Old Testament Reading: Zechariah 9:9–10, ESV

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:9–10, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 12:9-19

“When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just 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 had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.’” (John 12:9–19, ESV)

Introduction 

There are three things that I would like to draw your attention to in this story. The first has to do with a change in Jesus’ method. The second has to do with manner in which Jesus approaches this change. And the third has to do with motive.

Consider Jesus’ Method

Let us first consider the change that we see in Jesus’ method.

As you have noticed how, up to this point in his ministry, Jesus would engage with the people – he would engage with the leaders of Israel, he would do some great act, or deliver some teaching, and when his popularity would increase – and then he would retreat. The pattern, up to this point, has been one of withdrawal. The motto has been, “my hour has not yet come.”

Take, for example, Jesus’ response to the multitude who followed him into the wilderness. Having been miraculously fed with bread and fish they wanted to make him King. So, “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (John 6:15, ESV)

And do you remember how Jesus’ siblings were urging him to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths? They wanted him to go up in a public way, making himself known to the people of Israel, so that he might rule in power. His response? “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.” (John 7:6, ESV) So he did not go with them publicly, “But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up…but in private.” (John 7:10, ESV)

And just recently we were told how, after Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave, “[He] therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from [Bethany] to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.” (John 11:54, ESV)

Many more examples could be provided, but the point is this: Jesus had labored to avoid public recognition; he had worked to remain relatively private; he had resisted the impulses of the people to make much of him. Now all of that seems to change. Now Jesus takes a different approach – the opposite approach. He employs a different method as he now goes up to Jerusalem in the most public of ways.

According to John there is great excitement surrounding Jesus again. Crowds of people come to Bethany to see him. Crowds of people are in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and they are wondering, will Jesus make an appearance? 

We don’t know how many traveled from Jerusalem to Bethany to see Jesus (it was only a couple of miles away). The text simply says that it was “a large crowd.”  And we don’t know exactly how many lined the streets to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem on the following day. Certainly this crowd was much larger than the other one given that it was a portion of those who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Understand that the population of Jerusalem would have swelled significantly as thousands upon thousands of Jews would have made the pilgrimage to the Holy City to celebrate this great feast. It was a portion of that population that welcomed Jesus into the city on, what we now call, palm Sunday. We don’t know how many, but I picture in my mind thousands of people – perhaps tens of thousands.

We might ask why it was that Jesus’ popularity had grown in such drastic way? I suppose we could say that it had been consistently growing throughout his ministry. I’m sure there is some truth to that. With each miracle, and with each teaching, Jesus, no doubt, caught the attention of more and more people. But John tells us that this recent surge in popularity was due to the great miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. People wanted to see Jesus because of it, but they also wanted to see Lazarus!

So powerful was this miracle (or sign) that “the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.” (John 12:10–11, ESV)

It never ceases to amaze me how the leaders of the Jews, instead of believing upon the Jesus on account of this great miracle, determine to put Jesus to death. And not only Jesus, but Lazarus too! But this reminds me that such is our condition apart form the life giving work of the Holy Spirit. Apart from the work of Christ our spiritual eyes are so accustom to darkness that when light shines in upon us we recoil – we resist – we throw the blinds shut so that we might return back to our comfortable and sleepy state. So it was with the unbelieving Jews. The light was not welcome. It was an annoyance to them. Their solution was to exterminate to the source of it. They made plans to blot out the radiance of the sun and to draw the shades on the reflective splendor of the moon by putting both Jesus and Lazarus to death.

I would like to pause here for just a moment to make a bit of a side point. You have probably noticed in John’s Gospel how the phrase, “the Jews”, is often used in a negative way. It is often used to describe those who do not believe. And it is often used to describe those who were enemies of Christ. It is true that many of the Jews were enemies of the Christ. And it is certainly true that the Jews played a large role in the crucifixion of Christ. But it would be a terrible mistake to assume that the Gospel of John is somehow against the Jews. No! Jesus himself was Jewish. John was Jewish. The Apostles were Jewish. And, as you can see in the text before us, the first to believe in Christ – the first to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ in faith – were Jews. The Gospel of John is not against the Jews. It is against unbelief! That is the point! In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, but all are one by faith in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. By the time that John wrote his Gospel in the late 80’s AD there were certainly tensions that existed between the Christian Church and the Jewish Synagogue. The Jews were persecuting the Christians at this point in history.  But the Gospel of John was written, not to condemn the Jewish race, but to confront their unbelief. His purpose in writing was to persuade Jew and Gentile alike to believe, or trust, in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Our objective should be the same today as we labor to make disciples of all nations.

Notice that many of the Jews continued in unbelief, but not all were of the same opinion. Some saw the sign of the raising of Lazarus for what it was. Many went out to see Jesus and Lazarus. Many more would welcome Jesus into Jerusalem on the following day.  So numerous were they that the unbelieving “Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.’” (John 12:19, ESV)

This is a significant statement. The word “world” is obviously used here, as it often is in John’s Gospel, not in reference to every person without exception (to take it that way would be absurd), but in reference to a great number of people. The Pharisees were lamenting that fact that thousands seemed to be following Christ. And the context should also lead us to recognize that the word “world” here has more to it than just a reference to a great number of people – it also is used in reference to a great diversity of people – not only Jews, but also Gentiles were flocking to Jesus. Look at the heading above 12:20. Mine says, “Some Greeks Seek Jesus”. When we come to that passage we will learn that it was the Greeks seeking Jesus which prompted him finally to say, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23, ESV) And so the Pharisees are bothered by the fact that many people – mainly Jews, but also Gentiles – were flocking to the Christ because of what he had done with Lazarus.

The point is this: Jesus has changed is method. Whereas before he would have retreated to the mountain, or gone up to Jerusalem in secret, or moved with his disciples to a rural place – now he moves forward publicly. He is ready to receive the accolades of the people, and to be received by them.

And what is the meaning of this? We are to recognize that God was in control of the situation. Jesus was in control. Jesus’ life progressed on God’s timetable. From a human perspective we might say that Jesus owed his successes and, so-called, failures to other men. He was made great because men wanted to make him great, and he was brought low because men wanted to bring him low.  But John wants us to see that God was in control – Jesus was in control. He chose when to go up. And when he went up, he went up in full control of the situation. This principle has already been stated in 10:17, where Jesus says,

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:17–18, ESV)

So first of all, it is clear that Jesus has changed his method.

Consider Jesus’ Manner 

Secondly, notice the manner in which Jesus implements this new method. Jesus goes up to Jerusalem to be received as King, but he goes humbly, and in fulfillment to Old Testament prophesy.

Look with me at verse 12 and see that the people received Jesus as King of Israel:

“The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” (John 12:12–13, ESV)

It is cleat that the people had a very particular view of Jesus. They thought him to be the Messiah, the long awaited King that was promised to David. Whether their expectations of him were correct is a conversation for another time. For now it should be noted that they thought him to be the King of Israel, their Savior.

This is clear for there reasons:

One, the people greeted him with palm branches. This might have little significance to you and I but, “From about two centuries earlier, palm branches had already become a national symbol. When Simon the Maccabee drove the Syrian forces out of the Jerusalem citadel he was fêted with music and the waving of palm branches (cf. 1 Macc. 13:51, 141 BC).” This was a customary way to greet a great king, or savior.

Two, the people cried out saying, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord…!” (John 12:13, ESV) Hosanna means “save us”. This is an allusion to Psalm 118 which says in verse 25, “Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:25–26, ESV) A quick read of Psalm 118 makes it clear that it is about the coming Messiah. The people sung it to Jesus because they thought him to be the Messiah, their Savior King.

Three, notice that the people explicitly call Jesus the King of Israel at the end of verse 13 saying, “even the King of Israel”

Notice that Jesus did not rebuke them. He received their praise. And he was willing to receive it because he thought of himself as the King of Israel, the Messiah, the Savior. They were right to call him King.

But notice the manner in which Jesus entered into Jerusalem – notice the way he went about it. He entered Jerusalem ridding upon a young donkey. His manner said a lot about Jesus and the kind of King that he would be.

Were he interested in exerting political or military power we would expect him to ride into Jerusalem siting atop a mighty war horse. But no, he entered Jerusalem humbly, not as a political or military figure, but as a lowly servant King. The reason for this is obvious. The Kingdom that he came to inaugurate was not an earthly or political Kingdom. It was spiritual in nature. This Kingdom would advance, not by the sword, but by Spirit and truth.

Christ’s first coming was marked my meekness, humility, and gentleness. He did not come to judge, but to save. But tell me church, will Christ be riding upon the foal of a donkey at his second coming? No! Revelation 19:11:

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.” (Revelation 19:11–13, ESV)

How different the first and second comings of Christ are! Christ came the first time in meekness and humility to bring salvation to the elect. He will come again in great power and splendor, and to judge.

Notice that Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey was also in fulfillment to prophesy. Hosea 9:9 was written some 500 years before the Christ was born. The prophet declared,

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:9–10, ESV)

Christ fulfilled this at his first coming, according to John. He was the long awaited King of Israel, the Messiah. He brought salvation. He came humbly. And notice also that he did indeed “cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem” along with the “battle bow”. Some read that and say, how did Christ fulfill that? Aren’t there wars all around us? The point is this: Old Covenant Israel prefigured the Kingdom of God and it advanced by way of horse and chariot, bow and sword. Read the Old Testament and see that it is true. But under the New Covenant, now that the Kingdom of God has been inaugurated, the true Israel, consisting of all who believe in Christ – Jew and Gentile – advances, not by the sword, but by the power of the Spirit and by truth. The day will come when peace will fill the earth, but not until Christ returns in power and in judgment.

Christ has, at his first coming, “cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow [has been] cut off” – John tells us that Jesus rode into Jerusalem in fulfillment of this prophesy. And he has also spoken “peace to the nations”! “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19, ESV) And his “rule [is] from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth”! Tell me church, is Jesus Savior of the Jews only? No! He is the Savior of the world!

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem in the manner that he did – “humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” – he was doing more than claiming to have a humble disposition. No, more than that, he was claiming to be the fulfillment of all that Zachariah had prophesied over 500 years earlier.

Consider Jesus’ Motive

We have considered Jesus’ method and his manner. Let us now consider (for a brief moment) his motive.

Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem as he did? What were his hopes? What were his intentions? Did he hope that it would all go well for him? Did he think that he would win over his opponents and that all would come to love him in the end? No. Jesus, he went to die for those who would believe.

This has been made clear from the moment Jesus was introduced to us in John’s Gospel. He was introduced by the baptist. And how did John introduce him? “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV) Jesus is our sacrificial lamb. He came to die.

And so as we imaging Jesus ridding into Jerusalem on, what we now call Palm Sunday, we should think of a focused, clear minded, and driven individual. Jesus, though he was willing to receive the praise of the people because the words were true, was not fooled by them into thinking that maybe an earthly kingdom – a political one – could possibly work out. No, his sights were set on the cross (this will become more clear later in chapter 12). His sights were set on the cross. He came to die. He came to establish a spiritual Kingdom. He came to defeat, not Rome, but sin and death and Satan.

And he did this being motivated by the glory of God, and for the good of you and I and all who ever have and ever will set their hope in the Messiah, from the beginning of the world, to this day, and on to end of time.

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 15:7–11

“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:7–11, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 12:1-8

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.’” (John 12:1–8, ESV)

Introduction 

The thing that I want you to notice in the text before us today is that a contrast is made between two figures. Two people take center stage in this story: one is good, the other bad; one is a child of the light, the other a child of darkness. One’s name is Mary, the other Judas. Mary is to be commended, her ways imitated. Judas is to be condemned, his ways forsaken.

This story plays an important role in John’s Gospel. I think it is interesting to note that all four Gospels – Matthew, Mark Luke, and John – contain a story about a woman anointing Jesus with costly perfume. The story found in Luke 7:36–38 is very much unlike the one found in Mathew, Mark, and John. Though there are some similarities, a close comparison of Luke’s story with the other three make it abundantly clear that Luke is telling of a different incident.

But when we compare Matthew 26:6–13 and Mark 14:3–9 with John 12:1-8 it becomes clear that these three have the same event in mind. They are all telling of the story of the anointing of Jesus by Mary, the sister of Lazarus, within a week of the crucifixion of Christ.

The similarities between Matthew, Mark, and John’s account of the story are clear enough. I’m more interested in how they are different. Notice five things;

One, Matthew and Mark place this event after Jesus’ triumphal entry, into Jerusalem, whereas John says it happened just before it. Remember though, that it was not uncommon for the Gospel writers (especially Matthew and Mark) to organize their material according to theme, and not chronologically. That is the case here. Notice that John explicitly says that this anointing of Jesus happened “six days before the passover”, and a day before the triumphal entry (that is, a day according the Jewish way of marking the beginning and end of days). Matthew and Mark do not introduce their story with a specific chronological marker. They simply say, “Now when Jesus was at Bethany…”, and  they continue from there. John presents the actual chronology; Matthew and Mark are organized thematically when it comes to the story of Mary’s anointing of Jesus.

Secondly, notice that Matthew and Mark provide us with more information concerning where this anointing happened. John tells us that it happened at Bethany. But Matthew and Mark are more specific, telling us that it happened in the home of “Simon the leper.” We do not know who this man was. Simon was a very common name in Jesus’ day. We do know that this man had leprosy at one point, for that was his nickname – Simon the leper. Whether he recovered naturally or was cured by Jesus, we don’t know. At any rate, he was the host. It seems that this was a celebration which involved a great many from the village of Bethany. They were without a doubt giving honor to Jesus. Certainly this celebration had a lot to do with what had happened just a few weeks earlier with the raising of Lazarus from the grave. Lazarus, we are told, was “reclining at table” with Jesus. Ponder that for moment! Think of the power of that testimony!

Thirdly, it is interesting that Matthew and Mark do not mention Mary by name. In their telling of the story Mary is simply referred to as “a woman”. She remains anonymous in Matthew and Mark.

Someone asked me last week why it is that Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not contain the story of the raising of Lazarus. You would thinking that all four Gospels would tell the story given the power of it, and the significant role it plays in John’s Gospel. Why would they pass on telling the story? Many have wondered about this, and we can only speculate. But it should be acknowledged that there are good reasons to not tell a story, even if it is a good one. One possible reason to refrain is to guard against distracting from another more important point being made. I would imaging that Lazarus was rather famous after all of this. I would imagine that people looked in upon him with much curiosity – will he age? Will he die again? What was it like, Lazarus? You can imagine how interested people must have been in him and his two sisters. Perhaps Matthew, Mark, and Luke, having been written much earlier than John – much more close to the event itself – decided to downplay the story of the raising of Lazarus so as to highlight in a more pronounced way the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which was of much greater significance in the end. It is possible that by the time John wrote things had settled down for Lazarus and his sisters. Or perhaps they had passed. Or maybe John felt compelled to record it in writing, knowing that the other Gospel writers had omitted it.

Here we see evidence of this way of thinking in Matthew and Mark. They are telling the same story as John concerning the anointing of Jesus, but they decide to let Mary remain anonymous, calling her “a woman” instead of by her name.

Fourthly, note that Matthew and Mark tell us that the woman anointed Jesus’ head, whereas as John tells us that she used her hair to anoint his feet. Some see this as a blatant contradiction. In fact it is not a contradiction, but a paradox (our Jr. high youth know the difference between a contradiction and a paradox, don’t you?). A paradox is something that at first appears to be contradiction, but proves not to be upon closer examination. It is true that Matthew and Mark tell us that the woman anointed Jesus’ head, but afterwards Jesus says that, “In pouring this ointment on my body, [the woman] has done it to prepare me for burial.” (Matthew 26:12, ESV) This pound of costly ointment was evidently used to anoint Jesus head to toe. Matthew and Mark emphasized the anointing of Jesus’ head, whereas John emphasized the fact that Mary used her hair to anoint his feet.

Now let’s stop for a moment, lest you begin to think that I am doing nothing more than preparing you for a game of Bible trivia. Why did Matthew and Mark emphasize the anointing of Jesus’ head, and John the anointing of his feet? That is the question. Think of this – to anoint the head is a symbol of power and honor, and that is what Matthew and Mark were desiring to communicate – Jesus is King! But John was desiring to emphasize something else. The image of Mary, the friend of Jesus, bowing at his feet and using her precious hair to catch the excess oil so that all it might serve her master, is an incredibly moving image of humble, extravagant, and authentic worship. That is the image that John wanted to highlight because it supported the theme that he was developing in his Gospel.

Turn over a page to John chapter 13. What does the heading say above that chapter? Mine says, “Jesus washes the disciples feet.” Do you see the trajectory of John’s Gospel? Do you understand the point that he is making? Be like Mary! Mimic her! Fall humbly before Jesus in worship! Serve him, and serve others. Forsake the love of the world and the pride of life.

This leads to the fifth and last observation concerning the difference between Matthew and Mark, when compared to John. Matthew and Mark do not single out Judas, whereas John does. In Matthew and Mark it is the disciples in general who are said to be indignant about the pouring out of such a costly perfume. John speaks more specifically though, revealing that it was Judas in particular who complained.

All of these observations are important, but especially the last three, for it is Mary and Judas who John introduces in order to contrast the one against the other. One is good, the other bad; one is a child of the light, the other a child of darkness. Mary is to be commended, her ways imitated. Judas is to be condemned, his ways forsaken.

Having considered Mary’s example, let us worship the Lord in humility, being fully aware of his significance, and without reservation. 

So let us consider Mary for moment. [SLIDE] And having considered her example let us be moved to worship the Lord in humility, being fully aware of his significance, and without reservation.

Humility

That Mary approached Jesus in a spirit of humility is hard to miss. She fell at his feet; she anointed his feet. She took the position of a humble servant. More than that, she used her own hair to anoint the feet of Jesus. She was completely invested in this act – completely involved.

Her humble act certainly sprung from a sense of gratitude. She was clearly grateful for what Jesus had done. Many were grateful. Many from the town of Bethany were involved in throwing this party for Jesus. Lazarus was grateful as he reclined at table with Jesus.

Notice that Mary’s sister Martha was there too. She expressed her humble gratitude in a way that was consistent with her character – she served Jesus. We know from Luke 10 that Martha was bent in that direction. She enjoyed serving. She was a doer. Mary, on the other hand, was more bent towards relationships. In Luke 10 Mary is the one who sat at the feet of Jesus while Martha worked. Here Mary anoints the feet of Jesus while Martha serves. Serving is good. Being a doer is good. But in both stories Mary is commended for choosing the better thing. In Luke 10 Jesus explicitly says that she choose the better thing; here it is implied by the fact that here act of humble adoration takes center stage in the story. The meaning is this: it is good to serve Jesus, but we ought not to neglect knowing him and worshipping him. Serve him, yes! But not to the neglect of worship.

Our gratitude for what Christ has done for us ought to lead us to humble adoration. It is true that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but he has done something even greater for us. He has given us eternal life.

“God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” (Ephesians 2:4–6, ESV)

How could we not fall before our Savior with in spirit of humility considering all that he has done for us?

Also, I’m sure that Mary bowed before Jesus in humility because she was more aware than ever of her smallness before him. That Jesus was great – that Jesus was the Christ – she had long confessed. But her understanding of what that meant was undoubtably altered when she saw Jesus call her brother out of the grave. Her thoughts towards him increased. Certainly she had spent the few weeks that had passed between the raising the anointing pondering the greatness of her friend. She prepared for his arrival. She thought of what she should do. And when he came, her heart was humble before his greatness.

You say, but Pastor, I have pride in my heart. I could never fall before Christ in the way that Mary did. I could never bring myself to worship in such a public and self-effacing way. Brothers and sisters, humility is cultivated within the heart – pride is driven out – when we think of God, and the Christ whom he sent, as we ought to think of him. Humility grows with our hearts when our thoughts concerning God are high and true. And once we have begun to think of God as we ought, it is then that we are adequately prepared to begin to think of ourselves. For it is only in the light of his glory that we are able to accurately assess our own worth. Mary had seen the glory of God demonstrated before her very eyes in the raising of her brother. She was more aware of her smallness before Jesus then ever before. Her heart was prepared to worship in a spirit of utter humility.

Fully aware of the significance of Jesus

Notice also that Mary seems to be fully aware – or at least more aware than others – concerning the significance of Jesus, and the importance of the moment. Why did she anoint Jesus? She anointed him in preparation for his death. When Jesus rebuked Judas he said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.” (John 12:7, ESV) This is a notoriously difficult phrase to translate, but it seems to mean, Judas, do not take this moment away from her. She has done this in preparation for my death. Let her keep it. Let her do what she has done. Do not hinder her.

Jesus commends Mary for her act. He verified that it was indeed good that Mary understood the significance of the moment. She knew that his death was near. She was attuned to the purposes of God.

The Gospel of John has been preparing us for this moment. We were told from the beginning that Jesus was the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Christ consistently alluded to the fact that he came to die – he was sent by the Father to suffer and die, to pay for the sins of his sheep. But up to this point, his hour had not yet come (2:4). There was still daylight, and so Jesus still walked in the open, fulfilling his public ministry (12:35). But notice that chapter 12 records the last of Jesus’ public ministry. From chapter 13 onward Jesus will speak mainly to his disciples. And look ahead to 12:23. It is after some of the greeks seek Jesus that he utters the words, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

Mary understand this while others (some or all of the disciples) seem to be oblivious to it. She understood that Jesus came to die. She understood that suffering was in his future. She seemed to be very much aware of the significance of Jesus, and the mission that he came to accomplish.

Without reservation

Notice, lastly, that Mary worshipped without reservation.

The ointment that she used to anoint Jesus for burial was of great value. Verse 3 tells us that, “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus…” (John 12:3, ESV) Judas estimated that the value of the ointment was 300 denarii, which was the equivalent of a years wage for a common worker. That’s a great deal of money!

It may be that Mary and Martha were wealthy and could afford such a thing. It may be that this ointment was a family heirloom that Mary chose to use for this occasion. We simply do not know. But what is clear is that Mary worshipped Christ without reservation. She was fully invested. She spared no expense. She knew the significance of the man and the moment, and she poured herself out before the Lord.

The result was that Christ was adequately honored, he was prepared for burial ahead of time, and the whole house was filled with the fragrance – others were blessed by the extravagance of her worship.

Brothers and sisters, Mary is to be commended, her ways imitated. Let us worship the Lord in humility, being fully aware of his significance, and without reservation.

Having considered Judas’ failure, let us forsake our love for the things of this world, set our eyes upon Christ’s eternal kingdom, and confess Jesus as Lord.

Let us now take a moment to consider Judas.  And having considered Judas’ failure let us forsake our love for the things of this world, set our eyes upon Christ’s eternal kingdom, and confess Jesus as Lord.

John tells us that it was Judas who complained, saying, “‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.” (John 12:5–6, ESV)

Judas is contrasted with Mary. While Mary is consumed with the desire to worship, Judas is consumed with a desire for things of this world.

Judas was one of the twelve disciples, but John’s Gospel makes it clear that he was corrupt from the beginning. He was a disciple of Christ, but not from the heart. He belonged to Christ externally, but not inwardly. He appeared to be a follower of Christ, but he was a false disciple – a temporary believer.

The other disciples did not know this at the time, but Jesus did. In John 6:70 Jesus says, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” In the upper room Jesus will identify his betrayer. All of this is revealed to us so that we might understand that Jesus did not loose any whom the Father had given him. Judas never belonged to Christ. Judas never believed. He was a member of the band of disciples outwardly, but not inwardly. He was a devil.

John, as he wrote is Gospel decades after the death and resurrection of Christ, remembered the comment that Judas made concerning Mary. His comment probably sounded reasonable and altruistic at the time. “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” Some of the other disciples were probably thinking the same thing! And perhaps we too would have had the same thought if we were there! A years salary poured out in one moment! Couldn’t this have been put to better use? 

But consider these two things:

One, this circumstance was utterly unique. Mary was anointing the Christ for burial. That would happen only once in the history of the world. The utterly unique moment called for an extravagant act.

That being said, notice this principle: the churches care for the poor is to take place within the context of, and under the umbrella of, the extravagant worship of Jesus. I am not saying that we ought to spend a great deal of money in our worship of Jesus. I’m simply pointing out that Mary’s act of extravagant worship was declared to be good by Jesus. There is a tendency within the modern church to emphasize mercy ministry so much so, and in such a way,  that the proper worship of God takes back seat. Should the church be concerned for the poor? Absolutely! But we are to do so while giving priority to proper worship. Our mission is make disciples. We are proclaim the gospel, plant churches, appoint Elders and Deacons, and administer the sacraments, teaching all that Christ commanded. And we are to care for the poor as we worship God in the way that he has prescribed. Worship seems to be given the priority here in this passage. Jesus alludes to Deuteronomy  15, saying “the poor you will always have with you.” The implication is that we are to care for the poor, but that the extravagant worship of Jesus should not take a back seat to it.

I appreciate the way that D.A. Carson makes the point in his commentary, saying, “If self-righteous piety sometimes snuffs out genuine compassion, it must also be admitted, with shame, that social activism, even that which meets real needs, sometimes masks a spirit that knows nothing of worship and adoration.”

We should admit that Judas’ concern is understandable. We ought to be good stewards of what God has given us. That that was a part of the ethos of the apostles is clear from this passage. But the circumstances made this act appropriate.

Furthermore we should not that John, putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together, and seeing with the clarity of hindsight, clarifies that Judas was not really concerned for the poor. He was more concerned with building up the bank account so that he might steal from it.

Notice that Mary was humble. She was aware of the significance of the Christ and the nature of his kingdom – she knew that the way forward involved suffering and death. She was therefore extravagant in her worship. Judas, on the other hand, was worldly. He was in love with the world, obsessed with the things of this earth, obsessed with money. This will prove true when he betrays the Lord for a measly 30 pieces of silver!

Do you see the role that Judas plays in the narrative? John is saying, don’t be that guy! 

Jesus feed thousands in the wilderness with physical bread and fish. They followed him until he instead that they turn their attention from the physical bread to feasting upon the spiritual bread, who is the Christ. Those who were in love with the things of this earth turned back.

The Jewish leaders claimed that it would be best for the people if one man die instead of the whole nation suffer. But in fact they were concerned about their place and their position. They loved this world and the things of this world so much so that they were blind to the things of God which were being demonstrated right before their eyes.

And Judas would betray Jesus because his heart was consumed with love for the things of this earth. When he realized that Jesus wasn’t interested in establishing an earthly kingdom, and making the disciple powerful and rich, he would abandon ship, seeking his fame and fortune in another place.

Christian, do you see how the love of money leads to destruction? Paul warned Timothy saying, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:10, ESV) The writer to the Hebrews warns, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5, ESV)

We wonder, how could Judas do such a horrific thing in betraying Jesus?  The answer is that he never loved him from the heart. He was in love with the things of this world from the beginning. His desire was to have power in this world. He did not see the significance of Christ’s eternal kingdom, therefore, never did he have Christ as Lord. May it never be said of us.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, do you see that the contrast that is to exist between the way of the Christian and the way of the worldly man? Look at Mary and look at Judas. See that Judas had his eyes fixed upon this world, and he could not bring himself to worship the Christ. But notice that Mary had her eyes fixed upon the glory of God. She, by contrast, could not help but worship humbly, in gratitude, and without reservation. Let us mimic her.

 

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5

“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (Isaiah 2:1–5, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 11:45-57

“Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, ‘What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.’ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.’ He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, ‘What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?’ Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.’” (John 11:45–57, ESV)

Introduction 

As we considered the story of the rising of Lazarus last week I made the point that this is one of those places in scripture where we are given a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a trial, or difficult circumstance. Typically we are not able to see how God is working in the trials of life. We are often left to speculate concerning God’s purposes. But the story of the raising of Lazarus demonstrates that, though it is true that God is control of all things and is able to act, he does allow trials of various kinds to enter our lives for his glory and our good. But the story also demonstrates that Jesus truly loves those who belong to him, though he may allow a variety of trials for a time. We saw that Jesus wept. All of this was demonstrated before our eyes as we considered the story of the rising of Lazarus last week.

Notice that something else is demonstrated in the passage that is before us today. Instead of a demonstration of the love that Christ has for his sheep, we have here a demonstration of the depth of man’s depravity. John 11:45-57 is a demonstration of just how blind and wicked the heart of man is apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

While it is certainly more enjoyable to set our eyes upon the image of Christ weeping for his friends, it is necessary that we also ponder this less pleasant thing. There are lessons to be learned here. Though it is true that we have believed upon Christ and are not like these who persist in stubborn unbelief, there is something to be learned from the sin of those who persisted in their unbelief. The sin that these men committed is the same sin that tempts us. May we learn to run from it!

Remember that Jesus raised a man from the grave who had been dead for four days. Tell me, if you had never heard this story before, what would you expect the result of this miracle to be? Would you not expect all who were present – all who were eye witness to this miracle – to believe in Jesus? How could anyone remain in a state of unbelief after witnessing a miracle of this magnitude? How could anyone reject such a magnificent sign? We would expect everyone who was there, and many more who would hear their testimony to believe!

And yet what do we read? Verse 45: “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.” (John 11:45–46, ESV)

The Unbelief of the Jews Demonstrates the Blindness of Man’s Heart to the Things of God Apart from the Regenerating Work of the Holy Spirit

The first thing I want you to notice in this passage is how the unbelief of the Jews serves to demonstrate the blindness of man’s heart to the things of God apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

It is true that verse 45 starts by informing us that many of the Jews believed in Christ after witnessing the miracle of the raising of Lazarus. This is the result that we would expect – belief in Christ. The fact that many believed is not surprising to us. How could they not after seeing such a thing?

The surprising thing is that not all believed! We would expect that all who witnessed such a great miracle would walk away believing in Jesus. But the text only says “many”. And it also reveals something more surprising. Some of the eyewitnesses to this miracle actually took it upon themselves to go to the Pharisees to tell of all that Jesus had done.

Now please do not misunderstand their intentions. I suppose that you could read verse 46 thinking that these people went to the Pharisees because they were excited and proud of what Jesus had done. It is possible to think that these went to the Pharisees as disciples of Christ – his evangelists and missionaries. But no. The ones who went to the Pharisees are contrasted with those who believed. They went to Pharisees in unbelief. They went in order to accuse Jesus. They went to tattle on him. Isn’t that something!

This all becomes clear as the story unfolds. For when the chief priests and the Pharisees hear about what Jesus had done they do not rejoice; they do not respond by repenting, or by falling to their knees in faith. No, they call a counsel and ask the question, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” (John 11:47–48, ESV)

Notice that these are the chief priests and the Pharisees who are talking this way. These are the men who are supposed to lead the people to God, and yet here they are found conspiring against God, and seeking to hinder the people from seeing what is true. They come together, not in humble submission to the Word of God, but in order to oppose him.

I cannot help but see here a vivid demonstration of the blindness of man’s heart to the things of God. Jesus called a man back to life from four days in the grave. Many people saw it with their physical eyes, but only some perceived the significance of it with their spiritual eyes. Others were blind to it.

Does this episode not demonstrate what has already been revealed in John’s Gospel concerning what is needed in order for someone to believe in Jesus? Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44, ESV) “Jesus answered [Nicodemous], ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:3, ESV)

We know that the Spirit of God must work if someone is to believe – John’s Gospel has made that clear. We know that God must call, or woo, or draw a sinner to himself if he is to believe. We know that Christ must heal our blindness – just as he physically healed the man who was blind from birth, so too much he provide a remedy to our spiritual blindness. We know these things because the Gospel of John has told us so. But I cannot think of a more potent and vivid demonstration of these truths than the text that is before us. If anything were to get the attention of natural man wouldn’t it be this? And yet so many persisted in their unbelief.

I’m reminded of the story that Jesus told about a rich man and man named Lazarus (not the same Lazarus as in this passage). This story is found in Luke 16 and goes something like this: Lazarus – a poor man died and wend to Abraham’s bosom. A rich man also died and was in torment in Hades – there is much to be said about this story but he point I am making is this – he made this request of Abraham, saying “‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’” (Luke 16:27–28, ESV) And what was Abraham’s response in this story? Luke 16:29:

“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16:29–31, ESV)

Such is the depth of our depravity! Such is our blindness apart from the regenerating work of the Spirit. Even if a man is raised, be it Lazarus of Bethany, or Jesus of Nazareth himself, the natural man will not believe.

I’m also reminded of what Paul had to say about man’s natural condition apart from the regenerating work of Christ. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:14, saying, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they [that is, the things of God] are spiritually discerned [judged, evaluated, understood.]” (1 Corinthians 2:14, ESV)

When Jesus rose Lazarus from the grave, the Spirit of God used that miracle to prepare some men and women for faith. The Spirit also used the miracle to confirm those who already believed in the faith – their faith was made stronger. But those with whom the Spirit was not at work, as surprising as it to us, remained in their unbelief, even though they saw this miracle with their own eyes. Their unbelief demonstrates the blindness of man’s heart to the things of God apart from the work of the Spirit.

The Unbelief of the Jews Demonstrates the Self-Centeredness of Man’s Heart Apart from the Regenerating Work of the Holy Spirit

The second thing that I want you to see in this text how the unbelief of the Jews demonstrates the self-centeredness of man’s heart apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

It has been said that sin at its essence is love turned inward. I think this can be easily demonstrated by looking at Genesis 3 and the account of the fall. Adam and Eve had all that they needed. They lived in paradise. They enjoyed perfection. The pinnacle of their paradise existence was their intimate and unbroken relationship with the God who made them. But when the serpent came he brought temptation with him. And what was the essence of the temptation except the suggestion that perhaps God was holding out on them? Perhaps there was more to be had than what God had provided. Perhaps life would be even better if they ate of the forbidden fruit. Perhaps they could elevate themselves even higher by casing off the restraints that God had laid upon them.

Adam and Eve fell because they began to love themselves more than they loved God. They should have loved God supremely, obeying his word forever. But they listened to the voice of the tempter instead, and they began to turn the love that was once so perfectly directed towards God, inward. Believing the lie, they began to love themselves. And being more concerned about themselves they began to act according to that world, satanic, counterfeit wisdom which.The end was destruction and death.

Notice that chief priests and Pharisees are possessed by the same spirit of self-love  and the same desire for self-exultation.

They received word that Jesus had raised a man from the dead. And instead of believing, as you would expect, they began to reason amongst themselves. They called a counsel. They began to converse with one another (if we have learned anything from our past it is that bad things happen when humans get together to reason with one another, disregarding the Word of God).

And what is their concern? Verse 47: “So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, ‘What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.’” (John 11:47–48, ESV)

That he preformed many signs, they could not deny. And the fact that those signs were genuine and true, leading many to believe, they had to admit. But if they allowed him to continue unchecked, “everyone would believe in him”, they said. Instead of believing in Christ they were more concerned that the Romans might get word of all of this and come and take away their place and their nation.

The Romans did not like movements like the one that was brewing around Jesus. Movements like this were viewed as a threat to national security. And so the Jews were right. If things got out of hand they might suffer at the hands of the Romans. It was possible that the temple be destroyed, and the nation overthrown. The leaders claim to be concerned with the wellbeing of the nation, but what do you think they were really concerned with? They were concerned about loosing their prestigious position. They we concerned that following Jesus would mean that they themselves be humbled. It is true that the Romans posed a threat, but that what all hypothetical. The real threat to them was Jesus himself. To believe in Jesus would require that these men bow before him. To believe in Jesus would require that they humbly submit to him. Faith in Christ would have demanded that these men, in one way or another, be humbled from their place of high standing.

This is what they were concerned about. And this, folks, was simply to much to ask. These powerful men were far to concerned with maintaining their prestigious position than to bother paying attention to insignificant things such as a man being raised to life after four days in the grave.

Self-centeredness, self-protection, self-love has a way of blinding us to the most obvious of things. Love is like a flashlight, it only illuminates our path when it is pointed outwards – first towards he one true God, and then towards others. When love is turned inward it has the opposite effect. It blinds us to the truth instead of making it visible to us. Even obvious things become impossible to see.

And yet this is our natural condition. We are born into this world lovers of self. And so instead of saying, what is truth? I will do whatever it takes to live according to the truth. I’ll even even lay down my life! We say, how can get ahead? How can I be comfortable? How can I profit in the here and now? To heck with the truth so long as damage is not done to my little kingdom. This is the way of the natural, unregenerate man. The unbelief of the Jews in this story demonstrates the self-centeredness of man’s heart apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

The Unbelief of the Jews Demonstrates the Callousness of Man’s Heart Towards God Apart from the Regenerating Work of the Holy Spirit

The third thing that I would like you to see in this text is how the unbelief of the Jews demonstrates the callousness of man’s heart towards God apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

These men not only remained in their unbelief, they actually conspired to put Jesus to death. This is the depth of their depravity – this is how hard their hearts were.  They respond to Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead with a death sentence – a death sentence for Jesus and, as we will see in chapter 12, a death sentence for Lazarus! His testimony was to strong.

Most astonishingly, it was the high priest himself who initiated the plan. Verse 49: “But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.’” (John 11:49–50, ESV)

Caiaphas was a skilled politician. He waited until the right time, he spoke boldly, he spoke persuasively, he spoke with clarity, giving the counsel direction. And what was his advice? It would be better to murder one innocent man than for the whole nation to suffer under Rome, should things get out of hand.      

Remember, this was the high priest of Israel! This was the one who was to mediate between God and the people! This was the one who was to walk in purity and uprightness, teaching the people the ways of God. Instead he behaves like a tyrant.

Interestingly, John points out how the high priest’s words turned out to be prophetic. Of course Caiphas meant one thing with these words, but there was irony in them. His words would be fulfilled by Jesus in a way that Caiphas would never have expected. Jesus would indeed die for the nation! He would died for the sins of all his sheep from among the Jewish nation. And “not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” Christ would die, not only for the sins of Jews, but also for the sins of gentiles. His sheep from both would be united into one body, one church, one family of God.

The point to be noticed is this: God was in control. He was in control even of Caiphas’ words, directing him in his moment of wickedness to speak prophetically concerning the will of God. Jesus would not be killed unwillingly. He came to lay down his life for the sheep. And not only for the sheep of the fold of Israel, but for the sheep of the fold of the gentiles as well.

Isn’t it astonishing, though, the way that God accomplishes his purposes even by and through men with unregenerate hearts?  The purposes of God simply march on. He is not hindered in the least. His will is accomplished, not only by and through the righteous, but by and through the blind, self-centered, and calloused of this world. This is the God that we serve. He is Lord of all. Take comfort in that fact, Christian, as you live in this world.

Conclusion

So how does all of this apply?

Some might be thinking, what does all of this have to do with us? We are believing in Christ? We have confessed him as Lord! We are not like these unbelieving ones!

But that would assume that all who are here today are in fact believing in Christ. It may be that are some who have not believed in Christ. If that is you, I would say consider the works of Christ. Consider all that he did in his life as a demonstration of his power from on high. Consider this work – the raising of Lazarus – and the way that it serves as a precursor to the even greater work of his own death and resurrection. In these works Christ is demonstrating that he indeed has power over the grave. He has the power to give life eternal.

See the works, die to self, and give glory to God. Stop trying to hold on to your life as the unbelieving Jews did. For in holding on to it, you will loose it, whereas in letting it go, you will find it. Repent and believe upon Jesus who is the Christ, the Savior of the world. That is the application for the unbeliever.

But the passage is also applicable to the Christian. It is true that you are numbered among the many Jews who went away believing in Christ. But the sin of the unbelieving Jews serves to warn us of the propensity of the remaining corruptions within us.

Are we not still tempted, even in Christ, to turn a blind eye to the truths of God? Are we not tempted to neglect and doubt his word? Are we not tempted to go at it alone, relying upon our own human wisdom to deal with the demands of life? I know that you are tempted in this way. I have been tempted in this way.

But may it never be! May we forever live with eyes fixed upon the Word of God. May we forever give attention to the truth that God has revealed to us. May we look squarely upon it, receive it by faith, and live according to it all the days of our life. The Spirit of God has blessed us with the ability to see with spiritual clarity. He has cured our blindness so that we might see his face. How tragic and wasteful it is to squander the gift of spiritual sight by fixing our eyes upon the garbage of this world when we could gaze perpetually upon our Savior, the eternal Word of God. He has opened our eyes! Let us fix them upon him, the author and finisher of our faith.

And are we not also tempted to turn away from Christ, our bridegroom, the lover of our souls.?We are tempted to turn back to old lovers. The most seductive of them all is named self.  The desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, the pride of life – these are the things that keep many from ever turning to Christ.  But they even call out to those who are in Christ, tempting the bride of Christ to turn back.

May it never be of us. May we never forget that the love of the world and the love of self leads only to death and destruction. May we never forget how good it is to know Christ and to walk in his ways. It is a satisfaction that never grows stale, but increases with the passing of time, and will increase on into eternity, as we walk with him. Die to self and live to Christ.

Brothers and sisters, if you have turned your eyes from Christ, and have directed your love towards other things, why are you surprised that your heart has grown calloused towards God and toward your neighbor? It is a love for God and his word which make makes our heart soft towards his.

Let me close with this warning from Hebrews 3:12-14:

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. [Run to him today] …that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (Hebrews 3:12–14, ESV)