Two weeks ago, everything changed in the gospel of John. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, in the full sight of a large group of Judeans. And when the Judeans saw this, "many" gave their allegiance to Jesus. In an instant, they moved from being stubborn, and hard-hearted, and seemingly hopeless, to realizing that everything Jesus said must be true. Jesus is who he says he is. Jesus can offer the life, that he claims to offer. And once you realize this, the obvious next step that you take, is to give your allegiance to Jesus. And "many" did this, as well.
Let's pick up this morning in John 11:45:
(45) Then, many from the Judeans-- the ones coming with Mary, and seeing what he did-- gave allegiance to him.
(46) Now, some from them, left toward the Pharisees,
and they told them what he did-- Jesus.
(47) Then, they gathered together-- the chief priests, and the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin,
and they were saying,
"What are we doing?,
because this man, many signs, he is doing.
(48) If we allow him [to go on in] this manner, all will give allegiance to him,
and they will come-- the Romans--
and they will take away from us-- both the place and the nation."
(49) Now, a certain one from them, Caiaphas, high priest being of that year, said to them,
"You don't know anything,
nor do you consider,
that it is profitable/advantageous for you,
that one man should die for the people,
and not the whole nation would be lost/perish."
(51) Now, this from himself he didn't speak,
but, being high priest of that year, he prophesied,
that Jesus was about to die for the nation,
and not for the nation only,
but in order that also the children of God-- the ones dispersed-- would be gathered into one.
(53) Then, from that day, they resolved,
that they would kill him.
(54) Then, Jesus no longer openly/boldly/plainly was walking around among the Judeans,
but he left from there to/for the region near the wilderness, to/for Ephraim, a city being called,
and there he abided with the disciples.
How do we view the situation at this point? From one perspective, we should find ourselves wildly optimistic. The fields are ripe for the harvest. Many Judeans can, in fact, come to Jesus, and give their allegiance to him. Anything is possible, now that they've seen a big enough sign pointing to Jesus.
From another perspective, we find ourselves understanding that Jesus is quickly approaching the hour of his death. The religious leaders have decided that they only solution to Jesus, is to murder him. And when they do this, they prove that Jesus was right about them: their true father is Satan. John 8:44:
You, from your father the devil, you are,
and the desires of your father you want to do.
That one, a murderer he was from the beginning,
and in the truth he doesn't stand
because the truth isn't in him.
How exactly all of this play out, we still need to see. But those are the two main lines the story is moving in.
Our story continues this week, in John 11:55:
(55) Now, the Passover of the Judeans was near,
and many went up to Jerusalem from the surrounding area before the Passover,
in order that they would sanctify themselves.
(56) Then, they were seeking Jesus,
and they were saying with one another in the temple, (while) standing,
"What does it seem to you,
that there is absolutely no way he will come to the feast, right?
(57) Now, they gave-- the chief priests and the Pharisees-- commands,
that if anyone knew where he is, he should report [it],
so that they could seize/arrest him.
In these three verses, we find the same distinction between, on the one hand, "many of the Judeans", and on the other hand, the religious authorities. "Many" are seeking Jesus, in a good way. But the religious leaders want to arrest him. The only thing that's changed here, is that time has moved forward. We find ourselves at the edge of the Passover. And maybe we remember John the Baptist's words: "Look! The lamb of God, the one taking away the sin of the world." Maybe Jesus will be the Passover lamb.
In all of this, so far, Jesus is missing. Where is Jesus? Are the crowds right, that there's no way he comes for the Passover? John 12:1:
(12:1) Then, Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany,
where he was-- Lazarus--
whom he raised from the dead-- Jesus.
(2) Then, they made him a supper there,
Let's pause.
"They made him a supper there." "They" is Lazarus, and his two sisters, Mary and Martha.
Imagine that you are Lazarus. How do you show your gratitude to someone who gave you life? Or, what would you do, if you were his sisters? How do you thank Jesus, when he brings you from a place of no hope, and total despair, and wailing, to making your family whole?
The first thing you might do, is serve as gracious hosts, and invite him over for supper (H/T Jerome Neyrey, who is the only one I read who really recognizes this for what it is). There are few better ways to thank Jesus for saving you, than to have him in your house, eating a supper that you cooked, while serving him. Few things are more powerful, or meaningful, than hospitality.
So the first thing you might do, to show gratitude to Jesus, is invite him over for a supper. We understand that. We see this pattern of people inviting either Jesus, or his disciples, into their houses throughout the NT (Matthew 10:11; Acts 16:15, 33). And that's what Lazarus, Mary, and Martha do. They invite Jesus over.
What next?
What we are about to read, is that each one of these three-- Martha, Lazarus, and Mary-- has an additional verb (or more, with Mary) that they do toward Jesus. And we are supposed to hear each verb, and read into them, and realize that we are seeing a profound truth. What comes next gives us a picture for two things: (1) how we can show gratitude toward Jesus, and (2) what it looks like to be a true disciple of Jesus. So my plan, is to read into these verbs about as hard as I can, and you can decide if I'm messing this up or not. [The way you'd decide, is by trying to figure out a different explanation for why AJ has included the details he has].
First, we read about Martha:
and Martha was serving.
When you hear this, your first instinct might be to criticize Martha. You have this vague memory that in another gospel, somewhere, what Martha does in serving Jesus is not the best thing she could do. But we are reading John. And AJ (Author of John) expects us to read this, and view Martha positively. "Martha was serving Jesus."
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If there's one thing I could teach people about how to read the gospels more skillfully, it would be this: Read what's in front of you. Have enough respect for the author, to base your interpretation and application on what's in front of you. Anyone who would say anything negative about Martha here, or peeks at a synoptic, is going to mess up everything, and miss the point.
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If you are truly grateful to Jesus for giving life to you, and your family-- for making you whole-- your instinctive response should to be to serve Jesus (John 12:26). You will cheerfully, readily, eagerly, make your life, a life of service to your Savior and King.
So Martha does well here. She serves Jesus, before Jesus has taught his disciples a single thing about serving him, or each other (H/T Gail O'Day).
Next, we read about Lazarus. Still in verse 2:
Now, Lazarus, one, he was, of the ones reclining with him.
A second mark of Jesus' disciples is that they "abide with Jesus." We've seen this language about abiding throughout the gospel. Here, we get a small picture of what that looks like. If you are Jesus' disciple, you stick close to him (John 13:23). You share a "supper" with him (1 Cor. 10:14-22). [Get something on the NT picture of eating at a supper with people, reclining].
Next, we read about Mary. And AJ has deliberately been building up to this (using imperfect verbs for the first two), saving the best for last. Verse 3:
(3) Then, Mary, taking a pound of fragrant oil, genuine, very costly, anointed the feet of Jesus,
and she wiped with her hair his feet.
What Mary does here, should blow us away. When Jesus makes your family whole, and gives your brother life, what else can you do? A meal is a good start, but it's not enough. How do you show Jesus how truly grateful you are?
You give extravagantly. You give without any thought, about the cost to yourself. You give your best. You give with total humility, out of thanksgiving. You give without worrying about what people will think about you. You give, realizing that money, is just money.
And so you pour out a fragrant oil on Jesus' feet that was worth nearly a year's salary, and anoint his feet with your hair. Why his feet? Why not his head?
Maybe, we are supposed to hear an echo of Isaiah 52:7:
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the one bringing news,
the one announcing peace/prosperity (shalom),
the one bringing news of good,
the one announcing salvation,
the one saying to Zion,
"He reigns as king-- your God/Elohim."
Jesus has the most beautiful feet in the world. It makes perfect sense, that you'd anoint the feet of someone who carries the good news of salvation-- who brings news of peace and prosperity.
Let's stop for a second, and think about what we've just read. When we put Martha, and Lazarus, and Mary together, we should realize that what we are seeing, is a picture of true discipleship-- a picture of how we, as Jesus' flock, can serve Jesus in a way that gives him the glory and honor he deserves. You serve Jesus. You abide with him, sharing a meal with him. And you give Jesus yourself, and your possessions, sacrificially.
Now, Jesus, in the coming chapters, is going to have a lot to say about humbling yourself, and dying to yourself, and loving one another self-sacrificially. Jesus himself, is going to model this, by washing his disciples' feet, and then going to the cross for us.
But here, before we read about any of that, we see three disciples doing the right thing. They are models for us to follow. When you serve Jesus, you do so without any thought to yourself. Mary, in particular, shows total humility here. Do you think she cared what anyone thought about her? Was she worried about what people would say? None of those things matter, when you have the chance to serve Jesus, the one who gives life.
Our story continues, still in verse 3:
Now, the house was filled with the fragrance of the fragrant oil.
(4) Now, he says-- Judas the Iscariot-- one of his disciples-- the one about, him, to hand over/betray --
(5) "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"
(6) Now, he said this,
not because about the poor he cared about,
but because, a thief, he was,
and the money box having, the things put in it he was stealing.
There has maybe been a time in your life when someone you know has given extravagantly to Jesus. Maybe someone made a huge donation to the church, and even though they gave it anonymously, their name was leaked out. Or maybe someone gave something, and there was simply no way to hide it. The gift was too big to be concealed.
And you found yourself, in that moment, thinking evil, wicked thoughts. You wondered what their motives were. You wondered if they were trying to get something out of it for themselves. You wondered if they just wanted everyone to look at them, and praise them. You knew that their humility, and sacrifice, far exceeds what you are willing to give to Jesus. And you found yourself needing to tear them down to protect yourself from feeling condemned. From having your own lack of gratitude and service exposed.
When Mary poured a pound of expensive oil/perfume on Jesus' feet, and wiped her hair on them, she's obviously not very concerned about what people think about her. She's not doing this to make people think she's some amazing disciple. But her gift is too remarkable, and too big, for people not to notice. The house is filled with the fragrance of the oil. Everyone smells it. Everyone realizes what she's done.
The question is, what do you think about it? What do you do about it?
Judas here, thinks she did a wasteful thing. But he doesn't just think this. He doesn't hide his evil thoughts. He says them out loud. He takes her beautiful sacrifice, and tries to ruin it, and cheapen it. He tries to shame Mary.
But AJ doesn't let him get away with this, for even a second. He makes sure you know, there is something fundamentally wrong with Judas. Judas is the one who is going to betray Jesus. And Judas is a thief, who made a habit of stealing the money people gave to Jesus, and using it for himself.
Judas understands that every dollar in the world can only be spent one of two ways-- either on himself, or on anything else. And so Judas reveals his greed, and his selfishness, and his total lack of spiritual awareness. But he does this in a way that sounds incredibly pious. His words are like art, for how well they hide his hypocrisy.
We as readers, though, know the truth. And we expect Jesus, who can see right through people, to know the truth as well. Verse 7:
(7) Then, he said-- Jesus--
"Leave her.
[The purpose was that] for the day of the preparation of my burial, she would keep it.
(8) For the poor, always, you have with you.
Now, me, not, always, you have.
Jesus' response to Judas, is that God set all of this up ahead of time. At some point in the past, Mary bought the fragrant oil, but she never used it. God's plan was that she use it now, here, for Jesus, in preparation for his burial.
Did Mary fully understand what she was doing? AJ doesn't say. [Probably, it's the wrong question]. But what Mary was doing, was preparing Jesus for his death.
Verse 9:
(9) Then, it found out-- a great crowd of the Judeans--
that there, he was,
and they came-- not because of Jesus alone,
but in order that also Lazarus they would see,
whom he raised from the dead.
Immediately after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, "many" Judeans came to Jesus, and gave their allegiance to him. Now, "the many" become even more. A great crowd of Judeans "come" to Jesus. They want to see Jesus, and they want to see the sign-- Lazarus. And so, what we see, is this groundswell of people coming to Jesus. If we were wildly optimistic before, what are we now? Huge crowds, coming to Jesus. A true revival. The beginnings of something amazing.
Verse 10:
(10) Now, they decided-- the chief priests--
that also Lazarus, they would kill,
because many because of him were leaving from the Judeans,
and giving allegiance to Jesus.
In verse 10, we see another example of people with dark, wicked hearts. The chief priests make the decision that they have to kill Lazarus. The sign that he represents, is too big. He is a neon billboard that all of Jerusalem can see. He points too brightly, too obviously, toward Jesus. You have to kill the sign.
And why?
Verse 10 is an important clue for understanding the gospel as a whole. When people give their allegiance to Jesus, part of what that means, is a turning "from" something, "to" Jesus.
This large crowd of people "leaves" the Judeans. They stop being Judeans.
If we try understand this in terms of race, or ethnic group, it doesn't make sense. We have to understand "Judeans" in terms of religion. Part of what it means to come to Jesus, for "Judeans," is that you have to leave Judaism. You are either part of the group that wants to kill Jesus, or the group that gives their allegiance to Jesus. You can't have it both ways. If you are a Judean, you are either for Jesus, or against him. You have to make the choice (anticipating John 12:42-43).
The religious leaders understand this. They know that every person who comes to Jesus, is a person who is leaving them. Their kingdom is shrinking. Their flock is losing sheep. And this is unacceptable. So Caiphus had said, it's better that one man die, so that the nation won't perish. If you can say that, and justify murder, it's not hard to take another step. It's better that two men die, than the nation perish. Lazarus will have to be murdered, as well.
And so we find ourselves finishing this story wondering, where does it go from here? We see more and more people streaming to Jesus. But we also see the religious authorities, more and more determined to murder him. And know that Jesus' death, at this point, is inevitable.
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I'm very deliberately ending the sermon here because John marks a paragraph break in the next sentence when he talks about "on the next day." Trying to work within the markers he left to guide us.
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This is a passage that pulls us in more than one direction. But I'd like you to leave today, thinking about three marks of Jesus' true disciples.
One of the marks of a true disciple, is hospitality. [Really, I meant to save this for a separate sermon. Oops]
When Jesus commissioned the twelve, and sent them out as missionaries, this is part of his instructions to them.
Matthew 10:9-15:
9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
The assumption is that people who hear the gospel as good news, will open their homes up to Jesus' disciples.
Acts 16:13-15:
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Lydia is a model for how this is supposed to look. The first thing she does, after becoming a disciple, is welcome Paul and his companions to stay at her house. And that's what they do.
Acts 16:25-34:
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
The jailer shows his true faith by showing hospitality to Paul and Silas. Hospitality is the first thing you show after being saved. It's the first mark of a disciple.
Hebrews 13:1-2:
13 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Hospitality is maybe the most neglected aspect of Christian discipleship. And I say this, as someone who is guilty of this. When you invite people into your homes, or they invite you into theirs, you establish a connection with them, that can't be made any other way. Hospitality is a core part of what it means to be Jesus' disciple. And at some point, we as a church are going to have to move away from viewing and treating people as vectors of disease, to treating them as our brothers and sisters in Christ, and welcoming them into our homes.
So that's the first mark of discipleship-- hospitality.
The second mark of discipleship, is that you abide with Jesus. We are a people who spend time with Jesus. We hear his voice (and not just in the Bible). Every time we practice the Lord's Supper/Eucharist, we share a meal with Jesus. Just like Lazarus, we abide with Jesus.
The third mark of discipleship, is that you serve Jesus. And when you serve Jesus, this is not something you do half-heartedly. You serve Jesus like Mary did. You serve extravagantly, sacrificially, without any thought to yourselves. You serve, not caring what anyone else thinks about you. You don't worry about people's criticism. Jesus knows the truth. He knows your heart. And that's enough.
And why do we serve Jesus this way? We are a people who understand that Jesus gives life. And we don't just understand this. We celebrate it. We go through life, praising Jesus, serving Jesus, grateful for what he's done for us. Grateful for what he continues to do for us.
So let us, this week, serve Jesus like Martha, and Lazarus, and Mary. And when we see other people serving Jesus this way, let's celebrate this. And let's copy their example.
Translation:
(55) Now, the Passover of the Judeans was near,
and many went up to Jerusalem from the surrounding area before the Passover,
in order that they would sanctify themselves.
(56) Then, they were seeking Jesus,
and they were saying with one another in the temple, standing,
"What does it seem to you,
that there is no way he will come to the feast, right?
(57) Now, they gave-- the chief priests and the Pharisees-- commands,
that if anyone knew where he is, he should report [it],
so that they could seize/arrest him.
(12:1) Then, Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany,
where he was-- Lazarus--
whom he raised from the dead-- Jesus.
(2) Then, they made him a supper there,
and Martha was serving.
Now, Lazarus, one, he was, of the ones reclining with him.
(3) Then, Mary, taking a pound of fragrant oil, genuine, very costly, anointed the feet of Jesus,
and she wiped with her hair his feet.
Now, the house was filled with the fragrance of the fragrant oil.
(4) Now, he says-- Judas the Iscariot-- one of his disciples-- the one about, him, to hand over/betray--
(5) "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"
(6) Now, he said this,
not because about the poor he cared about,
but because, a thief, he was,
and the money box having, the things put in it he was stealing.
(7) Then, he said-- Jesus--
"Leave her,
[The purpose was that] for the day of the preparation of my burial, she would keep it.
(8) For the poor, always, you have with you.
Now, me, not, always, you have.
(9) Then, it found out-- a great crowd of the Judeans--
that there, he was,
and they came-- not because of Jesus alone,
but in order that also Lazarus they would see,
whom he raised from the dead.
(10) Now, they decided-- the chief priests--
that also Lazarus, they would kill,
(11) because many because of him were leaving from the Judeans,
and were giving allegiance to Jesus.
