🙏 Heavenly Father – Thank You for this gathering and thank You for our hosts, Curt and Debi for their willingness to be generous with their home and their time. Be with us in our study of your Word tonight, show us ourselves, show us our savior, remove the distractions we might be holding onto and enable us to hear Your voice. We pray this in the mighty name of our Lord, Jesus. Amen.
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.
Points to Ponder: After raising Lazarus from the dead, here is a picture of worship. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus worshiping differently, and that’s ok. The chief priests were already plotting to kill Jesus… their animosity has grown to include Lazarus in their murderous plot as well. There is a warning here about crossing the line and compromise and allowing a bitter root to grow. As His followers, we see this as a possible outcome for us when we demonstrate new life from Jesus – others may see us as a threat.
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
Points to Ponder: The disciples did not understand, but the Pharisees also reveal an unwillingness to understand or submit to the Scriptures. Psalm 118:25-26 and Zechariah 9:9 The people cry, “Hosanna” or “Save us now!” but they don’t understand what that really means.
Jesus Predicts His Death
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, 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. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Points to Ponder: When the Greeks say they would like to see Jesus… and the request is made to Philip, Andrew, and Jesus, this is the perfect time in a human story to expect to hear the response, ‘Come and See’, but we don’t. Because it’s God’s story and The Hour has come! Jesus’ reply smacks our worldly understanding of selfish love and self-focused life against God’s revelation of eternal life through self-sacrificial service for the well-being of others. His presence and His honor is for those who choose to follow and serve Him. We see the ‘seed’ principle introduced here and the connection of God the Father through God the Son. An invitation back to the Garden… eating from the Tree of Life instead of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
Points to Ponder: Jesus knows the crucifixion is coming and is troubled, but He also knows why He must go through ‘this hour’. These verses are given for our benefit, not His, so we pray for the strength, courage, and conviction to walk through difficulty, fear, and even certain death with the example Jesus provides… as Children of Light, always walking in His light for the reward of eternal life and ‘seeing Him’.
Belief and Unbelief Among the Jews
37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:
“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:
40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them.”
41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God.
Points to Ponder: In the last section, Jesus tells us that the Father will honor those that serve Him. But the worldly pull of human praise has always been a strong temptation. We see here that even with miraculous signs and wonders, some WOULD NOT believe. (This is an act of our will.) Continued willful rebellion becomes, COULD NOT believe… (an act of His will, we all get the desires of our hearts.) There are those who believe but will not do so publicly… they love human praise and still value this life… we do not judge, we understand, we pray, and we model with courage, truth, and gentleness… reaching those that ‘DO NOT’ believe, because they haven’t heard, reaching those that are still rebelling in the ‘WILL NOT’ believe, and meeting together with those that ‘DO BELIEVE’ for strength and encouragement.
44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
Points to Ponder: This is a hard teaching ending Jesus’ teaching ministry. There is a ‘last day’ before time as we know it ends and eternity begins. Our destination is determined by our faith and belief in who Jesus says He is. This is clearly in direct conflict with the worldly messages of ‘Coexistence’ and ‘there are many ways into Heaven.’ As followers of Jesus, we fight against that message, but gently. (We clearly have a mission… Romans 10:14)
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Points to Ponder: All of Jesus’ ministry on earth, as revealed in the Gospels comes to this: He loved them to the end. And knowing His divine identity and power and unique purpose in history, Jesus demonstrates what we need to understand: It is an act of love to humble yourself and serve others. Passover is a reminder of ‘freedom bought at a price’, but not a lamb, but The Lamb of God!
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Points to Ponder: We all must come to a point where we recognize our own unrighteousness and unholiness! We need to be washed and made clean, not by anything we can do on our own, but only through the sacrificial love and blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God. He make us clean with our believing faith in who He is. He continues to ‘clean’ or ‘forgive’ us as we walk in this life and we are to do the same for others.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’
19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Points to Ponder: In fulfilment of Psalm 41:9 and for the benefit of His disciples, Jesus predicts the betrayal of Judas and the disciples don’t get it. Years later, and even today, Bible skeptics assume this is written after the fact – that it couldn’t possibly have been said by Jesus at this point in time. Yet, we know it is true. (See also Matthew 26:20-25, Mark 14:17-19, Luke 22:20-23) This is the 6th time that Jesus uses the ‘I AM’ divine response.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”
Points to Ponder: Betrayal and denial… Ouch! As Jesus loved His disciples, we are commanded to love one another. LOVE – the most misunderstood, and often abused, concept in all of human relationships, I think! Jesus loved His disciples to the very end – giving up His life on a cross. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives us 16 attributes of love that promotes the well-being of others over our own interests. That’s the Biblical standard… not the world’s standard… pretty lofty standards and I can always find areas where I fall short. Peter who ‘loves’ Jesus and boasts of the willingness to die for Jesus, is told that before the night is out, he will fail to love Jesus three times. (If, before each night is out, I only fail to love three times, then I’m thanking God for the spiritual maturity that He’s working in me!!!)
It is the most beautiful gift that God gives to us – the true understanding, the heart-knowledge that WE ARE LOVED and WE BELONG TO HIM. And the people around us? They are loved too! And they belong to Him too! And we are called to lay our selfish interests down and love them.
Summary: There is such a dichotomy between God’s love and the world’s definition of love. In these chapters we see Mary anointing Jesus with an expensive possession – an act of worship. She loved Him. We see the self-focus of both Judas and the Jewish leaders. And we see the Jewish bystanders wrestling with their worldly views and their growing desire and admiration of all that Jesus shows them. Again, as our pastor, PQ, stated last week… Our trust in God is directly related to the degree that we know we are loved by Him. Without that trust and the knowledge of His love for us, it is all too easy to betray and deny the One who loves us.
- There are those that believe and their faith is demonstrated by their willingness to acknowledge that the fields are ripe for harvest… that they have a part to play in becoming fishers of men. They pray and gather together to strengthen and encourage each other.
- There are those that say they believe, or think they believe, but will not move to submission and trust. We pray to reach them for the kingdom… each of us, one at a time… before they can not.
- There are those who cannot. 😲 They have heard His Word, they have rejected Him thoroughly. They cannot believe because God has hardened their hearts, for purposes and reasons that align with His will.
- There are those who do not, because they haven’t heard the truth of the Gospel. We are demonstrating faithful love in our service to Jesus by staying true to His teachings… exercising our spiritual muscles to love God and to love others. We do not see the truth of another person’s heart, so we do not judge them, for we have left our former lives of having the knowledge of good and evil. Instead, we love them through our prayers, our hospitality, and our willingness to invest our time and wisdom with them, inviting them to the kingdom, to the tree of eternal life.
🙏 Heavenly Father – we are so thankful for Your Word. We need Your Spirit to stay with us to remind us that we are loved by the only one that matters. We belong to the only one who knows us and cares for us. Let us be filled with this knowledge deeply and fully, so it can overflow to others, to honor You and bring You glory. It is His name we pray this. Amen.