12:1-8 - Usefulness to God does not require that we understand the implications of what we are doing. It merely means we faithfully do what God puts on our hearts to do. Mary had no clue that what she was doing would signify Jesus upcoming death, burial and resurrection, but she felt moved to anoint Jesus and she did. We have to remember to do what we are called to do and not just what we understand.
12:10-11 - I am amazed that people would want to kill Lazarus because of Jesus had done in him. I wonder if Lazarus was living so gratefully that he wouldn't shut up so it would just be easier to kill him. If that was the case, are you living so gratefully that someone should want you dead?
12:12 - A historian I have been listening to says that the triumphant entry of Jesus took place on lamb selection Sunday as part of the Passover festival. Think about that. Jesus waits to make His final entry into Jerusalem on the same day that every good Jew would have been selecting a lamb to sacrifice for their sins so that God's judgment would passover them. Beautiful.
12:13 - Some people have looked at the events of the triumphant entry and seen the people reacting more out of political ambition than religious conviction. Since the palm branch was a sign of national pride and the term Hosanna means Save now! some believe that the people were recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and King, but as a military one and not the way He intended to come. This explanation has a lot more weight to it when you consider how quickly the people begin to shout Crucify him! just days later. If they wanted freedom from the Romans and thought Jesus could bring it, but wasn't, they would have been angry.
10:24 - I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels - a plentiful harvest of new lives. - This is a powerful teaching that every Christian needs to take some time to let soak in. We do not become fruitful by trying really hard, but by dying to our own lives and letting God create new life through our death. When we can die more and more to our daily desires and selfishness and ways of thinking and let God use that as fertile soil to show others His love and truth, we have become truly useful to God. I fear that so many of us are hanging on to this life to tightly.
10:25 - Those who love their lives in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. - I like how the NLT phrases that second sentence.
10:31 - The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. - I am interested by the timing here. Was Satan cast out in some way at the resurrection or is this still to come?
10:37 - But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. - I typed this verse simply to remind myself that even when the Gospel is preached and we minister exceedingly well, most people will not believe. We are stubborn people.
10:43 - For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. - May this NEVER be true of us. May we never care more about what people think than what God has already said. To be honest, most christian leaders I have met, even the good ones, care way too much about what others things and it is one of the number one sources of ineffectiveness in their Christian walk. If we cared more about God's truth than we did what we looked like to others we would speak differently, act differently, dress differently, etc. for the glory of God. You cannot please God while trying to please people. If you find yourself trying to get people to like you, approve of you, respect you, etc. please talk to God and work it out. All the good learning will be wasted if you can't care more about His praise than theirs.
Love, Michael
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