John 13:21-30 – The radical love of Jesus

Still on Judas Iscariot, Jesus was deeply troubled just thinking about him. We will never know what drove Judas to do what he did. But one thing we do know is that the Lord loved him even though He was aware of what he was going to do. Hence it is understandable that the Lord should be troubled. Reflecting on these verses we can only see the love of the Lord reaching out to someone, even though He knew of his wicked intention. They were still at the upper room and locked in deep moment of fellowship. He had just given the instruction to serve each other. He had also warned them of troubled times ahead to prepare them. He was literally telling them to stay faithful and focused. He encouraged them that whoever would receive them would actually be receiving Him and the Father.

Reflect on this declaration of the Lord, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” It’s sobering just to think about it. What was Judas thinking? Here Jesus’ voice must have given hint to how He felt. John said He was deeply troubled in spirit before He made known what was troubling Him. His emotion were obvious and His disciples could see it. But they were unaware that it was because of Judas. Can we see the heart of the Master? Just a few hours away from the cross, yet He was concerned not for Himself but for someone who was going to betray Him. The disciples understood the deep troubled heart behind His expression but they did not know who He was referring to. So they were shocked.  Just think of this: The Lord knew exactly what Judas was going to do, yet He did not point him out. None in the room knew the betrayer was Judas. It tells us how tightly Jesus guarded him. Had He just made known that Judas was going to betray Him, we can’t imagine what the rest would do to him. Why did the Lord not point him out? It’s because He was reaching out to him. He still did not reject him. Jesus was giving him the opportunity to respond to His love.

Remember when He was washing their feet, He said to Peter, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” He was hinting to Judas that He knew what he intended to do. He was appealing to him. Just imagine the Lord now washing Judas’ feet still with deep love for him, only to be met with a conscienceless expression from him. And if we look at the sitting arrangement at the table, we can see that Judas was sitting closest to Jesus, in a place of honor. Peter who was seated further away signaled to John, who was closer to Jesus, to check with the Master concerning who the betrayer would be. Even when Jesus passed the morsel to Judas, the disciples still couldn’t tell that he was the betrayer. Why? Jesus wasn’t pointing him out, He was reaching out to him in love. His emotion did not show it. Hence the disciples concluded that He was only serving Judas. However, immediately on receiving the morsel Jesus passed to him, he was completely overtaken by Satan. Even when the Lord released him to execute Satan’s bidding, He didn’t reveal what Judas was going to do. Everyone thought that Jesus was sending him to do something because he was the treasurer. There was complete darkness in his heart, a heart that did not care about the morning. So dark was his heart that John in verse 30 concluded “…and it was night.”

Judas must take the responsibility for what he did. He acted on his own. Jesus had tried to reach out to him in so many kind and loving ways. But He had rejected every overture of Jesus’ radical love and grace. To respond to Jesus’ love and to love Him in return is an intensely personal thing. We alone know whether we truly love Jesus or not. It is something we cannot deceive ourselves. We can put on a show to deceive others but we can never deceive ourselves. Have we truly loved Jesus? We alone know the answer best.

John 13:12-20 – The challenge to serve each other

Position, pride and prestige are the by words of today’s world, so also were they in the context of what Jesus was saying in these verses. The disciples would fight tooth and nail for the throne, but none of them would exercise the ministry of the towel. Undeniably what Jesus had done in the feet-washing, was the supreme example of the exact opposite. He was showing us what we ought to do if we are to be His ministers in our day.

After He had washed the disciples’ feet, Jesus put back His usual garment and reclined at the table with them again. In Luke’s account of the last supper, he said that “And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest” (Luke 22:24). That could be why Jesus popped the question in verse 12, “Do you know what I have done to you?” That question must have induced a complete harsh in an instant. Everyone understood what Jesus was driving at. Up to that point, everyone wanted to be served rather than to serve. It was true that the task of feet washing was delegated to the servant, but if there wasn’t one to do it, the first two persons to arrive were supposed to do the task for the rest of the guests. But none of them made the move.  

So in verses 13-16, Jesus issued the challenge. He argued from the greater to the lesser. He argued that if He as their Master could do such a menial task, how much more should his followers do so? Like Jesus, we must exercise the ministry of the towel. It seems that it’s easier to serve people outside of the community and harder to serve people within the family. So we need to bear in mind that this instruction is for us to serve our fellow believers within the community - our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We must not let pride come in the way and cause us to resist the urge to serve. Let’s hear what Jesus has to say, “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.”  

In John 12:2 we are told that “During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him.” So in verse 18, Jesus returned to made reference to Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. He said “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.” Jesus already knew who would betray Him yet He was so gracious not to identify him to the disciples. He probably didn’t want them to reject him. Could Jesus be giving Judas the time and opportunity to reconsider his evil intention? In revealing all these before they happened, Jesus was preparing them to believe in Him when all that He had foretold happened. The Lord then rounded up talking about His union with the Father. Accepting Jesus is accepting the Father, similarly when we accept those whom Jesus had sent, we are accepting Him.  

What is Jesus saying to us? He has issued us a challenge to serve like Him. We must not allow pride to come in the way. One way to serve our brothers and sisters in the Lord is to learn to honor them. We must develop a culture of honoring each other in the Lord. Let’s allow the words of Jesus here to resonate deep within. As we acknowledge our brothers and sister in the Lord, we are acknowledging Jesus. As we represent Jesus to serve others, we have become His voice, His hands and His feet to those whom we serve.         

John 13:5-11 – The example of a servant

From demonstrating what a true heart of a servant looks like, Jesus went on to give a visual example of what a servant should do. He and His disciples were now alone in the Upper Room having their Passover meal. Traditionally, they would sit reclined in their usual posture with the left arm to support the head and right arm reaching out to the dishes on the table. Their feet would be stretched out behind them and away from the table. Without saying a word, the Lord took a basin of water and began to wash the disciples’ feet. Girded on His waist was a towel which He would use to wipe the feet dry after the washing. We can imagine the Lord moving from disciple to disciple and began washing their feet. 

When Jesus came to Peter, the latter was probably embarrassed that the Lord should want to wash his feet. So He exclaimed, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” And Jesus responded to him saying, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter was surprised because washing feet was meant to be the task of a slave and never the task of a master. No master would dress in a servant’s towel. It was absurd to even think of it. So Peter was indeed taken by surprise. So he protested and refused to have his feet washed by the Master.  

Jesus’ response to his protest was, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Being the extremist that he was, Peter then replied, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” He was always swinging like a pendulum from one extreme to another. In those days they wore open sandals and their feet were exposed to the dust on the road. A good host always have a servant at the door to wash the feet of his guests when they are invited for a meal. The Lord then patiently explained to him saying, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” What Jesus was telling Peter implied that a justified believer needs not go through a radical new cleansing of the whole body. What he needs rather was a daily cleansing from the contaminating effects of sin. Jesus went on to finish washing their feet. After that He arose, put on His usual garments, and reclined at the table with them again.

Here are two lessons for our consideration. Action speaks louder than words. Love is an action word. The best way to express love is to express it through acting in the best interest of those we love. Jesus gave us the example. Secondly, Jesus shows us the necessity for constant cleansing in our Christian walk. This is not a call to be sin conscious but to realize that we cannot enter into a conscience free relationship with the Lord, and yet continue to harbor sin. Therefore, we need to be circumspect and keep short account with the Lord in the way we conduct our life.   

John 13:1-4 – Love: the heart of a servant

John 13-17 record Jesus’ Upper Room Dialogue. As we meditate on this Discourse, we will learn much about servanthood and service, love and unity, the Holy Spirit, Heaven, believers’ union with Christ, and prayer. Jesus began by calling His disciples to follow His example in servanthood. If we are to follow Christ’s service, servanthood should be the place to begin. This is where we must begin. In the first four verses John very artfully introduced the heavy atmosphere of the Upper Room Discourse.

In these four verses, John began by linking the impending death of Jesus with the Passover feast. Obviously, he was portraying Jesus as the ultimate Passover Lamb to atone for the sin of humanity. John the Baptist had proclaimed earlier that Jesus is “…the Lamb that will take away the sin of the world.” Now Jesus, in saying that “His hour had come,” gives us the sense that the moment for His sacrifice on the cross was near. But His was not just a death but a departure to the Father. And John here tells us that love is the obvious reason for His mission. Here we see the full extent of His love – He loved those who are His to the very end. For the whole duration He was with His disciples, there was not a moment that He didn’t love them. This is the very heart of Jesus, the very heart of a servant - the heart of love. Love is the hallmark of Christ and should be that of His disciples. If we desire to be authentic and genuine disciples, we must deepen our heart in love.

In verse 2, we are also given a glimpse to how the devil usually works. In saying that the devil “put into the heart” of Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus is to say that thoughts were implanted into the mind of the betrayal to do what he finally did. The only means the devil can get us to do his bidding is to put thoughts and suggestions into our minds. Hence it is important that we must guard our heart and mind with all diligence. It is important that we renew our mind as Romans 12:2 exhorts us to.

In these verses we also see that Jesus knew exactly who He was. He had not forgotten that He was God, came in human flesh. He knew He had come from the Father and was about to return to the Father. He knew that the Father had laid everything within His power. With all the power available to Him yet He did not exert it to gain control forcefully. He chose instead to pick up a towel and be ready to serve His disciples. The Sovereign Lord of the universe willingly humbled Himself, became a servant and expressed His deep and unreserved love for His followers.  

Here is a call to emulate His example to lovingly serve. If we want to be great we must begin by serving. For we must remember that the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. He ascended by first descending. Will we also do the same?

John 12:44-50 – Jesus’ closing challenge

Jesus had come to the close of His public ministry, so He gave a final challenge. He likened those who chose to live in unbelief to be living in darkness and sin. This way of living was exactly the opposite to His life and teaching. No one who believes in Jesus should stay in darkness. Jesus solemnly warned those who chose to remain in unbelief that they would have to face the judgement by the word He had spoken.

Having a relationship with Christ is having a relationship with God. He and the Father has a perfect union. He came to make the Father known. The word “seeing” here refers to knowing. It is an experiential thing. So when we know Christ, we know God. We know that He is the One who had sent Jesus on this mission. He came here as light to reveal God and to expose the need of man, so as to deliver them from the domain of darkness and ruin.

This first coming of Jesus was not to judge man but to redeem them. He came as a man to do that. The purpose of His first mission is to woo man and win them for His eternal Kingdom. But when He comes again, He will come as the Sovereign Judge. In verse 48 Jesus indicated that we, man, must take the responsibility required of us. We have the right of choice. We can choose to believe God or to reject Him. God had created us with a will and we must exercise our will to respond positively to the message Christ came to deliver. Our volition enables us to acknowledge the truth of God or reject them. When a person choses to reject Christ and His word, he has in essence chosen to reject God, and will have to face His judgement ultimately.

Let’s keep verse 48 close to our hearts. Whatever had taken place in time will not last forever. There is going to be a last day. God will determine the length of history. That day will come when this world will be folded and everything burnt up. Jesus indicated here that there will be a judgement. That last day is a day of judgement. God will then show that He indeed is God. Every enemy will be subjugated and every knee shall bow, and confess the Lordship of Christ. Every person will have to face the judgement and be evaluated by the Word of Christ.

John re-enforced the fact that Jesus and the Father are one. Every word He had spoken is God’s word. Christ had only spoken as directed by the Father. Again we see the intimate union between Christ and the Father in heaven. Hence it is a terrible thing not to believe in the testimony of Jesus. In verse 50 we have Christ’s own declaration, and in a sense His invitation to life.

Everything about Christ Jesus serves only one purpose: that is to save us lost sinners. His life, His ministry, His miracles, His message, and His desire all culminate in that one purpose. There are two sides to life. We can choose to live in darkness or in the light. Jesus had made a compelling case for why we should choose light over darkness. But the choice remains ours to make! Now Jesus, the eternal Joshua, challenges us saying, choose this day whom you shall serve!

John 12:37-43 – Spiritual blindness and receptivity?

At the end of verse 36, we are told that Jesus went and hid Himself. It’s not an indication of Jesus’ fear but that His public ministry was coming to a close. He would go into a retreat to spend some private time with His disciples. John 13-17 were moments He spent with His disciples, preparing them for His soon departure from earth. Bear in mind that in John’s Gospel the miracles Jesus did are referred to as signs. In chapter 2, He turned water into wine; in chapter 4, He healed the nobleman’s son; chapter 5, He healed the crippled man; chapter 6, He provided bread in the desert; chapter 9, He healed the blind man; and chapter 11, He raised Lazarus from the dead. It is disturbing that despite all these signs there were many who refused to believe in Him. Put at the forefront of our minds that these signs were done to show that Jesus is the Son of God, so that believing in Him we would have eternal life through Him.

Before Jesus went into the private moment with His disciples, he told us in a few sentences the unbelief of the people. And this did not come as a surprise to Him. For all these had been foretold in the Old Testament, especially by the prophet Isaiah. In chapter 53 of Isaiah, the rejection of the Messiah was foretold. Then again in Isaiah 6, we are told that the heart of the people were hardened against God and were totally blinded even though they saw the signs performed by the Messiah. They would reject the restoration and healing He came to provide. So despite the numerous and impressive miracles, the Jews refused to believe in Him. This clearly shows the depravity of their hearts.  

The opening of Isaiah 53 says “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Here in the question asked, we see the Triune-God in action. The oral ministry of Christ is referred to here as “…our report.” The pronounce “our” signifies more than one. And our God is one in essence but three in subsistence.  The arm of the Lord here refers to the miracles of Christ which He performed through the power of God.  

The quotation from Isaiah 6 seems to show that it was God who had blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, to prevent them from seeing and accepting Him. God is far too merciful to do that. He was only responding to their stubborn rebelliousness, to their unbelief and the wicked and cruel treatment that they gave to His Son. Because they had stoutly refused the light, hence darkness would be their dreadful experience.

Verses 42-43 tell us that many of the rulers of the synagogues believed in Jesus. For fear of being put out of the assembly, they dared not acknowledge Him. They were seeking men’s approval rather than God’s. Like them, today the choice is ours to make too. Do we want men’s or God’s approval? Remember we can never have the good will of men who do not know God, and the good will of God at the same time. We have to choose with whom we will stand.

Let us not trifle with the overtures of God’s grace. Recalling the words of the Psalmist, Hebrews 3:7 warns, “Today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts….” We must heed the voice of Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” The pertinent question is: will we? 

John 12:27-36 – The effect of the cross

Jesus gave us more than a hint in John 12. He had shown that for life to come, a seed must first die and be buried. He was foretelling His impending death and resurrection in order to bring us life. More than that, Jesus indicated that His rule was not one of aggression or violence, which was the common expectation of the Jews concerning the Messiah. He was showing that His Kingship would come through serving. The throng that followed Him expected a call to arms to dethrone the dominion of the Romans. But He did just the very opposite. Here in these verses, we see our Lord looking forward and saw the effect of the cross and the glorious result it would bring.  

First He tells us of the effect of the cross on Himself, especially on His heart. Bear in mind that though He is in essence God, yet He made Himself exactly like us human. He did not utilize His divinity to take Him through His most trying moment. He had divested Himself of all His divine nature and walked like us. So He revealed what was on His heart. He was greatly troubled and was in anguish. While He knew that it would ultimately bring glory to God, yet it was painful for Him to think of the momentary separation from Him whom He so loved, and was never separated for even a moment. Jesus did not fear for His life nor the agony that He would have to endure. He was troubled because shortly, He would be bearing the weight of the sin of the world and be separated from the Father whom He so loved. Christ Jesus, Who knew no sin, had to become a curse for us. No wonder He was troubled. He knew He was the lamb that would be given in the sacrifice to save humanity. Painful as the experience would be, He was not going to shy away from it. So fearlessly He said that it was for this hour that He had come. Why? He came to die on our behalf. He came to glorify the Father. He came to demonstrate the love of God. He came to love us. With such a love, the Father could not remain quiet. So He thundered from heaven saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” Not being able to recognize the Father’s voice, some concluded that an angel had spoken to Him. Jesus, however, was sure that God spoke more for the sake of the people.

Immediately, Jesus turned to speak about the effect of the cross on the world. He showed us in verses 31-33 three effects the cross has on the world. Firstly, the cross was a judgement on the world. When mankind judged Christ on the cross, they were judging themselves. Secondly, the effect of the cross would drive out the ruler or the prince of this world, Satan himself. The devil’s intention to destroy the destiny of man was dealt a great blow. The heel of our Saviour might be bruised but Satan’s head would forever be crushed.  Finally, He showed the positive effect His death would bring. Notice He clearly revealed the way He would be executed. Like Moses lifted the snake in the wilderness to provide healing for those bitten by the snake, Christ would be lifted up on a tree on Mount Calvary. The effect of Calvary would be the drawing of people to God through Him. There would be the birth of God’s new community to honour God. No wonder Paul triumphantly exclaimed in Philippians that every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father.

Many who were present questioned Him. They were puzzled for they have understood from the Old Testament that the Christ could not die. How then could Jesus, who claimed to be that Messiah, die? Of course they totally overlooked the Scriptures in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22 or Zachariah 13 where the suffering Messiah was foretold. Here the Lord then issued a challenge telling them to walk while they have the light. He also indicated here that His physical presence with them would not be forever. So they should seize the day and make the best of the opportunity. As we put our trust in the light that Christ has provided and is still providing, only then can we become children of light.

How do we have fellowship with God and with each other? In his letters, John reminds us that “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” Light and darkness are like water and oil, they cannot co-exist. If we want to be clear witnesses for Christ, and be able to have honest fellowship with each other, walking in the light is imperative. It meant walking in integrity and walking transparently. Let us walk in the light of God’s revelation.  

John 12:20-26 – Living a Christ-honoring life

In John 12:20 we are told of some Greeks who came to the feast of the Passover. It was not unusual to have Greeks present at the Passover. The introduction of these Greeks here was John’s intention to tell us that Gentiles were included in the event of Jesus’ sacrifice. Like Matthew’s Gospel that included magi from the East, John here introduced us to the Greeks, who came from the West. They came to Philip and requested to see Jesus. Philip told Andrew about it. Both of them then came to Jesus and relayed the request to Him.  See how Jesus responded: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” What He said must have brought about a deafening silence. What was Jesus saying? In those words Jesus was indicating that His Kingship was of a different kind. He would be a King that rule through death and not through conquest. A seed, though has great potential for millions of lives, would mean nothing, if it is not first sown to the ground and dies. Only when it is planted and buried, then can a plant break forth to bear fruit. Here Jesus was indicating that by laying down His life, He would be bringing forth life in others. This was how He would be ruling as King. It would not be by aggression or compulsion but by love.  

In verse 25, Jesus went on to expand the principle. He said, “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” How paradoxical! We gain not by grabbing, we gain by giving. Jesus was not promoting self-hate, but self-denial. Don’t misunderstand Him to mean that we should hate life. He is saying that when our focus is not on ourselves, we will find true life. Our potential can never be reached if we do not die to sin and self. Isn’t this a true principle in many ways? There is always something we must give in order to get something we deem more precious. For example, to be a great concert pianist, we have to give up spending time on things in order to give our time to practice on the piano. The hours we could have spent on things we may like must be sacrificed to spend on scaling the keys on the keyboard.  

Christian life is full of paradoxes. Jesus tells us that it is in losing our life that we will find true life. Paul tells us that our strength can only be made perfect only in our weakness. Peter tells us that only when we humble ourselves then we shall be exalted. The list can go on. Want to know more? Read “the Beattitudes” in Matthew 5-7. Simply put: if we want to rule we have to serve; if we want to live we have to die. In verse 26, the Lord went on to say that if we want to be of service to Him we must follow in His footsteps. We must do what He had done. We become like Him only when we do what He had done. It is such people that He and His Father will honor.

So let’s recap: on that Palm Sunday, the Lord marched into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The crowd waved palm leaves and branches shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord even the King of Israel!” Just imagine the King coming humbly and peacefully on a donkey, to finally die in our place. He came to sow His life like a grain of wheat into the ground so that others may have life. Similarly, if we are to impact the life of others, we must also die to ourselves. Here’s a call to live our life sacrificially. It is only then can we be truly leading a fruit bearing life. Isn’t this what Paul meant in Romans 12:1, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

John 12:12-19 - The Triumphant King

It was Passover time and there was an air of excitement. Jesus had just raised Lazarus from death. Caiaphas had just predicted that Jesus must die. On the hit list of the religious leaders was not only Jesus but also Lazarus. Everyone was on a lookout for Jesus. They were speculating if He would make His presence in Jerusalem. The situation was not only tense, it was also highly explosive. In was in that context that Jesus would make His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as King of Israel.

When the crowd, who came for the feast, heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and went out to meet Him. As they did so, they shouted “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” The word “Hosanna” means save. When they shouted it that day, they were literally calling on Him “to save us.” It was a prayer, a cry of deep longing to be delivered. Here they saw Jesus as their deliverer. As they shouted they quoted Psalm 118. They were expecting Jesus to help drive out the Romans.

In the midst of all the shouting, Jesus did something that the people did not understand. Something that Zachariah the prophet wrote some 500 years earlier, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” Here He identified Himself with the long awaited Messiah. Riding into Jerusalem signifies that He was not coming in aggression. Instead He was coming in peace. The donkey is known to be a loyal and peaceful beast. Here is the King riding into Jerusalem in humility. 

There among the crowd were people with all sorts of orientation. Some of them saw Lazarus raised from the dead and were excited. Then there were those who had heard the report of Jesus raising Lazarus from death, and were there to see Jesus and Lazarus for themselves. Then there are those who were afraid to lose their positions and felt that something had to be done. However, we shall see that in the days to come Jesus’ view of saving the people was not confined to only Jerusalem. He was more concerned about the whole wide world. So He sent His disciples out to change the world. What must first take place would be the death of the King. He had to suffer and die to gain mankind the ultimate victory. His method, as we know, is to deny Himself and take up His cross. This was His way. Today, He summons us to follow in His footstep in changing the world. His call to us is: If any man would come after Me (Jesus Christ), let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow after Me. Will we?

John 12:1-11 – Rightly honoring the Lord

Lazarus’ death was real and certain. It was not just a temporary cessation of breathing. He was truly dead for four days and his body was already decomposing in the grave. So what John 11 described was not just an-out-of-body experience but a man who had really returned from the dead. So here in John 12:1-11 we see a celebration of Lazarus’ victory over death. We are told that it was six days before the Passover. Our Lord came to Bethany where Lazarus was. Bear in mind, the religious leaders were nervy because of Lazarus’s resurrection. Though wonderful, the news of Lazarus raising from death was devastating for them. They had been trying to stop the movement of Jesus from progressing. And here the validity of the claim of Christ was now beyond doubt, with Lazarus as His star witness. Remember that this was near the Passover and the atmosphere in Jerusalem was pulsating with excitement. It was in this setting that the thanksgiving feast of Lazarus was conducted. It took great gut for anyone to host such a dinner, for it was viewed as defiance by the authority. For words had gone out to report the where about of Jesus. Clearly verse 2 tells us that the dinner was held to honor Jesus.

Martha was the first of the family of Lazarus to be mentioned. She was a great server and was into her element. Lazarus on the other hand was a great friend, he just sat reclined at the table with Jesus and was in wonderful fellowship with the Lord. Mary however, was a great worshipper and she deeply loved Jesus. At a point in the meal, she just got out a pound of perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped them with her hair. Verse 3 tells us that it was very costly and Judas Iscariot estimated it to cost 300 denarii. This amount was approximately a person’s wage for ten months. The amount of perfume used was also indicated. Mary did not just use a few drops, she actually used the whole bottle to create that kind of aromatic atmosphere. The whole room was filled with the fragrance of perfume that cost a man’s ten month of wages.  

Judas Iscariot was the sore thumb here. He already had intention to betray Jesus. Here he tried to camouflage his intention, with a remark to give the impression that he cared for the poor. However, in reality he was more concerned about the amount of money they had in the treasure box. Being the treasurer, he was responsible to take care of it but he had been stealing from their common fund in the treasure box.  Jesus then gently rebuked him. He was told to give Mary a break. He argued that even if she had saved the perfume for His burial, it would only take place once. Whereas the poor would always be around, and giving to them can take place anytime. Jesus was indicating that Mary had chosen the right occasion to honor Him. There is always a right moment for every action. We must learn to understand the different seasons of life and act appropriately to honor the Lord.  

We are told from verses 9-11, that the real reason many Jews came to where Jesus was, was not to honor Him. They came because they wanted to catch a glimpse of Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. He was the Lord’s star witness after all. We are also told that the chief priests also had planned to kill Lazarus. For on the account of his experience of coming back to life from death, people are turning to Jesus and believing in Him. There be may be other reasons for seeking Jesus but we must seek Him for the right reason. And when we find Him, we must demonstrate our love in the best way possible.

What can we take away from this thanksgiving meal for Lazarus’ back-from-death experience? Don’t begrudge honor for the Lord. For that was what a heart like Judas Iscariot would do. There are three people here that we must emulate - Martha, Lazarus and Mary. Their different ways of honoring the Lord give us three ways to show our love for Jesus. Like Martha, we must serve Him with our whole heart. Like Lazarus we must fellowship with Him with our whole life. And like Mary we must pour out our worship for Him all the time. Extravagantly! 

John 11:54-57 – Living truthfully

As a result of what Caiaphas had said, the council was now on a lookout for Jesus. He had concluded that Jesus must die. His point was: in their best interest, Jesus must go. Hence Jesus could no longer continue to operate as openly as He could among the Jews. So He left to Ephraim, a city in a country near the wilderness. We are told that there He stayed with His disciples. Interestingly, Ephraim means fruitlessness. This name was given to the tribes of Israel who were in apostasy. It was a prophetic message of their rebellion and ruin. Coming to this city now tells us of God’s grace.  Christ, in His grace, is in the business of restoring our ruined life, and save His people from fruitlessness due to rebellion. He had come that we might have life and have it more abundantly.   

Though His imminent death was near, it was not the moment as yet. At least now, He could enjoy a little quietness with His disciples. Meanwhile we are told that the Jews came religiously to Jerusalem in preparation for the Passover. How incongruent could they be? They carefully observed the outward forms of religiosity but took little care to handle their own heart and purity. They took pain to try to observe what’s given in the Law, but would soon be quick to shed the innocent blood of Christ. From their actions, there is a lesson to note. Like what Samuel said to Saul, we must remember that “Obedience is always better than sacrifice.” Outward forms mean nothing if we fail to live truthfully and obediently for God.  

In verses 56-57, we see the people, who were after Jesus, having a discussion. They were discussing whether Christ would turn up for the feast. Meanwhile the chief priests and the Pharisees had announced that anyone who knew the where about of Jesus must report Him so that he could be seized. Here’s a wrong reason for seeking Jesus. So let’s be found searching for Jesus for the right reason – to know Him so as to follow Him nearly and to love Him dearly. Jeremiah 29:13-14 tell us, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you….”

Being religious is one thing, but being true to our calling as believers is yet another. Psalm 32 reminds us that blessedness is when our transgression is forgiven and sin covered. It is when the Lord imputes no iniquity on us and cannot find any guile in our spirit. Christ has brought us wholeness so that we can honestly and sincerely be true to Him, to self and others. Let’s just live truthfully for His glory!

John 11:47-53 – Jesus our substitute

The raising of Lazarus from the dead was undeniable. Many of the Jews, who knew of his death, went to console Mary. But they saw Jesus raised him from death. Some were convinced and believed in Jesus. Others blinded by their rage to destroy Him, went away to report to the Pharisees. What was told to the council created a stir. The “council” clearly comprised of chief priests and the Pharisees. Without a doubt, Jesus had clearly shown Himself to be their long awaited Messiah through His many signs. There were enough evidences to warrant their acceptance of His Messiahship and caused them to honor Him. But apparently their stubbornness was not moved. And they admonished themselves for their delay in seizing and silencing Him. They even showed how intensely they disliked Jesus and were bent on stopping His mission.

They reckoned, “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” They were concerned that Jesus was gaining increasing support, and many convinced by Him were believing in Him. They were also fearful that an increasing disturbance, caused by the raising of Lazarus, might cause the Romans to take away their freedom to live the national life that was granted to them. Bear in mind that at this point they were nearing the Passover. Jerusalem was unusually crowded with the increasing number of people coming from all over, in preparation for that feast. The council deemed it wise to try to repress the enthusiasm.   

At this point we are introduced to the high priest at that time. John here identified him as Caiaphas. He rose and said, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”  Bear in mind that the council were in a quandary, not knowing what to do. All they did up to now was to ask questions. Caiaphas was clearly impatient with their vacillation so he contemptuously told them off. He said, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” Here is a paraphrase of what Caiaphas was saying, “Let’s stay focused. There’s only one thing to keep in mind in our best interest. And we better understand this. Our question on what’s best for us has only one answer - Jesus must die. Forget about His miracles, or teaching, yes, even forget about His character if His presence is jeopardizing our status. I am in favor to put Him to death.” With that remark, the evil proposal of Caiaphas was adopted. He of course didn’t know that he did not say this out of his own initiative. He was in fact prophesying that the Messiah would die for the nation. And not only that, through His death He would gather together all the children of God, even those who are scattered abroad. So from that day on, they were planning and seeking to kill Jesus. 

The explanation in verses 51-52 shows us what was ahead. The high priest for that year had prophesied that Jesus would die in our place. He became our substitute. Had it not been for Him, we would be forever lost. So as we close, let’s draw our minds to Calvary once again. Let’s keep our focus on Jesus, who hanged on that tree and be forever grateful. He died to set us free so that we might freely live for Him.

John 11:45-46 – Our perspective matters

The miracle of raising Lazarus from death was indeed remarkable. But we ae not told how he or his family had felt. We are left to imagine the joy and elation the raising of Lazarus brought to them. It must have brought tears and joy to the family all at once. Yet there is not a word here concerning their emotion. But what we do see from this passage are two kinds of response to the raising of Lazarus.

One group of people saw and believed in Jesus. The statement that “…many of the Jews came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him”, implied that Mary must have been speaking about Jesus prior to this moment. We are told in other passages she was the one who had loved Jesus dearly and would sit at His feet and listen to Him. It would not be a surprise if she would talk glowingly about the Lord at every given opportunity. And many who had heard her, now saw Jesus at work in raising Lazarus. The combination of both the telling and the seeing, affirmed their belief in Him. This encourages us who are in love with Jesus, to find moments to talk about Him whom our soul loves. We must also not stop introducing and bringing those, whom we have spoken to about Jesus, to church. In the atmosphere of the gathering of God’s people, they can be exposed to what Christ can do and given the opportunity to respond to Him in faith.   

Though we are not told explicitly how the second group felt, their action betrayed their scepticism. Their reaction to the miracle Jesus had just done was contrasted by the connective “But.” Unlike the first group, they responded in the opposite. They went to the people that wanted Jesus’ dead and reported to them. It would not be a surprise if they would even exaggerate to incite hate. They could well be sent as spies for the Pharisees. They reported with the intention to generate greater wrath for Jesus and His work. The wickedness of their heart can be sensed by their action. Instead of being inspired to adore Jesus, they spurned Him for His love for Lazarus, his family and those who believe in Him.   

The way we make sense of the world is important. How we view the things Jesus is doing will determine the depth of our trust in Him. The sad moment of life, viewed in proper perspective in the plan of God, will cause us to stay calm, trusting and peaceful. The good news is that we can choose our perspective and how we believe. We can either see beautiful roses instead of the thorns, or are we seeing the thorns instead of the beautiful roses. Where is our perspective? Are we viewing things from where we are seated with Christ in the heavenly?  If we are, we will not be living under our circumstances, we will be living above them because we are seated with Christ.  

Hear what Paul tells us in Roman 8:35, 37-39: 

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For … neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 11:38-44 – Set free to serve God!

Jesus was now at the tomb where Lazarus was buried. We are told that He was deeply moved. John 11:38 tells us that the tomb, where Lazarus’ body was laid, was a cave with a stone covering its opening. This kind of tomb was commonly used by people of importance in those days. So Jesus asked for the cover to be removed. The response of Martha to the instruction of the Lord was telling. It puts beyond doubt that Lazarus was truly dead. John wanted his readers to know with certainty that what Jesus would soon do, was indeed a mighty miracle. Martha protested because she knew, as well as the people there, that the body of her brother would have decomposed by then. Note that he had been dead and was already buried for four days.

Refused to be sidetracked, Jesus firmly told her that she would experience the glory of God as promised. Here He was giving a hint of what He would soon be doing. In the question, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” Jesus was indicating that faith would make access to the glory of God. This is so true in spiritual journey. If we are to experience the glorious workings of God, faith is required. This is made even more certain by the well-rehearsed verse of Hebrews 11:6. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Jesus shows us here that the glory of God can only be experienced by faith.

When the stone was removed, Jesus raised His eyes to God in prayer. Notice how He addressed God. He called Him Father. This indicates to us the unique relationship He has with the Father in heaven. He began by giving thanks for the Father’s availability to Him every time He called on Him. The grammatical structure of verse 41 suggests the possibility that the prayer was not recorded word for word. He just reiterated the fact that He knew God had heard His prayer. The fact that He prayed also tells us that Jesus never acted alone. He always acts in concert with the Father. The reason He prayed in the hearing of the people was for them to know that He was here on a mission from God.  

Immediately following His prayer, He addressed Lazarus loudly and told him to come forth. Probably all the dead would have come forth if He did not mention Lazarus particularly. We know that the resurrection for everyone will take place ultimately. But for this occasion, this miracle was only for Lazarus to experience. He commanded loudly also because He wanted the crowd to know that He is Lord, even over death that takes away life. So at Jesus’ command, Lazarus came forth, still bound in his grave clothes.  John’s specially mentioned the cloth that was used to wrap his face. Like the cloth that covered Lazarus face we are often occluded from the light of God’s work. In much the same way, objects that occlude us from the Light of God must be removed so that we can see the glorious things of God.

Jesus’ command to unbind Lazarus is a timely reminder to us that He is in the business of cutting us loose from the bondages that had kept us bound. He wants us free so that we can serve Him with unquestionable liberty. Today we are free to serve and worship Him. He has come to set us free. So with liberty let us first worship Him, then let us go about serving Him.    

John 11:30-37 – Lessons from Mary’s encounter with Jesus

Martha’s interchange with Jesus ended with her confessing, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” It was a confession no less definitive than what Peter had made in Matthew 16:16 which reads “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” After that Martha left to tell Mary, saying, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” Without hesitation she arose quickly and left to meet Him. And when the Jews who came to console Mary saw her leaving, they followed her. Not knowing that Jesus had called for her, they thought that she was going to the tomb where Lazarus was laid, to express her grief and cry. At this time, Jesus was still outside the village where He had met Martha. The first thing Mary did when she saw Jesus was to fall on her feet, and said the same thing Martha had said when she met Jesus earlier. “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 

Here we are told that practically everyone was crying. Mary was weeping and so were the Jews that followed her. When Jesus saw that, He was deeply moved, not only with sorrow but also with anger. He must have felt so because of the terrible effect and mark that sin had left on humanity. Here Jesus had entered into the spirit of the gravity of death. He was agitated and troubled by the effect of sin that had caused death and sorrow. So He asked for the place where Lazarus was laid. And they invited Him to come and see. What Jesus saw was not only the life of Lazarus, His good friend, being stolen but also a body that laid there lifeless and still. And He also saw the terrible consequence of sin and what it had done to humanity. So Jesus wept.      

This moment was captured in John 11:35, the shortest verse in the Bible. It is not there so that those of us with short memory can at least memorize a verse of Scriptures. It is there to show us the human side of Jesus. It is there to tell us that He could be moved by our weaknesses, for He was made like we are at all points, except that He had no sin. Only on three occasions did Jesus weep. Here at Lazarus death. The second record of His weeping was over Jerusalem recorded in Luke 19:41 and the third in Gethsemane implied by Hebrew 5:7. Each time He wept, it was because of the terrible effect of the consequences of sin. Jesus shed tears to express the fullness of the grief in His heart. His tears were not tears of sympathy for the death of a friend. His tears expressed the sorrow and desolation that sin had brought into the world for which death is the result.  

Some observing Jews thought that Jesus’ weeping was merely an outward show of love for a good friend. So they said, “See how He loved him!” Besides them, there were also those Jews who expressed disbelief. They sarcastically asked, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?” Suck kind of remarks only come from people who could only see the hole but not the dough. They are the type of people who would nit-pick, murmur, grumble and complain endlessly. They don’t amount much in the Kingdom. They are not the kind we should emulate if we desire spiritual growth.

Have there been feelings that God is a tag too passive dealing with our trials? Be assured that His delays are intended to maximize our development. It will help us to look to Him for strength and resource for our growth and development. When we encounter life most trying moment, like Mary and Martha, we can bare our hearts before Him honestly. We need not fear His rejection or reprisal. We can be certain of His warm embrace. Without a doubt! 

John 11:17-29 – Lessons from Martha’s encounter with Jesus

In John 11:17-18, we are told that Jesus arrived at the home of Lazarus in Bethany, which was approximately two miles from Jerusalem. Lazarus, we are told, had already been laid in the tomb for four days. By that time many Jews had also arrived at the home of Lazarus to console his two sisters, Martha and Mary. When Martha received news of Jesus’ arrival, she slipped quietly to the outskirt of town to meet Him. Meanwhile Mary remained at home. On meeting Jesus, Martha said to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” This must have been both Mary’s and her refrain, countless of times those few days. They must have waited and wondered many a time when would the Lord arrive. Those words were in a way a subtle reproof of Jesus for not being there when they needed Him most. But they were the honest reflection of her heart. She must have realized her rashness and quickly aligned herself to say something acceptable. So she followed with these words saying, “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 

It is not wrong to tell Jesus exactly how we feel. But please do not take this as a suggestion that we can be irreverent to the Lord. After all, He is still God and He knows best. As His own, we must always bow to Him and accept His will. But He will allow us to tell Him exactly the deep feeling of our experience even if they are not exactly right. He knows perfectly what we are experiencing and where we are coming from. This is borne out by how Jesus responded to her. He patiently said to Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” Jesus meant that literally. But Martha understood it to be referring to the belief of a general resurrection of everyone. So she said to Jesus, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Perhaps in that expression of Martha, she was saying, “I know that day of his resurrection will come, but I am hurting now. What about now? What about this present moment? What about my present hurt?”  

Jesus then make another of His great claims, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” Jesus asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” Immediately like Peter’s great confession at Caesarea Philippi, Martha declared, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” What a confession! What a revelation! God met the hard question of Martha that day and elevated her faith and perspective. In similar ways, when we face our hard questions, Jesus will meet us head on and elevate our perspective. He is still the resurrection and the life.

Meanwhile Mary, unaware of the interchange between Jesus and her sister, was waiting in the house. Martha then quietly went to her and secretly told her that Jesus had arrived. As soon as Mary heard it, she got up quickly and went to meet Him. We can expect this to be her typical response. For she loved Jesus deeply, so she left everything and went to meet the Lord outside the house. Are we like Mary, just as eager to go to Jesus? It is true He awaits our coming to Him every moment of the day. Regardless of the pains, the trials, the doubt, the sorrow, the burden, and etc., we can take all to the Lord in prayer.