Category: Daily Devotionals

John 12.1-7

1          The setting

The setting was six days before the Passover.  It was a Saturday and Jesus was visiting Lazarus at his home in a village just outside Jerusalem called Bethany.  It was a busy meal time.  The disciples were there including John who was an eye witness.  The men were sat down reclined around the table waiting for their meal.  Martha was busy preparing the meal with Jesus as the guest of honour.  Martha came in and served the meal.

Into this scene Mary, Martha’s sister, entered the room carrying a jar.  The jar was a large jar of extremely expensive perfume known as nard.  To everyones’ surprise she then poured the whole content over Jesus’ feet and then even more shockingly wiped his feet with her hair.

2          Nard a symbol of a bride’s love

Nard is also known as Spikenard and it is made from the root of the spikenard plant that grows in the Himalayan Mountains.  It is made into an ointment and in those times it represented the gold standard for quality much like a Tiffany diamond might now.

This was outrageous extravagance.  Nard had a very distinctive scent that would cling to the body for a long time.  John 12:3 says, ‘the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.’  It is a lovely personal memory of John’s as he recalls the event.

Amongst other things nard is the perfume of deep love.  The Hebrew for nard is also the word translated as perfume in the love poetry of the Song of Songs.  There is a strong synergy in this passage with Song of Songs 1:12 where a bride speaks of her husband and king seated at his table. ‘While the king was at his table my perfume spread its fragrance.’  Nard was the most exotic fragrance and identified an exclusive and special love.

Where did a relatively humble woman like Mary get such a valuable perfume?  The truth is we do not know.  It has been speculated that it was her dowry or an inheritance.

3          Nard a symbol of Jesus’ sacrifice

This seemingly over the top gift has come to symbolize several things.  First and foremost, Jesus understood what nobody else in the room had imagined, even Mary.  ‘It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.’  (John 12:7.)  Jesus was fully aware of his imminent death and took this as part of his funeral arrangements.

4          Nard a symbol of untethered humble love

I want us to somehow grasp the complex emotional context of the event.  Mary’s gift was her demonstration that she was prepared to give everything in her worship of Jesus.  Nothing would stand in the way of her love for him including convention and appearances.

Convention expected that the anointing of oil or perfume would be on the head.  Mary turned that on its head and in great humility gave her most precious possession to anoint Jesus’ feet.  Such humility, such devotion.  Mary is a great biblical example for worship.  One can worship inspired by awe.  Mary worshipped, inspired by love but she sought no special place.  She was content to wipe his feet with her hair.

It would have been against Jewish convention for a woman to appear in the presence of men with her hair untied, but in Mary’s case love was stronger than convention.  Does our sense of convention hold us back from fully expressing our love and worship of Jesus?

Just a few days later Jesus turned Mary’s foot washing back on his disciples, who had witnessed Mary’s act, by washing their feet prior to the last supper.  Jesus ignored convention and set the supreme example of humility, service, obedience and above all of love for God the Father and love for the world.

This is unashamed love.

It is easy to look at Jesus’ enacting of washing the feet of his disciples as one of the great human demonstrations of humility through physical representation without fully taking into account who Jesus is.  He is the Word of God in John 1:1, ‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.’  Here he is washing his disciples’ feet.

5          Generous love faces resentment

In Luke we get another picture of Mary’s devotion when Martha complains to Jesus that Mary is at Jesus feet listening to his teaching. ^{Luke 10.38-42} This is not an account whose purpose is to show that a life of contemplation trumps practical action.  That would be a false juxtaposition.  It is just that it is not wise to fill one’s life with action to such an extent that one has no time to learn from him.  Mary shows her love in that she wants to absorb the words of Jesus.  This is a vital lesson for all disciples whatever our responsibility.  Love says we should make time to listen and learn.  That is part of worship and in itself requires discipline.  Luke’s account is often portrayed as a false dichotomy.

6          Worship and emotions go together

The account of Mary and the jar of nard emphasizes the importance of our emotions in discipleship.  Discipleship and faith are not simply matters of the intellect they are about personal commitment and love.

What encourages our love of Jesus?

How do we gain the right balance between worship and service?

Does anything stand in the way of our worshipping God?

Your Presence – Planetshakers

John 12

John 12 marks a significant change in John’s gospel. John has completed his record of the eight signs testifying to who Jesus is and the emphasis now moves on for the rest of the gospel to the glory of God. Chapter 12 introduces this deliberate emphasis as Jesus decides his hour has come and he voluntarily moves towards his death. Chapter 12 reinforces some of the teaching already covered in the gospel as well as following the new emphasis. It is an involved chapter with many learning points, taught through narrative. Before we look at specific aspects it is helpful to read the chapter as a whole and so for this reflection I am simply asking you to do that. As you do so you may be struck as I was by several individual sentences and their importance that have not been previously emphasized to you. I found this chapter a chapter of discovery. I hope you do so as well.

Did one particular sentence stand out for you in a new way?

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty – Don Moen

^{John 11.45-52}

There will be many times when something is blindingly obvious to ourselves and it is baffling why it isn’t to everybody else. I guess as the drama that is the USA presidential election plays out that scenario will be taking place in millions of households. It is understandable when one is faced by a mathematical concept where one needs the previous building blocks to understand. It is also understandable that if two people have vastly different cultural backgrounds they may consider certain behaviours very differently. However, one might argue that if the Son of God had just stood before you and conducted a remarkable miracle, such as raising from the dead, a man who was clearly dead and had been so for some days, then everybody who personally witnessed it would surely believe in him. Those who witnessed the miracle came from the same culture, they knew and believed in the same ancient prophesies, they personally knew the people concerned and they had a common experience. However, there were two polar opposite reactions.

‘Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.’ The implication is that those who went to the Pharisees did not go because they were excited and wanted to share the news of this fantastic event. No, they were opposed to Jesus and sided with the Pharisees in rejecting Jesus and his teaching. They knew the Pharisees were already looking for him with the intention of having Jesus killed. ^{Joh 11.8}

The Pharisees and the majority of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious ruling body) were spiritually blind to who Jesus was, his mission, and how he was fulfilling the prophesies in their scriptures. Their concerns were fundamentally political. They feared that as Jesus gained popularity and very many believed in him and followed him the Romans would perceive that as rebellion against the empire. That would lead to the destruction of the temple and a hard military clamp down on the Jewish people. If they had listened with understanding to Jesus he never preached a kingdom that had a political message. The Kingdom of God that he taught was not a nation state or a military empire. He put himself forward as something completely different, as the lamb of God who was to die for all who would believe.

For people to believe in Jesus they not only have to see the evidence physically and or rationally they need to perceive it spiritually. Naturally people belong to darkness and to the power of this world. Each one of us needs a spiritual awakening from God. As the Lord himself said to Paul as he commissioned him on the Damascus Road, ‘I am sending you to them (the Gentiles) to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ ^{Acts 26:18} Despite himself Caiaphas as high priest was inspired by God to prophesy that Jesus was to die for the Jews and also for the scattered children of God throughout the world. He meant it politically, God meant it spiritually. Caiaphas was now to be a major player in God working out his purposes without any understanding of what he was really doing. God uses opposition as well as faithful disciples to carry out his purposes. This however does not remove personal responsibility for the things we do.

In what ways do we join in with Paul’s commission to share the gospel and pray that people will open their eyes and turn from darkness to light?

Open Up Our Eyes | Live | Elevation Worship

^{John 11.25-26}

The pivotal sentences in John 11 are, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.^[a] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.’ ^{John 11.25,26} It is an extraordinary thing for Jesus to say. It is easy to gloss over it because to Christians it has become common place. However, if true it rewrites our understanding of the world. Jesus’ resurrection was a central plank of the early Christian church’s teaching. It was the ultimate sign of who Jesus is and what makes it even more so is that Jesus repeatedly taught that he would be resurrected and what the implications for his followers are before he died. There is a great deal written about Jesus’ resurrection in the bible from prophecies in the Old Testament to records of the event in the gospels and the proclamation of his resurrection in Acts. The apostles teach in one way or another of the significance of Jesus’ resurrection in their letters to the churches.

However, what did Jesus actually say about his resurrection to his disciples and others prior to his crucifixion?

Jesus’ statement that he is the resurrection and the life, conveys a meaning that without him there cannot be a resurrection. Resurrection and eternal life can only be found in relationship with him. Those who trust or believe in him will go beyond death into a life that is united with Christ.

Jesus taught that he is the means by which God the Father’s will is achieved and that will is that those who believe in Jesus will receive eternal life and themselves be resurrected. ‘For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.’ ^{John 6.40}

Jesus’ resurrection was a sign to the Jewish leaders and nation that he was the messiah. He referred to himself as God’s temple, the meeting place between God and human kind. At the time many Jewish leaders did not understand the imagery Jesus was using and took his words literally. However, Jesus’ teaching was also designed for his own disciples to build up their faith and give them understanding. ‘So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. ²² When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.’ ^{John 2:18-22}

Jesus also made clear the details of his forthcoming trial, execution and resurrection prior to the events actually happening. Despite that the disciples found it very difficult to understand what was happening until after the event. However, the memory of Jesus’ teaching confirmed to them the divinity of Jesus. ‘And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.’ ^{Mark 8.31} (Mathew 20.18-19 contains a parallel account.)

John also taught that resurrection for his followers will complete their transformation into Christ likeness. This will be because their vision and understanding of him will be complete and not be marred by sin. Like Jesus they will in some way have a resurrection body. Whilst we do not have Jesus’ own words regarding this, John as one of Jesus’ intimates passes on the insight in his first letter to the churches. ‘Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears^[a] we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.’ ^{1 john 3.2}

Jesus also made clear that he will bring about the resurrection of those who have trusted in his death and resurrection. ‘Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.’ ^{John 6.54}

Jesus taught that resurrection is the ultimate reward for living a sacrificial life for those in need. His judgement will be righteous. ‘But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’ ^{Luke 14.13-14}

As Jesus’ resurrection is such a central Christian truth, how effective is the modern church in communicating the evidence of his resurrection and its significance for all who believe?

The Rapture and Resurrection – I Will Rise – Chris Tomlin

^{John 11.8-16}

‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.’ ^{John 11.9,10}

Time keeping in the days of the New Testament was different to ours (No pun intended). We are used to a standardization of time unknown to people then. Both the Roman and Jewish practice was to divide the 24 hour day into 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. Hours therefore varied in length depending on the time of year. Jesus reference to twelve hours of daylight is not to be taken literally and does not refer to planning his journey time to Bethany. Rather is relates to his whole ministry leading up to the twelfth hour, the culmination of his work on earth and his death on the cross.

There appears to be a disconnect between the disciple’s objection to Jesus’ return to Judea to attend to Lazarus and Jesus response about the length of day and walking in daylight and stumbling in the dark. The disciples are concerned for Jesus physical safety and with good cause. Jesus is concerned with pressing on with obeying the Father’s will right up to the last moment.  When reading this passage, it can be approached in two ways. To understand what Jesus was doing and how he was revealing himself to be the resurrection and the life, the prophesied Son of God bringing about salvation for all who believe in him. Additionally, we can see in Jesus a model or example of how we should view our own lives.

Light in John’s gospel draws upon the physical light and darkness of creation to convey moral and spiritual conflict as well as God’s means of salvation. John says in v1.5, ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ Jesus speaking of himself to Nicodemus says, ‘Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.’ ^{John 3,18,19}

Jesus despite the potential dangers was going to press on and bring the sign of his ultimate overcoming of death and the light of salvation through raising Lazarus from death. We gain from Jesus’ reply the sense of urgency in his mission as well as determination to complete the task to the end. He was not going to be diverted away from God’s light. In that sense Jesus is the example of how we should view our life up to the end. He is our encouragement. Hosea captured the spirit of this, ‘Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.’ ^{Hosea 6.3} Jesus had previously summed up his sense of urgency with, ‘We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.’ ^{John 9.4}Hebrews also encourages us to press on with God’s mission for our lives. ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’ ^{Hebrews 12.1,2}Do we allow obstacles to our faith deter us from “walking in the light”?

Have we a clear vision of our goal?

Be thou my vision