Why Jesus?

JESUS ENTERS: Why Jesus?

John 12:1-11

#easter2026

INTRODUCTION… The Five-Ws

A long time ago in a land far far away, a man named Aristotle who lived from 384-322 BC said [abbreviated]: “It is not a pointless endeavor to divide circumstances by kind and number: (1) the Who, (2) the What, (3) around what place (Where) or (4) in which time something happens (When), and sometimes (5) with what, such as an instrument (With), (6) for the sake of what (Why), and (7) the (How), … and it seems that the most important circumstances are those just listed, is the Why.”

When we ask the five questions every good journalist asks… Who? What? When? Where? Why?... we are stepping into a pattern shaped long ago by Aristotle because it is a good framework for us to help us understand something that has our focus. Believe it or not, in the 1880s, these 5 standard questions were at the center of good Bible Study teaching as well (William Cleaver Wilkinson). You were probably taught these basic questions in English class in school because these are the logical normal questions we ask when trying to understand something.

Imagine you walk into your kitchen and find a completely empty package of Girl Scout cookies. You just set them on the counter not but moments before. Suddenly, you are a detective using the Five-Ws:

Who ate the cookies? All eyes probably turn to a teenager or spouse hiding behind a house plant.

What happened? They disappeared leaving only the package behind.

When did this occur? Sometime between when you brought in the first bag of groceries and the last bag of groceries.

Where did the evidence go? You have no idea, but there are crumbs on the counter.

Most importantly… Why? The teenager or spouse says… “I was hungry.”

Congratulations, you’ve just conducted a five-fold causal Aristotelian investigation. Every time we ask those five simple questions, we’re thinking in structured categories that go all the way back to Aristotle… even if it’s a heinous scarring crime scene about girl scout cookies.

Why bring this up?

We are going to begin looking at John 12 this morning as we head towards Easter. This morning, we are going to read the first eleven verses of the chapter and in coming weeks we will look at the rest of John 12. To help us grow closer to Christ and understand what this Scripture passage has for us, we are going to be covering those basic questions: Who, What, Where, When, and most importantly… Why!

Why is important because… God never says or does anything without reason.

Why is important because… this leads to life change.

TRANSITION

John is one of the four Gospels at the beginning of the second part of the Bible called the New Testament. It is the fourth Gospel actually… Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then John. A Gospel is a unique form of literature that combines biography, history, religious teaching, stories, poetry, prophecy, and symbolic writing all into one. John wrote his account to show listeners and readers that Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Son of God. He wrote it with a lot of theology in mind because he wanted those who read the words to come to saving faith in Christ Jesus (John 21:24-25). There are a lot of one-on-one conversations in John. There are long sections of teaching and prayers. John even includes the significant “I am” statements of Jesus like “I am the Bread of Life” and “I am the Good Shepherd.”

Let’s read from John 12.

READ JOHN 12:1-11 (ESV)

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for Him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples (he who was about to betray Him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me.” 9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of Him but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.”