Who Is At The Table?

Text: John 12:1-11 & 11:46-57

Introduction

Q — Have you ever hear or said, “That will divide the men from the boys” or “That will separate the strong from the weak” or “That will separate the wheat from the chaff”

Q — Have you ever had to make some very important decisions to make that would create some form of division in your life? The situation demanded a decision from you. There was no way around it! The division could be with your family, job, friendship, etc…

I ask that to draw your attention to the thought of division. Jesus naturally brings division. No one can come in contact with Jesus or the truth about Jesus and not be left with a decision that will bring about some kind of division in their life and eternity.

Making a decision about or for Christ will often be surrounded by some kind of pressure to avoid any move that would emphasis the truth about Jesus. As we will see, sometimes that comes from those outside your faith, and other times, those who claim to be within the faith.

The worst thing you can do when God is leading you and others are ridiculing you, is walk away as if you are running from making a decision. No matter what, you are making a decision when it comes to Christ.

The dinner table at the home of Simon the leper was surrounded by a multitude of decisions regarding Jesus. Listen, the best place for a Believer is God’s house with God’s people. However, the most dangerous place for the unbeliever is God’s house. When you step in here, you are confronted with the truth about Jesus. The Bible tells us that the more truth you reject prior to exiting this life, it intensifies your eternal punishment in Hell.

My encouragement to you is this, quit down-playing who Jesus is and His calling on your soul.

LISTEN…Jesus made a choice about you a long time ago; He paid the debt of your guilt! Accept Jesus for who He is, repent, trust on Him, confess Him, worship Him, follow Him, and serve Him. Similarly to what Jesus said to Judas and the others, “You won’t always have the opportunity you have right now!”

1) The Evidence Around The Table

Quickly approaching the thorns, nails, spear, hatred, etc., Jesus seeks the love and comfort of His dearest friends.

This meal was the evening meal. The kind where you relax and recline around a U-shaped table very low to the ground. The meal is slow and the conversations are continuous.

A. There is Simon the ex-leper

a) The host was Simon the ex-leper!

How were you healed of such a terrible disease in that day?

It had to be a work of God.

Those with leprosy were excommunicated to a leper camp until they became clean (if there ever did).

So, for Simon to host this super, he has been healed by God from his leprosy!

B. There is Lazarus the former dead man

This man was sick, died, started decomposing in the tomb, his spirit called back from paradise to re-enter his body, and walked out of the tomb according the sovereign voice of Jesus Christ.

He was seen for week by those who lived in Bethany. This place is still known as the place where Lazarus was raised from the dead.

Lazarus being brought back from the grave was not something anyone was denying.

His life was totally credited to the power of Jesus.

His testimony played a huge role in many coming to faith in Jesus.

Lazarus “new life” brought clarity to who Jesus is.

C. There is Jesus Christ Himself

The virgin born, John the Baptist called Him the Lamb of God, the Father above declared Him His Beloved Son, He healed multitudes, He would later die the most horrible death and rise again.

Q — How many of you think they had little to talk about? LOL.

The Evidence of Jesus being the Christ is stacked higher than it ever had before!

2) The Decisions Around The Table

A. Martha chose to be the servant to those at the table

Martha’s perspective could have been: Christ has served so many around this table without complaint or expecting anything in return. She therefore put her apron on and served with great passion and thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, Martha gets a bad wrap. It seems like we need to go to bat for her a little bit.

She served! Service regarded nobly in scripture!

“Service” is where we get our word “Deacon.”

Q — How important were the servers in the life of the church? VERY! (Acts 6)

She was a “doer.” She was wired that way!

Luke 12:37 “37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.”

Luke 22:27 “27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.”

Galatians 5:13 “13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

B. Mary chose to be the worshiper of Jesus at the table

Mary’s perspective could have been: Seeing her brother sitting there beside her Master’s side, and recalling all the priceless giving Jesus has extended to her family, she gave her most expensive possession (worth nearly 1 yr wages). She had freely received, so she freely gave.

This is the heart of Mary bursting!

“Nard” is a very rare herb grown in the high pasture lands of China, Tibet, and India. It could have only gotten to their part of the world by way of Camel.

It was so pure, from so far, it was costly — Judas clarifies, “300 pence (denarius). 1 denari was a day’s wage.

The price of this “nard” was set by the man who knew the price of everything, yet valued nothing.

Matthew and mark describes Mary pouring it on Jesus’ head. John says it was on His feet.

Her worship consisted of every thing of value she could find.

C. Some chose to disrupt the table

a) First of all you have those who refused to be at the table

i) MAN’S HEART DESPERATELY WICKED

In the face of overwhelming evidence they shut their eyes. They refused to be convinced.

They plunged even deeper into their wickedness.

They took counsel on how to put Jesus to death.

The power of unbelief is a powerful thing!

LISTEN… don’t think for a minute that if you only saw some great sign confirming the gospel you would believe on Christ and serve Him.

Luke 16:31 “31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Another sad reality is that often times, I witness fellow-Christians living with just as hard of heart and unbelief as these unbelieving Jews.

The very ones who saw they read their Bibles are often times found out to not be listening to what they are reading and applying it.

They are the very ones who have fooled their own heart to think, “I can still come and worship Jesus while remaining passive toward the hate, bitterness, jealousy, or hurt feelings in their heart.

ii) THE BLIND IGNORANCE IS ASTOUNDING

These very people were not content until they crucified Him.

They feared that if they left Him alone, the Romans would come and remove them from their land.

Here is the REALITY… They did not leave Christ alone and the Romans did come, destroyed Jerusalem, burned the temple, and carried the entire nation away into captivity.

It would do each of you well to disregard the principal in play here in the Jewish mind: If we remove Jesus, everything will be far better.

Nothing is further from the truth!

Think back to church history: The Roman Emperors slaughtered a multitude of Christians in the first three centuries, thinking that not leaving them alone was a great work.

The blood of countless martyred saints is considered the seed of the church.

Many were burned alive, crucified, boiled in hot oil, torn apart by wild beasts and gladiators, etc...

The more persecution increased, so did the number of Believers!

LISTEN…this tells me that the One sitting at the table in Jerusalem in our text (Jesus Christ) is the Son of God.

Removing Jesus is not the answer your heart is looking for. You must RECEIVE Jesus to finally satisfy your heart!

iii) OUTWARD HOLINESS WAS THEIR FOCUS

They truly cared nothing for INWARD purity or holiness.

(v55-57) Notice how they knew nothing of inward purity. In one moment they go to prepare for Passover. Then, while there, they look for Jesus in order to take Him.

OUTWARD sanctification is all they cared about.

This is like someone trying to dull the reality of their sin by being outwardly religious.

LISTEN… some of you might be guilty of the very same thing!!!

You can have all the zeal you want in church attendance, serving, offering, but if you are neglecting the weightier things of inward purity, you are bringing gifts to God that DO NOT GLORIFY HIM!

You are anchoring yourself in a place where you have become useless to God’s kingdom!

LISTEN… you can either be the dead religious crowd not at the table, play the charade like Judas with a greedy heart, serve the Lord around the table, or be worshiping at Jesus’ feet.

The purity that God is interested in, can not be found in ceremonialism, but deep within.

b) Secondly, Judas despised Jesus while at the table

Son of perdition / the son of hell

John 6:70 “70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”

Acts 1:25 “25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”

Can you imagine such an interruption?

Judas was the type of guy who was looking at “following Jesus” as a means to benefit himself.

It of course was not panning out that way.

The more people would love Jesus, he despised Him.

NOTICE…the other apostles chimed in on Judas’ recommendation!

This would be equivalent to you who are believers being at the table, yet resisting/disagreeing with what Jesus is accepting.

(v5) Here were the first recorded words of Judas. His last words were, “I have betrayed innocent blood.”

With 300 denarii, Judas robbed Jesus of the love given to Him from Mary and Martha.

Judas would later sell Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (4 months wages)

The Perfume was 3x the value of Jesus according the Judas.

D. What do these decisions have to do with me?

First, who do you say Jesus Christ is at the table?

Secondly, your decision will resemble one of these people!

Thirdly, will you desire Jesus to be elevated/admired/believed upon by others, or will you allow your life to be a disruption?

THE MAIN TO-DO

You MUST do something with the evidence God has put before you!

To do nothing is doing something.

Why Does This Matter?

Whatever your decision will be, there will naturally be division.

For example: Guilt/forgiveness; Heaven/Hell; Idleness/service; friendships/loneliness; etc…

Bottom Line/Main Point

LISTEN…Jesus made a choice about you a long time ago; He paid the debt of your guilt! Accept Jesus for who He is, repent, trust on Him, confess Him, worship Him, follow Him, and serve Him. Similarly to what Jesus said to Judas and the others, “You won’t always have the opportunity you have right now!”

John 12:7–8 “7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. 8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.”