John 11:56-12:6

56 Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?” 

57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

12:1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 

12:2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.

3 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.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 

5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii 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 money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

“The House Was Filled With the Fragrance of the Oil” and… the Glory of Jesus

What will Jesus do? Will He show up to the feast? The people wondered what would happen next. Jesus was the talk of the town. The Pharisees and the chief priests had commanded that anyone who saw Jesus report it to them so they could arrest Him. Jesus was a wanted man. He was considered a criminal. Isaiah 53:12 prophesied that Jesus would be numbered with the transgressors. The word transgressors is translated as those who rebel or revolt. So Jesus was considered a rebel. But what laws had He transgressed or rebelled against? None at all. The rebels were the ones who wanted to kill Him. Everyone who has sinned is a rebel against God. Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So…..I am the rebel. I am the transgressor. He was wounded for my rebellion against God. When I think about that, it breaks my heart, but I am also so thankful at the same time. I am so thankful for a God who provided a way to save such a rebellious person as me. Thank you, Jesus… for loving us enough to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 53. 

Jesus visited Bethany six days before the Passover, where Martha served Him supper along with her brother, Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. It was dangerous for Jesus to show His face in Bethany, where so many people had witnessed Him raise Lazarus. Bethany was only two miles from Jerusalem, where the chief priests and Pharisees had ordered Jesus’ arrest on sight. But Jesus knew that His time to become the Passover lamb for the sins of the world was almost upon Him. Jesus would soon fulfill His purpose for being on earth. 

While at this supper, Martha served Jesus in her own way by preparing a supper, while Lazarus sat and talked with Him at the table. In verse 3, we see Mary serving Him in her own way as well. She poured expensive spikenard oil on His feet, and even used her own hair to wipe the oil on His feet. The text says the house was filled with the fragrant odor of the oil. Can you picture this scene? Here is a family who loved Jesus so much and was blessed so much by Jesus’ presence in their lives. They were blessed because they fully accepted Jesus for who He was, and treated Him like the royalty that He was as the Son of the Almighty God. 

I’d like to pause right here for a side note, and focus on the word “fragrance” for a moment. The house was filled with the “fragrance” of the oil that Mary used to anoint Jesus’ feet. Fragrance… “a sweet, pleasant, or distinctive smell”. Another word for fragrance is aroma. In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, Paul writes, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?” Is my life filled with the fragrance of Christ? Am I a diffuser of the aroma of Christ as I go about each day? If I am living my life for Christ, then I send up a sweet fragrance that God enjoys. I smell good to God! My life is an offering that sends up a sweet, pleasant fragrance. The burnt offerings of the Old Testament sent up a fragrance to God that satisfied Him for the moment, but that fragrance was nothing like the fragrance that we send up as we walk in His Son’s image as best we can. Also, we give off a fragrance to the people around us. To other members of the Lord’s church and to those who have open hearts for God, our fragrance is sweet and appealing. To those who reject the gospel, our fragrance is foul. How do you think we smell to Satan? If we are walking in Christ’s image, then we stink to him. What if we are lukewarm Christians? How do we smell to God? Well, if He would spew us out of His mouth, then I would say we taste pretty bad. And if we taste bad, then we also smell bad. This word, “fragrance”, made me think today. I want to be that sweet fragrance to God that reminds Him of His Son. And I hope I smell foul to the devil so he will stay away from me! Let’s think about it today. Does the world smell the aroma of Christ coming from us? Are our lives filled with that sweet fragrance that is pleasing to God, kind of like the sweet fragrance of the oil that filled Mary’s house? 

So, here was this beautiful scene between Mary and Jesus with this sweet fragrance filling the house. And suddenly, a foul smell of negativity dampened this beautiful moment. Judas Iscariot piped up and said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” Three hundred denarii would have been about 30 to 40 thousand dollars. Oh, how righteous Judas sounds, doesn’t he? “We should be helping the poor with the money that we could make from this oil!” However, John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, lets us know that Judas’ motives were not pure. First, he reminds us in verse 4 that Judas was the one who would betray Jesus. Then, he tells us that Judas was not concerned at all with helping the poor, but was a thief who took money from the money box that he was in charge of. Judas only wanted the oil sold so that he would have more money to skim from the money box. Jesus, who knew everyone’s heart, knew Judas was stealing from the money box, so why did He allow Judas to be in charge of it in the first place? I believe it was for this moment. We are studying the difference between people who prioritize Jesus over everything else in their lives and people who don’t prioritize Jesus at all. Jesus always wanted people to make their own decisions about following Him. He wanted them to choose Him over anything else they treasured in this life. Judas obviously loved money/wealth more than Jesus. Therefore, Jesus allowed him to carry the money, giving him the choice… money or Him. Sadly, Jesus already knew what Judas would choose. 

Jesus knows what choice any of us will make when it comes to how we prioritize Him in our lives. Mary gave up 30 to 40 thousand dollars that she could have had for herself and her family if she had chosen to sell that oil instead of anointing the Savior’s feet with it. Judas, however, chose to sell Jesus out to the Sanhedrin for around 10 thousand dollars. What a lesson! How important is Jesus to each of us? Judas was dishonest and greedy, and this was the only reason that he complained about the “wasting” of the oil. If I look at myself, I have to ask myself if I am like Judas. Am I greedy like Judas? It doesn’t have to be with money, even though it could be. Am I greedy with my time? Do I value my time more than working in the kingdom for Jesus’ glory? It is not just about money; it is about anything that we put ahead of Jesus. As I type this, I realize that if I’m not careful, I could, and most definitely do, betray Jesus in much the same way that Judas did simply by not prioritizing my time wisely. Do I keep a running total of how much time I and others spend, and set a limit for myself? I should never be counting up how much I do for Jesus’ kingdom, and saying to myself or others, “Well I helped with _______, so I’m not helping with_______. Someone else can do that since they don’t do as much as I do.” Is that what Mary or Martha would have done? No, I don’t think so. Jesus set Martha straight about that when she complained that her sister wasn’t helping her in the kitchen, and I bet Martha never complained again. That was probably an attitude adjustment for Martha (Luke 10:38-42). 

I wonder… did Martha consider asking Mary to help her with a kind tone in her voice? Instead of complaining, why not ask her to help out a little if she was struggling to get everything done? As sisters in Christ, we are all different. Some people just pick up and do things without being asked. Others don’t have that personality and need to be asked to help or guided in what to do. Instead of talking about how a person never does anything to help, how about we start asking them if they would mind helping? They would probably be glad to help. All they can say is, “No, I’m not available to help that day”, or “Yes, I would be happy to help with that”. I truly believe this would be more pleasing to God than complaining about all that we “have” to do. Complaining about the time we give to Jesus and His kingdom sort of negates the purpose of doing it, doesn’t it? Think about it this way… the time we spend working in Jesus’ kingdom is like Mary anointing Jesus’ feet. It is like Martha working in the kitchen to prepare the meal for Jesus. These women were honoring Jesus. We honor Jesus when we do things solely for Him and His church. Do I treat Jesus the way Mary and Martha treated Him? Like the royalty that He is? Or am I unknowingly betraying Him by being selfish with my time? Am I complaining about having to do things for Him? Just some food for thought… 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan God has outlined in His Word for humankind to receive His grace, which leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we must remain faithful until death or until Jesus returns, whichever comes first. (Rev. 2:10)

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about being saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves… and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t, or if you’re not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If  you are… believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better… to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you, Father, for the wonderful gift of Your Word!