Jesus CSCK #61 Jesus and the Supper with Friends John 12:1-10

 

Jesus CSCK #61 Jesus and the Supper with Friends
John 12:1-10 

Introduction:

This morning we are in John chapter 12:1-10. A favorite passage of mine for a sermon text because it is a moment frozen in time like a photograph. In this scriptural photo we stand at the very edge of the Passion week. The subject within the picture show us the Gospel story as seen in the lives of those closest to Jesus. It is the last time such a setting will be seen. From this point forward every person, event and place in the Father’s sovereign plan for the redemption of mankind will be in place and only wait for the trigger to pulled and then Jesus, the creator, the savior, the lord and the king will be crucified.

John wrote this after all the people in our scripture snapshot are gone except himself. I had not considered this before but one of my sources remarked that this is the reason it was recalled and recorded by John. When he sat down to write his book it was about 60 years after the events. He is over 90 years old, in our time that is old, in John’s time it would have been seen as another evidence of God’s supernatural sustaining power.  And as the aged apostle sits down and under the inspiration of the Holy spirit begin to write, the time since the first Gospels were written shapes his narrative. What was not recorded in Mark, Matthew and Luke’s accounts, what forces were now opposing the church Jesus left and whose story needed to be retold with his unique viewpoint and who had been alive then but were now gone. passed away John. All these thing shaped John’s inerrant, infallible, inspired Gospel.      

This scriptural event, historical phote is also found with different perspectives as seen by Matthew and Mark. Also,  note that Luke has another account of a supper which shares some of the same elements as this one, but it is not the same supper. In Luke’s account they are at the house of Simon the Pharisee who lived in Galilee, here by Matthew’s account we know that this is the home of Simon the healed leper who lived in Bethany, Matthew 26:6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper.  Luke’s account is about a former harlot who was saved by Jesus, but it is not Mary of Bethany, nor is it Mary Magdelene. The woman in Galilee also anoints Jesus and it is easy to mix these two separate events up, but we should never read into scripture what isn’t there. Leave that for the Catholics and the Charismatics, they have that down to an art.

Now lets go to John 12 and frame our scripture picture.

 Lazarus’ Sits As Witness John 12:1-3

Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. 3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment

Lazarus Is A Witness Of Jesus’ Life Giving Power

Our picture is taken as we’ve said in Bethany and John tells us this is 6 days before the Passover. Less than a week before the Lord will be sacrificed as the Lamb of God that 3 years ago John the Baptist had pointed out to his disciples and Andrew, James, John and Natheniel soon followed Jesus.

All along the pilgrim road coming to Jerusalem the excitement, curiosity and tension has been building. Passover was always the greatest event in the Hebrew year, but this year was by far the most exciting and tense there had ever been.     

John 11:55-57 And the Jews' Passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast? 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.       

All along the Pilgrim road, all the way into Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount and especially among the disciples and those traveling with Jesus the stories, rumors and gossip was spread like fire through dry grass. The talk is all about Jesus. “Will He dare to come? There is a command from the Sanhedrin to report Him. Do you think there would be a reward if we told them where He could be found?” You can bet Judas heard and thought about all these rumors.

Jesus does not go directly into Jerusalem but into Bethany it is about 2 miles from Jerusalem. It could be that they arrive late in the afternoon or early in the evening. But a special supper has been prepared to welcome Him. It is at the home of Simon the now healed leper and is hosted by the family of Lazarus. It was probably a way of saying thank you and paying honor to Jesus for Simon’s healing and Lazuras’ resurrection.  We do not know all the guests but we can be sure that Jesus and the apostles were there as well as Simon, Lazuras, Martha and Mary.

So now that our picture is framed, let’s look at those in the center of our focus. First there is Lazarus he is probably sitting on Simon’s left with Jesus, the guest of honor, on Simon’s right. Lazarus is probably still re-telling and sharing his story, because it is a story worth sharing. Only a few months before he was dead and laying on a rock shelf in a tomb. For four long days his body was wrapped in grave clothes and rotting away. Lazarus, who should have been a rotting, magot infested, seeping putrid corpse is instead looking very healthy, sitting at the supper table and fellowshipping with friends.

He has been given a new life by the power of Jesus Christ. I doubt he remembered anything about his time in that tomb but I don’t doubt that he would never forget the words he heard as he woke up in that dark tomb, “Lazarus, come forth.”

At the time and place of our picture Lazarus is the most powerful witness to the authority, power and truth of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of Man and the Son of God. Sitting there alive and well after 4 days in grave and only 2 miles from Jerusalem and 6 days before the Passover, Lazarus’ testimony is undeniably loud and overwhelming. Jesus is Lord and King even over death.

First Place of Friendship: Being A Witness

Being a witness like Lazarus is the first place a believer takes as one who has also been renewed by the power of Jesus. We through faith and grace been given a new life in the power of Jesus Christ. We are reborn, born from above, quickened from the dead, and that part of us that was dead spiritually is now alive. And that rebirth, that new life should show in us as it did in Lazarus. Our souls are no longer slowly corrupting and putrefying, they have be given a new eternal life that replaced the eternal death that awaited us.

Ephesians 2:1-7 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

That was Lazarus in Bethany, and it is us today if we have been saved and make alive by the power of Jesus Christ. We are witnesses who show the exceeding riches of His grace.

Now widen your focus and look to the background of our picture and you will see Martha stepping into the frame, bringing food from the kitchen.

Martha Serves In Devotion - John 12:2

Martha Is Serving in Devotion To Her Lord

Martha in her own unique God given way is honor her Lord by serving Him. This is her spiritual gift, the gift of ministry. This is where she most lovingly shows her devotion to Jesus. It is where she wants to be and anything that keeps her from pouring out her gift of service will upset her. We saw this the first time we met Martha in Luke 10:40 Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

That’s Martha, she is defined by her devoted service to Jesus and others. She is always busy and active because of love for her Lord. Don’t you dare fault Martha for fulfilling her gift of service to Jesus. Shame on preachers who chide her as not loving the Lord as much as Mary. Believe me this selfish, self-centered world needs a lot more Marthas.

And don’t think for a moment that Martha didn’t listen and understand who Jesus was. Look here at John 11:21-27 Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

That is one of the clearest, strongest most powerful testimonies of faith given anywhere in the Bible and it is given at one of the lowest most painful times of testing at her brother’s graveside.

Second Place of Friendship: Serving

This could be seen as the second place of friendship for the believer who fellowship with Jesus. Here is a believer working, and deeply involved in doing work for Christ. This place always needed else the work of the Lord ceases. We need more Christians cut from the pattern of Martha. There can be no churches, missions, no ministry, no going for the with the Gospel and fulfilling the great commission without Christian workers. Real workers doing the work of the ministry.

I wrote this saying down in my old college Bible years ago, "A man is a worker, If he is not that he is nothing."  - Joseph Conrad. That should be doubly true of Christians. “A Christian is a worker, if they are not then they are nothing.”

What did James the brother of Jesus say? in James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Let me modernize that Yes, a man might say, You have faith and I have works but show me your faith without your works and then I will show you my faith through my works.”

God intended for His people to work.

Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Yes there must be balance between working for Jesus and being with Jesus. Just as Jesus told Martha, Luke 10:41-42 Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

It is a sad and empty life that replacing walking with the Lord with working on the things of the Lord. Don’t replace sitting with the Savior with just serving for the Savior, instead both should be part of our friendship with the Lord. It is not one or the other it should be both in their right measure and time. Here in John 12 it is Lazarus’ time to sit and be a witness, Martha’s time to serve the serve the Savior and it is Mary’s time to sacrifice for the savior.

 Mary Sacrificing In Love - John 12:3

 3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

Mary Gives A Sacrifice and Then Herself

Now our focus changes and we must be in the right position to see what is happening even those at the supper weren’t aware of what was happening until the sweet fragrance of the ointment filled the room. But if we look where Jesus is recling and we go from Head to his feet we will see Mary. Mary pouring from an alabaster bottle and very costly gift and then spreading it with her own unbound hair.

From Matthew we learn Matthew 26:7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head. Mark records, Mark 14:3 3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. John, writing decades, after Matthew and Mark gives us her name, and the name of the ointment, spikenard. And he adds that it was “very costly.”

Thanks to Judas we know how valuable it was 300 pence. To put that in modern currency, a pence was the value of a day’s labor for an unskilled worker in Jesus time. So, when Mary breaks the alabaster box and pour out her sacrifice for Jesus it would have cost her close to a year’s labor. Today that would be 20 to 30 thousand dollars. Can you fathom that as an average person, not a billionaire but just someone getting by. Can you picture any scenario where you would, in one sweeping sacrifice, give a gift was worth 30 thousand dollars, a year of your wages or even a year of your life? Just given away.

Perhaps Mary had read this in Song of Songs 1:12 While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.”    She knew that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus was the resurrection and the life, Jesus was her king and this day as  He sat at the table and she poured out a sacrifice, fit for the King of Glory and the proper preparation for his coming death.  

Mary pours the anointment on Jesus’ head, showing Him as the anointed One, the Messiah and as the Prophet who would come after Moses, then she bows down, anoints His feet and then dries them with her hair showing Him as Lord and as God. Unbinding and showing her hair in public was forbidden by the society of that day, but Mary cares nothing for the opinion of others. She poured out the spikenard in an overwhelming act of worship, humility, love, faith and sacrifice.

Third Place of Friendship Is Sacrifice

This third place is the place of sacrifice and to be complete, it requires two things, giving from yourself and then giving of yourself.

That first step is to give something from your own stores. Many people get offended when a preacher talks about tithing, or giving to missions or giving above and beyond our tithe. Those are the same people who would agree with Judas, and say such giving is misplaced. Many in the world today say the same thing.

But lets be honest, If you can't serve God with your money or possession then you sure won’t can’t serve him with your life.

But standing in this place of friendship as a believer in Jesus means much more than just giving money, it also means you must giving yourself. You must give your pride, your ego, your dreams, your family, your hope, and yes your life to Jesus. Like Mary you must be willing to acknowledge the Kingship of Jesus and then bow at the feet of Jesus your Savior, thus give yourself completely to Him.

In order for us to be in this place it also mean there must be a breaking. Mary could not have made her sacrifice without first break the alabaster box and we can’t come to this place in our relationship with Jesus unless we are broken as well.

We must have our hearts broken, our outward facade fractured. We must have our self-confidence crushed and our self-reliance rejected. When we are broken and only when we are broken can my life be given in sacrifice to my Lord and Savior. Then and only then will the gift of my life pour out as a sweet smelling savor for my Savior.

Paul speaks of these two acts of sacrifice, first giving from themselves in Philippians 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.

And then the giving of ourselves in Romans 12:1 I beseech thee therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.

Once two of Jesus apostles John and James asked if they could sit at the right hand of Jesus in heaven. 

This of course was the place of honor, the place of highest reward. They even argued at the Last Supper who was to be the chief of the apostles. But, if you could have asked Mary, “Mary, Where would you like to sit when you get to heaven?”  She would answer, “Oh please, le me sit the feet of my Savior.  That’s where I’ve always longed to be.”

In closing let us look at one last place. It is the place occupied by Judas.

 Judas Scorns In Unbelief - John 12:4

Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein

Judas Scorns

Judas Iscariot, mean of the clan of Kerith, who was of the tribe of Judah. Isn’t is amazing that the greatest betrayer of mankind and the greatest savior should both come from the tribe of Judah? We know now, though the Apostles didn’t know then, that Judas had no place with Jesus. He was not a believer, he was a pretender. He had ridden the wave of fame and for him fortune that come with being one of the apostles. And perhaps only he and Mary were really listening when Jesus taught that he was going to Jerusalem to die. Mary believed and poured out her sacrifice. Judas heard and poured out his scorn. He scorned the sacrifice that Mary had just made and he scorned the sacrifice Jesus would make by giving His life upon the cross for all mankind. He began from this point on to look for  a way out and a way to gain even more profit from his special position in the Lord’s company.

Judas’ comment shamefully then echoed by the other disciples. Matthew 26:8-9 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

Jesus rebuke is quick and sharp, John 12:7-8 Then said Jesus, Let her alone! against the day of my burying hath she kept this. 8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always. In Matthew 26:13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

Jesus understood Mary’s heart and Judas never would. This rebuke convinced Judas it is time to cash out, Matthew 26:14-16 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

The Fourth Place is Outside

No one wishes to identify with Judas, no one, but let me put this plainly, in the perspective of eternity, if you don’t accept Jesus as your sacrifice for sin, then you are scorning the out-poured blood of Christ just as Judas scorned Mary’s out poured perfume.

Early in John’s Gospel he wrote, John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

That is Judas and it is us, until we come and fall at the feet of our Savior, the One who died for us. If you choose not to sit at the table as a friend of Jesus, then you are choosing to step outside His love and stand in judgment instead of forgiveness.

Conclusion:

So then, where is your place with Jesus this morning? Are you in the place as a witness of his saving, life-giving power. Are you joyfully serving him?

And are you willing to come to that place of sacrifice as Mary did? It is not easy, it is a place of brokenness, it is pouring out your all for the One you love. But if you are willing to take your place in sacrifice, the Lord will reward over and above all you could ever give.

And I pray this morning that there would not be one here today who stands in the place of scorn. Oh Lord, let there not be one sitting in Judas’ seat. Only you and the Lord know where your place of relationship with Jesus is today. Please, don’t sit in that seat of scorn, instead come and take a place reserved for you by the grace of Jesus. Come and sit down close to the Savior and know His love this morning.