Don't Kill the Messenger (John 12:9-11)

Today's scripture: John 12:9-11

We continue to see the chasm between those who sought Jesus because they believed in Him and those who sought Him to get rid of Him.

There's an added twist here, though. Not only did the chief priests seek to kill Jesus, they also wanted to kill Lazarus. Why? Just because Jesus had raised him from the dead. Lazarus was proof of Jesus' divinity.

Jesus had performed many miracles by this time. He'd even raised people from the dead. Why was the raising of Lazarus different for the chief priests? I'm not completely certain, but I've heard that the Jewish belief was that a person's soul left his body after four days. When Jesus had raised others from the dead, they hadn't been dead as long, so one might argue that they still had their souls. So perhaps the miracles weren't ... so miraculous. But they couldn't say the same about Lazarus. He was in the grave for four days.

When people heard about this miracle, they knew Jesus was more than a man, more than some magician or healer. They began to listen to Him and His teaching. And they believed in Him.

The chief priests figured if they killed Lazarus, the buzz about Jesus would die down. Little did they know that the message wouldn't die ... just as its Messenger wouldn't die.

Giving Him Everything (John 12:1-8)

Today's scripture: John 12:1-8

What would you give to Jesus to show your love for Him? Would you be willing to shower Him with the best you have?

Not too long ago, we read of Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead. We read of His love and compassion for Martha and Mary. Not too long after this, Jesus came again to spend time with these friends He dearly loved. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was reclining with Him. This scene seems a mirror image of another visit Jesus had with these siblings.

John's gospel doesn't describe this previous visit, but Luke tells the story. You're probably familiar with it. Jesus comes to visit. Martha is running around trying to get dinner on the table, but Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet. Martha complains, and Jesus gently reminds her that "Mary has chosen what is best ..." (Luke 10:38-42, CEV).

Now Jesus is with His friend again. Again, Martha is serving, and Mary is at Jesus' feet. But there is a key difference in today's story. Mary isn't just sitting at her Savior's feet. No, she's anointing His feet with a "pound of very costly perfume of pure nard" and wiping His feet with her hair.

We can learn two things about Mary's act.

First, a pound of "pure nard" would have been worth about one year's salary. She wanted to show how much she honored Him and gave Him what may have been her life's saving. The money didn't matter; she just wanted to worship Him. Think about what you gross each year? Would you be willing to lavish an entire year's salary to show honor to Him?

Second, not only was Mary willing to give of her material possessions, she was willing to give of herself. Letting her hair down in the presence of men may have been scandalous. Dr. Leila Leah Bronner in an article entitled, "To Cover or Not to Cover: That is the Question," writes:

The Bible presents hair as an ornament, enhancing the appearance of a woman. The attraction of a woman's hair is poetically expressed in the Song of Songs: "Your hair is like a flock of goats from Gilead" (6:5). However, hair may have been covered in biblical times, since there is some evidence that the unmarried girl, like her married counterpart, may have covered her hair. The Song of Songs reads: "Your eyes are like doves behind your veil" (4:1). The verse indicates that the maiden kept a veil over her hair, even though she appears to be unmarried. Similarly, the betrothed Rebecca demurely covers herself upon first sight of her intended husband (Genesis 24:65). Because the evidence is sparse, we do not know precisely if, or how this custom of hair covering was observed.

However, whether it was required or not, Mary's willingness to expose herself illustrated something very important: She didn't care about rules and regulations. She didn't care about perceptions. She only wanted to show her devotion to Jesus. She wanted to lavish Him with her love, wiping His feet with her "crowning glory."

How can we apply Mary's actions? We can be willing to give everything—everything—to Jesus. If He asks, will we give up our jobs, our homes, our things? And are we willing to risk the ridicule of others by "letting down our hair" to serve Him?

Mary gave everything to Him to worship and honor Him. Will we do the same?

Happy Independence Day!

We interrupt our usual programming (!) ... Okay, just a one-day break from our study in John ...

I wanted to wish each of you a happy 4th of July.

Whatever you choose to do today (a picnic in the park, going to Disneyland, a backyard BBQ), take a moment to pray for our nation. We're so very blessed to live in freedom and prosperity, yes; however, we do need to remember to Whom we belong. We should thank God for His blessings, for His provision, for His protection.

We also need to follow the words in 2 Chronicles:

"... [if] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and heal their land" (7:14).

I pray for God's richest blessings on you and yours this Independence Day!

Seek Jesus (John 11:55-57)

Today's scripture: John 11:55-57

Again, we see the two disparate views of Jesus, both during His earthly sojourn and today. Some people were seeking Jesus; others wanted to seize Him.

Those who had seen His miracles and heard His message wanted to know Him more. They wanted to learn more about Him. They wanted to follow Him.

Others had seen those same miracles—or at the very least had heard about them. They'd also heard His message of love and peace. Yet they wanted to seize Him and halt His message.

As Solomon wrote, "... there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). People today still seek Jesus, either to follow Him or to hinder His message.

So many have that God-shaped hole in their hearts, and they know something's missing. They hear about changed lives and miracles. Friends and family members share stories of what God has done in their lives. They see evidence of Jesus in those who follow Him.

And they seek Him. They want to learn from Him. They want to follow Him.

Then there are those who have also heard about Jesus. They've also heard about changed lives and have seen the evidence. But they don't like the Bible's message of how a follower of Jesus should live. Or they see those who call themselves Christians live hypocritical lives.

And so they seek to seize Jesus' message and obliterate it.

Interestingly, though, no matter whether someone seeks Jesus to follow Him or to wipe out His message, Jesus can't be ignored. He won't be ignored.

And one day, every single person will find Jesus. Some will find Him and serve Him forever. Others will find Him and recognize Him as God—yet because they sought to halt His message, they'll spend eternity separated from Him forever.

Seek Him ... but seek Him rightly.

Prophecy Fulfilled (John 11:47-54)

Today's scripture: John 11:47-54

God can use anyone to fulfill His purpose. In today's verses, a high priest, who certainly did not believe Jesus was the Son of God, prophesied that "Jesus was going to die for the nation ..."

When Caiaphas said that one man should "die for the people," he said so because the chief priests and Pharisees were afraid that there would be an uprising with the people and the Romans would completely seize control. They were worried about political implications; they had no concern whatsoever about the eternal destiny of their people.

Yet, no matter his motives, Caiaphas still spoke truth because one Man definitely died for the people, and yes, Jesus' death prevented any immediate political conflicts. Temporarily, it seemed as though the chief priests' and Pharisees' desire was fulfilled.

But Caiaphas' prophecy was fulfilled in a way he and his cronies never expected. Jesus, one Man, died, not to save the people from Roman rule, but to save them from eternal separation from God. One Man came to save everyone who believes in Him.

A prophecy made by someone who didn't understand who Jesus really was and what He came to do was used by God. We don't know if Caiaphas ever came to believe in Jesus, but we do know that God used him. God will do whatever He wants in order to fulfill His purpose—even using an enemy.

The Most Important Choice (John 11:45-46)

Today's scripture: John 11:45-46

We make choices each day. Some are just routine. What time to get up. What to eat for breakfast. What to wear. What route to take to work or school. Where to have dinner.

Nothing earth-shaking nor life-changing.

Then there are those choices that are truly important. What college to go to. What job to take. What house to buy.

Even more important are choices such as whom should I marry? How many children should we have?

But the most important choice we can make is one that not only can change our lives on earth, but also for eternity. Will we believe in Jesus or not? For some, this doesn't seem that important. Either they don't believe in God at all, or they think Jesus is just one way to heaven.

But the Bible, which has been proven to be archaeologically true, makes it clear. The God of the Bible is the one true God. Jesus is God the Son. He died on the cross to save us from our sins, and belief in and acceptance of that sacrifice provides for our salvation and assures us of eternal life with Him.

God gave us the choice to follow Him. We can believe in Jesus or not. But we do have to make a choice. It's the most important choice we can make.

Have you made that choice?