Lazarus

MARY ANNOINTS JESUS – John 12:1-3

Christian blog site, extravagant love, John 12:1-3, Mary anoints Jesus' feet, Uncategorized

Have you ever spent your money extravagantly?  Did you do so in order to reward yourself?  Was it done to impress someone else?  Or was it an act of love from your heart?  Did you regret it later or are you glad you did so?

In this passage of Scripture, John 12:1-3, an extravagant act is performed; an act which many might consider to be boastful or wasteful.  The Lord Jesus Christ is on the receiving end of that extravagance.  Let’s take a look at what happened.

I.  THE SETTING (verses 1-2)

Verse 1 tells us that it is now six days before the Passover.  Jesus and His disciples have come out of hiding.  They “came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.”  The Gospel writers, Matthew and Mark, also describe this event, and they tell us that Jesus and His disciples, as well as Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, are at the home of Simon the Leper, and are enjoying a meal together [Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9].  We aren’t told, but it is likely that Simon the Leper was a relative of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.  That would help explain verse 2, which says, “So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.”   We see, once again, that Martha loves to serve by preparing the food.  She may also have organized this banquet for Jesus and His disciples as a way of thanking Jesus for bringing her brother, Lazarus, back from the dead.

II.  MARY ANNOINTS JESUS’ FEET (verse 3)

In verse 3, we observe Mary’s devotion to Jesus.  We meet Mary three times in the New Testament scriptures.  On the first occasion, Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him (Luke 10:39).  The second time, she fell at Jesus’ feet, seeking help and sympathy after the death of her brother, Lazarus (John 11:32).   Now, in verse 3, she is about to anoint Jesus’ feet.  In each case, Mary is at the feet of Jesus.

Verse 3 tells us that she had, in her hands, “a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard.”  This perfumed oil represented the best that money could buy.  It was a gift fit for a king or queen and was very expensive for two reasons.  First, it was probably imported from India where it was extracted from the roots of the nard plant.  Secondly, nard, or spikenard oil, was sealed in alabaster jars to preserve its fragrance.  That jar was probably worth at least as much as the perfume itself, and it had to be broken in order to get the perfume out of it.  In verse 5, we are given its approximate value:  300 denarii.  That’s a year’s wages for a common laborer!  Let’s put that in today’s terms.  I live in Oregon, and the minimum wage here in Oregon is approximately $12 per hour.  That’s $96 a day for eight hours of work.  If you multiply that daily wage by 300 days, you have a total of $28,800.  That’s almost $30,000 worth of perfume, poured out on the feet of Jesus.  Would you call that extravagant?  I would!

Why does Mary have this expensive bottle of unused perfume in her possession?  The main use of this ointment was that of anointing a dead person’s body in preparation for burial.  It may have originally been purchased for the purpose of embalming her dead brother, but the family waited because they were told that Jesus was coming.  Now that Lazarus is alive again, she decides to lavish that fragrant perfume on Jesus.  Another possibility is that she purchased this perfume after Lazarus came back to life at the command of Jesus.  As we study this passage of Scripture, we will understand why this possibility may be what actually happened. 

This perfumed oil is the most expensive item that Mary possessed.  Martha and Lazarus may have known about her intent and were in wholehearted agreement with her decision.  It’s possible that Jesus may have told them, as He did His disciples, what would soon happen to Him in Jerusalem.  Mary, who always paid close attention to Jesus’ words and His teachings, must have known that His death was soon to occur.  She may also have known the Old Testament prophecies that spoke of it.  It seems that Mary may have sensed that this would be the last time that Jesus would be enjoying a meal with them, so she wanted to express her love and devotion to her Messiah and friend in the most generous and unselfish way.

In Matthew 26 and Mark 14, we find that Mary first poured some of the oil on the head of Jesus.  Then she poured the rest of it on His feet and wiped His feet with her hair.  Just a few days earlier, Mary and Martha were concerned about the stench of their brother’s body when Jesus told them to roll away the stone from his tomb.  Now the house was filled with the sweet smell of the perfume.  Mary used her hair, what the Scriptures say is a woman’s glory and crown, to wash the dirty feet of Jesus.  Bible commentator, William Barclay, tells us about one of the customs in Palestine during the first century AD.  “On the day a girl was married, her hair was bound up, and never again would she be seen in public with her hair unbound.  It was the sign of an immoral woman to appear in public with her hair unbound.”  But Mary wasn’t concerned about what others thought.  Her only desire was to express her love for Jesus

Mary didn’t use water but expensive perfume.  That is the essence of worship.  True worship of Jesus Christ is, first of all, humbling.  It is recognizing that He is King of kings and Lord of lords.  Secondly, true worship is generous and costly, done out of love for the Lord.

CONCLUSION:

Do you and I have a humble and extravagant love for the Lord Jesus Christ?  Is He more valuable to us than everything else we possess?  Are we unashamed to be devoted to Him by putting Him first in our lives?  Are we unashamed to be identified with Him and to proclaim Him to others?

Having observed the selfless devotion and costly generosity of Mary, there is another person in the Scriptures whose gift was infinitely more extravagant at a cost that was beyond measure.  The apostle Paul described that person and His gift in Ephesians 1:7-8.  He said, “In Him [the Lord Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us.”  I like the word “lavished”!  God loves us so much that He humbled Himself and became a man, in the Person of Jesus Christ, so that He might shed His own blood to pay the penalty for our sins.  Not only that but we are also filled with His grace now and forever. G-R-A-C-E:  “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense”.  Are you a follower of Jesus Christ?  Have you repented of your sins and given your life to Him?  Has your life changed as a result?  If you are unsure, please visit my sermon entitled, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO RECEIVE CHRIST? – John 1:12-13, and respond to God’s leading in your life.

If you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ, living a changed life because He is living in reigning in you, these words of the apostle Paul will be true of you:  “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of Him in every place.  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).  I think the fragrance Paul speaks of is the fruit of the Spirit of God (“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”). as it is manifested in us when we yield the control of our lives over to Him from moment to moment (Galatians 5:22-23)  May those around us feel refreshed and attracted to Christ, as we live our lives devoted to Him and His word.

CONSTRUCTION SITE:  COMPLETED

Thank you for visiting this completed, construction site:  John 12:1-3   I hope you enjoyed the fragrance as you imagined yourself in the midst of this dinner party.

LAZARUS! COME FORTH! — John 11:28-44

John 11:28-44, Lazarus raised from the dead, resurrection of Lazarus, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

You may remember that Jesus’ first miracle was the turning of water into wine at the marriage feast in Cana.  He told the servants to fill the six stone waterpots with water and take some of it to the head waiter.  When he tasted the water turned to wine, he said to the bridegroom, “You’ve saved the best for last.”  We have a tendency to save the best for last, don’t we?  And we usually have good reasons for doing so.  Why do gymnasts put their most impressive skills at the end of their routines?  Why do fireworks designers put the big burst at the end?  Why do we eat dessert last?  We like a grand finale, don’t we?  We like to expect, or at least hope that the best is yet to come.

TRANSITION:

The Lord Jesus has something really special in store for Martha and Mary, for those who are with them mourning the death of their brother, Lazarus, and especially for Lazarus himself.  Jesus has already had a short conversation with Martha and has told her that He is “the resurrection and the life.”  She responds by saying, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”  She affirms her faith in Him as her Messiah.  The words “I believe” are in the perfect tense meaning, “I have believed and I will continue to believe.”

I.  MARY COMES TO JESUS (verses 28-32)

After saying those words to Jesus, verse 28 says that Martha “went away, and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ ”  Martha may have sat down beside Mary and whispered those words in her ear.  She did this secretly because she wanted her sister to have some uninterrupted time with Jesus before He arrived at their home.  She may also have been concerned about the welfare of Jesus since many of the antagonistic, Jewish leaders were in her home at that moment.  Verse 29 tells us that Mary “rose quickly, and was coming to Him.”  Jesus was still waiting on the outskirts of the village of Cana in Galilee.

Her sudden moves and quick exit did not go unnoticed.  Her friends mistakenly thought that Mary was going to the tomb of Lazarus in order to weep there.  Verse 31 says “they followed her” in order to weep with her there.  This was the customary thing to do.  They were following the Jewish rules of etiquette during the time of mourning.  The Greek word translated as “weep” needs some further explanation.  It means to “wail”.  It is a loud expression of pain and sorrow.

II.  MARY GREETS JESUS (verse 32)

When Mary arrived at the place where Jesus was waiting, verse 32 says, “She saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ ”  Mary’s words are filled with emotion and she is weeping and wailing loudly.  She fell at Jesus’ feet as an expression of worship.  Those who followed behind her were weeping and wailing loudly along with her.  There was a lot of noise and a lot of emotion being expressed in the presence of Jesus.

III.  JESUS’ RESPONSE (verses 33-35)

In the midst of all this clamor that is going on around Him, let’s ask ourselves this question:  “What may be going through Jesus’ mind at this moment and how is it affecting His emotions?”  Verse 33 says, “When Jesus, therefore, saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled.”  They weren’t shedding tears but were making loud, almost hysterical sounds of mourning, customary for Jewish funerals of that day.

First, Jesus was “deeply moved in spirit”. The Greek word literally means “angered”, so “deeply moved” might convey that Jesus was enraged. Outside the New Testament, this word was often used by the Greeks to refer to the snorting of horses.  The Greek word translated “troubled” means to “shake together”, “stir up”, or “agitate”.  It was used to describe the pool at Bethesda which had an underground spring.  The spring would sometimes send hot water up to the surface and the pool would churn and bubbles would appear.  The two Greek words combine to describe a wave of anger that came over Jesus.

What was the cause of such a strong emotional reaction on the part of Jesus?  Was it seen in His facial expressions and did His body shake with anger?  It doesn’t say in the text but it must have been obvious to the apostle John as he remembers what happened that day and describes what he observed firsthand.

There may have been several reasons for Jesus’ anger in verses 33 and 34.  Let’s explore some reasonable possibilities.  Jesus may have been angry at the fake expressions of grief shown by those who followed Mary as she hurried to meet Him.  Their loud wailing was not a true expression of grief.  They were just following their traditions and competing with one another. They were grieving like the pagans who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Jesus would also have good reason to be angry about sin and its consequences.  Sin, sickness, and death have plagued mankind ever since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:17-19).  God has been angry at sin and its effects on mankind ever since that day.

In addition to these reasons, Jesus may have been deeply troubled by the fact that no one believed that He was God.  After all His teaching and the miracles He performed over a period of three years, some were willing to believe that He was the Messiah, but they didn’t equate that with being God.  They still did not understand who He was nor the mission He had come to this earth to fulfill.  Finally, as Jesus was about to perform His greatest miracle before their eyes, He knew that the raising of Lazarus from the dead would set the wheels in motion for His own death just a few days away.  Rather than convincing the Jews to believe in Him, this miracle would convince them to kill Him, and this is in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.  All of these reasons may have played a part in forming Jesus’ emotional state at that moment.

Verse 34 seems like a sharp contrast – a change of mood.  Jesus set those feelings of anger aside in order to minister to the needs of Mary and Martha.  He asks Mary, “Where have you laid him?”  Then, in verse 35, “Jesus wept.”  The Greek word speaks of a quiet shedding of tears, not a loud wailing.  Why would Jesus weep when He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead?  Many reasons have been given.  I prefer to believe that Jesus was revealing His humanity as He entered into the grief of Mary and Martha.  The prophet Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).  Jesus demonstrated the love of a true friend by entering into their sorrows.  Mary and Martha would always remember the events of that day, and they would also remember the tears.  As the apostle Paul later said in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” 

IV.  AT THE TOMB (verses 36-42)

On the way to the tomb, verse 38 says, “Jesus therefore again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb.”  What caused Jesus’ emotions to become stirred up again?  The answer to that question seems to be found in the previous verse.  The Jews said, in verse 37, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?”  After three years of watching Jesus perform miracles that only the Messiah could perform, they still consider Him to be just a man who has some healing abilities.  The hardness of their hearts and their spiritual blindness must have been a source of irritation to Jesus. 

As they stand in front of the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus makes an astonishing request when He says, “Remove the stone”.  Martha, who earlier affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah, is quick to respond, saying, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”  Martha’s faith failed at that moment.  She didn’t want to expose herself and her guests to the ugliness of death.  The King James version says it more bluntly:  “Lord, by now he stinketh.”

I saw an advertisement recently that showed a picture of a huge and beautiful flower.  Out of curiosity, I looked for more information and learned that it is the largest individual flower in the world and it has a strong odor after it blossoms.  Its nickname is “the corpse flower” and it wasn’t given that name because of its outward appearance.  Need I say more?  I wonder if God made that flower really big so that people could enjoy its beauty from a distance!

Getting back to the narrative, I wonder whether some of the mourners stepped back a few feet after Jesus said these words to Martha:  “Did I not say to you, that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  Verse 41 says, “And so they removed the stone.”   They must have done so at Martha’s bidding because I don’t think they would do so otherwise.

This raises a question.  Why didn’t Jesus perform a miracle to remove the stone?  He could have saved time by telling the stone to roll away.  Mary and Martha were hoping for a miracle.  By doing so, He could have shown them that He was capable of performing a miracle on their brother.  Why did He demand that the stone be rolled away by the men who were standing there beside Him?  The Lord Jesus had a reason and a lesson that He wanted to teach them.  The Lord would not do by a miracle what they could do by obedience.  You might call this an “audience participation miracle”, and these men are going to get a whiff of it firsthand!

Once the tomb was open, Jesus “raised His eyes” (verse 41).  He lifts His eyes toward heaven because He wants everyone to know that He is about to pray. He wants them to be quiet and listen.  This is going to be a public prayer.  Jesus will be saying His words loud enough for everyone to hear them.  Public prayers are different from private prayers because people are listening to the words, and Jesus wants them to learn something from it.  Here is His prayer:  “Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me.  And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.” 

It’s a very short prayer, and it’s a prayer of thanksgiving even though He hasn’t performed a miracle yet.  I get the impression that Jesus is ending a conversation that He has been having with the Father privately.  He has made a request and He has received the Father’s permission and enabling in order to do what happens next.  He ends His conversation with the Father out loud because He wants everyone to know the closeness of His relationship with the Father and the authority that has been given to Him by the Father.

V.  THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS (verses 43-44)

Then, facing the entrance to the cave, Jesus shouts, with an even louder voice:  Lazarus!  Come forth!  As the Good Shepherd, Jesus is calling His sheep by name.  As he said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

Within a few seconds, there were gasps and expressions of joy as Lazarus came hopping out of that cave in the direction of Jesus’ voice.  John describes that moment in verse 44 when He writes, “He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth.”  Lazarus couldn’t see, and he could hardly move, but he responded to the voice of his Shepherd.  Wouldn’t it have been interesting to see what was going on inside that cave after Jesus shouted those words?  Lazarus opened his eyes but he couldn’t see.  His hands and feet were tied so he could hardly move.  How he was able to stand up, I don’t know.  But all these things were incidental.  When he heard the voice of Jesus calling his name, he immediately obeyed.

Among all the spectators who were standing beside Jesus, including those Jews who opposed Him, there was no question and no doubt in their minds that Jesus had performed a miracle and brought Lazarus back to life.  In verse 44, Jesus immediately tells them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”  The embalming spices, which were wrapped tightly against his body and head using long strips of cloth, not only made it difficult for Lazarus to move but also to breathe.

What a joyous reunion that must have been!  Tears of sorrow had now become tears of joy.  Jesus had saved His best, public miracle for last.  What a display of the power and the glory of God!

In this passage of Scripture, we see clearly the deity of the Lord Jesus.  When He raised Lazarus from the grave, none of His onlookers questioned it, and none could prove otherwise.  If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ there is no reason to fear death because Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), and He is our pathway from death to eternal life (John 5:24).  There is also every reason to live for Him.

We have also gained insight into the humanity of Jesus Christ.  He displayed human emotions when He trembled with anger and rage at sin, its consequences, and the failure of people to come to an understanding that He is the God-man – deity in bodily form.  In John 11:35, Jesus expressed His emotions in tears as He entered into the grief of Martha and Mary and released His own pent-up emotions.  Then He performed His last and greatest public miracle by raising Lazarus from the dead.

APPLICATION:

As you consider your own life today, would you say that you are completely satisfied, or do you feel that there is something missing in your life?  Do you feel that you already have the best that this life has to offer or is there an empty place that you haven’t been able to fill?  Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”  He is the One who resurrects people from the dead, both physically and spiritually.  He is the One who gives abundant life now and eternal life with Himself.  In John 10:27, the Lord Jesus was referring to Himself as the good Shepherd, and He said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life.”  He is the very best that this life has to offer, and offers the brightest future to all those who choose to turn from sin’s control over their lives in order to follow Him as their Lord and Savior.  He alone has the power to change your life and give you eternal life with Him.

If you are a genuine disciple of Christ, do you share in Jesus’ hatred for sin and grieve over sin’s effects on the people around you?  Are you burdened by the realization that, for many people in this world today, the worst is yet to come?  Hell is a real place and it’s a place of permanent residency.  Are you ready to write down people’s names on a list and pray for them daily?  If you haven’t done so already, are you willing to write a brief personal testimony of your journey to personal faith in Christ, memorize it, and learn a gospel presentation using the Scriptures?

God wants to use us to resurrect the spiritually dead in sin and bring new life through faith in Jesus Christ.  He also desires to use us to help new believers to grow.  As we pursue these goals and priorities in our lives and draw closer to Him as we spend daily time with Him in His Word and in prayer, we will experience the very best that God has for us in this life

CONSTRUCTION SITE:  COMPLETED