The Week Before

How many of you have ever had a car that was not starting or been in a car that would not start?

That is not a fun experience, but when a car is not starting we know there is a problem because if everything was connecting and working as it should then the car would start right?

Years ago a purchased a brand new Hyundai Sonata, the year was 2010 and the car was a 2011. the car was push to start and worked very well. I used it to drive many miles both for work and personal.

After having the car for about 6 or 7 years one morning I went out to start the car and it didn't start. So I wondered wow, what could it be. I checked under the hood and I noticed some white and green stuff on the terminals of the battery, it was corrosion.

The corrosion on the terminals was blocking the electricity from going from the battery to the terminal causing the car to not start.

I got a tool to clean the terminals and cleaned the corrosion off of the battery terminals and the car started working just fine again.

Just like the corrosion was getting in the way of the electricity moving from one thing to another. Sometimes we experience blocks in our perception or in how we see or understand things.

This block in perception can be visually, like when we are driving through a thick fog, storm or a white out from a snow storm. Or finding out that we can’t see without glasses!

We can also have low perception in communication, like if someone tells us something and we hear it and then misinterpret what they said changing it into something else causing the communication to be incorrect.

Today we are going to see how a lack of proper spiritual perception impacts us.

Big Idea- We cannot allow our desires and misinterpretations to blind us to what God is saying and doing.

Take Aways

Jesus is Lord and worthy of all that we have.

When we rightly prioritize Christ then we can serve others well.

Our response to the work of God is to Glorify Him.

Today our text is coming from John 12:1-19

What happened just before the passage that we are going to is that Jesus was going around in the region teaching and performing miracles. The last Miracle that he performed was raising Lazarus from the dead.

Now we will go to the text, John 12:1-3

John 12:1–3 NKJV

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

So here we see that Jesus was at the house of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. Martha did something that was unfathomable. She poured extremely expensive oil on Jesus feet and wiped them with her hair!

How many of you know my wife Aigner?

Ok, Aigner has a thing with feet, touching them, massaging them even thinking about them is a problem. Especially adult feet. To my wife feet are extremely disgusting and they should not touch her, in fact if someone were to place their feet on her it would be an extreme offense to her.

This is also how Jewish people saw feet in general.

touching the feet of someone was regarded by Jews as a very degrading experience and was normally reserved for slaves and others to whom little “honor” was due. The fact that Mary was willing to do this act at a meal in the presence of others shows how highly she regarded Jesus.

The Oil that Mary used was also extremely expensive. Experts say that it is estimated that this oil was a years worth of wages. Today in our american society that would translate to $48,060 which is the national salary median in America.

Mary valued Jesus so much that she though he was worthy of pouring a 48,000 bottle of oil on His feet.

She regarded Jesus as Lord. This is the same regard that we are to have for the Lord in everything. Placing him as the preeminent place in our lives and placing His will over our own.

Just as the fragrance of the oil filled the house, it should also fill our lives and those around us should know that we are followers of Christ.

John 12:4–6 NKJV

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

Here we see a few things about Judas, we see that he did not believe that Jesus was worthy of having this expensive bottle of oil poured on his feet and he saw this act as a waste of resources that he should have taken for himself. We see that same characteristic in Satan when he thought that he was equal with God wanting to exalt himself desiring to steal Gods Glory Isaiah 14:12-14 Says

Isaiah 14:12–14 NKJV

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

But Judas tried to disguise his true intent through suggesting that the oil be sold and it be given to the poor. This was the aroma of satan and not the aroma of Christ.

What is Jesus worth to you?

Is he Lord of you and worthy of all that you have and more?

Or do you believe that you are worthy of what is the Lords?

Back to the text

John 12:7–8 NKJV

But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

Here Jesus reminds the Disciples of the important event that was to come, His death. Jesus let the disciples know that his death was coming and their priority was to be to Him over all else.

Just as it was important for the disciples to place Jesus as priority before His death.

It is important for believers today to place Christ over everything today.

How many of you have rode on a plane before? Well when you are on an airplane, the flight attendants come out and give safety instructions. In the instructions include putting on a mask to give oxygen. When the mask come down the individuals are to put their own masks on prior to helping others with their mask so they do not pass out as well.

This is the same in serving others.

Everything that we do, we do to please the Lord and to do the will of the Lord. So we are to die to ourselves and our own will daily and to follow Him.

When we have Christ as our Priority, then we will serve others well.

Back to the text John 12:9-11

John 12:9–11 NKJV

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

Usain Bolt Picture

How many of you all have heard of or seen this man before? His name is Usain Bolt. He is a track and field sprinter who has accomplished some phenomenal feats in his career. Usain Bolt is an 8 time Olympic Gold medalist and he is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 and 200 meter titles for three Olympic games in a row. In 2008 Usain Bolt broke the 100 and 200 meter world record and ran times that people thought were not possible.

When he achieved these feats the World was watching and they knew because of what he did that he was the fastest man in the world and the fastest man in history as of now.

Because of this every time he ran in a meet large crowds would come to see him run and it was an international event.

This was a similar effect that took place when Jesus performed Miracles. People saw Jesus performing miracles, then He would teach concerning the Kingdom of God and then perform other miracles as well. The highlight of the miracles that Jesus performed before His death and resurrection is when He raised Lazarus from the dead. When Jesus did these Miracles it showed everyone who he was, the messiah, the promised one to come, the Son of God.

Insert after Usain Bolt pic (Skip past scripture)

John 12:9–11 NKJV

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

So here in verse 9-11 John 12:9-11 we see that the crowd came because of his miracles but the miracles also brought out the enemies of God.

The Chief priest had a poor perception of Christ. Their view was clouded by the desire to cling to whatever power and authority that they thought they had, that they were plotting to get rid of Jesus and to put Lazarus to death because he was too powerful of a testimony of who Jesus is.

When we encounter the Lord do we allow Him and His will to be pre-eminent, or the most important things in our lives? Or do we find ourselves like the pharisee’s, working to hold on to what we have, trying to be the lord of our own lives, rejecting Christ?

John 12:12–15 NKJV

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

Have you all ever seen a child ask for something? Sometimes they ask for things that are good for them and other times they do not. In fact most of the time they desire things that are not necessarily best for them.

My kids like to ask for candy and things like that. Sometimes I give it to them, but other times I say no because I know they also need to eat real food that is good for their bodies and that they must have a limit on Sugar.

From their perspective what they ask for is Good. But a parent knows other things are good and although they may not ask for the other items the parents will get them what they need.

This is what we see Israel doing here when they are crying out “Hosanna!”. At this time Israel was under Roman rule and the Roman empire oppressed the Israelites.

So the Jewish people thought and hoped that their Messiah was coming to save them now from Roman Rule and that the Messiah would establish an earthly rule on earth where they would reign forever.

But they were asking for the wrong thing.

Jesus came to bring salvation to mankind from the wrath of God because of sin. Jesus came to bring Peace between Mankind and God. This is why Jesus’s entry to Jerusalem was epic and worthy of praise. This was the pinnacle of the redemption story, Jesus the promised seed was finally here!

Luke 19:39-42 Gives another account of Jesus reflecting on why he came on his approach to the City as the religious rulers rejected Him even in this moment. Not understanding Who Jesus truly is and having a blinded perception.

Luke 19:39–42 NKJV

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Jesus wept for these who were lost, the ones who he was sacrificing for who were going to reject and kill Him. He called us to go out and spread the Good news of the Gospel. Do you have a heart for the Lost as Jesus did?

John 12:16 NKJV

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

What this is saying is that when this was happening real time the disciples did not know what was happening. However later on when Jesus died, rose again and then came back to them he taught them these things and they remembered.

Luke 24:44–48 NKJV

Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.

Back to the text

John 12:17–19 NKJV

Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

Take Aways

Jesus is Lord and worthy of all that we have.

When we rightly prioritize Christ then we can serve others well.

Our response to the work of God is to Glorify Him.