The Gospel of John Chapter 12
We’ve reached a turning point in the Gospel according to John.
Now that you know the cost of discipleship
Chapter 12 through 17 of the book now focuses on the training of the
disciples.
The first chapters are to convince you that Jesus is God incarnate.
These middle chapters are to help you live your life informed by this truth.
So it’s a training manual for disciples.
That’s the perspective I am going to take as we read through the next 6
chapters of John’s Gospel.
The events that we will consider take place during Passover.
What we traditionally call Palm Sunday through Easter.
Most of the dialogue is between Jesus and His disciples.
These passages are referred to as the Upper Room Discourses.
In Chapter 12 there is an act of Worship that stands out in the text.
We will focus on Mary’s Anointing of Jesus ,
Before we do there are some gems for disciples that I want to bring to
your attention.
John 12:25-26 (MSG)
In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal. "If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.
This should be a familiar theme to you now.
Your life is comprised of your time, your money, your interests and your
very heart beats
Your life is physical: Biological and material
Your life is Spiritual: psyche and soul.
The ancient temptation of Satan is to like God.
Be your own God,
Trust your self, your own understanding of good and evil,
Your power to discern between right and wrong.
You are the supreme authority,
You are the arbitrator of your morality
Set your own course.
Create your own world.
Jesus tells His disciples surrender your self sovereignty.
It means letting go of running your own life as you see fit and
And living your life to serve Jesus.
Surrender self love for a reckless love
Reckless Love—
Love for God demonstrated by your obedience
to His commands.
Love for others demonstrated by your preoccupation with
meeting the needs of others.
Love for the Earth demonstrated by your good
management of the material resources entrusted
into your care.
Love for self demonstrated by your growth in becoming
more like Jesus.
This is the calling for disciples—follow Jesus on the path of reckless love.
The cost is your life, but in the process you gain His life.
Another gem from this passage is Jesus statement about absolute identification
with the Father.
John 12:44-45 (MSG)
"Whoever believes in me, believes not just in me but in the One who sent me. Whoever looks at me is looking, in fact, at the One who sent me.
According to John this is the last of Jesus public teaching,
The rest goes on behind closed doors.
Jesus tells everyone that to look at Him is to be able to see everything
that we can humanly understand about the God.
I heard it again just this past week,
I’m not sure I like the God of the OT.
There are many passages in the OT that speak of God’s
unquenchable wrath, His anger at the rebellious, and the
utter destruction of His enemies.
We don’t have time for a long discourse but maybe I can throw in a thought.
According to whose side you are on,
The hero can be the villain, or the villain the hero.
It’s a matter of perspective.
There will be some who see God as a terrible Judge, a compassionless jury
and a fearsome executioner.
Annihilating sin and the sinner.
There will be some people who see God as kind and compassionate, slow to
anger abounding in mercy and forgiveness.
Redeeming the sinner and saving to the uttermost.
Same God, so how do you reconcile the two opinions?
Think with me just a moment—
God is love (1 John 5:3) and it is God’s will that no one should
spiritually die (2 Peter 3:9)
2 Peter 3:9 (MSG)
He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change.
It is God’s purpose to redeem His creation from the enchantment of sin.
To those who align themselves with God’s purposes and enter into a
right relationship with Him they see a God of love.
To those who remain in rebellion they will see a God of death.
Each individual decides there own fate.
The choice is up to each person,
the consequences of that choice are set.
With that said I feel we’re ready to see an example of how a disciple is to Worship.
I want you to recall that Worship is giving God His due.
Worship is not a song and a sermon,
Worship is an attitude of the heart 24 7 365
We will watch all of Chapter 12,
Feel free to read along in your Bible.
A lot is going to be said,
But I want to concentrate on the actions of Mary.
Oh –300 denari is equal to a years wage
Roll Video.
John 12:3 (NIV)
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Mary sets an example of the attitude of Worship that we as Jesus disciples must
learn to imitate until it becomes a part of who we are.
As common as breathing.
Mary wasn’t present because it was the popular thing to do.
Mary wasn’t in the home for fellowship with other believers.
Mary wasn’t at the home to enjoy a good meal with friends.
Mary wasn’t there trying to impress anyone.
Mary wasn’t at the feet of Jesus to hear a sermon.
Mary wasn’t at the feet of Jesus to ask for something
Something much more powerful was going on.
Something incredible to behold.
Jesus tells a critical Judas Mary has anointed Him for burial.
Mary has met a need for Jesus.
The ointment was expensive.
A year’s wage, no doubt part of Mary dowry for marriage.
A pint poured out on the feet of Jesus,
Would douse his feet,
It was a lavish anointing.
Possibly one could consider it a sign of reckless love.
Then Mary begins to dry Jesus feet with her hair.
It was the servant of the home who washed the feet of the guests.
In a home of modest means the youngest would wash feet.
But here Mary takes on the form of a servant.
She liberally applies what some might consider a life’s savings on Jesus feet
and then dries those feet with her hair.
I’ve read a lot of experts trying to tell us what the significance of drying
Jesus feet with her hair.
There doesn’t seem to be much consensus.
So let me throw in my opinion into the mix.
It was lavishly undignified.
IT reminds me of David dancing naked before the Lord.
It was an act of self effacement and self giving.
Song leader lead us in Undignified
I will dance, I will sing
To be mad, For my King
Nothing Lord Is hindering, This passion in
my soul
Chorus:
And I'll become, Even more undignified than this
Some may say, It's foolishness
But I'll become, Even more undignified than this
Leave my pride, By my side
And I'll become, Even more undignified than this
Some may say, It's foolishness
But I'll become, Even more undignified than this
Reckless love passionately and lavishly undignified.
Mary forgot about herself and Worshipped.
John the Baptist said he wasn’t worthy to carry Jesus sandals. (Mt 3:11)
And here is Mary on her knees before Jesus wiping his feet with her hair
Unheard of.
Not even the lowest of the low would clean feet with their hair.
Mary made herself nothing,
Gave something precious,
To meet the need of Jesus.
That is true worship.
We sing—Heart of Worship
And its all about you Jesus.
That’s what Mary acted out for us.
We sing—How Great is our God,
That’s what Mary acted out for us.
Not so long ago we sang—All To Jesus I Surrender
That’s what Mary acted out for us.
We sang: Blessed Assurance
Blessed Assurance Jesus is mine oh what a foretaste of
glory divine.
That’s what Mary acted out for us.
There was a song in the 70’s—My Tribute
“How can I say thanks for the things you’ve done for
me”
That’s what Mary acted out for us.
Mary's worship was total gift of herself to meet the need of Jesus
That is the attitude of a disciple’s worship
Now notice:
Mary’s act of extravagant worship not only exposed her heart,
But it exposed the heart of every one in the room.
Note Judas’ response.
It comes from his heart, it comes from what motivated him.
He was about getting, Mary was about giving.
He was a hypocrite—Sounded Spiritual---“should have been given to
the poor, but it was all about him.”
Mary was preparing for Jesus’ burial
Judas was preparing for Jesus’ betrayal.
Real worship exposes the motives of the heart,
Not only of the one doing the worshiping but in the ones watching the
worshiper.
Now I need you to step out to the text with me and wander down a path of
inference and implication in order to see how we are to imitate
Mary’s act of worship.
Mary worshiped by meeting the need of Jesus
John 12:7-8 (NIV)
"[It was intended] that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."
When we briefly considered John 12:44
I said that there is an absolute identification between Jesus and the Father
Jesus said to see Him was to see the Father.
In His parable of the sheep and the Goats—Jesus tells us that he has an
absolute identification with those in need.
Let’s read it a portion of it:
Matthew 25:35-40 (MSG)
I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.'
"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When
did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when
did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say,
'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone
overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'
Do you see the connection?
Jesus says when you meet the need of another,
You’re meeting His need.
When you meet the need of another,
Jesus says you’re meeting His need.
When I consider Mary’s action, I see an extravagant act of worship.
Passionately undignified, recklessly loving
I see a model for all disciples to follow.
When you meet the needs of another at the cost of a personal sacrifice you are
worshipping God.
Matthew 25:40 (NIV)
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
When you are motivated by extravagant Love.
When what was done for you becomes your desire to do for others. You will be worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth.
You’ll be giving God His due,
Worshipping Him 24 7 365.
So in Mary’s anointing of Jesus
We have an example of how we as Jesus disciples are to worship.
We worship by meeting needs.
The more self-less
the more passion driven,
the more reckless the expression of love,
the more beautiful the worship.
As we wrap up this teaching,
I challenge you to examine the state of your worship.
Are you a 24 7 365 worshipper
Or are you not convinced that Jesus is who He said He is?
Are you a reckless lover or are you holding back?
Passionate about meeting needs or still more concerned with your own
stuff?
Undignified or properly reserved?