Preparing for Jesus - John 12 - The Beginning of the End

John 12 is one of the shifting points in the book. It really is the beginning of the end of the life of Jesus, he even says so in John 12:23. Remember in John 11, when Jesus tells his disciples that it is time for them to head toward Jerusalem again  and the disciples remind him of the hostility that remains there? And then Thomas stands up and says, "Let us go so that we can die with him."

Thomas may have understood what we as the reader now know, this would be Jesus' last time heading into Jerusalem, he won't leave Jerusalem again.

So as you read the rest of John, note this: The first eleven chapters os John cover three years worth of material, while the last ten focus on the final week of Jesus' life.

And there is one theme that is evident, stemming from Thomas' declaration in John 11 to Jesus' teaching in John 12 - What are you willing to give for Jesus?

John 12, opens up with Mary anointing Jesus' feet. This is not Mary, Jesus' mother, this is Mary Magdalene, who is said to have a past that comes a long with her. But nevertheless, she is a devoted follower of Jesus. When she anoints Jesus feet with this perfume, it was close to a half a liter. Thats a lot of perfume. It reminds me of a middle school school bus right before school when all the boys douse themselves with axe body spray. It would have been strong.

What Mary gave was expensive and brought out quite the reaction from Judas. Judas who was supposed to have been a devoted follower of Jesus, instead of giving judged what Mary gave.

Mary Gave. Mary gave her best.
Judas Judged. Judas judged Mary's best.


If you're going to be wiling to follow Jesus, you're going to have to be willing to give it all.



Jesus knew that. Jesus knew to glorify God, which was his and our sole purpose in life, that he had to be willing to do the same thing. And if you pay special attention to the red words in John 12 you'll notice thats Jesus' focus. Sacrificing his life to give glory to God.

As you read through John 12 here are a few things to keep in mind:
- What am I willing to give or give up in my pursuit of Jesus?
- Is God receiving the glory from the life I'm living or is something or someone else (myself included)?
- Are you giving your best to Jesus or are you spending more time judging those who are?

I hope your'e benefiting from this journey through John. Even though we still have a little less than halfway to go, we are in the final days of Jesus' life.

Today's Contributing Author: Roger Burns