“The Worth Of And Welcome To The Prince!" • 11.17.19
• Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
Text
• John
12:1,2 : "Then, six days before the Passover,
Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised
from the dead. There
they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat
at the table with Him." :
John takes us up to the final week of the Lord's life. Notice that John calls
it "The Passover."
- Whether he meant to point it out
intentionally or not, this was the most significant Passover week that Israel
had ever experienced and they didn't even know it.
- The Passover is the
quintessential redemption narrative of the Old Testament. It represents the
final act of judgment upon a world system that enslaved the people of God for
over 400 years.
- Several days before God allowed
the Angel of Death to reign over Egypt, God commanded His people to take a lamb
for their household, to keep it and inspect it for 4 days, and then, to slay
it.
- It's blood was to applied to the
doorposts and "the lintel" or "panel" (TLB) above
the door in order to keep them safe from the Angel.
- The people who obeyed were
spared, the Angel of death passing over their homes, which directly proceeded
their "Exodus" from Egypt and the beginning of their life with God.
- Jesus is not only going to
fulfill this picture, but replace His own Cross will take it's place as the
dominant redemption narrative of the New Testament!
- He is about to be the ultimate
Passover lamb, whose blood would secure the lives of the faithful and lead them
out into a new life and relationship with God!
- He is six days away from His own
death and He's back in Bethany, at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
- Jesus was usually the main
attraction, but Lazarus had become a bit of a celebrity Himself!
- He was now known as the one who
had been dead that Jesus raised from the dead! Incidentally, that is our exact
description as Christians!
- Paul proclaims in Ephesians
2:1 that we were "dead in our trespasses and sins." We who have
believed upon Christ are the ones that have been made alive by Christ's work!
- We can relate to Lazarus and
prayerfully, people speak of us in the same way!
- "That guy used to be dead,
but then Jesus came into His life and He's never recovered!" I pray that
you are proud of that distinction.
- Lazarus doesn't utter a single
word in scripture, but that is how he is known by the world!
- I can't imagine what it would be
like to have died, to have been brought back to life, only to realize that you
would have to die again?
- Whatever Lazarus felt, it was
tempered by what he knew: His friend Jesus, the one that presently sat at the
table with him, had power over death!
- Of course, what do you think
Jesus felt as he looked at Lazarus. This was his friend that He loved like a
brother! He was a token of His own resurrection power, a living sign of things
to come!
- Can you see them both sitting at
the table, eating up all the hors doerves, while Martha busily served in the
background? It's easy to pounce upon Martha for her busy ways.
- The Lord chides her once, but not
about her service. He only objects when she tries to make her sister serve like
she does! There's a lesson there to explore for another time.
- Her service was her love language
to the Lord. Her profile suggests that she was not comfortable "hanging with
Jesus" like her brother did or expressing intimate love like Mary.
- She loved Jesus and wanted Him to
feel at home and it was her service that gave her siblings the ability to love
Jesus their way, like Mary was about to do. Verse 3.
• John 12:3 : "Then Mary
took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and
wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of
the oil." : The
unusual part of this story thus far, has been the absence of Mary, who generally
occupies the space nearest the Lord's feet.
- While preparations have been
ongoing, she has been preparing a special gift for the Lord.
- How much she actually used isn't
really that important. It's what she used. She has in her possession a rare
aromatic essential oil called "Nard."
- This oil can only be extracted
from a plant imported from India. Today, in our world of global marketing,
procuring such a material wouldn't be much of a problem. In this day, it was
precious.
- It's expense, which we will
consider in a moment, was related to it's location and the difficult process
that allowed for the oil to be extracted from the flower.
- Mary very likely owned this as a
form of dowry, which was a protection for women from a sudden and unexpected
divorce. This would be a "fail safe" that she would keep to protect
herself.
- Consider then the act in light of
that. She brings the substance of her dowry and annoints the Lord's feet with
it.
- It was customary for a guest of a
home to receive washing of their feet by a house slave. Water and a towel
wrapped around the waist, gave a little separation and dignity to the process.
- Mary dispenses with any such
notion. She takes the place of the slave and pours this fragrant perfume over
His feet. Without the use of a towel, she simply wipes the residue with her own
hair!
- This is such an intimate and
beautiful portrait of adoration and affection! First, she did this without any
concern for her reputation.
- Many have pointed out that women
of this day or this culture, would not have let their hair down in mixed
company. They would only have done so for their husband.
- Second, aside from the cost of
the perfume, there was the personal cost to herself. She was essentially
putting aside her future security to express worship to Christ.
- In her mind, the value of Christ
demanded that she place this upon Him! This was the greatest gift that she had
and this was the only action that represented her heart toward Him.
- May it be that we learn to value
Christ in a similar way! Why? Notice the effect of her action: The whole house
was filled with the fragrance!
- There wasn't a single room in the
entire house that was not be impacted by what Mary had done! Wherever you
stood, you were confronted with the fragrance of her worship!
- When your worship is like Mary's,
every part of your house will be flooded. People who love the Lord like you,
will be comforted. For others, there will be an immediate offense. Verse 4.
• John 12:4-6 : "But one
of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 'Why was this fragrant oil not sold
for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?' This he said, not that he cared for
the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to
take what was put in it." : Of
all the people to complain! You would never expect it to be one of His own
disciples! It makes it that much more odious to come from someone who should
know better!
- Worship will always draw
criticism and sometimes it will even come through HIs disciples, though John
immediately lets us in on the fact that this disciple was not like the others!
- Judas objected because he was
already in the process of betraying Him. The NASB rightly comments that he was
"intending to betray Him."
- Commentators often mention that
this was a "last straw" moment for Judas. Why? Listen to his
frustration. "Why was this not sold and the proceeds given to the
poor?"
- The market value for pure nard at
that time would have been the equivalent of a nearly years wage! A denarius was
a single day's wage for an average employee. Today, a 2oz flask costs $70!
- In reality, to have given this to
any social program would have been a waste when the Lord was present to receive
it! But that wasn't even Judas' primary motive.
- John interjects here that Judas
had no concern for the poor at all, but for the emptiness of his own pockets!
Judas was a thief!
- This isn't something that John
knew at the time, but was clear to him 50 years after the fact.
- It might surprise you to learn
that the Lord's ministry on Earth was not subsidized by His own miracle working
power.
- People routinely gave to the
disciples and there were women who supported the Lord's efforts from their own
means. (Luke 8:1-3)
- The money box was held by Judas
himself and he felt free to lighten the load on occasion! Think about that:
Judas felt free to rob the offering box of God Himself!
- Why did Jesus allow him to carry
it? Judas was free to serve the Lord or to serve his own interests. The choice
was before him and he chose poorly.
- What does that tell you about the
corruption and moral bankruptcy of mankind?
- Here was a man who saw miracles,
heard the teaching, was given private instruction as to it's meaning and still,
he was capable of this thievery, while looking into the very eyes of God
Himself!
- There are two reasons that a
person objects to the worship of Jesus. The first is related to ignorance and
the inability to conceive of the value of Jesus.
- Incidently, this is why we teach
the way that we do and the reason why our worship is "content
centered." Your worship will only go as high as your theology allows!
- The second reason is related to
idolatry. Judas loved money more than he was able to love Jesus! Said another
way, eventually, his love for money was greater than his love for Jesus.
- Whatever drew Judas to Christ's
side initially was not strong enough to keep his love for money at bay! I
wonder what Judas thought when he heard Jesus teach Matthew 6:24.
• Matthew 6:24 : "No one can serve two
masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be
loyal to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and mammon." : I wonder if he thought that he
"had it under control." Perhaps he thought of himself as the
exception to the rule.
- Maybe he thought as many do, that
the good he could do with money in the future for God would make up for all the
disobedience of heart that he was displaying today.
- Eventually, things would
"even out." Our hearts are the authors of these foolhardy excuses.
The truth is that idolatry leaves you indifferent to Christ and it eventually
exposes you! Verse 7.
• John 12:7,8 : " But Jesus said, 'Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor
you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.'" : Jesus rebukes Judas. "Let her
be!" Beyond the fact that this was a beautiful gesture, Jesus knew why Mary
had done this. She understood that He was soon to be buried!
- Unlike the disciples, she had
listened to Him and understood what He meant when He talked of His death, burial
and resurrection.
- After her own brother's death,
she knew that He was not speaking figuratively, but literally! She would anoint
Him with what she would have annointed Him with had He truly lay in the grave!
- Her worship was in line with an
accurate faith! Consider this: Of all the "Marys" that went to the
grave on that following Sunday, this Mary was nowhere to be found!
- As for the poor, they would
always be around. Jesus and any expression of worship toward Him was that much
more important because He was soon to be away from them!
- Jesus is not meaning to be
diminuitive or dismissive of a concern for the poor. That would betray a lack
of unity with the heart of the Father.
- Rather, the point is that there
was an opportunity at this juncture to bless Him. Mary had again chosen well
and she was not to be rebuked for it! Verse 9.
• John 12:9-11 : " Now a great many of the Jews knew
that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might
also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to
put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and
believed in Jesus." :
The town of Bethany was crowded with visitors, not only because of the Lord's
presence but also because of Lazarus! His celebrity was booming!
- With a feast approaching and
Bethany being just a few miles away, it was natural for pilgrims to want to
come and see a "real life" miracle! Consider this about Lazarus. His
life was a miracle!
- That is true of every single
Christian, especially to those that knew you before you knew Christ! Your
witness is essential if the church is to grow!
- Really, in this family, you see
the key components of every Christian's life. There is work in Martha, worship
in Mary and witness in Lazarus! They are a perfect family in Christ!
- Predictably, his witness had the
opposite affect upon the religious leaders. Their intention was to put Lazarus
to death! They literally wanted to reverse the Lord's work! What fools!
- I wonder if Lazarus thought,
"Are they going to kill me again? They might want to wait a week!"
For a man who loves and knows the power of Jesus, death is no threat!
- By his very existence, Lazarus brought
glory to the very person that they refused to acknowledge! It irritated their
souls that there was a living specimen that pointed to His power!
- As long as Lazarus lived, the
credit for his life would belong to Jesus and that was intolerable to these men
whose lives were built upon another foundation!
- It was already having disastrous
effect, as many who encounterd Lazarus believed on the Lord. Soon, many from
that that group will be singing His praises!
- We leave the Sabbath day and
enter into the penultimate Sunday of Christ's life! Verse 12.
• John 12:12-16 : "The next day a great multitude that
had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and
went out to meet Him, and cried out: 'Hosanna! ‘Blessed
is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
The King of Israel!' Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it;
as it is written: 'Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting
on a donkey’s colt.' His disciples
did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then
they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done
these things to Him." :
Most people refer to this as the "Triumphal Entry." In our day, we
know this as "Palm Sunday" because the crowd will lay palm branches
before Him as He ascends.
- As it pertains to the facts, I'd say that
Palm Sunday is really the more accurate designation. Christ's true
"Triumphal Entry" is yet to come. For now, listen to their voices.
- When the crowd saw Him they cried out loud
"Hosanna!" The word means "Save Now We Pray!" marking Him
as the One who has come in the Name of the Lord, or for the "sake of"
the Lord.
- They are singing Psalm 118:25, 26. Right
here, in front of the Romans that were listening, the crowd unashamedly calls
Jesus the King of Israel! It's interesting to note such fervor.
- Many of the people believed upon Jesus and
were willing to call out their belief publically at this moment of emotional elation.
- In just a few days, many will have their
emotions swayed in another direction! Emotions are the worst defenders of truth!
- With our minds we believe and set the
standard for our hearts to obey. When that is reversed, we will be as fickle as
any crowd.
- They are standing here willing to call Jesus
the King and He is not ashamed to assume that position. Like a King, Jesus mounts
Himself upon a young donkey which fulfills three passages.
- The first of which is found in Isaiah 40:9.
It is the chapter which begins with a word of comfort to the people of Israel.
Their "warfare" is over and their King is coming into His city.
• Isaiah 40:9 : "O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, you who bring
good tidings, lift up your voice with strength,
lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God!'" : Their King is also their God! What a
powerful verse! The second verse is from Zechariah 9:9 and is the
ancient prediction of what is depicted before our eyes!
- Generally, a King coming into a city would ride
in upon a horse, signalling his dominion over the location he was riding
toward. Jesus is on a donkey!
- The symbolism is that Jesus is the King who
proclaims "peace." He is not their conqueror in this moment. He is
calling upon them to willingly surrender to His rightful claim.
- He is acknowledging their chants and waiting
for men to properly respond! This is His offer to men today. He is the Prince
of Peace!
- In this time between comings, surrender is
optional. One day soon, surrender will be inevitable!
- When Jesus returns, He will not be on a young
donkey, but on a White Horse and that will be the true Triumphal Entry! There
is a final section of scripture that was fulfilled here. Turn to Daniel 9.
- Daniel is praying and considering the future
of the Jewish nation, when he is interrupted by the angel Gabriel and given
this amazing message.
• Daniel 9:24, 25a : "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to
make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in
everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision
and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there
shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;" : Please notice that while there are 70 weeks, there isn't a
commitment to them being sequential.
- 69 weeks or sixty nine 7 year
periods will pass up until a certain moment. It began when Cyrus decreed that
the Temple should be restored and rebuilt in 445 B.C.
- 69 x 7 is 483 years, which, based
upon a 360 day year, equals out to 173,880 days. Without boring you any
further, that exact day is the day that Messiah the Prince is revealed in
Jerusalem!
- God's will and plan have come to
the point of specificity to the very day! What does that tell you about the
70th week that is yet future to us!?
- Needless to say, His disciples did not
understand what was happening at this point Biblically. In fact, they wouldn't
understand this until after Jesus was raised to glory.
- John is telling us that they were just like
us: Understanding more about Jesus with every new year! Verse 17.
• John 12:17-19 : " Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus
out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also met
Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among
themselves, 'You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has
gone after Him!'" :
You could not have asked for a better group of eyewitnesses!
- These people were there when Lazarus came out
of the tomb! Their testimony to that fact drew even more people out to meet Him.
- Truly, that is the role we must embrace
again! We must be the ones that speak of His ability to raise people from the
dead, to live like we actually believe that!
- Not only will it draw the attention of the
crowd, but it will raise the ire of the Pharisees!
- They looked at each other and were absolutely
frustrated that they could not keep a lid on Jesus! In their minds, the whole
world was going after Him.
- Truth be told, there are people today all
over the world that have believed upon Him! Their failure is complete.
- May it be through our life of work, worship
and witness that the world around us goes after Him again!
Conclusion
- Let's pray!
No comments:
Post a Comment