22 Mary Anoints Jesus and the Triumphal Entry Explained (John 12)

Krisan Marotta: Welcome back to the Wednesday in the Word podcast. I'm Krisan Marotta, and this is my podcast about what the Bible means and how we know. Today is the 22nd talk in my series on the Gospel of John. We will be studying John chapter 12. Show notes with an outline of the main points and links to everything mentioned in the talk or on my website. You can find that at wednesdayintheword.com slash John 22. Thanks so much for making Wednesday in the Word a part of your day, and don't forget to follow the show. Well, we are nearing the end of our study of the Gospel of John, and again, let me remind you, my purpose in this study has been to focus on the big picture. Instead of going verse by verse into the details, we are looking at big sections of the Gospel and talking about the flow of thought and the overarching themes. Last week we looked at the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. We saw many of the themes of John's gospel wrapped up in that story. We saw the importance of signs. God testified that he is with Jesus by giving him power over death. We saw Jesus has authority over life and death. This miracle gave us every reason to believe that Jesus will keep his promises about granting us eternal life. And this miracle testifies to John's main theme that we should believe in Jesus and thereby gain eternal life. We also saw the theme of the nature of belief and unbelief. For the disciples, this miracle strengthened their faith and understanding. As painful as losing Lazarus was for them, it was a necessary and good thing for them to experience. By contrast, for the Pharisees, this miracle hardened their resolve to kill Jesus. They refused to believe despite all the evidence that they have. The raising of Lazarus is the trigger that puts into motions the events that will lead to the cross, and that brings us to chapter twelve. John chapter twelve contains two famous stories. The first is Mary anointing Jesus at Bethany, and the second is his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Let's look at the first story. Here's the scene. This is John twelve, one through three. Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Now remember there are several Marys in the Gospels. This is Mary of Bethany. This is not Mary Magdalene. This is a separate incident from the one that is recorded in Luke 7. Mark 14 tells us this dinner was held at the home of Simon the leper. Mark names only Simon the host, he doesn't name the woman or the other guest. We see John doesn't name the host, but he does name the principal characters among the other guests, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. John wrote his gospel much later than Mark wrote his. It's likely that when Mark was writing his gospel, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were still alive. Recording the names of the living could have endangered their lives. However, by the time John wrote, the three siblings had probably passed away, and it was safe for John to name them. But John didn't need to name the host because he knew Mark had already named him. This also explains why the synoptic gospels omit this story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. If the three were still alive at the time Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote, it could have put them in danger. John, however, is free to include these events and to give their names because these events no longer threaten anyone's safety. So here's our situation. Jesus is at this dinner party. Mary and Martha appear to be assisting the host. Mary anoints Jesus' feet with expensive perfume and dries them with her hair. Now what's Mary doing? Well, every culture has rituals for dinner guests. Today, when guests arrive, hospitality for us would require that we say things like, Hello, it's nice to see you. Won't you please come in? May I take your coat? Would you like to sit down? Can I get you a cup of tea? And then we hosts would turn off our computer and put down our phones, signaling to the guest that the guest is welcome and has our full attention. If we left a guest standing on the front step, failed to invite them inside, and kept our eyes glued to our phones, we would be considered rude. Well, there were similar rituals at the time of Jesus. At that time, hospitality required that guests be greeted when they entered, often with a kiss on the cheek. Then the guests were seated on stools around a U-shaped dining couch. Since the meal could not be blessed while their hands were dirty, water and olive oil was brought so they could wash their hands and feet. After everyone washed, the meal could be blessed and the food brought in. Now in wealthier homes, servants washed the hands and feet of the guests. A rabbi's disciple was essentially a servant to his teacher, but disciples were never required to attend to their master's feet. That was considered the lowest task of all. The lowest household slave was usually given the task of foot washing. When John the Baptist said earlier in this gospel that he was not worthy to untie the strap of Jesus' sandal, he was saying he was lower than the lowest slave. Mary probably feels the same way, but she is happy to do for Jesus what a servant would do. But Mary takes the additional step of anointing Jesus' feet with expensive perfume. Nard, which is also known as spike nard, was so expensive it was considered a gift fit for a king. Many suggest that this jar of perfume was part of Mary's dowry, or at least part of her inheritance. As such, it would probably represent a good portion of her wealth, and as we'll see, Judas is going to object to using it on Jesus' feet. Mary then wipes his feet with her hair instead of a towel. So what's going on with that? Well, women were obligated to cover their hair in public. The Mishnah, which is a written record of the Pharisaical laws, lists several offenses which justified a man divorcing his wife, and on that list is the fact that his wife went out with her hair unbound. Also, traditionally, a bride let her hair down on her wedding night as a symbol of her loyalty and devotion. And I think that symbolism is what's going on here. Not that these two were married or betrothed or anything like that, but that this is a pledge of devotion. Both offering her hair and a large part of her wealth symbolize that she is pledging her deepest loyalty to Jesus. Now John seems to be much more interested in how Judas responds to this situation. Let's go on and look at verses four through eight. But Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, he who was about to betray him, said, Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred deneri and given to the poor? He said this not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the money bag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, Leave her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me. Jesus connects this act of devotion with the coming day of his burial. This is why what she did is appropriate. He knows his death is coming soon, and this is a theme that John is now playing up. He's introduced Judas, and we are leading directly toward the arrest and execution of Jesus. The time that these disciples have with Jesus is coming to a close. Mary will not have much more time to express her faith or her loyalty to Jesus. And it's appropriate for her to do that while he's with her. We're told Jesus is drawing large crowds again. We're told everyone wants to see not only Jesus, they want to see Lazarus, the man who Jesus raised from the dead. We are told Jesus knows his death is near, and that the priests are so angry, not only do they want to kill Jesus, they want to kill Lazarus too. And now John finally introduces us to Judas, the disciple who will betray Jesus. John has only mentioned Judas once so far in this story, and that was back in chapter six. After Jesus described his body as the bread of life, many of those following him rejected him and left. Jesus then turns to the twelve and says, Are you going to leave too? And Peter answers, Where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. And then Jesus says, this is John 6, 70 and 71, Did I not choose you the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil? He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him. Well that's the only glimpse of Judas that we've seen so far. But now as the day of Jesus' execution draws near, Judas enters the story to play his evil role. He complains that Mary wasted this perfume on Jesus. It could have been sold for three hundred denari. One denare was a day's wage for most workers, so this is about a year's worth of income. It's a lot of money, but John also tells us Judas was deceitful. He wasn't really interested in supporting the poor. He was in charge of the money box and he liked to help himself to the coins in it. He wanted more money in the box so he could steal part of it. Well Jesus rebukes Judas, and his words may sound confusing. Jesus is not saying we should ignore the poor. He's saying you will always have an opportunity to serve the poor. That will always be available. But the opportunity to serve him in a tangible way is not going to last much longer. And I think implicit behind that is the opportunity to repent is not going to last much longer. And he's calling for Judas to repent. It's not too late for him to repent and believe. But it is about to be. And it also seems to me that John includes this story to further his theme of belief and unbelief. He contrasts Mary and Judas. They are polar opposites. Both of them had the privilege of hearing Jesus teach in person. Both of them witnessed his miracles firsthand. Both of them had the ability to ask him questions and receive direct answers. They could touch his hand. They could see the warmth of his love in his facial expressions. In fact, as one of the twelve, Judas probably had way more opportunity than Mary had to get to know Jesus. And yet they react very differently. Mary believes, Judas does not. Mary kneels at Jesus' feet in an act of loyalty and devotion and gratitude. She uses a sizable portion of her wealth and uncovers her hair to do something kind and compassionate for Jesus. By contrast, Judas gets angry and starts hatching his plan to betray Jesus. Both of them, I think, understand about this impending death, as Jesus has begun speaking about it more openly, yet they react very differently. Mary asks herself, What can I do for Jesus? She can't prevent his death, but she can stand with him in devotion and sympathy, so she anoints him for burial. She takes the job of the lowest slave and humbles herself before him in gratitude. She shows him her loyalty and a simple act of kindness. On the other hand, Judas says, What can Jesus do for me? Judas likely joined of the twelve to gain power. He was probably expecting a political appointment to a high government office after Jesus took his rightful place as king. But now Jesus has started talking about dying instead, and Judas sees all his plans for earthly glory crumble around him. But he can still get something out of the situation. If he turns Jesus in, he can make a little bit of money off the reward. Maybe he won't get fifty gold by selling Mary's ointment, but he can at least get thirty pieces of silver by turning Jesus in. John is giving us a glimpse into his character, which helps us understand why he might betray his teacher. Like the Pharisees, his refusal to believe leads him to seek to destroy Jesus. And this is John's classic theme that belief is complicated. We see these two people with basically the same access to Jesus. They have the same experiences with him, they hear the same teachings, see the miracles, hear the promises, and one of them, Mary, responds with humble gratitude and belief, while Judas responds with anger and hate and betrayal. Once again we see that we believe what we want to believe. As Jesus explained back in chapter three, we need to be born again to see the truth. We need the Spirit of God to teach us and open our eyes so that we embrace the truth when we hear it. All right, let's go on to John twelve, nine through twelve. When the large crowd of Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priest made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. Okay, again, John is building toward the climax of our story. Jesus is back near Jerusalem. Lazarus is with him, and all the crowds come to see both of them. At this point, Jesus only has to get within a couple of miles of Jerusalem, and there is this huge uproar. Everybody wants to see him and this man that he raised from the dead. Besides, who knows what Jesus might do next. After avoiding the public spotlight for so long, Jesus raised Lazarus in public, which put a great big spotlight on him. It called great attention to him and leads then to his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Now all the gospels record this scene, but John gives us a few different details. Let's start with twelve to thirteen. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel. Now this is a large crowd. The Jewish historian Josephus tells us that for the Passover in AD sixty four, sixty five, so some thirty years later, about two point seven million Jews attended that Passover. It's reasonable to expect that the same number was in attendance this year, and there might even have been more, because this man who claims to be a prophet from God is physically present this year, so that might have drawn more people to come to see him. Now, what's the significance of the palm branches? Well, back in John 10, we talked about the origin of the feast of dedication, and the palm branches come out of that part of history. After Alexander the Great died, Palestine fell under the control of the Seleucid dynasty. This eventually led to the Maccabean Revolt. Israel finally gained independence from the king of Syria. Judas Maccabeas cleansed and rededicated the temple, and the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah celebrates this event. Later, his brother Simon Maccabeas drove the Seleucids out of Jerusalem altogether. Simon Maccabeus was proclaimed a national hero and given something like a ticker tape parade, and in that parade, the Jews celebrated his victory by waving palm branches. From that point on, a palm branch became a symbol of military victory and triumph. For example, later in history in the 60s AD, the Jews revolted against Rome and dared to mint their own coins, and their coins had the image of a palm branch on it because that was their symbol of military victory. While they waved these branches, they shouted Hosanna, which is derived from a Hebrew word which literally means save now. Both this word and the plea blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord are found in Psalm 118. Every Jewish pilgrim would be familiar with the words of that psalm because it was sung at the Feast of Tabernacles. So it would have been a natural thing for them to chant, especially if they are expecting a military victory. But Jesus subtly tells them he has other plans. He is the Messiah, but he is not coming as a military victor. Let's look at fourteen through sixteen. And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it just 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 had been written about him and had been done to him. In ancient times, when a king returned to his capital city after a victorious military campaign, he had a triumphal entry. Usually the king rode in on a chariot or a white horse, symbolizing his victory. He was followed by the defeated king and other captives and slaves, and as he rode through town he would throw gifts of small coins to the crowds. But Jesus enters Jerusalem differently. He enters before the battle has been fought, not after victory is secured. He is riding a donkey, not on a white horse or a chariot. And I read that donkeys in ancient Israel were much smaller than the ones we breed in today in America. A grown man would have had to bend his knees to ride one, otherwise his feet would drag the ground, which is hardly the grand entrance of a victorious king. This is the entry of a king who comes in peace. He's riding in not as a conquering hero, but the king who brings peace, reconciliation, and salvation. Thus far the leaders of the capital city have rejected him, but he comes in not to vanquish them. It seems to me he's making one final effort to come in peace. Now we know a head-on collision between the Pharisees and Jesus has been brewing for quite some time, but Jesus is going to choose the time and place for it. At this season, Jesus has the largest audience he could probably ever find. About thirty years later, a Roman governor took a census of the number of lambs that were slain at Passover in Jerusalem. He recorded the number two hundred and fifty thousand. Since one lamb was required for every ten people, that would mean two point five million Jews were present for that one Passover. Now, again, we saw earlier history recorded 2.7 million for another Passover. It seems reasonable that at least that many were present when Jesus entered, if not more, because the curious wanted to see this prophet of God. Those who might otherwise have stayed at home may have ventured out to see this man who could raise the dead. All right, going on, seventeen through nineteen. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him. Now John brings out the significance of what's happening here in a way we don't see in the other gospels. John highlights how the raising of Lazarus was a crucial part of the events. This time, when Jesus enters Jerusalem, he enters on a donkey, openly accepting the acclamation of the crowd. The crowd is saying, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel, and Jesus does not tell them to be quiet. They're waving palm branches and calling him king, and he accepts what they're saying. This is his open entrance into Jerusalem proclaiming that he indeed is the king that they say he is, but this king comes in peace. Now John doesn't include some of the details we see in the other gospels. He leaves that out. He knows the other gospels are written, so he doesn't tell us how Jesus arranges for the donkey. He doesn't tell us how somebody says, Jesus, make everyone be quiet. And then Jesus answers, If they were to be quiet, the stones themselves would cry out. All of that stuff is an important and interesting part of the story, but John doesn't tell us because he expects we've read Matthew, Mark, and Luke's Gospels. Instead, John emphasizes this crowd is filled with people who saw Jesus raise Lazarus. They are testifying to everyone else about what they saw. Lazarus was dead, and now he's alive, and we saw it, and this man spoke, and it came about. So the crowd is filled with people who are proclaiming Jesus is king because of the story of Lazarus has whipped everyone up into a frenzy. Now let's remember at this spot John has been very sophisticated in the way he has explored the relationship between miracles and belief. On the one hand, it's a good thing. The miracles strengthen the faith of Jesus' people. The disciples see what Jesus has done and they are strengthened in their commitment and belief. But the crowd is also believing. All of these folks are saying, Wow, Jesus raised the dead. This is the Messiah, the king of Israel. We believe him. Hosanna, here comes the king. But this same crowd that is yelling, Hosanna now, will soon be standing in front of Pontius Pilate, shouting for Pontius to kill Jesus and claiming Jesus is not their king. So this emotional reaction they have to the miracle of Lazarus is not going to last. And as we have seen throughout this series, John has been exploring this theme of belief. He contrasts the response of the unbelieving Jewish leadership with those who believe in Jesus and the disciples. Even some of those who saw the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus are going to fall away and call for the death of Jesus. As John has been arguing, belief takes perseverance. It's not enough that we say, oh, I saw that one act and I believe and then never come back to it. We have to continue believing. We have to persevere in that belief. John also points out something interesting here. The disciples didn't understand the significance of Jesus riding in on a donkey until after the resurrection. The prophet Zechariah says, Behold, your king is coming riding on a donkey. Jesus obviously knows this prediction, and he has deliberately chosen a donkey to ride in Jerusalem. I don't think he's trying to force the prophecy to be fulfilled. I think he's making a symbolic claim. Zechariah talks about the king riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. As far as we know, Jesus never rode in on a donkey before. He usually walks into Jerusalem. Today he wants to ride on a donkey, so he's riding on a donkey, and the disciples don't notice anything significant about that. But afterwards, after the resurrection, they think back and they realize wait, that meant something. He was signaling something when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. He was claiming to be their king. Again, John reports how the disciples come to understand what's going on. And today you and I are dependent on John and the other apostles for our understanding. We rely on their testimony, and John has been careful to explain how the disciples come to understand and believe. And in this case, he's saying, Well, when the event happened, they didn't get it, but afterwards they saw it was significant. And of course, we see that this event increases the desperation of the Pharisees. They see these large crowds proclaiming Jesus as king and think, you know, our strategy isn't working. Everyone is following Jesus, saying, Here comes our king. It's not what we're trying to accomplish. We're trying to get rid of this guy, and he's gathering an even bigger following than ever. We may be days away from this crowd grabbing Jesus and trying to overthrow Rome. We've got to get rid of this guy. So at the very time when Jesus is openly portraying himself as the Messiah, they make their plan to kill him. He's raised the dead, he's riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, he's accepting the accolades of the crowd that he is the Messiah, and that declaration pushes the Pharisees and the council over the edge and they have to take action. So get twenty to twenty two. Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Beth Seda in Galilee and asked him, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. I find this a really curious incident for John to include. We know from Mark's account that Jesus also cleansed the temple during this time, and the part he cleansed was the court of the Gentiles, which was where all the merchants set up their shops. Only Jews could go into the temple courts, and a wall separated those areas from the place where the Gentiles could gather. These Greeks must have been in the Gentile courts. They were most likely God fearers, non Jews who followed the Jewish religion but hadn't converted. They approached Philip, whose name is Greek, so perhaps they had some connection with him or his hometown. Perhaps they'd seen Jesus cleanse the temple and they wished to speak with him. But the oddity is that John never tells us how Jesus responded. Did he go and meet them or not? They couldn't enter the temple proper if they're going to talk to Jesus. Jesus has to come out to them. And did he go? Well we don't know. Perhaps John includes this incident to hint that Gentiles are going to begin coming to Jesus in large numbers? Possible. Or perhaps John included it because this is the event that sparked the dialogue that Jesus said next, and John wanted to include that dialogue. Both Jews and Gentiles will be saved by the cross that is coming, and Jesus comments on the significance of the moment. Let's look at twenty three through twenty six. Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. The hour has finally come. The beginning of the end of Jesus' earthly ministry is here, and Jesus confirms that he recognizes how necessary his death is. If you take a grain of wheat and you put it in a jar on the shelf as a souvenir, it's worthless. Nothing comes out of it. It's just a grain of wheat in a jar. Eventually it might get moldy or turn to dust. But if you plant that grain of wheat, if you bury it in the earth, it can bring new life. Only in dying can that seed bring forth abundance. In the same way, Jesus knows he must lay down his life to save his people. Now in this context, loving and hating refer to choice and action. Jesus is not commenting about how we feel about our earthly lives. The one who chooses and values this earthly life by rejecting Jesus will lose eternal life. So if what you love, the thing you cling most tightly to are the things of this world, you will lose eternal life. But the one who chooses eternal life, who loves eternal life by letting go of the things of this world and humbly following Jesus will gain eternal life. This is the thesis of John's gospel. Why does this story matter at all? Why are we studying about Jesus Christ over two thousand years later? Because Jesus claimed God gave him the authority to grant eternal life. He claims that he grants eternal life to all those who follow him, who repent of their sin and trust in his promises. Nothing less than eternity is at stake here. Now twenty seven through thirty, now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour, but for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, An angel has spoken to him. Jesus answered, This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now there's a lot of debate over what exactly Jesus is saying here. The grammar isn't at all clear, at least to me. Jesus could be saying, My soul is troubled, what shall I say? I shall say this, Father save me from this hour, but nevertheless glorify your name. So he could be troubled and he's asking the Father for a reprieve. Or Jesus could be saying, My soul is troubled, what shall I say? Shall I ask the Father to save me from this hour? No, of course not. And in that option, he is posing a hypothetical. Shall I ask God for a reprieve? No, of course not. Now I read arguments from the grammar both ways. I read arguments from the context both ways. At this point, I don't know enough to decide between them. But whichever way you take it, everyone agrees this little discussion ends the same way. It ends with humbly accepting the cross. Jesus will not refuse this hour. This is what he came for. He will not back down from the cross. This is the purpose he came to accomplish. And it's important that Jesus makes this choice. No one, not even the Father, would nail Jesus to the cross against his will. We saw that in the Good Shepherd discussion. For his death to accomplish our salvation, Jesus has to choose to be the substitute. As hard as the road is ahead of him, he has to choose voluntarily to take that road. And it's interesting he doesn't say, Father, glorify my name. He says, Father, glorify your name. Let your grand and glorious plan of redemption be fulfilled. I will do my part. His prayer receives an immediate answer. He receives an audible voice from heaven. This is one of three occasions in the Gospels where the Father speaks from heaven. He spoke at the baptism of Jesus, which John records. He spoke at the transfiguration, which Luke records, and then he speaks at this event. The Son is still pleasing to the Father, they are in this together, this is the plan. The Father intends to fulfill all his promises, and those promises find their fulfillment in the Messiah, in Jesus and what he came to do. Now astonishingly, Jesus said the voice came not for his sake, but for the sake of the listening crowd. Apparently, Jesus didn't need his resolve bolstered as much as the crowd needed to know that Jesus is the Messiah. Let's go on to thirty one through fifty. Now is the judgment of this world. Now will the ruler of this world be cast out, and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is the Son of Man? So Jesus said to them, The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light. When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the words spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled. Lord who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, for again Isaiah said, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them. Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. And Jesus cried out and said, Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me, and whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him, for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge, the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment, what to say and what to speak, and I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me. Now there is a whole lot we could talk about here. But if you have been listening to this study, you should be prepared to understand this section. These are all themes that we have seen throughout John's gospel. This is the end of Jesus' public ministry. After saying these things he hid himself from the crowd, and John then gives us a summary of what he said, and this summary should be familiar to you if you've been following this series. Jesus has performed many signs and miracles that testify to the fact that he is the Messiah, but the people did not believe him. Jesus came to bring the light of truth to a world in the darkness of ignorance, but people refused to come into the light. They stay in the darkness and cling to their lies. Why did people refuse to believe after seeing the miracles, hearing the authoritative teaching, and an audible voice from heaven? Well John tells us he quotes two passages from Isaiah. He quotes Isaiah 53 to show that Isaiah prophesied that there would be widespread rejection of Jesus and his message. And then he goes on to state that the people could not believe. As God calls Isaiah, he warns Isaiah that the people will not receive his message because God has made a judicial verdict against them. He has left his sinful people in their spiritual blindness and refused to rescue them from it. Now God doesn't force people into sin and then refuse to rescue them from it. We're already sinners. We are born sinners, and sometimes God lets us stay that way. In Isaiah's day, part of God's judgment against the people was that they failed to believe Isaiah, and the same is true of Jesus. God has judged them with the inability to repent, even though the Messiah was standing in front of them. Now we could get into a discussion of election and predestination and original sin, but I'm not going to do that. I've talked about those issues elsewhere in other passages and other seasons of the podcast. I realize you probably have lots of questions, but I am going to leave those on the table for now. For now, realize this is not a new theme in John. We saw Jesus tell Nicodemus he needed to be born again. We've heard Jesus say no one can come to him unless the Father draws him. We've seen how two people can witness the same miracle and hear the same teaching and one believes while the other doesn't. The New Testament authors teach us that faith itself is a gift of God and that we need the Holy Spirit to change us so that we are no longer spiritually blind and deaf. During his first coming, Jesus brings both judgment and salvation. He brings salvation because he came to die for his people to pay the penalty for our sins and reconcile us to God. He brings judgment because we will be judged based on how we respond to Jesus. Those who reject Jesus will die in their sins and their guilt remains. When Jesus returns, he will bring judgment and salvation in full. At his return, the door to repentance will be closed. Those who fail to repent will receive the penalty of their sins. But also at his return, the door to heaven will be open. He will raise his people from the dead, free them completely from sin, death, corruption, and futility, and grant them eternal life. So this ends Jesus' public ministry. From here on out, he speaks only to the disciples and his inner circle and a few words from the cross. John summarizes his public ministry as the fact that Jesus has come to bring light to a dark world. He has come to teach us who God the Father is. He has spoken only what the Father would have him say, he has done only what the Father would have him do. The Father gave him the authority to judge and to save, and he uses that authority to do only what the Father would have him do. And this commandment leads to eternal life. That's the thesis John has argued in this gospel. Accept the truth, believe Jesus and what he said about himself, and thereby find eternal life, reject Jesus, and you'll perish.wednesdayintheword.com slash John22. If you've been blessed by this podcast, please support the show by following it and leaving a positive review on your favorite platform. But most importantly, tell a friend what you learned and where you learned it. RPMusic is graciously provided by Reggie Coates. You can find his music and worship CDs on heartfeltmusic.org. If you want to hear more or find previous episodes in this series, please visit my website, wednesdayintheword.com. There's no charge, no spam, and no ads. Thank you for joining me today. I'm Krisan Marotta, and I'll see you next week at Wednesday in the Word.