Last time we learned as a result of the miraculous raising of Lazarus, the glory of God was proclaimed. This miracle made the religious leaders even more determined to kill Jesus.
John 12:1-11 – Jesus’ Anointing
Jesus knew His time was coming to an end so He spent time with His friends at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. While they were reclining at a dinner, Mary took a pint of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ feet. She then wiped His feet with her hair. Somehow she realized His end was near and she wanted to honor Him. She wanted to show her gratitude and love in the midst of all the rejection and hatred He faced. She poured this precious and costly ointment on Him as a token of honor and worship.
Mary’s heart is revealed in her actions. She loved Jesus and wanted to spend time with Him. She was in awe and had deep gratitude for Him for raising her brother to life. She showed unselfish love and worship of Him when she poured the expensive perfume on His feet. We can show our love and gratitude to Jesus by spending more time with Him in prayer and in His Word. We can be less selfish and think more of others than ourselves.
When have you done something extravagant not thinking of yourself, but thinking of another?
One of the disciples, Judas Iscariot was there along with all the other disciples. He was the accountant of the group and was in charge of the money. When Mary used this expensive perfume on Jesus, Judas’ heart is revealed. He became very angry and spoke up and said this perfume costs as much as a year’s wages and she could have used this money for the poor instead of wasting it on Jesus. Judas really didn’t care about the poor. He just loved money. He thought he could have used it for his own pocket. I think he was planning on betraying Jesus all along and this was all he could take. His greed finally showed through.
Jesus responded by telling him to “Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” – John 12:7-8. Perfume was poured over a dead body before the body was put in the grave. When she did this she was prophesying about Jesus’ death, even though she may have not realized it. Jesus acknowledged Mary’s actions and her faith. She knew Jesus was worthy of worship.
Principle: A life spent in selfless devotion to Jesus is not wasted.
The Jews found out where Jesus was and the chief priest made plans to kill not only Jesus, but Lazarus as well. With Lazarus’ testimony that Jesus raised him from the dead, many people had put their faith in Jesus and the Jews surely didn’t want that.
John 12:12-22 – Jesus’ Triumphal Entry
Many people had seen Lazarus come out of the grave and the news quickly spread. A large crown followed Jesus as He entered Jerusalem for the Passover. They greeted Him as their Messiah and shouted “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!!” – John 12:13. His disciples didn’t understand this until after Jesus was glorified. Within a week their shouts turned to “Crucify him!” – John 19:15. The fickle crowd was following Jesus for the wrong reasons.
Jesus rode into the city on a young donkey as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9 – “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Jesus came in peace. He came on a donkey, which is a symbol of peace. He came to give eternal peace to you and me. The second time He comes will not be in peace, but on a white horse to judge and defeat evil.
Until now Jesus kept His identity as Messiah quiet because His time had not yet come. Now this Triumphal Entry of Jesus was declaring Himself to be Israel’s Messiah, but not the kind of Messiah they expected. He didn’t ride in on a powerful war horse to lead the charge against Rome, but on a lowly donkey.
Many people who greeted Him didn’t remain loyal to Him and later didn’t try to prevent His death. They would even shout, “Crucify him!” – John 19:15.
Why do you follow Jesus?
Principle: Fulfilled prophecies prove that Jesus is the Messiah.
John 12:23-36 – Jesus’ Hour
Some Greeks came to Philip and asked to see Jesus. They wanted to know Him. Philip told Andrew and they told Jesus. Jesus responded by announcing that the hour had come. He said, “The hour has come of the Son of Man to be glorified ” – John 12:23. He was referring to the cross. God’s ultimate aim in history is to glorify His Son. The cross reveals God’s glory in Christ by having all people come to Him alone for salvation.
What did He mean by “the hour”?
Jesus said, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies it produces many seeds.” – John 12:24. This means just as a seed will never become a plant until it dies and is buried so the death and burial of Jesus was necessary to His glorification. There can be no resurrection until there is death. Through the cross, the gospel was opened to all people.
Jesus said, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” – John 12:25-26. To hate your life in this world is to want to follow Jesus, serve Him, and be with Him forever. To lose your life is to give up your selfish desires and put those desires in your life to death. It’s not a physical death, but a death that allows Christ to grow in you. This doesn’t mean you are not to enjoy life, but live to serve God and not live for your own pleasures. We should want what Jesus wants and let Him control our lives.
Why should you hate your life? To follow Jesus, you must not love your life in this world. People who are without Jesus in this world live for material things. They want power and are greedy and want more and more stuff. They want anything they think will make them happy. Their goals and desires are focused on self. To hate your life is the same thing as denying yourself and taking up your cross daily to follow Jesus. It means living for God’s glory and His purposes. We submit our thoughts, our words, and our deeds to Jesus. Our motivation is to serve Jesus.
Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him, but He always gave God the glory. “Father, glorify your name!” – John 12:28a. “Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’” – John 12:28b. When the crowd heard this, some said it had thundered while others said it was an angel speaking.
This was the 2nd time God spoke. 1st He spoke when Jesus was baptized saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” – Matt. 3:17. The 3rd time was at His transfiguration in Matt. 17:5.
John 12:30-33 revealed that at the cross is the time for judgment on this world. It not only judged the world, but defeated Satan. Jesus will be lifted up on the cross and raised in honor; He will draw men to Himself. It was a victory for all people.
Jesus told His disciple that they would have Him only a little longer. Soon His time on earth as a man would end. Jesus told us in John 9:5 that He was the Light. He told them to put their trust in the Light while He was here. He wants us to ‘walk in the light’.
So how do we walk in the light? By choosing God’s Word over your lusts and desires and obeying His commands. It’s not a list of rules. It’s about cultivating a relationship with the Lord through the Spirit. We abide in Christ and feed on His Word. We spend time with Him in worship and prayer. Then as we grow in Him, we display love, joy, kindness, longsuffering, and all the fruits of the Spirit.
Principle: To see Jesus and His glory, look to the cross.
John 12:37-50 – Continued Unbelief
Jesus had done many miracles, but still many didn’t believe in Him (John 12:37). They couldn’t believe because, “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn – and I would heal them.” – John 12:40; Isaiah 6:10. In was the same in Isaiah’s day. People were hardened because knew God’s laws, but refused to live right.
John 12:38 and 40 quotes Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 6:10 warning why some people fail to acknowledge their faith in Jesus. They refuse the truth and it becomes impossible for them to believe. Their hearts are calloused and their minds are closed. God allows these people to remain this way which is a result of their own choice. To reject the truth is to reject God. They, like the Pharisees like the praises of men more than praise from God. They think if they talk about Jesus and tell others, people will reject them. They are afraid of what other might think of them. They are afraid they will be called ‘Jesus freaks’. True Christians are not ashamed to confess Christ. Man’s approval may last a few years; God’s approval lasts forever.
John 12:42-43 tell us some of the people failed to acknowledge their faith in Jesus, because of fear. They were afraid they would be put out of the synagogue and because they loved praises from men more than praise from God.
2 Timothy 1:7-8 tell us to not be afraid because God has given us a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. We should not be ashamed to testify about Jesus.
Are you shamed of your belief in the gospel?
Be careful not to fall away from Jesus when He doesn’t fit your expectations. As a believer, Jesus probably won’t fit your expectations of what you thought He would be when you trusted Him as Savior. You may have thought He would fix all your problems and expected Him to save all your family members.
Things you can expect from God:
Are you trusting the Lord when He does things that don’t fit your expectations?
Jesus repeated the most important parts of His message. God sent Him to earth and He is the Light. He gave them a choice to believe in Him. He said if you reject Him, the Word of God will be your judge. When the end comes, there will not be any excuse for rejecting Jesus. The Word will judge and condemn all who reject Him. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved.” – Acts 16:31.
Jesus cried out, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” – John 12:44-45. Jesus crying out shows He is strongly appealing to the people. He wants them to pay attention to these truths. He and the Father are one. To deny Jesus is to deny the one true God. A world without Christ is in spiritual and moral darkness. Jesus is the Light and has come to save the world.
“There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him on the last day.” – John 12:48. There will be a last day and it will be a day of judgment. Jesus wants all who reject Him to be aware of that day. He gives a final notice of the coming judgment and is appealing to those who don’t believe. Don’t ignore Jesus’ final notice!
Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
Principle: Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved for all eternity.
Next week we will study John 13. Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my site. – I encourage you to trust in Jesus
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