, if we were a king coming in to take over and we'd come in and the biggest golden chariot you've ever seen. We would have horses behind us, horses in front of us, soldiers everywhere. We would want everybody to know that we were coming in there and we were going to take over and this was what was going to happen. Not Jesus. He rode into town on a donkey.

Jesus was drawing quite a crowd at the time. If you remember, people had been seeing all the things that he had done. He had just healed Lazarus. He brought him back from the dead. And it's even mentioned there that the Pharisees said to one another, The world has gone after him. You see, the Jews missed the point. They missed who Jesus was.

I'm sure it made them furious when they may have saw him ride into town on the donkey, people lining the roads waving their palm branches. Shouting Hosanna, Hosanna. The term hosanna means to give salvation. The Jews thought everybody had gone crazy for wanting to follow Jesus. But in reality, they were the ones who missed it. They missed who he was. Even after all the miracles he performed, even after everything that he did. They still missed who he was.

We don't need to miss him today. And there are a lot of people who will miss him. There are a lot of people out there who, even though they have heard the word of God, choose not to. For whatever reason, a lot of people just choose not to want to follow Christ. Now to me, I don't understand that. I don't know why you would not want to. To me the reward. There's 2 Great. They punishment was too severe. We talked a little bit about that Sunday, about the reward of heaven, the cost of not following Christ of hell.

Let's continue on. Let's look at verses 20 through 26. It says, “Now there was some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast, and these came to Philip, who was from Bethesda, Galilee, and began to ask. I'm saying, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew and Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus. Jesus answered them saying the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly. I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls onto the earth and dies, it remains. Alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, you must follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

So what Jesus is getting ready to get into? Here. Is his death. Now keep in mind, he knows what's going to happen in the next few days. He knows what he's getting ready to take place. And the next part of Scripture that we're going to look at, verses 27 through 50. It's a lot of scripture, but we'll see that Jesus is getting ready to foretell his death. But he knows what is going to take place, he knows what this cost is going to be. He knows he is going to have to die on the cross. It's a fact. It's something that is going to have to happen.

Because without his death on the cross, there is no way that we could ever be saved. And he knew that. He knows we are not perfect. He knows that we will fail. We He knows that we have failed and will continue to do so. But he loves us so much that he died for us. But Jesus talks there in verse 23, he says, and the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. And then there in verse 24, he says truly, truly, I say to you, and remember when we see these words, when we see truly, truly, I say to you, when we see in the King James verly, verly thinking NIV uses very truly when we see those words, we need to pay attention. Something important is about to be said. And it says unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Now this doesn't make a lot of sense at first, but when you think about it, it does. For a seed to germinate, for a seed to bear fruit, it has to die. It has to, there's no other way around it. Alive seed at first. Has to die in order to germinate, in order to bear fruit. Christ himself had to die. He knew that he had to die. He knew it was coming.

Let's move on down. Let's finish up this chapter, verses 27 through 50. It says, “My soul has become troubled. And what shall I say, Father? Save me from this hour. For this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice out of heaven. I have both. Glorified it and will glorify it again. So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it and were saying that it had thundered. Others were saying an Angel has spoken to him. Jesus answered and said the voice. Has not come for my sake, but for your sakes. Now judgment is upon this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out, and I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. But he was saying this to indicate the kind of death. By which he was to die. And the crowd then answered him. We have heard of the law that the Christ shall remain forever. But how you say the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is the Son of man? So Jesus said to them, for a little while longer, the light is among you, while walk while you have the light, so that darkness will not overtake you, He who walks in the darkness. Does not know where he goes while you have the light. Believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus spoke and went away and hid himself from them. But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which He spoke. Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again he is blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they will not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart and be converted, and I heal them. These things Isaiah said, because he saw His glory and he spoke of Him. Nevertheless, many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees, they were not confessing Him for fear they would be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the approval of men rather than approval of. God, Jesus cried out and said, he who believes in me does not believe in me, but in him who sent me. He who sees me, he sees the one who sent me. I've come as light to the world so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him, for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects me. And does not receive my sayings. He has one who judges him. The word I spoke is what the judge him at on the last day. For I did not speak on my own initiative. But my father himself who sent me, has given me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life. Therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father was told me.”

One thing that always strikes me about these verses, verse 27, Jesus says my soul has become troubled and what shall I say? Father, save me. From this hour. But for this purpose, I came to this hour. And we know here that Jesus is talking about his death. Think about how he must have failed. No, he says there that his soul was troubled. One commentary reads Jesus contemplation of taking on the wrath of God for the sins of the world caused. Anxiety and agitation. Even though Jesus knew what he was going to have to go through wasn't going to be easy, He still did it. He even says there in verse 28 he says, or verse 27 he says, but for this purpose I came to this hour.

He knew what had to happen, he knew what was going to take place, and yet he did it anyway. He did it out of love for us. Jesus here in these verses foretells his death. He foretells what is going to take place. He talks about light. And he tells people that he is the light. That's what he is saying here. And he only, he says for a little while longer, the light is among you. Think about his mindset. Think about what was going through his mind when he knew he was in his last few days here on this earth before he would be mapped. Spat upon, pierced in the side, crown of thorns on his head. Hang on a cross. All prophecy he knew was going to have to happen. Think about how he felt.

So we're going to stop there tonight, and I just want us to realize. And I know this group really does. We understand it. This is a a group of Christians who gather together to study and to learn more about God's Word. We understand this more than most. Let's get other people to understand the sacrifice that Christ gave. Let's get other people to understand the importance of his sacrifice, the importance of what he did. Because it really does mean the world.