John 12
October Memory Verse: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (NIV)
John 12
Yesterday we read a lot about Lazarus, including his death and Jesus raising him from the dead. That was quite the miracle, to say the least, and it brought Jesus a lot of attention. That’s where we pick up the story in today’s chapter. Jesus is at dinner (with Lazarus) and Mary gets up and pours expensive perfume on Jesus to anoint him. She doesn’t just put a few drops on Jesus’ neck and wrists like we may do today. Instead, she douses his feet with the entire bottle. And then wipes his feet with her hair! Back then, people walked everywhere they went, so people’s feet were incredibly dirty. I am blown away by Mary’s humility here. She wasn’t afraid of humiliating herself by bringing dirt from his feet onto her hair.
I consider myself to be pretty frugal and can’t stand to see waste. For example, I cringe every time my kids use an excessive number of baby wipes or when we have to throw out food that went bad. So I can definitely relate to Judas’ comments about ‘wasting’ the expensive perfume that was worth a year’s wages! However, we have the luxury of also being able to see the selfish heart behind this comment. In this case, Judas wasn’t truly concerned with the good that money from the perfume could have done (that he claimed as his motivation). Instead, he was selfishly upset that he wouldn’t be able to get that money himself. As we know, Jesus is always concerned with the heart. Like it is with giving gifts… it’s the thought that counts.
Next, we see Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey with the crowds celebrating him. Talk of the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead continues to spread. People are certainly taking notice and wanting to see what Jesus will do next. And the religious leaders of the day didn’t like the attention that Jesus was garnering.
Following his entry into Jerusalem, Jesus foretells his death. In verses 24-25, we find encouragement in the analogy of the kernel of wheat. Through the sacrifice of Christ, he has paid for the sins of everyone who truly knows him. The death of one for the life of many. We are then called to live lives that look different from the world around us.
24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Finally, we read about how some people believe while others do not. In verse 43, it says that some wouldn’t acknowledge their faith because “they loved human praise more than praise from God”. In The Search for Significance, this is called The Approval Trap. In this trap, we get caught up in what others think of ourselves and falsely believe that we must be approved by certain others to feel good about ourselves. However, that’s not the way God designed things. His approval is all that matters, so if we are in Christ, we have been reconciled to Him and are accepted by Him. The “approval” of others should have no bearing on our perception of self-worth.
Some questions to think about today:
1. People’s lives are messy. Am I afraid of truly loving people enough to get a little dirty / uncomfortable / inconvenienced myself?
2. In what areas of my life do I exhibit selfish tendencies? What can I do this week to think of others first above myself?
3. Like the crowd that met Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, what is my motivation in following Jesus? Do I truly love him or do I love what he can do for me?
4. We often hear at CPC, “you cannot come into relationship with the resurrected Christ and remain unchanged”. How does my life look different now than it did before I knew Christ and also when compared to my unsaved friends/coworkers?
5. How have I seen The Approval Trap manifest itself in my life? If this is something that you would like to learn more about, ask your discipler to take you through The Search for Significance.
In the comments let us know what stuck out to you from this passage. Praying for you today CPC!
By: Thomas Carter
John 12
Yesterday we read a lot about Lazarus, including his death and Jesus raising him from the dead. That was quite the miracle, to say the least, and it brought Jesus a lot of attention. That’s where we pick up the story in today’s chapter. Jesus is at dinner (with Lazarus) and Mary gets up and pours expensive perfume on Jesus to anoint him. She doesn’t just put a few drops on Jesus’ neck and wrists like we may do today. Instead, she douses his feet with the entire bottle. And then wipes his feet with her hair! Back then, people walked everywhere they went, so people’s feet were incredibly dirty. I am blown away by Mary’s humility here. She wasn’t afraid of humiliating herself by bringing dirt from his feet onto her hair.
I consider myself to be pretty frugal and can’t stand to see waste. For example, I cringe every time my kids use an excessive number of baby wipes or when we have to throw out food that went bad. So I can definitely relate to Judas’ comments about ‘wasting’ the expensive perfume that was worth a year’s wages! However, we have the luxury of also being able to see the selfish heart behind this comment. In this case, Judas wasn’t truly concerned with the good that money from the perfume could have done (that he claimed as his motivation). Instead, he was selfishly upset that he wouldn’t be able to get that money himself. As we know, Jesus is always concerned with the heart. Like it is with giving gifts… it’s the thought that counts.
Next, we see Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey with the crowds celebrating him. Talk of the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead continues to spread. People are certainly taking notice and wanting to see what Jesus will do next. And the religious leaders of the day didn’t like the attention that Jesus was garnering.
Following his entry into Jerusalem, Jesus foretells his death. In verses 24-25, we find encouragement in the analogy of the kernel of wheat. Through the sacrifice of Christ, he has paid for the sins of everyone who truly knows him. The death of one for the life of many. We are then called to live lives that look different from the world around us.
24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Finally, we read about how some people believe while others do not. In verse 43, it says that some wouldn’t acknowledge their faith because “they loved human praise more than praise from God”. In The Search for Significance, this is called The Approval Trap. In this trap, we get caught up in what others think of ourselves and falsely believe that we must be approved by certain others to feel good about ourselves. However, that’s not the way God designed things. His approval is all that matters, so if we are in Christ, we have been reconciled to Him and are accepted by Him. The “approval” of others should have no bearing on our perception of self-worth.
Some questions to think about today:
1. People’s lives are messy. Am I afraid of truly loving people enough to get a little dirty / uncomfortable / inconvenienced myself?
2. In what areas of my life do I exhibit selfish tendencies? What can I do this week to think of others first above myself?
3. Like the crowd that met Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, what is my motivation in following Jesus? Do I truly love him or do I love what he can do for me?
4. We often hear at CPC, “you cannot come into relationship with the resurrected Christ and remain unchanged”. How does my life look different now than it did before I knew Christ and also when compared to my unsaved friends/coworkers?
5. How have I seen The Approval Trap manifest itself in my life? If this is something that you would like to learn more about, ask your discipler to take you through The Search for Significance.
In the comments let us know what stuck out to you from this passage. Praying for you today CPC!
By: Thomas Carter
1 Comment
I haven't read The Search for Significance, but I'm guessing it has to do with realizing one's significance through acknowledgement of God, submission to Christ, and following the lead of the Holy Spirit. As I read of Jesus' last days and His pleading with people to see and accept the truth, it makes me more aware of my insignificance without Him. I'm so grateful He never gave up on me.