John 12:1-8

John 12:1-8

Therefore Jesus, six days before the Passover, came into Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead.  Therefore they made a dinner for Him there.  And Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one out of the ones who were reclining at the table with Him.  Therefore Mary, after taking a pound of ointment out of very valuable pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet by her hair.  The house was being filled out of the odor of the perfume.  And Judas Iscariot, one out of His disciples who was about to hand Him over, says, “For what reason did this perfume not be sold for three hundred denarii and being given to the poor?”  And he said this not because he was concerned regarding the poor by him, but because he was a thief and having the money box he was bearing that which was deposited.  Therefore Jesus said, “Allow her, in order that she should keep it into the day of the preparation of my burial.  For you all have the poor with you all at all times.  But you all do not have me at all times.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I’ve spoken a good bit about Mary and Martha in this blog on John.  Each has had a story where they were successful.  Each has had a story where they fell into a pit and had a lesson to learn.  It is very fitting that here in this reading we see them both succeed.  They both live up to their identity in Christ.  Martha submits fully, serves, and serves well without being jealous of her sister.  Mary submits fully to Christ (we’ll get more into this later) and anoints Him.  It’s awesome to see them living up to their potential without getting jealous of one another or being consumed by their own emotion!

How does the Gospel of John really show us the progression of discipleship in Mary and Martha?  What do you think of these women as role models within the Gospel accounts?

Second Thought:

Mary does something incredibly profound in this section.  She undoes her hair – which is a clear sign of submission as most Jewish women of Jesus’ day would not do this in a public gathering.  She lays at Jesus’ feet, another clear sign of submission.  In her submission, she is humbled.  What an incredible testimony!  But look at what comes of it.  Her humbleness and submission is misunderstood and criticized.  Most people who actually find the capacity to humble oneself and submit spiritually find themselves misunderstood and criticized.  It happens again and again to Jesus’ disciples.  We should not be surprised when it happens to us, too.

What does it say to you to see Mary criticized by one of Jesus’ own even though she is clearly submitting to Christ?  Why does this make submission even harder?

Third Thought:

Of course, we have in this section the famous discourse between Judas and Jesus.  Judas thinks of the disciples’ coffer and his access to it.  Jesus tries to push his perspective deeper.  Jesus is trying to teach His disciples an important lesson.  It is important to do the work of Christ in God’s timing.  We will always have the poor.  There will always be people to whom we can be generous.  But we will not always be in a situation of lying at Jesus’ feet.  We will not always be in a time of being able to abide with Christ.  We will not always be in a situation where we can prepare the world for Christ’s action.  We need to be ready to take advantage of the opportunity when it comes.

Are you ready to submit to God and do His work?  What makes it easier to be ready?  What gets in your way of being ready?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 12:9-11