Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee.
John 12 ~ New Revised Standard Version
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them[HIS feet] with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
9 When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.
12 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—
the King of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. 17 So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. 18 It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. 19 The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
27 “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw draw all people [things - i.e. creation, animals] to myself.”
33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
34 The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah [Christ] remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
35 Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”
After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. 37 Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
“Lord, who has believed our message,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.”
41 Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke about him. 42 Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.
44 Then Jesus cried aloud: “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. 47 I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, 49 for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.”
We become, as adults, a generation reading the Bible as people who have seen the subtitles for so long, we Forget to look at the WORD with the awe and wonder as the people who knew Jesus writing of HIM. There are so many warm and wonderful words truly telling us about Jesus.
John Begins the Gospel He wrote of Him expressing His Glory, fulfilling Grace and Truth. He tells us not that Jesus has a brightness but a LIGHT.
Isaiah, John tells us, spoke of HIM. Isaiah said this because he saw His Glory and spoke about Him.
When you read God's Word, written for you, remember to look for the Words and phrases revealing God's glory to you.
As mature Children of God, we see: Jesus is anointed by Mary, the plot (unfulfilled) to kill Lazarus, Palm Sunday, Greeks tell us the spreading fame of Jesus & the Jews wondered if Jesus would depart to Greece to avoid the Trouble following HIM, the unbelief which would make anyone other than the Messiah want to run, compelling Jesus to declare again exactly who HE is.
John's, all his earthly writings tell us, life was completely changed being one of the men Jesus chose to walk the highways and paths of life with Jesus. This is told to us as one who was really in awe of the human being called Jesus. Picture the image of the human being John knew and loved so well.
What did the Son of the Most High do for Passover? He went to dinner party given by some of his favorite people. Mary served. Lazarus was at the table with Jesus. John is telling us a man rose from the dead and was well enough to attend the dinner party. Mary is so overcome she spends a year's wages on the perfume for Jesus' feet. This is family giving back to a loved one.
Confusion can be a contributing aspect of life. We rarely encounter this in literature. Our hero does not miss things in literature. Here the Temple plans to kill Lazarus and does not because later the dead will rise proclaiming Jesus risen. The disciples themselves will teach after Jesus' death in the Temple area and later move to the area, from the Temple, to proclaim Jesus Victorious in the area designated to foreigners. See the Book of Acts for details. Jesus wanted Lazarus alive and Lazarus is going to live.
Jesus receives proclamations, fame from Greece, and a voice of God surrounding HIM. He does not do more than say this troubles Him and then gives glory to His Father. The acclamation is passed further on instead of absorbed and contained and allowed for self glory. Jesus shines as the Light of God.
Jesus does not act as a spotlight, instead He is our Savior.
The Word tells us the Pharisees believe but allow the Light to pass them by. Jesus proclaims He will do what the Father tells HIM and gives Him the Words to speak.
His commandment is eternal life to Jesus. What does Jesus say our commandment is? The Scriptures are so connected, if we sat in front of Jesus witnessing these things, we would wonder. John continues to tell us what Jesus said:
John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Matthew 5:41
Whoever compels you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles.
Jesus made Himself available to those around Him. Even the Pharisee who would would visit Him at night named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. Jesus would continue the conversation in honesty and frankness with so much mercy Nicodemus would do all he could for Jesus. The Light of the world. Look for His Light when you read the Word. Let His Word speak to you.
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