The world has gone after Him

John 11:55-12:19 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

⁵⁵ Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves. ⁵⁶ So they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?” ⁵⁷ Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.

Mary Anoints Jesus

12 Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. ³ Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said, ⁵ “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” ⁶ Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. ⁷ Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. ⁸ For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”

⁹ The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. ¹⁰ But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; ¹¹ because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.

Jesus Enters Jerusalem

¹² On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, ¹³ took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” ¹⁴ Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, ¹⁵ “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” ¹⁶ These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. ¹⁷ So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. ¹⁸ For this reason also the  people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”

I apologize for the problems with the change in fonts. It was an uncorrectable problem that occurred for some reason today in the transfer from word.

Today’s text begins where we left off yesterday. It is right after Jesus has raised Lazarus from the grave. The natural tendency would be to think that Jesus would be celebrated among the religious people. Unfortunately the opposite is true, while Jesus notoriety was increasing and He was gaining more followers, the religious folks were not at all pleased. They didn’t judge Jesus by the results of His ministry or by the evidence of the miracles He worked. They judged Him because He hadn’t received His education and training the same way they had. They judged Him because He was different.  Jesus threatened them. He threatened everything that they had established as the religious elite, all of their tradition and their position. The same thing happens at times in the church today. There is often  a tendency  to accept or reject some ones ministry or qualification to minister based  on man’s training rather than on the evidence of the  anointing, the power of God. The spirit of jealousy and religious territorialism can cause great harm to the church and the kingdom.

In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus says:   ¹⁵ “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? ¹⁷ So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will know them by their fruits.

We are never to judge other’s hearts, but we are to judge the fruit of the ministry of prophets, teachers and other leaders. A ministry that bears good fruit for the kingdom of God is a ministry worth following. Jesus was bearing fruit for the kingdom. Lives were being changed. People were being healed and delivered. There was repentance from sin and even the dead were raised. Yet the religious leaders sought to put Jesus and Lazarus to death.

The text shifts then to a scene where Jesus is gathered around a table with His disciples.  So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those

reclining at the table with Him. ³ Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.       Much has been written about Mary’s action that day.  In Mark’s gospel account, Mark 14, Jesus says:     “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. ⁷ For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me.⁸ She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.⁹ Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

This again is a situation where we should never judge someone else’s heart or their expression of worship. Jesus had done so much for Mary. Her life was completely changed by Jesus and now she had the added gratitude for her brother  Lazarus’ resurrection. The action she took might seem a bit extravagant and hard to understand for other people who don’t share the depth of her gratitude. In the same way there are times when people can be moved to do things in worship that are hard to understand. We should be careful not to judge their heart simply because we don’t understand their worship. We may not know the depths of the bondage from which they have been freed.

The text today ends with this contrast between the reaction of the people and the religious leaders to Jesus and His ministry.    ¹⁷ So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. ¹⁸ For this reason also the  people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”

Jesus says that our ministry should resemble that. People should be drawn to the evidence of our testimony and ministry for the Lord and the kingdom.  Jesus says, in Mark 16:15-18:         “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.¹⁷ These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;¹⁸ they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Unfortunately many people focus on trying to duplicate the signs. The signs are not the pathway to the ministry. The signs will follow and accompany those who have believed. God will provide the evidence, “these signs” if we will be faithful to preach the gospel, the good news of the kingdom, if we will baptize believers as disciples of Christ, dying to their old nature and being raised up with Him to walk in the power of the resurrection. The signs will follow. They too, the signs of the evidence of the power of God at work, will be the fruit of true ministry for the kingdom.   

Grant it Lord, Amen