True humility is being willing to get our hands dirty

 

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  --James 4:6

In my last posting we saw that in John 13, the author made a shift in his narrative.  He started taking us in a new direction.  He even began with a prologue, much like he did in the first chapter of his Gospel.

If we zoom out and take kind of a "bird's eye view" of the entire chapter, we see a kind of poetic structure to John's narrative.  You'll recall that in Jewish poetry, instead of rhyme and meter, there is parallelism.  That's where the lines correspond in meaning or form.  There is also a structural form known as chiasmus, an inverted or mirror-like arrangement (A-B-B'-A'), which emphasizes the central idea of a passage and creates a symmetrical pattern.  This pattern is common in Psalms and prophetic texts, guiding the reader to pivotal theological or poetic points.

Now, I am not saying that we should read this passage as a poem.  I'm only saying that there is a poetic symmetry in the text, showing poetic form emphasizing parallelism and chiastic structure.

A--Jesus knew He would go to the Father, that His time had come, but loving His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (John 13:1)

B-- The devil entered Judas, who would betray Him. (John 13:2)

C--Jesus humbles Himself, lays aside His garments, and begins to wash the disciples' feet. (John 13:3-5)

D--Peter objects to Jesus washing his feet, leading Jesus to explain.  (John 13:6-8)

D'--Peter, realizing the significant of being washed by Jesus, asks for a complete immersion. (John 13:9-11)

C'--Jesus resumes His role as Master and Teacher, having given them an example in humility. (John 13:12-17)

B'--Jesus identifies His betrayer.  (John 13:18-30)

A'--Jesus speaks of His glorification and commands the disciples to show love one to another. (John 13:31-35)

Think of Russian nesting dolls: when you open up the first, there is another one inside, and another, and another. When you put it all together, each part fits together perfectly within the whole.  I hope that this little exercise has deepened your appreciation of John's writing and has caused you to read this passage in a new light.

Now that we have kind of shown the outline, let's focus in a bit and discuss the subject of foot washing.  In our culture in 21st century America, we don't have a proper appreciation of the art of washing other people's feet.  Why?   Well, for one thing, most of us wear shoes most of the time.  We certainly wear them when we are out in public or at our jobs.  So when we get home and undress or step in the shower, our feet are not caked with grit and grime so much.  Many cultures teach that people should remove their shoes before coming into the home, so as not to track in dirt, mud, or animal feces.  Is this a problem for our bare feet?  Not so much in this day and age.

For another thing, we are not an agrarian society.  In 21st century America, we don't walk to work among cows, sheep, and other livestock.  Cars have replaced horses as the primary mode of transportation, so unless we have a pet in the home, our lives are pretty much animal-free.  

Contrast this with 1st century life in the Middle East. They were an agrarian society; most people lived and worked around animals, and even in the city it was not uncommon to share the road with livestock.  One thing about animals--when nature calls, they will answer, no matter where they are or who they are with.  Imagine going to the Temple and having to step over piles of animal dung, even in the Court of the Gentiles where Jesus flipped tables and used a whip to drive out the livestock that they were selling at an obscene profit.

They also didn't have closed-toed shoes.  If you weren't barefoot in Jesus's day, you wore sandals.  These sandals were your only protection from what was on the ground.  That's why it was so profound when John the Baptist said he was not worthy to loosen the straps of Jesus's sandals in John 1:27. With this in mind, let's read John 13:3-11 together.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hand, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.  After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.  Then He came to Simon Peter.  And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."  Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!"  Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."  Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!"  Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."  For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

Michael Lee Aday, better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, sang this: "I would do anything for love, but I won't do that."  Yet we see Jesus, who set aside His glory in heaven to take on human flesh and walk among us as a man, set aside His robes and take a basin of water and a towel--the towel that covered Him--and perform a task that only the lowliest servant would be expected to do.

This was not a ceremonial act.  Jesus didn't merely sprinkle a few drops of water on each man, and dab at it with the clean towel.  

Jesus was all in.

If the disciples had walked in a mud puddle, Jesus washed the mud off.

The towel which covered Jesus was no longer covering Him, and by the time He had finished, it was no longer clean.

How many of us are ever willing to lay aside our position or prestige and stand exposed before a problem, and then roll up our sleeves (so to speak) and get our hands dirty to deal with that problem?  The critical test of a Christian leader, says NT Wright, "is whether the same leader is ready, without a word of either complaining or boasting, to stay behind after the meeting and do the washing-up or put out the garbage...The truly Christlike leader is known by the ease and spontaneity with which he or she does the little, annoying, messy things--the things which in the ancient world the slave would do, that things which in our world we always secretly hope someone else will do so we won't have to waste our time, to demean ourselves."

Then we get to Peter, who thought it wise at that very moment to dictate to Jesus what He should be doing.  His words might have sounded like humility, but his tone was one of superiority.  "No, Jesus," he protested.  "You shouldn't be washing my feet.  I should be washing your feet."  In the other Gospel accounts, Jesus made the point that none of them had offered to wash His feet at the beginning of the meeting.  So the unanswered question was, "Well, why didn't you?"

Jesus is making a point here, and Peter was not quite getting it.  "If you do not accept My cleansing, you have no part of Me."  We all need daily cleansing.  Commentator David Guzik writes:

Peter had to accept this from Jesus. He became a pattern for us. If we do not accept the humble service of Jesus to cleanse us, we have no part with Him. Peter preached the good news of the kingdom and cast out devils in Jesus’ name — and still needed his feet washed.  Peter saw Jesus transfigured in His glory together with Moses and Elijah, an amazing spiritual experience — and still needed his feet washed. Peter’s own feet walked on the water in an amazing act of faith — and still needed his feet washed. This foot washing was a powerful lesson in humility, but it was more than that. It also shows that Jesus has no fellowship, no deep connection with those who have not been cleansed by Him.

So Peter asks Jesus to wash him completely.  Scottish Biblical scholar and commentator Marcus Dods said, "A moment ago he told his Master He was doing too much: now he tells Him He is doing too little.”  Beware of dictating to Jesus what actions He should take; we should never superimpose our will upon His.  Many times, Jesus wants to minister to us through the touch of another of His servants, yet we refuse them, believing we are not worthy.  Other times we want God to move in a situation so fervently that we demand He show Himself in a way that satisfies our own dreams and wishes.  Both occasions mark personal sin in us, and we should be ready to root out that sin of pride within us.

David Guzik said, "Decades later, when Peter wrote to Christians about humility, he put it like this:' Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility' (1 Peter 5:5). More literally, Peter wrote: 'wrap the apron of humility around yourself.'  What Jesus did here remained in his mind and heart."

Finally, we see that Jesus also washed the feet of Judas.  The lesson here is that we should, in all humility, be a servant, even to our enemies.  Not all who come to church and hear the word and receive the ministry of help and healing walk away repentant.  We see that the devil finds a foothold even in the most intimate and meaningful spiritual event.

When Jesus answered Peter, who had asked for a new cleansing, He explained that if you are washed by the blood of the Lamb, you are clean; you need only a periodic partial clearing of the mud and muck of the world from your hands and feet, or maybe your clothes need changing.  However, not everyone that comes to Jesus walks away fully cleansed.  If the heart is evil and there is no repentance, no amount of washing will make that person truly clean.  Jesus famously said, "Do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they be trampled underfoot."  In modern parlance we might say, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it will still wallow in mud."

To walk as Jesus walked means to put aside any pretense, any prestige, any positional authority, and serve in His name.  Even if it gets our hands dirty.

The shadow of the cross

 

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!  Therefore the world does not know us because it did not know Him.  --1 John 3:1

When we started our study of the Gospel of John, we saw a prologue in chapter one that set the tone for Jesus's ministry.  John painted Jesus as the Son of God descending from heaven.  "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world" (verse 9).  We see the Jews were His intended audience.  "He came to what was His own" (verse 11).  The Jews, however, received him with hostility.  "His own people did not accept Him" (verse 11).

As we read chapter 13, the focus shifts.  It's like John is writing The Story of Jesus, Part Two.  John begins this section with another mini-prologue.

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.  And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God...  --John 13:1-3

 John marks all significant events around the life and teaching of Jesus with Jewish feasts.  Here he identifies the time as the season of Passover.  It will be the last Passover that Jesus will celebrate here on this earth, and He spends that time with His disciples.  Jesus knew "His hour had come," and He spent these last precious hours to serve and prepare the Disciples. 

Bible commentator David Guzik writes, "The cross is not specifically mentioned in John 13:1 but casts a shadow over almost every word. We see the shadow of the cross over 'His hour had come'. We see the shadow of the cross over 'loved them to the end'. But we also see the shadow of the cross over 'depart this world'. It is phrased softly, but there is an iron-hard reality underneath the soft cover. Jesus would only depart this world through the cross."

The Old Testament often uses the imagery of God’s shadow to convey protection and refuge, which can be spiritually linked to the cross. Key passages include:

• Psalm 17:8: "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me under the shadow of your wings."
• Psalm 36:7: "How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings."
• Psalm 91:1: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty."
• Isaiah 51:16: "I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand."

These verses illustrate the protective and sustaining aspect of God’s presence, which believers experience through the cross.

The cross was the ultimate expression of God's love.

John said He loved them, the ones He called His own, and that He loved them "to the end."  Commentator Merril Tenney wrote, "'To the fullest extent’ is a better rendering of the original eis telos than KJV ‘unto the end.’ It does not mean that Jesus continued to love his disciples only up to the end of his career but that his love has no limits."  David Guzik wrote:

To the end means a love that will never end. Jesus will never stop loving His own. It isn’t a love that comes and goes, that is here today and gone tomorrow.

To the end means a love that reaches to the fullest extent. Some translations have “He loved them to the uttermost.” Jesus poured out the cup of His love to the bottom for us.

Jesus loved the disciples enough that, even though He lived under the shadow of the cross, knowing that His time had come, he interrupted the Passover meal to wash the disciples' feet.  We will read more about that next time, but it is significant to note that Satan had already put into Judas's heart that he should betray Jesus.  Nevertheless, Jesus washed the feet of Judas, too.

Matthew Henry's Commentary says this about a possible reason that Jesus washed the Disciples' feet:

First, Judas being now resolved to betray him, the time of his departure could not be far off; if this matter be determined, it is easy to infer with St. Paul, I am now ready to be offered. Note, The more malicious we perceive our enemies to be against us, the more industrious we should be to prepare for the worst that may come.

Secondly, Judas being now got into the snare, and the devil aiming at Peter and the rest of them (Lu. 22:31), Christ would fortify his own against him. If the wolf has seized one of the flock, it is time for the shepherd to look well to the rest. Antidotes must be stirring, when the infection is begun. Dr. Lightfoot observes that the disciples had learned of Judas to murmur at the anointing of Christ; compare ch. 12:4, etc. with Mt. 26:8. Now, lest those that had learned that of him should learn worse, he fortifies them by a lesson of humility against his most dangerous assaults.

Thirdly, Judas, who was now plotting to betray him, was one of the twelve. Now Christ would hereby show that he did not design to cast them all off for the faults of one. Though one of their college had a devil, and was a traitor, yet they should fare never the worse for that. Christ loves his church though there are hypocrites in it, and had still a kindness for his disciples though there was a Judas among them and he knew it.

Jesus then reiterates what He had told Nicodumus in John 3:35: "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand."  This had to be some comfort to Jesus, who knew that his time had come.  Again from David Guzik:

At this particular time, and in this particular circumstance, it was important that Jesus knew the Father had given all things into His hands.

i. It was important because of the hour. Jesus was about to face the agony of crucifixion and the terror of standing in the place of guilty sinners before the righteous wrath of God the Father. At the same time, Jesus went into this situation as a victor, not as a victim. He could have backed out any time He wanted to, because the Father had given all things into His hands.

ii. It was important because of the circumstance. Jesus was about to lower Himself, literally stooping in humble service to His disciples. As He served in this humble way, He did not do it from weakness. He did it from a position of all authority, because the Father had given all things into His hands.

 Philippians 2:5-1 says,

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift! 

I found this hymn online.  I've never sung it myself, but it fits here.

1 In the shadow of the cross let me hide,
There the Savior for my sins bled and died;
There the precious, cleansing fount
Flows so free from Calv’ry’s mount,
In the shadow of the cross let me hide.

Refrain:
In the shadow of the cross I will rest,
For with everlasting peace I am blest;
Here I dwell in love unknown,
Streaming down from heaven’s throne,
In the shadow of the cross I will rest.

2 In the shadow of the cross, blessed place!
Living only for the Lord, by His grace;
What He says I’ll gladly do,
Ever standing firm and true,
In the shadow of the cross, blessed place! [Refrain]

3 In the shadow of the cross, safe retreat,
Ever sitting lowly at Jesus’ feet;
While His presence is so near
I shall never, never fear,
In the shadow of the cross, safe retreat. [Refrain]

4 In the shadow of the cross, here I meet,
In communion with my Lord, oh, how sweet!
And my soul is borne above,
While I revel in His love,
In the shadow of the cross, here I meet! [Refrain]

As God is My Witness

 

For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.  And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  --Philippians 1:8-11

Imagine it is the year 2450.  NASA has established a colony on Mars.  It is the highlight of human scientific achievement.  But as the years go by there are economic depressions, wars, and protests against "sending money into space while children starve here on Earth."  Communication with the Red Planet stops, and the space shuttle missions taking supplies start to become less frequent until they finally stop.

The people in the Martian outpost become discouraged.  Their existence becomes more and more hopeless.  Over time they adapt to find ways to survive the darkness, the cold, and the isolation.  After several generations, the stories of life on Earth seem less real and more like a fable or myth.

Suddenly, a gleaming metallic orb is seen in the sky.  As it approaches, its light shines brighter than the sun.  As its orbit descends and the craft achieves touchdown on the surface, a loudspeaker proclaims their mission.  "Good people of Mars, the people of Earth send greetings.  We bring good news, for we come with food, clothing, medicines, and building supplies.  Come and see.  For those who want to leave, we will take you back to Earth with us."

What do you think the reaction of the colonists might be?  Some might be afraid and run away.  Others may stand at a distance and watch with guarded curiosity.  Others might come close, grab a morsel, and run away like a scared rabbit, telling others to watch out.  There might only be a few who believe the message and approach the vessel.  These few have faith in the space travelers, and only they will receive the gifts offered to them.

This story shows us how our human nature sometimes leads people to not act in their own self-interest.

Many who study the New Testament will wonder how those people in the past could hear the words of Jesus and see His mighty works and not believe.  In the 12th chapter of John's Gospel, we are reminded that God had prophesied that most people would not believe.  The God who made us knows us intimately.

But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the words of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"  Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, les they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.  These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.  --John 12:37-41

John's narrative has several themes:  Signs.  Glory.  Faith.  All of these are emphasized here in the summary of the Gospel to this point.  Some Bible scholars divide John's Gospel into two unequal parts: the Book of Signs (1:1-12:50) and the Book of Glory (13:1-21:25).  NT Wright in his commentary John for Everyone writes

John has been telling us the story of a new creation.  The 'signs' have been building up: water into wine in chapter 2, the nobleman's son in chapter 4, the healing of the cripple in chapter 5, the bread in the desert in chapter 6, the man born blind in chapter 9, and most recently the raising of Lazarus in chapter 11.  And John has hinted, and will say again later (20:30), that Jesus did many, many other 'signs' as well.  These six are just the tip of the iceberg, selected to make their individual points about new creation, new dimensions to God's work, new Exodus, new life, new light.  And yet...

And yet they did not believe, just like God had predicted in Isaiah 53:1 and Isaiah 6:9-10.  Does God know human nature, or what?  He also knew about those who would hang out around the edges, believing but not committing.

Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.  --John 12:42-43

Scottish theologian William Barclay said that secret discipleship is a contradiction in terms, for "either the secrecy kills the discipleship, or the discipleship kills the secrecy.”  Jesus had just explained in verse 26 that if anyone served Him, they would receive honor from God.  Yet there were many who loved the honor that comes from other men more than the praise that comes from God.

Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.  And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.  And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.  I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.  For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life.  Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.  --John 12:44-50

I am not a Greek scholar, but I am told that the verb tense in verse 44, when John says that Jesus cried out, indicates that He kept on crying out.  In other words, this was a recurrent theme.  This passage echoes Christ's conversation with Nicodemus in John 3.  Here where John writes about light and darkness, we are reminded of John 3:19, "And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light."  And when John writes about judgement, we hear John 3:17 where it says, "God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him."  And when John says that Jesus is speaking the words given to Him by the Father, we hear John 3:34, "He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure."

Again from NT Wright

We do well to ponder all this, to reflect on our own response to John's portrait of the Word made flesh.  This is the point in the story when Jesus speaks to the crowds in Jerusalem for the last time.  The next time they see Him it will be as a prisoner, standing before Pilate.  He will be on trial, and His words will be sifted as evidence against Him.  But the real trial is already under way, here in chapter 12.  Jesus is staring into darkness, and the darkness is staring back.  And everyone who reads this chapter must, sooner or later, make up their minds which side they're on.

As God is my witness, I could not have said it any better myself. 

To God Be the Glory

Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.  --Isaiah 43:7

Frances Jane Crosby was born in southeast New York in 1820.  At six weeks old she contracted an eye infection that resulted in blindness.  She attended the New York Institute for the Blind from 1835 to 1843.  In 1858 she married Alexander van Alstyne, a blind teacher.  Very soon after they were married, this blind couple had a child.  Unfortunately, the child died in infancy.  The child's death upset them terribly, and the couple ended up divorcing.

Tragic, right?

Through all this pain and suffering, however, Frances (or Fanny to her friends) remained a committed Christian.  Throughout her life, she wrote over 8000 hymns of faith.  One of the hymns she wrote was To God Be the Glory.

In our Bible study today, we continue with a theme of Glory that was begun last time.  To recap, in John 12:23, Jesus said, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  Then He spoke of a grain of wheat being buried and dying, so that it would produce much grain.  We can see, then, that when Jesus spoke of Himself being glorified, He did not mean that He would achieve fame or fortune.  He was not talking about His picture being on the cover of The Rolling Stone.  He wasn't speaking of being Time magazine's "Man of The Year," or being listed as one of People magazine's "Ten Sexiest Men Alive."

Not even close.

When Jesus spoke of being glorified, He was referring to His own death.  As we will read in our passage today, Jesus humbling Himself to the point of death was to bring glory to God.

"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.  --John 12:27-36

We see that Jesus's only purpose was to glorify the Father.  In the Synoptic Gospels, we read of Jesus's prayer in Gethsemane, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as You will."  John's account here sheds some light on that prayer.  Jesus was not praying, "Father, save Me from this hour," because His whole purpose for coming to Earth was to die a sacrificial death.  In doing the Father's will, Jesus was glorifying God.

Next, a voice from heaven spoke:  "I have glorified My name and will continue to glorify it."  Jesus and the Father are of the same mind here.  This is the third time God's voice was audibly heard by those who followed Jesus.  The first was at His baptism, when God said, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."  The second was at the Transfiguration, when He said, "This is My Son; hear Him."

When I read about the peoples' reception to this audible voice of God, I am reminded of Jesus's parable of the sower.  Some seed fell on hardened ground--in this case, this refers to those who thought God's voice was merely thunder.  Some seed fell on rocky or weedy ground, corresponding to those who acknowledged the audible voice, but attributed it to an angel.  Only the faithful ones, whose hearts were ready to receive it like the good ground in the parable, heard and acknowledged the voice of God.

Jesus says the voice of God was not for His benefit, but for the people who heard it.  If you hear the voice of God and respond to it by faith, you will have authority over Satan by the power of God through Jesus.  In this way the "ruler of this world" will be cast out.

Next, we see that Jesus uses a figure of speech that, in this case, has a double meaning.  Today in American English, we refer to death as "passing away."  When we hear someone speak of a loved one "passing away" we know that they have died.  In the same way, when Jesus spoke of being "lifted up", everyone there would have understood it not only as dying, but of a public execution.  In history we have read of public executions by hanging, where criminals were "lifted up", or decapitations, where heads were "lifted off" of people.  Therefore, when Jesus said that He would be "lifted up," the people knew what He meant.

This caused the people to question Jesus.  Their reading of the Torah indicated that Messiah would live forever.  So how was He claiming to be the Messiah but predicting His own death?  It didn't make sense to them.  Jesus had already taught His disciples what would happen.  Mark 9:31 says, "For He taught His disciples and said to them, 'The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.'"

In our passage here in John 12, Jesus only warns them to walk in the light while the light is still with them.  Walking in darkness increases the risk of them losing their way.  

When we think of Jesus being lifted up, we think of Him as being glorified, exalted, and praised.  We know now that Jesus was raised from the dead, and His resurrection is why we lift up His name in praise.  It is why we give Him glory.  It is why we sing with Fanny J. Crosby

To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.

When it's time, it's time....and it's time.

 

Time is a created thing.  To say, "I don't have time" is to say, "I don't want to."  --Lao Tzu

When an expectant mother says, "I think it's time," there is a paradigm shift.  Everything stops.  Everyone around drops whatever they are doing.  Nothing is more important than bringing the woman to the hospital or else bringing the midwife to the soon-to-be mother.

There are times in our lives when the status quo comes to an abrupt halt, when a single event alters our trajectory in such a way that we look back on that event as pivotal.  Before that singular event, we were one way; but after, we were forever changed.

There was a time in the life of Jesus and His disciples that was pivotal.  The meaning of "bringing people to Jesus" changed.  The meaning of ministry changed.  The meaning of discipleship changed.  And it all happened when Jesus said, "The time has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.  --John 12:20-26

 Jesus was spending His time teaching in Jerusalem, near the Temple.  Some men approached who spoke Greek, the predominate world language at the time.  Commentator David Guzik writes, "These Greeks had heard of Jesus, perhaps of His reputation as a teacher and worker of miracles. What they did know of Jesus made them want to know more about Him, so they came to Philip (the one disciple with a Greek name) asking to see Jesus."

Philip wants to check with the other disciples, perhaps to see if there is any conflict in Jesus's schedule.  Maybe it was someone that Peter knew, and not finding him Philip seeks out Andrew, Peter's brother.  We are not told of the details, but we do know that this was an established form of evangelism.  The New Cambridge Bible Commentary called it "social networking."  We have seen it before:  In the beginning of Jesus's ministry, Andrew brought Simon to Jesus and Philip brought Nathaniel.  Later in John's Gospel we see that the Samaritan woman brought the men of her village to "come and see."  We know that Martha brough Mary to Jesus.

Today, sadly, most of our evangelistic efforts stop at inviting people we know to church.  By contrast, effective evangelism is people going outside the church walls and giving testimony of Jesus to other people.  In the Great Commission, Jesus did not tell us to "go into all the world and invite all men to church."  He said instead that we should make disciples of all men.  We should bring them to faith in Jesus first, then help them find a local Bible-believing church to be involved in.

We see next in our passage that when the disciples try to introduce these Greek seekers to Jesus, He says, "My time has come."  We are reminded of the first sign miracle in John 2, when Jesus's mother tells the servants, "Do whatever He tells you."  Jesus said to Mary, "My time has not yet come."  In another passage in John 7 when the Jews tried to arrest Jesus, John said "no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. (verse 30)"  

Here we see a dramatic shift in priorities.  Like an expectant mom who says, "It is time!" Jesus expresses the same sentiment.  The difference is that instead of saying it is time to add one more convert, one more disciple, one more new life in the kingdom of God, Jesus says the time has come for Him to be glorified.

The Miriam-Webster dictionary says "glorify" has four distinct meanings: to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration; to light up brilliantly; to represent as glorious, i.e. extol; to give glory to, as in worship.  Here, Jesus says the time has come for the process to start, the end result of which will be His glorification.  However, the process is not yet complete; it is just starting.  

Jesus's words here can be seen as poetic.    In Jewish poetry, there is not so much rhyming words as rhyming ideas.  It begins with a statement, which we will call A, followed by another statement, called B.  Then the second statement is restated; let's call this "B prime" or B'.  The final line is a restatement of the first, called "A prime" or A'.  Let's look at Jesus's words in this context.

A.  The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

B.  Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

B'.  Those who love their life, lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am there will My servant be also.

A'.  Whoever serves Me, the Father will honor.

Assuming that "glory" and "honor" refer to the same value in antiquity, the two brackets (A and A') speak of divine honor shown, first to Jesus ("glorified") and then to His servants ("honor").  Why?  For walking the way described in B and B'.  The talk there is of dying and bearing fruit, hating and keeping, or becoming a servant and being honored.  All recognize this as the type of radical discipleship demanded by Jesus (see Mark 8:34-38).   --The New Cambridge Bible Commentary.

In short, in order for Him to be glorified, He must die.  Only then will He bear much fruit.

The same goes for us.  We must die to self in order to be like Him.  Romans 6 makes this clear.

What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not!  How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised form the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  --Romans 6:1-11

Jesus foretold of His death when He spoke of a seed being planted and dying in order to produce much fruit.  It would not happen immediately; He must first go through the "labor pains" of a mock trial, of being whipped and beaten, of having a crown of thorns thrust upon His head and His being nailed to a cross.  The entire process would produce a paradigm shift.  No longer would God's mercy be limited to a particular nation, but grace would be available to the whole world.  No longer would we be bound by the Law, but by faith in Him we can find salvation.

The crucifixion and resurrection marked the beginning of a sea-change in history, a shift in cosmic order and religious freedom.  Even though secular humanists want to do away with historical designations like BC and AD, the truth is that even what they call BCE or "before common era" refers to history before Jesus, and what they call CE or "common era" refers to history after Jesus.  

Oh, and if you are still wondering about the riddle posed in the graphic above, the answer is it's time to get a new clock.

Shouts of Hosanna under a shadow of the Cross

 

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.  --2 Corinthians 2:14

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, when Christians celebrate what we call the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  Wednesday is the beginning of Passover, when our Jewish friends celebrate God's power and mercy, in commemoration of the night before their ancestors who were slaves in Egypt placed the blood of a lamb on the lintel and doorpost so that the Angel of Death might pass over them.

There is a lot of crossover between the two religious celebrations.  Passover to the Jews is when a lamb is sacrificed, while Christians believe that Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God.  If you imagine the blood on the lintel dripping to the ground, you have four points of blood.  Draw a line from top to bottom, and from side to side connecting the blood on the left and right doorpost, and you have an image of the cross. Christians know that there was blood on the top from the crown of thorns Jesus wore, and blood on the bottom where His feet were nailed to the cross, and there was blood on either side where nails pierced His two hands.  

Hebrews 9:22 in the Christian Bible reminds us that, "Under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (ESV).  Bearing this in mind, we read about Jesus's triumphal entry with the foreshadowing of the cross.

John's Gospel describes it this way:

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"  --John 12:12-19

The first thing we should notice about this passage is that it is in the context of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  We are told just before this passage, in verses 10 and 11, that the Jews were plotting to kill Lazarus because so many people were coming to see Jesus after hearing what He had done for Lazarus.  John records seven significant signs or miracles that Jesus did which point to Him as the Messiah.  The raising of Lazarus from the dead was the seventh sign, and the most significant.  John will later write in 20:30-31, "These signs were written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God."

The crowd that had gathered to make Jesus their King were those who had heard the witness of Lazarus, as well as others that bore witness of Jesus.  I can imagine there might have been some in the crowd who were present at the wedding in Cana where Jesus had turned water into wine.  I'll bet the nobleman from Capernaum was there, whose son Jesus had healed with just His words.  I'd even be willing to bet that the man whom Jesus met at the pool of Bethesda, who had been infirm for 38 years before Jesus healed him--he was there, too.

You know that some of the 5000 whom Jesus had fed with the two fish and five barley loaves were there in the crowd shouting and waving palm branches.  And of course, the disciples were there who had witnessed Jesus's walking on the water through the storm.  There is even a high probability that the man was there who had been born blind, to whom Jesus gave the gift of sight, was there in the crowd shouting, "Hosanna!"  These, along with those who were witnesses of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, were all there, all bearing witness to these seven signs and wonders that Jesus had performed and that John had memorialized in his gospel.

What a glorious reception.  What a joyous occasion.  What a sight that must have been.

The second thing we see in this passage is the prophetic passages that were fulfilled when the crowd wanted to crown Him king.  Jesus was riding on the young donkey, just as had been written in Zechariah 9:9, where it says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey."

The word Hosanna is a Greek transliteration of a Hebrew phrase meaning "Save us, please" or "Save us now."  It is written in Psalm 118:25-26, "Save now (yasa na), I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.  Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!"  The crowd spontaneously spoke these words, perhaps chanting them together as Jesus passed.  Some of them may have remembered the words of the Psalm, but probably not all of them had this in mind.  John says in verse 16 that the disciples didn't put it all together until after Jesus had died and was resurrected.  It was only after Jesus had been glorified and ascended into heaven that they realized that the ancient prophesies had been fulfilled in Jesus.

There is a juxtaposition of Jesus's purpose and the crowd's chants.  Commentator Leon Morris wrote, “The ass was not normally used by a warlike person. It was the animal of a man of peace, a priest, a merchant or the like. It might also be used by a person of importance but in connection with peaceable purposes. A conqueror would ride into the city on a war horse, or perhaps march in on foot at the head of his troops. The ass speaks of peace.”  Yet the people wanted to crown Jesus King.  They wanted a political ruler to overthrow Roman rule.  FF Bruce wrote of this passage, "One who could summon a dead man back to life would certainly be able to deliver the holy city from the yoke of Caesar."

Which brings us to the third thing we see in this passage: the contempt of the Pharisees.  You will recall in the previous chapter John told us of the chief priests and Pharisees who gathered in council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." (11:47-48).  In the same way the Pharisees said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the whole world has gone after Him!" (12:39).

NT Wright in his commentary John For Everyone writes, 

The Pharisees, like Caiphas before them, speak a contemptuous word which John intends us to understand in a much more positive sense.  In verse 19 they scoff at Jesus and His ragtag following.  Just as in 7:49 they sniffed dismissively at the common crowd ("this rabble that doesn't know the law!"), so here they are determined to distance themselves from Jesus's supporters: "the world has gone off after Him".  The tone of voice can be imagined all too easily.  They regard themselves as infinitely superior to the common herd of people.  They, after all, know the Torah, and keep it to exacting standards that most people wouldn't even understand.  But John wants us to hear something else as well, which will then be developed in the next passage.  Jesus has come into the world because God so loved the world (3:16).  He has other sheep to find and rescue as well as the lost sheep of Israel (10:16).  His death will deliver not only the nation but also the children of God throughout the world (11:52).  It is no accident that immediately after this contemptuous statement of the Pharisees...that Jesus sees this as a sign that the moment is fast approaching when He will complete His work.  "When I am lifted up from the earth," He says in verse 32, "I will draw all people to Myself."

There is some hyperbole in the Pharisees' envy over Jesus's success, as well as some irony.  Clearly not everyone had gone after Jesus, but they had discovered that they were clearly not in charge of the situation.  There is, however, some ironic sweetness in their statement, "Look, the world has gone after Him!"  

May it ever be so.

Jesus bade us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.   His Great Commission was that we spread His word until the whole world knows.

Missing Jesus in all the drama

 

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.  --James 1:14-15

We are coming up on Easter.  Historically, Easter Sunday is the one Sunday when church pews are full.  The good news is that more people hear the Gospel from the pulpit on this one day than any other Sunday.  The bad news is that more people are distracted, too.  

They may watch their children sing in the kiddy choir, then sleep through the sermon.  They may be looking to see how all the other people are dressed--either looking down on those dressed more casually or looking with jealousy of those who may be dressed more nicely.  They may be thinking of the effort it took to get everyone up and dressed in time for church, or of the argument they had with their spouse in the car on the way to church and completely miss the message of Jesus.

In the twelfth chapter of John's Gospel, we see one of the greatest acts of true worship ever.  The disciples, however, may have missed it because of some drama going on.  Let's read it together.

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  --John 12:1-11

The remarkable act of worship

While Martha served, Mary bowed at the feet of Jesus.  This is reminiscent of the first time we met the two sisters, as recounted in Luke 10:38-42.  You probably know the story.  Martha was busy serving, but Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to learn.  Martha complained, and Jesus said that Mary had made the better choice.

Here in John's narrative, Martha was again expressing her spiritual gift of service, but Mary expressed her own spiritual gift of giving.  Here's what WJ Erdman wrote:

“The life of Mary is painted for us, in three memorable pictures, in each of which she is at the feet of Jesus.” 

Luke 10:39: Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and learned.

John 11:32: Mary fell at Jesus’ feet and surrendered.

John 12:3: Mary anointed Jesus’ feet and honored Jesus.

David Guzek in his Study Guide for John says this:

In the midst of the supper, Mary gave a remarkable gift to Jesus. It wasn’t unusual to wash the feet of a guest, but it was unusual to do it during the meal itself, to use very costly oil of spikenard to do it, and to wipe the feet with her hair, using the hair as a kind of towel.

• Mary’s gift was remarkably humble. When a guest entered the home, usually the guest’s feet were washed with water and the guest’s head was anointed with a dab of oil or perfume. Here, Mary used this precious ointment and anointed the feet of Jesus. She considered her precious ointment only good enough for His feet. “To attend to the feet was the task of the most lowly slave. Thus Mary’s action denoted great humility as well as great devotion.” (Morris)
• Mary’s gift was remarkably extreme. She used a lot (a pound) of a very costly oil of spikenard. Spices and ointments were often used as an investment because they were small, portable, and could be easily sold. Judas believed this oil was worth 300 denarii (John 12:5), which was worth a year’s wages for a workingman.
• Mary’s gift was remarkably unselfconscious. Not only did she give the gift of the expensive oil, she also wiped His feet with her hair. This means that she let down her hair in public, something a Jewish woman would rarely do.

The Distractions

She was showing out, unbecoming of a lady.

Not only did Mary sit at Jesus's feet, but she made an outrageous gesture.  NT Wright in his commentary John for Everyone says this about an observant Jewish woman of the day letting her hair down in a public setting: "That's roughly the equivalent, at a modern polite dinner party, of a woman hitching up a long skirt to the top of her thighs.  You can imagine the onlookers' reaction.  Had she no shame?  What was she trying to say--to Jesus, to the onlookers?  All sorts of disturbing thoughts must have been flying round the room."

She was being wasteful.

We are not told that the disciples confronted Mary about this brazen display.  We are told, however, that Judas excoriated Mary for wasting perfectly good perfume.

Come again?  That's what was wrong with this picture?

The perfume was apparently very costly.  Judas valued it at about a year's wages for a common laborer.  That Mary poured it out on Jesus's feet, and then dried His feet with her hair, so that the fragrance filled the house--this galled Judas.  She could have sold the perfume, he said aloud; that money could have been given to the poor.  As an aside, John explained that the disciples later understood that Judas, who was the group's treasurer, was skimming money from the offering box.  He wasn't so concerned for the poor as he was his own pockets.

Jesus stepped in to the controversy but was misunderstood (again).

Jesus tells Judas and the other disciples to calm down.  "Leave Mary alone," He told them.  "She is using the perfume to prepare Me for My burial."  This particular prophecy concerning His imminent death apparently went over everyone's head at the time.  What they likely heard was the next statement, that the poor would always be with them, but He would not always be there.  Again, Jesus was speaking of His death and burial, but the disciples likely took it to mean after Jesus was gone (at some point in the very distant future), then they could worry about the poor.

The Jews were there to see Lazarus, the "flavor of the day."

The crowds followed Jesus and His friends, mainly to see the miracles.  In this instance, they weren't there to see Jesus, but to catch a glimpse of Lazarus, who had been dead for four days then was brought back to life.  Yeah, yeah, we know: Jesus was the One who brought him back to life, but wow, look at Lazarus.  Doesn't he look healthy?  He doesn't look like a corpse at all, does he?

How many times do we travel to a distant city to see a famous preacher, but miss his message?  Like, we saw Billy Graham before he died; it was great.  Really? What did he preach about?  Well, I don't really remember, but it was really great to see him and hear him preach.

The Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus, and Lazarus too.

The chief priests saw the crowds around Jesus and Lazarus, and they felt threatened.  Remember what they had said in the previous chapter:   In John 11:48 they said, "If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  So they added Lazarus to their "hit list", as one who needed to be taken out of the picture, so that sanity could be restored and they could go back to their status quo.

Distractions from this passage even today.

There is disagreement among biblical scholars of whether this event is the same as is found in Mark 14:3-9 and Luke 7:36-38, or if it is a totally different event.  There are similarities between the two accounts--the costly perfume poured out on Jesus, the cost estimate of 300 denarii that should have gone to the poor, and Jesus's response that the woman did the right thing, and that the poor would always be with them.  There are also marked differences between John's narrative and that of Mark--the one says it was at the house of Lazarus, the other at the home of Simon the leper (whom Jesus had healed); the one says it was six days prior to Passover, the other says two days; the one says the woman poured the perfume on His feet, the other says it was poured on His head.

These differences lead some scholars to believe that they were two separate events.  The similarities lead others to think that they were the same event given by two witnesses with different perspectives.  Atheists and skeptics will use passages like this to say that the text is unreliable, that the stories contradict one another.

Just like the disciples missed the significance of the anointing of Jesus when they were distracted by Mary's actions and Judas's complaint against her, we sometimes miss the point of the Gospel.  Just like commentators argue about whether there was one event or two, we sometimes get caught up in insignificant details and forget the One who died for us and rose again on the third day.

We need to take our eyes off the drama going on around us and focus solely on Jesus.  Are we, like Mary, willing to do outrageous things for our Lord, or will we get distracted by the drama of controversies, complaints, and catcalls?  Are we willing to give up our pride, our reputation, and our standing in the community for the sake of the Savior?

Jesus asks that we follow Him, no matter what society says.