The Gospel of John 29 - Prepared for Burial - John 12:1-19

[Music] what we're gonna take a look at in these first 19 verses of John chapter 12 is we're gonna look at two significant events and I'm gonna really need your participation during this message in this way you really need to picture what's going on I mean these things really happen so I just want you to make use a little holy imagination and just really think about what it was like at these two scenes that were gonna look at here in the first 19 verses ready for this starting out verse 1 we read then six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus who had been dead whom he had raised from the dead there they made him a supper and Martha serve but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him all right John gives us a time marker in verse 1 he says it's six days before the Passover now that wasn't just any Passover in the life of Jesus this was the Passover that Jesus was going to be crucified at that festival at that holiday so what you have in a sense is you have a time marker telling us that this is the last week of Jesus's earthly ministry in the next seven days he's going to have his last week in Jerusalem and then be betrayed be crucified and rise from the dead friends worth the seven-day marker for the last seven days of the Ministry of Jesus and what I want you to notice is something is if you take a look at the Gospel of John the entire Gospel of John takes 22 chapters and we've just finished chapter 11 this tells us and it's not just by the chapters but by the verse count as well John spends almost 50 percent of his gospel on the last seven days of Jesus's life then that Strykers just a little bit strange I mean Jesus ministry was more than three years in its length his life was 33 years long yet John in the guidance of Holy Spirit spends 50% of his book talking about the last seven days of Jesus's life and the other Gospels are similar the Gospel of Matthew I believe spends some like 40% of excuse me Matthew uses about 30% of his gospel mark nearly 40% and Luke about 25% of their Gospels all describing the last seven days of the earthly ministry of Jesus do you think that the Holy Spirit's trying to tell us something friends these are the most important seven days in the history of the world ever and I'm not just saying that the way that a speaker might make an exaggerated statement for effect no I mean that I mean that what happened in these seven days has influenced humanity and will influence the universe more than any other seven days that have existed it's worth our time it's worth our attention and it all it begins with a dinner party in Bethany did you notice that in the first few verses that I read to you there they're having a dinner Barney you know what it's like to invite people over your home for dinner you know what it's like to go over to somebody else's house for dinner and there they are gathered together verse 2 says there they made him a supper it's in the village of Bethany which is right outside of Jerusalem and Jesus is there we know from some of the other Gospels that it was held at the home of a man known as Simon the leper actually it was Simon the former leper but they still called him Simon the leper I don't know if he was happy or sad about that but they called him Simon the leper because jesus healed him from his leprosy he had the house at which it was held and then we also have three other notable people there Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead by the way it seems to indicate that this dinner was a celebration of Lazarus being raised from the dead it's kind of like yes it's well it's almost like a wake in Reverse instead of having a party you know regarding somebody's passing here it is the party that they come back from the dead so you got Lazarus there you got Lazarus his sister Mary you got Lazarus as others sister Martha those three people you have Jesus of course you have Simon the leper and a collection of other people from the village now one thing we note about this and look at verse 2 it tells us that Martha served I can't tell you we know exactly what the guest list was for this particular dinner held in the honor of Lazarus and Jesus but if it was according to ancient custom and we would assume that it was we don't know for sure if it was according to ancient custom it was only the men who were eating Martha and the other women were serving the men the men of the village of Bethany were having their little feast and what's Martha doing she's serving no know about you but as I picture this scene in my mind I picked her Martha happy in her service she's happy to be serving Jesus can you just picture Martha saying okay we just got this this plate ready from the kitchen it's ready to go this looks like a good one Jesus is getting this first don't you think that's how it would work don't you see Martha hovering over Jesus saying eat some more eat some more have some more do you have people like that in your life I've got a mother-in-law dear mother-in-law in Sweden and that's what it's like man when I eat at her house it's eat some more eat some more don't you see Martha loving on Jesus doting upon him serving him in a wonderful way at this dinner party now why do I bring that up but why do I bring it up just over two words in the text that say Martha served friends I want to bring it up in this way in a few moments I'm gonna talk a lot about Martha's sister Mary and what an amazing person Mary was but when we look at Mary we look at somebody who is very spiritually inclined her spirit just soars with the things of the Spirit very easily she's just lifted up on the wings and on the winds of the spirit she's locked in and it's just you know just of the singing of a bird and she's worshiping God you know that kind of attitude with Mary Martha seems very different Martha seems like a very practical woman and believe me friends I think that Martha loved Jesus just as much as Mary but sometimes when you're a more practically oriented person it's hard for you to feel that way isn't it true that a lot of times practically oriented people feel inferior at church they feel like well listen you know every buddy else as soon as the first chord of the guitar is strum oh they're all worshiping the Lord man it takes me about three songs before my heart gets into it no I listen do not feel despised among the people of God God loves Martha just as much as he loves Mary let me just sort of give you a principle here the principle is this spiritual things come more easily for some people but everybody can serve Jesus if you're a person for whom spiritual things don't come as easily don't despise that but realize Oh God has a wonderful place for you in his plan in his kingdom you're a Martha then be the very best Martha among God's people and in his kingdom that you can be and if you're a Mary well then do the Mary thing like we're gonna see her do look here verse 3 verse 3 then Mary took a pound a very costly oil of spikenard anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair and the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil do you have the scene here alright fuss a little bit more acrobatic as a preacher I'd be acting all this out but you understand how they ate in that day they didn't sit at a table on a chair with their feet under the table they would lay up to the table the table would be like a low coffee table in front of them they would sort of rest on one arm and maybe on this one so that they can reach with their right hand lay on some pillows and their feet would go down behind them laying down on a low cushion at a low table the foods in front of them they just kind of relax and kick back and eating while you're laying down that sounds pretty cool to me that was just their custom in the midst of the dinner Martha's serving everybody's enjoying everybody's talking Mary does something the friends we just got to shake the religious cobwebs out of our head this was weird it was a bizarre interruption to the dinner to have Mary come along come behind Jesus with his leg laying you know away from the table to come up to the feet of Jesus and take out a bottle something like this much a little bit less than an entire bottle of water a very expensive perfume very expensive open up the bottle pour out the whole but tops on you didn't think he was gonna pour out did you pour out the whole bottle over the feet of Jesus and then instead of logically having a towel or something with you or even using your garment she takes down her hair which would have been up like a proper Jewish lady she takes down her hair which would have been long because they never cut it she takes her hair and she starts wiping the feet of Jesus with her hair the you and I we get all these religious cobwebs and we read on the Michael oh yeah yeah she did that for instance that's really weird it's a really extreme thing to do but Mary was being extreme in her love for Jesus you know if I think about it I think first of all what Mary did for Jesus was remarkably humble what do I mean by that bridge she's washing his feet that was the work that the lowest slave did in the house and to wash the feet it was a normal thing to do but they did it when they came into the house Mary said note Jesus I think they washed your feet when you came in that's not good enough for you Jesus I'm gonna act as if I'm the lowest slave in the house and the water that they washed your feet with that's not good enough here's the most expensive perfume that I have and I'm gonna pour it out at your feet I'm gonna humble myself I'm gonna sit at your feet Jesus and take the place of the most humble slave and wash your feet secondly Mary's gift was remarkably extreme what do I mean by that friends it would have been of note if she simply washed Jesus's feet with water she took a large amount of a most expensive perfume how expensive Judas did the calculation and he said you could have sold that perfume for what was equivalent to a year's wages for a laboring man that's a lot then you might say why would they ever have such an expensive perfume friends in those days perfumes were often used as investments they were small they were portable they could be easily sold this might have been her dowry her life investment who knows what it represented but it was a substantial gift and what did she do France if she would have poured out half the bottle we would have gone oh my half the bottle that's amazing no no half the bottle with Jesus she empties it all all upon Jesus that's an extreme gift extreme finally Mary's gift was not only humble it was not only extreme but it was also on self-conscious what do I mean by that look we we all have a sense of propriety when we express our love for Jesus don't we Mary seemed in some sense I hope you don't take this wrong but Mary seemed in some sense to lose some of her sense of propriety in honoring Jesus what do I mean by that friends it was not proper for a Jewish lady to unbind her hair and let it all show it they thought that that the the the flowing locks of a woman's unbound hair was like her glory and it was reserved for her husband's eyes only that was the thinking and their like saying what you're doing what Mary all these men are eating dinner and you come in and you just let the LOX flow and then very demonstrable you're gonna wipe his feet with your hair get a towel Mary didn't care I don't know if it was planned I don't know if it's spontaneous but she just said I'm gonna be unselfconscious in the way that I love Jesus friends isn't there something super admirable in the way that Mary loved Jesus so humbly so extremely so unselfconsciously it makes me say I want to love Jesus that same way and notice what else it says there in verse 3 it says that the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil John still remembered what it smelled like it's as if he could close his eyes and breathe it and you know sometimes with a strong impression a sense of smell can make she's like he's like I can still smell that oil filling the whole house with its fragrance now we might think that the camera pans away at this point we go my what a remarkable act of Mary to do this and it wasn't remarked back but friends it's not over I want you to see what happens in the next verse and verse 4 check this out then one of his disciples Judas Iscariot Simon's son who would betray him said why was his fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor this he said not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief and had the money box and used to take what was put in it ok can we agree that when Mary did this it was very awkward I've had dinner with a lot of people we've had a lot of people into our home we've had dinner at a lot of people's homes I've never had this happen not at a dinner we've given or somebody's given for us we've never had it happen we're in the midst of dinner you know somebody comes and pours you know a huge bottle of expensive perfume over somebody's feet wipes it with the hair and all that this was awkward friends and you can imagine you know somebody thinking well should I break the awkwardness of the situation Lazarus is about to say hey how about those olives those are really good aren't they before Lazarus can say that Judas when he can't take it anymore he's gonna break the awkwardness of the situation and Judas just simply says he was whoa wait a minute folks this is way out of bounds isn't this a little too much aren't we getting away with ourselves here and then he throws down that trump card right the poor shouldn't have this been done for the poor and Judas is what nobody can argue with that I mean God wants us to give to the poor doesn't he God wants us to be generous to people who are in need and you can just sense the moral superiority that Judas is feeling and how strong he's feeling it but friends before we talking about that I just want to lay aside a principle can you get inside the scene here I just want you understand here's the principle generosity looks crazy to the greedy heart isn't that true don't you see Mary being so generous and Judas by the way Matthew tells us that some of the other disciples agreed I thought yes yeah yeah Judas you got a point there Judas good point Judas her generosity looked crazy to other people look I'll tell you this and some of you you you understand biblical generosity you understand what the Bible tells you about the way you should be generous with your resources some of you understand then get it and you know this I mean I'm just telling you but you know this you know that other people think you are crazy for what you do they say wow that much you give that much more to what they're thinking look don't let it throw you true generosity always looks like something crazy to a greedy heart that's how Judas saw this now notice what it says there in verse 6 this he said not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief and had the money box and he used to take what was put in it I wonder if Judas didn't see that bottle of super expensive perfume that Mary had and he's doing the calculations oh yeah that's worth a lot of money man if she gives that to the poor and works the money through me I can skim a lot off the top he's doing all those calculations therefore when she pours it out over the feet of Jesus how does Judas feel it's a waste the friends that trump card about the poor that he tried to lay down no no no his concern wasn't for the poor his concern was for his own pocket he was skimming off the top of the collective money of Jesus and the disciples Jesus the disciples were supported by some women and by some other people who donated to their needs Judas kept that money in his charge and Judas took money off the top and he stole it matter of fact it's even worse than that because that the chronology is a little bit under debate here but we read seemingly that according to Matthew and Luke that it was right after this right after this that Judas said I'm gonna go to the priests and betray Jesus for money for thirty pieces of silver it's as if Judas is doing the calculation I could have pocketed some of that money from the sale of the perfume that didn't work out how else can I get some money I'll go to the priests and I'll betray Jesus by the way sometimes people like to try to find a kind motive in Judas heart for betraying Jesus this is the one you hear sometimes they say well you know Judas really believed that Jesus was the Messiah he just wanted to force Jesus's hand and make him do that you know and so really had a good motive but he was just mixed up a friends don't you believe that for a moment the Bible gives one motive for what Judas did and you know what that one motive was greed he wanted the money what which astounds us and saddens us well Judas wasn't able to do that and Judas Judas opened up in his mind in his heart I believe through this greed and discontent he opened up a foothold to the devil and before you know it the devil is using Judas to bring the Son of God before the religious authorities who will send him to the cross verse 7 I'm so happy Jesus answers here where you still hit their dinner party in your mind they're all eating Mary does what she does Judas says what he says now Jesus is gonna have the last word ready for this verse 7 but Jesus said let her alone she has kept this for the day of my burial for the poor you have with you always but me you do not have always with you see what Jesus is saying same guys if this were a funeral we wouldn't be quibbling over the bill I've never been to a funeral memorial some time you see the coffin you see all the flowers you see all the you know plays fancy place have have you ever done that you go man this was a lot of money man they might have been able to do something better with that money now maybe you've thought that I don't think a single one of you some of you is messed up as some of you are I don't think a single one of you has ever stood up in the midst of a funeral and said you know this is all a little much isn't it couldn't we give them this money to something better than this no you understand that even if you think it you'd never say it would you friends Judas said it and that's what Jesus is saying Jesus saying if I were dead and she poured out this precious perfume on my body not a single person among you would question this expense you would think it was something honorable well let me tell you something I'm not dead but in a week I will be and how appropriate is it for Mary to do this now now when I can appreciate it when it can communicate it so eloquently to others Judas how dare you say this I love what Jesus said in verse seven let her alone leave her alone don't do anything about it you let her alone back off Judas now she has done this for the day of my burial my death is on the way and she honored me in this now we pick it up at the next verse verse 9 now a great many of the Jews knew that he was there and they came not for Jesus's sake only but that they might also see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead but the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus all right did you understand what I just read to you there from those verses first of all it says that there are a lot of people who stopped by just to look in at the dinner you know they poked their head in the door this is a village culture I mean people just do that in that culture you don't live behind walls so much everybody kind of has an open house and so even if you're not invited to the dinner you don't mind sticking your head in the door and go wow who's eating over there what that's Lazarus I thought he was dead no Jesus where's then look he could actually eat he really is alive they're not just setting up a mannequin or a corpse there at the table he's alive Lazarus is really risen from the dead and it attracted a lot of attention this was a big deal that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and everybody took note of it that's the first thing note the second thing to note in those verses that I just read the religious authorities said Lazarus has to die do you understand what's going on here Lazarus was irrefutable evidence of the power of Jesus to change a life and to bring life to what was dead and people hated him because he was irrefutable evidence of that friends do I have to reach very far to draw a spiritual principle from that if your life bears the marks of Jesus's work if people can look at your life and say man Jesus did something that guy look at her Jesus really changed her life there will be some people I hope it's few but there will be some people who hate you because of that can I just tell you something don't take it personal it's not so much that they don't like you they don't like the Jesus that changed your life and your life produces irrefutable evidence that Jesus has the power and the love to change lives today so what did they say kill Lazarus which by the way was kind of knuckleheaded what why are you gonna try to kill a guy that Jesus can just raise from the dead again but that's the way they're thinking they're not thinking clearly are they alright the cameras gonna fade on our first scene I said you need to visualize two scenes here going on one was the dinner party and Bethany okay we're done with that now the second scene is when Jesus enters in triumph to Jerusalem John states it very sort of succinctly in just a few verses let's look at it here starting at verse 12 ready for this the next day a great multitude that had come to the feast when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him and cried out Hosanna blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord the king of Israel then Jesus when he had found a young donkey sat on it as it is written fear not daughter of Zion behold your king is coming sitting on a donkey's colt his disciples did not understand these things at first but when Jesus was glorified then they remembered that these things were written about him and that they had done these things to him so the next day that day after the feast at Bethany Jesus comes into Jerusalem now Bethany was not very far from Jerusalem so Jesus is making the short journey the friends there's a lot of people around there's a lot of people because as John mentions here in verse 12 a great multitude why well because thousands upon thousands of people came to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast they came because it was commanded they came because it was tremendous party and they came because while it was just the thing to do and so they're all gathered there together thousands upon thousands of people so can you picture that scene in your mind there's Jesus walking in and there waving palm branches you get that there's Jesus walking in there crying out Hosanna save now blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord blessed be the king of Israel do you see that as well do you see Jesus riding on a donkey coming in everybody's celebrating I don't know if it's hundreds of people I don't know if it's thousands of people do you have that scene in your mind alright good I see if you nodding it yes you do alright now you got that scene you might I want you to add something to that scene that you've never added to before at least I never had maybe you have but I never had here's what you're missing in that scene according to the law of Moses and the customs of the Jews at that time all those pilgrims who came to Jerusalem for the Passover had to bring with them lambs because they had to sacrifice a lamb for Passover for every household and so there were thousands upon thousands of lambs now also according to the law of Israel that the lamb had to live with the family for at least three days before it was sacrificed so he couldn't bring it in the day before Passover you had to bring it in several days before and there were a lot of lambs because there were a lot of people how many lambs how many people I'll tell you this the ancient Jewish historian Josephus he calculated he counted in one year it's not the same year that Jesus died but it was a year of the same period he calculated how many two hundred and sixty and two hundred and fifty six thousand five hundred Passover lambs now I will admit there's some scholars who look at Michael well Josephus is exaggerating okay let's pretend let's pretend he's doubling the real fifty figure okay it was only a hundred and twenty-five thousand lambs that had to be brought in the day Jesus entered or the next day friends with that many lambs they were coming all day long 24 hours a day almost do you realize that when Jesus entered Jerusalem there were lambs everywhere coming into the city what do you think that was like for Jesus oh he hears the hosannas he sees the palm branches waving the palm branches were something like a a patriotic symbol going back to the time of the Maccabees and the Jewish liberation under them he hears the cries blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord he sees the children happy and dancing he's riding on the donkeys doing all those he gets it all and then he sees everywhere around him lambs streaming into the city as well and he says they cheer for me now but in a few days I am the Lamb of God given for the sins of the world and just like every Lamb I see is going to die in a few days so I will die now Jesus came in to the city of Jerusalem not as a lion but as one of those lambs and this is demonstrated by how he came in he came in riding on a donkey on a Colt a young donkey do you get what that means he did that not only to fulfill prophecy because Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9 says that the Messiah would come into Jerusalem riding on the donkey but he also did it because he wanted to contrast himself with the way that a general might enter Jerusalem a triumphal general would enter Jerusalem on a big white warhorse sword shield big impressive horse or a general might enter Jerusalem marching with his soldiers on foot you know there at the beginning the big procession he might enter it that way let me tell you how a general would not enter Jerusalem on a donkey about this high your feet touching the ground coming in on the kind of transportation that a businessman would use coming into a city because Jesus wanted to say I'm coming to Jerusalem I'm coming as Messiah I'm coming as king but I am the king of peace I'm not coming as a conquering general at least not in the way that you think so he comes into the city and what happens look at verse 17 therefore the people who were with him when he called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised from the dead bore witness for this reason the people also met him because they heard that he had done the sign the Pharisees therefore said among themselves you see that you are accomplishing nothing look the world has gone after him the big crowd because there's so many pilgrims coming into Jerusalem the big crowd because they're so excited that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead the Pharisees the religious leaders they look at all that and they go we're losing we set ourselves out to destroy this man Jesus of Nazareth and look he's winning I love the phrase that it uses there did you catch that in verse 19 they look at one another and say look the world is going after you you're accomplishing nothing is that a great phrase they just look at each other and go you guys are worthless you're not even doing your job you're accomplishing nothing in this work of trying to oppose Jesus friends I like it when the enemies of Jesus feel like they're accomplishing nothing and I like it when the opponents of Jesus feel like the whole world is going after Jesus and that Jesus is winning don't you like that that's a good feeling isn't it I'm like look I want to be on Jesus's side and therefore when it looks like Jesus is winning I get all charged up about that yes Jesus you're winning yes I love it this is great the whole world is going after you but which John recording the words of the religious leaders there they spoke an unknowing prophecy because they were just using exaggeration it wasn't the whole world it was a few thousand people in Jerusalem but John looks at that and sees it was a prophecy of how the whole world would go after Jesus later because friends on this Sunday in the middle of June the Year 2015 there's more than a billion people that name the name of Jesus Christ there's millions upon millions upon millions of people all over this world worshiping Jesus Christ as Savior the whole world has gone after Jesus and we're grateful for that this is why don't you understand I love this scene because it looks like Jesus is winning but then I think that in just a few days the same crowd that some of them said Hosanna and blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord some of those same people would be crying out crucify him I realized that Jesus even though he's being applauded and cheered by the crowd today in just a few days after this he's going to be on a cross I realized that the religious leaders who thought that Jesus was winning and they were losing in a few days those religious leaders are gonna spit in the face of Jesus and mock him as he hangs on the cross France nomic make no mistake about it on this day when Jesus enters into Jerusalem it looks like he's winning in a few days is gonna look like he's losing now I can get depressed or I can despair when I feel like Jesus and his cause is losing it's easy to feel like that in the world today isn't it do you hear the news you hear what's going on in the world today you hear about the confusion there's do you hear about the injustice do you hear about the perversion you hear about the violence do you hear about the chaos do you hear about it ever friends I hear at all and I go Jesus where are you what's going on this this thing is spiraling out of control the world is going mad just like we studied last Wednesday as I'm teaching through the Book of Jeremiah on Wednesday nights it's like God has given the world a cup of judgment to drink and the first thing that it does is it makes him crazy now look around the Lord the world's going crazy they're all gone mad Lord what's going on here then I realize this but even when it looked like Jesus was losing a few days after this fans he was winning more than ever where did he win bigger than the cross the cross was his greatest victory ever it looked like he was losing at the cross it looked like he lost everything but friends he won everything for us at the cross what I'm just trying to say and I'll just leave you with this it's very simple we like it when Jesus wins but we don't despair when it looks like he's losing don't despair look I love it when we get wins for Jesus when people come to Christ when people are healed when people are filled with the Spirit of God when sin is overcome when addictions are broke we go yes Lord this is great for friends let me tell you something I do not want you to despair even if you think man God where are you in this where are you in the world where are you in my personal life what's going on around me don't you despair because even when it looks like Jesus might be losing its only appearance Jesus always wins and he'll find a way to pull out a glorious victory even in that father that's my prayer I pray Lord that you would help us to rejoice when it seems like the cause of Jesus is being glorified and going forward but lord I pray also that you would help us to be filled with a lot of hope and a lot of Fay's faith when it feels like the cause of Jesus is not winning because Jesus we know you are the Conqueror you are the victor you win it all Lord and we're very grateful for it pour out your spirit among us Lord I pray for everybody here this morning that you would bless them and anoint them and give them everything they need to live for you for another week do it more pour out your spirit upon them in Jesus name Amen [Music] you

Channel: David Guzik

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Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: john 12, gospel of john, burial, burial of jesus, anointing of jesus, mary, mary and jesus, lazarus, martha, judas and mary, david guzik, guzik, enduring word, triumphant entry

Id: ZPoadvL9eTg

Length: 37min 54sec (2274 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 25 2020