v. 3 & 4 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. Here we find Mary again in her favorite location, at the feet of Jesus. Chapter 11:2 spoke of how she wiped his feet with her hair. Then when she came to Jesus at Lazarus’ grave, she fell at his feet. And now here again, she is at his feet. Her act of service was costly. She poured out her best on Jesus. She didn’t give to him her leftovers. It was an extravagant gift that she literally poured out upon Jesus. It was humble. Usually servants attended to the feet of a guest, but here Mary attended to the feet of Jesus. She was humbling herself before Jesus. It was also worship. She took her perfume and hair and turned them into instruments to declare the worth of Jesus. She gave her best to him. And the house was filled with the fragrance. Oh if our lives could only be filled with the fragrance of true worship. These last two days with Mary have really struck a chord in my heart. We must find ourselves at the feet of Jesus. This is our greatest place as Christians – humbling ourselves, giving our worship, pouring out our lives. Next we see Judas basically accusing her of wasting this gift. It is never a waste, when we waste our lives for the sake of Jesus.
v. 9 & 10 A large crowd of Jews found out Jesus was there and came not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead… for on account of him, many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him. There is no greater witness than a life that has truly been raised from the dead. As Christians, we have not yet received our physical resurrection, but our lives have been brought back from sin and death. Changed lives truly demonstrate the life changing, resurrection power of Jesus. Lord, would you do in us what you did in Lazarus? Raise us up into new life so others will “go over to Jesus and put their faith in him,” on account of us.
v. 19 Look how the whole world has gone after him. I love this phrase. Are you going after Jesus? The Pharisees were not thrilled about this. There will always be contempt among the “religious” types for those who really go after Jesus. We are not called to be nice, cultural Christians. We are called to go after Jesus.
v. 24 I tell you the truth, unles a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it. Here is the principle of life coming through death. Through Lazarus, we see that his death and resurrection brought life to many others. Jesus is calling us to die to ourselves. If we persist in our own life of self willed, and self centeredness, we will produce little fruit or harvest. If we die to self, then God can produce many seeds through us. This is why we are called to “hate our lives.” This is not about self loathing and having a poor self image. This is about putting our love for Jesus and his kingdom above our own comfort and desires. We should not live for our own success and our own comfort. We are called to lose our life for the sake of Jesus. When we do, God promises that we will find true life in the end.
The combination of our reading of John, last Sunday’s sermon about the Bible, and our group’s study of Experiencing God has my nose in the Bible more than ever for me, right where it belongs. It is fantastic! I even have my own “Bible bag”.
I have wondered why Jesus was doubted by the Jews so fervently and why they would stone him, even after his showing as well as telling them who his Father was! Well I guess v42 revealed it to me. They were afraid and didnt care for the praise from God but were more influenced by the praise of men. I thought it was because of his denying being the KIng of Jews. Isnt it fun to find out things that you have wondered. This is an amazing trip. Thank you David, and bless you for your insight.
v42,43 “for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” WOW! Isn’t that just like so many of us, worried about what others will say about our faith in God instead of praising Him openly and giving him the glory. I never really noticed the power in this verse before. It just blows me away how someone could want mans approval over God’s.
Hey Judy A. you are so right, this is great!!
Jesus is being honored at Bethany with a meal prepared by his friends. I can only imagine the gracious words falling from his lips while they lounge around the table. Words of encouragement, hope, love and life. Ah yes, that’s the Savior.
Large crowds hear that Jesus is at Lazarus’ house, so they come not only to see Jesus, but also see the man that was once dead but is now alive. Now on account of Jesus and Lazarus, many are coming to put their faith in Christ. The chief priests are losing their popularity. Instead of them increasing and Jesus decreasing; the reverse is happening. So now, Lazarus has to die again, along with Jesus. The Pharisees have eyes, but yet they are blind. They are alive, but yet they have a dead heart. What they need is birth! A transformation – a “renewing of the mind”. When we are transformed, we begin to see clearly. “Old things are passed away and behold all things become new.” So we start on a new journey spreading the “Good News”. Encouraging, lifting up, helping and loving all men! Now that’s living!!