Mar 4-10-07 Jesus Must Die

Anointing His Feet

John 12:1-11 MSG Six days before Passover, Jesus entered

Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. 2 Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner

at their home.

Anointing His Feet

Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them. 3 Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed

and massaged Jesus' feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the

house.

Anointing His Feet

4 Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, even then getting ready to betray him, said, 5

"Why wasn't this oil sold and the money given to the poor? It

would have easily brought three hundred silver pieces."

Anointing His Feet

6 He said this not because he cared two cents about the poor but

because he was a thief. He was in charge of their common funds, but

also embezzled them.7 Jesus said, "Let her alone. She's anticipating and honoring the day

of my burial.

Anointing His Feet

it was usual to embalm the dead with ointments and spices: Christ suggests,

that the time of his death and burial were nigh, and that this woman had

kept this ointment till now, for such a purpose; and whereas she would not

be able to make use of it at the time of his interment, she had embalmed his body with it now, beforehand; (Gill)

Anointing His Feet

8 You always have the poor with you.This is a quote from:

Deuteronomy 15:11 CEV There will always be some Israelites who are poor and needy. That's why I am

commanding you to be generous with them.

Jesus does not discredit gifts to the poor at all. But there is relativity in

one’s duties. (RWP)

Anointing His Feet

You don't always have me."Meaning, with respect to his

corporeal presence, which would be quickly withdrawn from them,

when there would be no more an opportunity of showing him

personal respect, in such a way. (Gill)

Anointing His Feet

9 Word got out among the Jews that he was back in town. The people came to take a look, not only at Jesus but also at Lazarus, who had been raised from

the dead. 10 So the high priests plotted to kill Lazarus 11 because so

many of the Jews were going over and believing in Jesus on account of him.

A Grain of Wheat Must Die

John 12:20-50 MSG There were some Greeks in town who had come up to

worship at the Feast. 21 They approached Philip, who was from

Bethsaida in Galilee: "Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?"

22 Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip together told Jesus.

23 Jesus answered,


Not directly and particularly; he did not in plain terms signify what was his

will, whether these Greeks should be admitted or not; and yet expressed

himself in such a manner as shows he was not averse to it, but was pleased with it, and takes notice of it, as an

evidence of the near approach of his glorification:


"Time's up. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

by rising from the dead, ascending to heaven, sitting at the right hand of

God, and from thence pouring forth the Spirit upon his disciples,


who should go and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, as well as Jews; and which would issue in the

conversion of many of them, and so in his glory, of which the coming of

these Greeks was an earnest. But he intimates, in the next verse, that he

must first die. (Gill)


24 “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of

wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself

many times over.


25 In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is

destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love,

you'll have it forever, real and eternal.


He announces a principle that underlies all exaltation. He gave his

life and found eternal exaltation; the grain gives its life and lives a

hundred-fold; those who consecrate their lives, give them up for others, dedicate them to their holy work,

will live eternally. (PNT)


26 “If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve

at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward

anyone who serves me.


This is Christ's direct answer to the Greeks. His service is to be

rendered, not by secret interviews, but by obeying him,

for so the word "follow" is to be understood. (PNT)


27 “Right now I am storm-tossed. And what am I going to say?

'Father, get me out of this'? No, this is why I came in the first

place. Now is my soul troubled - He had various foretastes of his passion.


And what shall I say? - Not what shall I choose? For his heart

was fixed in choosing the will of his Father: but he laboured

for utterance.


The two following clauses, 'Father, get me out of this'? - No, this is

why I came in the first place. for the sake of this hour (of suffering) seem to have glanced through his mind in one moment. But human language could not so express it.

(Wesley)


28 I’ll say, 'Father, put your glory on display.'"

A voice came out of the sky: "I have glorified it, and I'll glorify it

again."At Gethsemane the angel came to strengthen him; here the Father's

voice speaks in approval.


Three times the Father's voice was heard from the sky: first, when

Christ was buried in Jordan, a type of his own burial; second, when

Moses and Elijah talked with him on the holy mount about his death; third, when he had his struggle of

soul in view of death portrayed here, and triumphed.


I'll glorify it again. God had glorified his name by the

wonders wrought by Jesus; he would glorify it by his

resurrection, his exaltation, the scenes of Pentecost, and the

triumphs of the church. (PNT)


29 The listening crowd said, "Thunder!"

Others said, "An angel spoke to him!"

All heard the sound of the divine voice, but it was not clear to all

what it was. (PNT)


30 Jesus said, "The voice didn't come for me but for you.

He had already won the victory before the voice came. It was rather to confirm the faith of his disciples,

who still stumbled over the prospect of his death. (PNT)


31 At this moment the world is in crisis. Now Satan, the ruler of this world, will

be thrown out.Now, " this moment," this moment for which he had come into the world, the

hour of the cross; that was to be the hour of judgment, the crisis, which

should determine who should rule the world. The cross became a throne. It

gave him the crown.


Satan, the ruler of this world, will be thrown out. The cross

cast him out, dethroned him; he is now a usurper and shall

finally be cast into the lake of fire. (PNT)

I Am Lifted Up

32 And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around me." 33 He put it this way to show how he

was going to be put to death.Lifted up, first, to the cross; second,

from the grave; third, to heaven and the eternal throne. (PNT)

I Am Lifted Up

34 Voices from the crowd answered, "We heard from God's Law that the Messiah lasts forever. How can it be

necessary, as you put it, that the Son of Man 'be lifted up'? Who is this 'Son of

Man'?"The multitude was perplexed. Their

idea of the Messiah was an eternal king. Now he spoke of death. (PNT)

I Am Lifted Up

35 Jesus said, "For a brief time still, the light is among you.

Walk by the light you have so darkness doesn't destroy you. If you walk in darkness, you

don't know where you're going.

I Am Lifted Up

He refuses to answer their questions directly, but imparts to them

needed truths. The light was then present with them. Let them seek the light and walk in it while they had opportunity. The opportunity

might soon pass away and the darkness come. (PNT)

I Am Lifted Up

36 As you have the light, believe in the light. Then the light will be

within you, and shining through your lives. You'll be children of

light."That they might receive the light of

the Light of the world they must believe on him. (PNT)

Their Eyes Are Blinded

Jesus said all this, and then went into hiding. 37 All these God-

signs he had given them and they still didn't get it, still wouldn't trust

him. 38 This proved that the prophet Isaiah was right: God,

who believed what we preached?Who recognized God's arm, outstretched and ready to act?


39 First they wouldn't believe, then they couldn't--again, just as Isaiah said:

40 Their eyes are blinded,their hearts are hardened,

So that they wouldn't see with their eyesand perceive with their hearts,

And turn to me, God,so I could heal them.


41 Isaiah said these things after he got a glimpse of God's cascading brightness that

would pour through the Messiah.42 On the other hand, a considerable

number from the ranks of the leaders did believe. But because of the Pharisees, they didn't come out in the open with it. They were afraid of getting kicked out of the

meeting place.


43 When push came to shove they cared more for human approval

than for God's glory.44 Jesus summed it all up when he

cried out, "Whoever believes in me, believes not just in me but in

the One who sent me. 45 Whoever looks at me is looking, in fact, at

the One who sent me.


46 I am Light that has come into the world so that all who believe in me

won't have to stay any longer in the dark. 47 “If anyone hears what

I am saying and doesn't take it seriously, I don't reject him. I

didn't come to reject the world; 48 I came to save the world.


But you need to know that whoever puts me off, refusing to take in

what I'm saying, is willfully choosing rejection. The Word, the

Word-made-flesh that I have spoken and that I am, that Word and no other is the last word.


49 I’m not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told

me what to say and how to say it.


50 And I know exactly what his command produces: real and

eternal life. That's all I have to say. What the Father told me, I

tell you."

Spiritual

Mar 4-10-07 Jesus Must Die