Pastor Jonathan Falwell
1. Jesus was praised
John 12:1-3 (CSB) Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
- Here Mary used nearly a year’s wages of value to anoint the feet of Christ
- This was her declaration of worship
2. Jesus was criticized
John 12:4-8 (CSB) 4 Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?” 6 He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it. 7 Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.
- Judas was criticizing the worship of Jesus over the value of the gift. He was focused more on his own desire than being in the presence of Christ.
- Verse 7 is Jesus’ recognition of the value of worship
3. Jesus was welcomed
John 12:9-17 (CSB) Then a large crowd of the Jews learned he was there. They came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, the one he had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests had decided to kill Lazarus also, 11 because he was the reason many of the Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus. 12 The next day, when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took palm branches and went out to meet him. They kept shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,—the King of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written: 15 Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt., 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first. However, when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. 17 Meanwhile, the crowd, which had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify.
- Lazarus faced attack because he didn’t fit into the cultural norms of the day. It was more important for him to adhere to the “politically correct” than point people to Jesus.
- Some early writers estimate over 2.5 million people were in Jerusalem for the Passover
- The Passover week began with the declaration the Jesus was, at the very least, connected to the Messianic prophecy
4. Jesus was killed
John 12:23-28 (CSB) Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. 25 The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 27 “Now my soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.”
- Jesus pronounces the time has come that He must do the Father’s will
- In verse 24, Jesus shares a familiar thought with a people who understood the concept of how a dying seed is the only way to produce life. Jesus was speaking of His own life and the result of what He was about to do.
- In verse 27, Jesus makes it clear, He didn’t simply come to preach messages, heal the sick or encourage the people, He came to die. This is what He is supposed to do.
Application:
- Never allow your worship to be crowded out by your preferences or desires
- Never allow the testimony of what Jesus has done in your life to be watered down or silenced because of the will of the “people”
- Focus your life on what it is you are supposed to do, regardless of the distractions, criticisms or difficulties