“Reactions” 3-26-23

Overview

Reactions at the Table in Bethany

Six days before the Passover, just two miles from Jerusalem and only days from the cross, Jesus reclines at a dinner in Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper John 12:1-2. Around that table, four very different reactions emerge—reactions that still describe the human heart toward Jesus today.

Love, service, and sacrifice. Martha serves, and this time she is not rebuked. The earlier scene in Luke 10 drew a contrast between sitting at Jesus' feet and bustling in the kitchen; here no such contrast is in view. Service offered to one another is service offered to God. Then Mary takes a pound of pure nard—imported by camel from the Himalayas, worth roughly a year's wages for a common laborer—breaks the alabaster jar (Mark 14:3; Matthew 26:7), and anoints Jesus' feet. Jesus interprets her costly act as preparation for his burial John 12:7. It is a portrait of extravagant, sacrificial love.

Selfishness, curiosity, and opposition. Judas objects under the cover of concern for the poor, but Scripture pulls back the mask: he was a thief who pilfered from the common purse John 12:6. The crowds come to gawk at Lazarus as much as to see Jesus John 12:9—curious, but not committed. And the chief priests plot to kill Lazarus too, because his very existence is drawing people to faith John 12:10-11. Selfishness, shallow fascination, and outright hostility all gather around the same table where love is being poured out.

Our reactions—and his. If we are honest, we recognize ourselves in each response. By grace, the Spirit produces in us the love that bears fruit Galatians 5:22 and the willingness to count others more important than ourselves. But we also know the pull of wanting our will instead of his, of treating Jesus like a genie who must keep producing, of compartmentalizing him rather than confessing him as Lord of all, of opposing him in thought, word, and deed. The good news is that Jesus' reaction to our reactions was to set his face toward Jerusalem. He took our selfishness, our half-hearted curiosity, and our opposition upon himself at the cross, bore the wrath our sin deserved, declared "It is finished" John 19:30, and rose victorious. That is the beat of God's mercy—and the reason we worship him as Holy Week draws near.

Transcript

Do you open your Bibles, please, with me to the 12th chapter of the gospel of John. 3s

If you're using a few edition of Holy Scripture, you'll find that on page 92 in the New 9s

Testament. 15s

The 12th chapter of the gospel of John. 15s

Fresh palm branches just cut, not yet. 21s

The ring of Hosanna in the air, not yet soon. 33s

We have been studying these past weeks about the Holy Days before Holy Week. 44s

We have been asking ourselves what Scripture revealed to us that Jesus was doing in those 51s

Holy Days before Holy Week, before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. 57s

Before a modern day, Thursday, as he gathered with his disciples and washed their feet 66s

and instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion for the first time at a Passover celebration. 72s

What was he doing before Friday came and the cross? 80s

What was he doing in those days before the resurrection? 86s

And so we've been asking ourselves before Holy Week and those Holy Days. 92s

What was he doing in the Holy Days before? 98s

Holy Week. 104s

We've seen how he gave a passion prediction. 106s

How he told the disciples, yet again, specifically what was going to happen. 110s

He was going to be mocked and scourged and crucified on the third day. 115s

He would rise. 119s

It was all rooted in Scripture, Old Testament, pointing ahead and revealing exactly what 120s

the Messiah would do. 128s

We saw how Jesus gave sight to blind Bartomase. 131s

We saw how Jesus looked up into the tree and there was the tax collectors of the keyis 135s

in a safe place for a tax collector in ancient day. 141s

Up in a tree, calling to him and saying, 144s

"'Cequius, come down, I'm coming to your house today.'" 148s

Those days before the Holy Days of Holy Week, what Jesus was doing. 153s

And now, as the day comes even closer, we find Jesus in Bethany. 163s

And there's a dinner. 172s

Look, please, at verse 1. 176s

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus whom he had raised 178s

from the dead. 184s

There's a clue there. 186s

Six days before the Passover, that means it's six days prior to the crucifixion of 188s

our Lord. 195s

At this point, when he is in Bethany, he's two miles away from Jerusalem. 196s

He is very, very close. 201s

And the dinner that he has in Bethany is not at the home of Mary and Martha, who also lived 204s

in Bethany. 211s

Actually, what the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark revealed to us, it was at the 212s

home of Simon the Lepper. 217s

Obviously, he had been cleansed of his leprosy by this point, but that's how he was known 219s

in the community as Simon the Lepper. 224s

And that's where he was in Simon's house. 227s

And surrounding this dinner are various reactions, reactions. 233s

Look at me, please, verse 2. 243s

There they gave a dinner for him. 246s

Martha served and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 248s

Martha served. 254s

Of course, Martha would serve. 256s

It's what Martha does. 259s

But remember back in Luke 10, when Martha was serving, when Jesus was at the home of Mary 261s

and Martha in Bethany, and Martha was rebuked for her serving, here she's not rebuked 267s

for her serving. 274s

Is she? 276s

Well, what's the distinction here? 277s

In Luke 10th chapter, a contrast is painted, a contrast between what is one choose. 279s

To sit at the feet of Jesus and to listen to him teach or to put on the dinner. 289s

And Jesus said, Mary took the good part, listening to the teaching. 296s

So the review here in Luke 10 of Martha was simply because this contrast is painted. 301s

That if you have the choice between doing your chores and keeping the dinner warm and 308s

getting it on or listening to the Lord Jesus' teach, choose the latter. 314s

There's nothing that matter with serving is there. 323s

Martha isn't rebuked for her serving when we come to John 12th chapter, because the 325s

contrast isn't being painted. 330s

We hear the call throughout Scripture to be servants, to see in each other opportunity 333s

that we ask ourselves the question, how is it that I can serve that person today? 338s

Because when we serve one another, we are ultimately serving God Almighty. 345s

So there's no review here of Martha's service. 352s

Now you understand the distinction, right? 356s

Between Luke 10 and John 12th. 359s

We go on chapter 3. 363s

Mary took a pound of costly perfume, made of purenard, 365s

anointed Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. 370s

The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 374s

She took a pound of this. 380s

That's a Roman measurement. 381s

We translated to us its 12 ounces. 383s

It was costly. 386s

Because the perfume here, the ointment, was extracted from a plant that grew in the Himalayas. 389s

So that had to be transported by camel. 395s

So the transportation costs alone are enormous. 400s

And 12 ounces of this, that is equivalent to one year's of salary for the common worker 405s

in the day. 414s

This is an expensive, expensive thing that Mary is doing. 416s

Add on top of that, the container that held this, that was also worth something. 421s

Matthew 26 says, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment. 429s

Notice what's highlighted, an alabaster jar. 436s

That means there's cost associated with it. 439s

Mark 14 tells us that she broke open the jar. 442s

So you have a container here that's expensive in and of itself containing the ointment. 446s

That's a year's worth of salary. 455s

This is an expensive action of Mary. 460s

Two miles away, six days from the cross, really close. 467s

Now, is that a dinner? 476s

And what's this reaction? 480s

It is this beautiful, beautiful picture of love and service and sacrifice. 483s

Beautiful picture. 496s

But that's not the only reaction surrounding the dinner. 501s

Next verse, please, verse 4. 508s

But Judas is a scary it. 510s

One of his disciples, the one who was about to betray him. 511s

Notice, constantly in the New Testament, when Judas is mentioned by name, what is attached 516s

to him is that he is the betrayer. 524s

So identified is Judas with that horrific act that constantly, the scriptures identify him 529s

as the betrayer. 539s

Verse 5 says, Judas says, why was this perfume not sold for 300 denariai and the money 541s

given to the poor? 547s

There's another clue, 300 denariai. 548s

Guess what a year's worth of salary for the common labor was. 551s

It was 300 denariai. 555s

That's how we know that fact. 557s

Now Judas sounds so opious here. 560s

Doesn't he? 561s

So opious. 563s

So concerned at the expenditure that has gone forth on this. 564s

So concerned about it. 569s

And why it wasn't given to the poor. 571s

He sounds so opious. 573s

Judas didn't care about the poor. 575s

Not a bit. 581s

Scripture tells us in verse 6, he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because 583s

he was a thief. 590s

He kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it. 592s

Judas isn't concerned about the poor. 601s

Judas is concerned with that purse growing ever fatter that he can put his fingers in 603s

and pull out a years worth of salary that would wind up in the bag that he holds. 611s

And is subject only to his own auto-ting of the finances of the bag. 623s

You didn't care about the poor. 631s

He cares about a bigger bag so he can access the money in the bag. 635s

Jesus says, leave her alone, she bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my 644s

burial. 649s

You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. 650s

Jesus is not indifferent to the poor hardly. 655s

What he's highlighting is the appropriate action of what Mary is doing with his impending 661s

burial, but a few days away. 668s

Here's another reaction surrounding this dinner. 675s

It's the reaction of Judas' reaction of selfishness. 680s

Mary and Martha love service sacrifice, their reaction, the reaction of Judas' selfishness. 690s

But that's not the only reaction surrounding the story. 705s

Look, please, verse 9. 711s

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because 715s

of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. 720s

You see this is the reaction of the curious and not so fully committed. 726s

They wanted to see Lazarus. 737s

He's a celebrity here. 738s

After all, he was dead and now he's sitting at a table. 739s

They want to see that. 743s

This is the reaction of the curious and not so committed. 744s

That's not the only reaction surrounding this story about this dinner. 751s

Because verse 10 tells us so that chief priest planned to put Lazarus to death as well 755s

since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were discerting and were believing in Jesus. 762s

Here's the reaction of out and out opposition. 772s

So the reaction of love and service sacrifice, the reaction of selfishness, the reaction 779s

of those that were curious, not fully committed, the reaction of those opposed to him. 793s

Two miles, six days surrounded with these reactions. 808s

Two thousand some years later. 825s

What is our reaction? 831s

What is our reaction? 835s

By God's grace, He brings forth from us the reaction of love and service and sacrifice. 840s

A fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5, tells us, is love. 849s

That's born of God's action in our lives. 855s

That agape love the highest form of love that love of self-sacrifice. 860s

By God's grace, He brings forward from us a submitting to one another where we count 868s

the other as more important than the self. 874s

By His grace, He brings forth from us sacrifice, sacrifice of time and talent and treasure, 878s

all belonging to God of which He privileges us to be stewards of. 890s

By God's grace, He brings forward from us the reaction of love and service and sacrifice. 897s

But if we're honest, if we're honest, we also can see in our own lives the reaction 914s

of selfishness. 926s

We want our way, and we want it now. 930s

We can be tempted in our prayer life to not pray for thy will to be done because what 940s

we want God to do is our will. 949s

We've got it figured out. 951s

And so we can be tempted not to pray, thy will because it's, well, it's just too risky. 955s

Because what happens if His will isn't what I really want. 961s

If we're honest, we who have been created by God can sometimes live as if the rest of the 969s

world is created to satisfy our whims. 976s

If we're honest, we can be part of the famous trio. 982s

Me myself and thy. 990s

If we're honest, we can see so often in our own lives the sin. 997s

Of our selfishness. 1005s

If we're honest, we're honest. 1012s

We can see in the reactions of the of the curious and the less committed we can see, we 1016s

can see a resemblance of times to ourselves. 1023s

Can't we? 1027s

We can want to treat Jesus as a as a genie in the bottle. 1030s

And we expect more than three wishes to be granted. 1036s

And as long as Jesus keeps producing, as long as He produces for us. 1040s

Well, then we'll follow him. 1048s

But those those texts that that talk about dying to oneself and taking ones cross up 1050s

and following him. 1059s

Yeah, that can push us. 1063s

Can't they? 1066s

If we're honest, we can find ourselves saying, you know, I'm just so busy. 1069s

The soul is so busy. 1077s

And the concept of the lordship of Jesus in every area of my life, every area of my life, 1083s

that sounds like a lot of time. 1092s

And I'm busy. 1096s

And we can try and keep him at arms length and compartmentalize him into an aspect 1099s

of our life instead of Lord of all. 1109s

And if we're honest, we can see ourselves at times in those that were precurious about 1114s

Jesus, but that fully committed. 1126s

And if we're honest, we can see ourselves in those that opposed him. 1136s

We oppose him in our thoughts so often in our words in what we do. 1147s

We oppose him by what we've done, what we've left undone, but we should have done. 1152s

And all of that, we see in them our own opposition to Jesus. 1159s

The reactions around that dinner in Bethany, those reactions, why we see in ourselves. 1172s

And by God's grace, sometimes the reaction is good, the love and the service and the sacrifice. 1180s

But sometimes, to be honest, sometimes our reactions aren't so good. 1189s

And we see ourselves in the text. 1202s

What is Jesus' reaction to our sinful reactions? 1210s

What does Jesus do? But he goes to the cross and on the cross, 1219s

he takes all of our selfishness. 1225s

He takes all of our treating Jesus in a curious way, but less than committed. 1228s

He takes all of our opposition upon him at the cross. 1235s

And the wrath for our sin falls upon Jesus. 1241s

The spotless Lamb of God, the second member of the Trinity, 1246s

God in the flesh, it falls upon Jesus. 1250s

And Jesus pronounces from the cross to tell the story, 1255s

paid in full. 1258s

The sin is paid in full. 1260s

And he is raised. 1266s

From the dead, it's the beat of the grace of God, the beat of the mercy of God. 1270s

That's God's reaction. 1289s

God's reaction. 1293s

Freshly cut pombranchis. 1299s

Not yet, soon. 1305s

Hosanna's that pierce the air. 1310s

Not yet, soon. 1315s

Thursday and washing of the feet and instituting the sacrament. 1321s

Not yet, soon. 1326s

Friday bearing the sin of the world. 1328s

Not yet, soon. 1331s

Easter. 1335s

Coming out of the tomb, the victorious Lord, Jesus Christ. 1337s

Holy week. 1348s

And in those days, as we enter from the Holy days before, Holy week, 1356s

into the Holy days of Holy week, we will see 1362s

Jesus' reaction put on display. 1370s

No wonder, right? 1381s

No wonder, we worship Him. 1384s