A Voice From Heaven

Posted on by korgrocker

“Father, bring glory to your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine.”
John 12:28-30 NLT

‭‭If we hear a sound that seems a bit strange or one that we don’t recognise, we try to find its source, don’t we? For example, I remember many years ago of an unexpected loud crashing noise that occurred one evening, from the direction of the shed in our back garden. Several of the neighbours heard it as well and some ran to the adjacent main road, expecting to see the remains of a car crash. But there was a nagging thought in my mind – in my shed were a number of jars located on a shelf I had erected the previous day. And my fears were realised when I later took a look – the shelf had collapsed. I was too embarrassed to tell the neighbours of my shoddy craftsmanship. But there is always an explanation for a sound – well, that is, until God is involved.

But here we are imagining ourselves in a crowd listening to a Man speaking about some religious matters, joining other people who were in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. There was a crowd standing around a Man called Jesus, who had performed an amazing miracle raising a man from the dead. As we watched, this Man lifted His face to Heaven and we heard Him cry out “Father, bring glory to Your name”. And then we clearly heard what seemed to be a voice from the sky above us. The voice said, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” We looked up but could see nothing, but there were a few clouds there. Some around us were saying that it was a clap of thunder. Others who obviously heard some words thought an angel had spoken. But the Man called Jesus then spoke to the crowd again. He said, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine.” Thunder, an angel, or God Himself? What if it was the voice of God, responding to this Man who claimed to be His Son?

How would we feel if we suddenly heard a voice from Heaven? I think we can agree that this is not a common occurrence, and we would be more likely to look for a source more mundane or logically viable. But in the crowd, the voice from Heaven was loud enough to be confused with thunder, so to hear something of equal loudness today would be perplexing. That is, unless we were open to such an event as the voice of God speaking loudly to us. Have we pilgrims ever heard God speak to us? There was an occasion during my daughter’s illness when I was crying out to God in prayer. I was at the time rushing to her hospital bed, summoned by the medics who were fearful that she was in her last moments. But in the middle of my prayerful anguish, I head a voice clearly coming from the back seat of the car, saying “Trust Me”. It was so clear that I turned around to see who was there. God was with me that day, and through His loving kindness and compassion, I received strength and the assurance for the difficult days ahead. I will never forget His voice.

The people in the crowd were faced with a choice. If someone before them was having a conversation with someone else in Heaven, surely they would, or should, have taken notice and attributed some divine meaning to what was happening. But many in the crowd chose not to, rather trying to rationalise the situation with a natural conclusion, and in the process they missed a golden opportunity to connect with God Himself. Jesus said that all those who believed in Him would inherit eternal life, and God is still in the process of speaking to people today. The offer still stands in this season of grace.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your patience with us humans. We love You and thank You that we can hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us. Amen.

The Reason

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. … Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.”
John 12:23, 27-29 NLT

‭Why did Jesus come to this earth? Why did God’s Son, who had been present in Heaven since the creation of the world, put on human flesh and become a human being? To fully answer that question would require many words, enough to fill a book. And even then the question would not be completely answered. But in the context of our verses from John today, Jesus came to complete God’s plan for the salvation of the human race. 

God created human beings in His image so that they would be with Him forever. In the Garden, God used to spend time with Adam – Genesis 3:8-9, “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”” And ever since, God has poignantly been calling out to His creation “Where are you?” Jesus came to bring an answer to that question, so that once again human beings can respond by saying “Here I am” and not by hiding away from His call.

Because God is eternal He could see world events pan out before Him, and He chose the most effective time for His plan for restoring mankind back to relationship with Him. Romans 5:6, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” God’s plan involved His Son Jesus and was to be the final solution to the devil’s hold over human beings. After the plan had been executed, humans were no longer obliged to be in servitude and enslaved to the devil and his minions. Ever since, mankind has had a get out clause where they can say to the devil that because of Jesus they are now free from his clutches.

Jesus was clear about His rescue mission to Planet Earth. We have Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost“. ‭‭And of course we have John 3:16-17, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” But in our verses today from John 12, Jesus declared that His time had come. Of course He was “deeply troubled“. He was about to face into a painful death, but more than that, He knew that he would be taking upon Himself the sins of the world, past, present and future. A heavy, almost impossible load, even for God’s Son. No wonder that he asked that He be spared such a load. But such a thought was quickly replaced by His ultimate desire to please His Father in Heaven and bring glory to His name. From John’s account, we read that a voice was heard from Heaven, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 

This was a point when Heaven touched earth, and the people there at the time heard the voice of God Himself. Jesus did indeed bring glory to His Father, and aren’t we glad that he did!

Dear Father God. We give You all the praise, all the worship and all the glory today and every day. Amen.

The Kernel of Wheat

Posted on by korgrocker

“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. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honour anyone who serves me.”
John 12:24-26 NLT

‭John recorded a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry, where He publicly declared the true purpose of His mission, though in terms that would have puzzled the disciples. They knew, of course, of the principles of arable farming where a farmer would sow seeds to produce a crop. But what was that to do with Jesus? And how would that enable Him to enter into His glory? 

Jesus said that His life would have to be sacrificed so that there would be “a plentiful harvest of new lives”. He knew that there was coming a time quite soon when He would be executed on a Roman cross, but, equally, He knew that unless He made the ultimate human sacrifice, there would be no fruit, no church, no remedy to mitigate man’s sin. With the benefit on hindsight through the Biblical accounts, we knew what happened, and the fruit in terms of souls saved has been enormous. Numbers impossible to count. But through His sacrifice at Calvary, Jesus fulfilled God’s will. Hebrews 10:10, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time”. Romans 3:23-25a, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. …”

But Jesus went on to say something that cuts across the sin-filled culture in which we live. He said that by if we love our lives in our natural lifetimes we will find that we will lose our lives for eternity. Conversely those who care nothing for their natural lives, who instead devote their time to others and their good, will enjoy eternal life with God. Jesus emphasised this principle by saying that His followers must honour God by serving Him. A counter-cultural way of life that does not sit easily in our grasping and selfish society. A society that asks “what’s in it for me”. A society that pursues personal gain to the detriment of others. A society that honours those who have fought their way to the top of their businesses by trampling and abusing those around them in the process. There is surely nothing new under the sun – Solomon penned this verse many years ago, “But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere” (Ecclesiastes 2:11). 

We pilgrims are followers of Christ and on another occasion He clearly spelled out what this means. Matthew 16:24-26, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” So everything we do in our pilgrimage must be in accordance with the long view of the destination of our souls. 

We pilgrims have the opportunity to lay down our lives for others, and by doing so, the process will follow closely the arable process of seed planting. Everywhere we go we broadcast Gospel “seeds” that will produce fruit for the Kingdom of God. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice on a hill called Calvary, and we pilgrims are the fruit of that sacrifice, among many brothers and sisters throughout the world.

Dear Lord Jesus. We are really grateful for what You did for us at Calvary. Please lead us to the right places, where there is receptive soil waiting for seeds to be planted. In Your precious name. Amen.

The Greeks

Posted on by korgrocker

“Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.”
John 12:20-22 NLT

‭‭In those days the term “Greeks” had a generic meaning for all non-Israelites. They had come to enjoy the Passover festival because, although not Jewish, they revered Israel’s God. John records in these verses that they tried to get access to Jesus through Philip who, perhaps, and along with Andrew, was acting as a security vetting service for Jesus, because, as we know, the religious leaders wanted to arrest Him. We can only guess about the significance of Philip being from Bethsaida – perhaps one of the “Greeks” knew him from there.

So, why did the “Greeks” want to see Jesus? They would have heard about the amazing miracles that He had performed, so, perhaps they wanted Jesus to do a few for them. A natural curiosity might have been the reason. Or perhaps they too wanted to hear at first hand some of the sayings of Jesus that they had heard about. 

We pilgrims today are in a truly favoured position. Through the Holy Spirit we have access to Jesus always. We read what Jesus said to His disciples in John 16:7, “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you”. And then in John 16:13-14, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me”. Jesus was limited to being in one place at a time, even though He is divine. But the Holy Spirit is universal and omnipresent and can be with all believers all of the time. We don’t have to request an audience with Jesus and then wait our turn in a long queue, or try and book an appointment as we do at our doctor’s surgery, and then wait days or weeks before we get a ten minute slot.

Jesus came to His own people the Jews, but right at the start of His ministry He made that universal statement, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). And then a bit later he said, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16). Jesus came “to seek and save the lost” in all the nations, including the “Greeks”.

Father God. We are so grateful that Your plan for salvation was for all human beings, not just the Jews, and it was implemented through Your Son, Jesus. We are deeply grateful. Amen.


Natural Evangelism

Posted on by korgrocker

“Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!””
John 12:17-19 NLT

For those people who believed that evangelism didn’t start until after the Day of Pentecost, referring to that tremendous sermon from Peter after which three thousand men were saved, and which we can read in Acts 2, then they have missed something. The news about the raising of Lazarus from the dead, a miracle initially observed by a “crowd” of people (perhaps thirty or forty?), spread quickly through Jerusalem and the surrounding areas and even to the Passover visitors. The people who observed Lazarus emerge from the grave still wrapped in his graveclothes would never forget what had happened before their eyes, and they couldn’t wait to go and tell someone. A natural response to something out of the ordinary. But isn’t that evangelism?

Another remarkable event took place on the Day of Pentecost, when the people in the upper room, who had just experienced the tongues of fire and the ruach of God rushing through the place, burst out onto the streets of Jerusalem, speaking in languages native to the many visitors who had come for the Feast. Isn’t that evangelism?

The Pharisees were at a loss to know what to do. The amazing miracle that Jesus had committed had become common knowledge in that area and the people flocked out to see Him as he rode the donkey up the road into Jerusalem. In despair, they realised that they had been deserted, and didn’t have the following amongst the people that they had previously enjoyed. Their teaching was heavy and boring. They were unable to demonstrate miracles. And no amount of threats could stop the people from following the Man who did such amazing things. Isn’t that the result of evangelism?

We pilgrims have experienced a remarkable miracle ourselves. That the Creator God of the Universe would love us so much that through His Son, Jesus, He has allowed us to enter His presence sinless and righteous, and has ensured that we will be with Him for all eternity. That’s a miracle, and one that we cannot but tell everyone we meet. It’s a message that will not often be welcomed. Faced with a choice, people will prefer the pleasures of sin over the assurance of an eternity spent with God. But we pilgrims pray every day and ask God to lead us to just the right person who will be receptive to hear our miraculous message. We are not all great evangelists preaching messages to thousands of people. We might be like the teenager who persuaded a friend to go to church with him, and the friend was saved. That friend was Billy Graham. We don’t know what happened to the teenager, but we do know that he was faithful in doing what God had asked him to do.

So who knows – the next time we share our messages of hope, there might be another Billy Graham waiting to hear what we have to say. Isn’t that evangelism?

Dear God. Your love has motivated us to the point that we cannot help but tell others about all that You have done for us. Please lead us to the right people. In Jesus name. Amen.

Prophetic Fulfilment

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.” His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfilment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realised that these things had been written about him.”
John 12:14-16 NLT

We pilgrims have the benefit of hindsight over events that took place two thousand years ago. Bible scholars in recent times have claimed that Jesus fulfilled over three hundred Old Testament prophecies when He came to this world as a Jewish baby boy, finally dying on a Roman cross thirty years or so later. And there are many more prophecies still waiting to be fulfilled, prophecies that refer to His second coming, at a time yet to be determined. As John recorded, the disciples didn’t know at the time that Jesus’ donkey ride into Jerusalem took place just as Zechariah prophesied six or seven hundred years before. There were too many details for that first Palm Sunday just to be a random event, driven by the need of transport for a supposedly tired Jesus.

People today generally seem to care little for prophecies. They might dabble a little in their horoscopes, invented as a form of entertainment in a newspaper or magazine. They might read about something that creates a bit of interest, something supposedly “prophetic”, like the sayings of the French philosopher Nostradamus. But in the main, 21st Century Western man cares little for a future that they think is probably out of reach and therefore lacks importance. 

So why does the Old Testament hold so many prophecies? To me, it exposes a loving and caring God who spoke through faithful men about events to come. Men who listened to what God was telling them and they faithfully wrote it down both to encourage and warn God’s people. All the prophecies also add weight to the authenticity of the Bible because, after all, it is God’s only written work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” The prophecies in the Bible have formed the Canon of Scripture and even today they are an important part of our pilgrimage, leading us and guiding us in God’s ways.

Prophecy in the church today consists of forth-telling and fore-telling, proclamation and prediction. In the Old Testament, there was much fore-telling, with the prophets of old bringing about amazing predictions about what was going to happen at some time in the future. But on 21st Century Planet Earth, we need to be careful with predictive prophecy. God’s Word, the Bible, is complete, and we are warned about adding anything to it – Revelation 22:18-19, “And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book”.

Sadly, in recent years men and women have tried to predict such Biblical events such as Armageddon, with the Jehovah Witnesses “prophesying” that it would take place in 1974. Such was the weight given to this date that some members of the JW organisation even sold their houses in preparation. Of course, 1974 came and went with no change in the world. If Armageddon had come we wouldn’t be here now. There are many other occasions when predictive prophecies have come to be shown what they really were – human inventions. However, fore-telling can still be a valid prophetic influence in the church today and we should never say never. Instead, we should test the spirits, and never make life changing decisions based on a single prophecy. We must always look to God for confirmation. Our loving Heavenly Father won’t want us to be misled.

Regarding prophecy that is forth-telling, a “prophetic” message delivered from the pulpit can explain God’s Word in a way that is more easily understood and applied in our lives. 1 Corinthians 12:10 lists a number of spiritual gifts, including prophesy, “He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.” The gift of prophecy enables someone to “speak forth” or declare the divine will, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known in any way the truth of God which is designed to influence people. Prophets are men and women who are speaking on behalf of God, and the Holy Spirit has equipped them to speak out what God wants them to.

But back to our verses of Scripture from John. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy written down many years before. That is the sign of a true prophecy and one that validates the prophet himself. And it also reveals that God Himself spoke to Zechariah, and others, as part of His salvation plan to rescue mankind. An amazing message but sadly the Jewish religious leaders failed to make the connection.

Dear Father God. You have given us many gifts and we thank You for the gift of prophecy. Please help us to recognise Your prophets and treat them well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus on a Donkey

Posted on by korgrocker

The people “took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.””
John 12:13-15 NLT

In Luke’s Gospel we find some details about the origin of the donkey. We read in Luke 19:29-31, “As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”” And John helpfully pointed out that this event was a fulfilment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.” 

We pilgrims know the story well, and may even have re-enacted it in our Sunday School days. Some rural churches today even manage to find a real donkey to add some reality to the tale. Yet in acting out the Palm Sunday story, three attributes of Jesus in the Zechariah prophecy are often overlooked.

Jesus was, and is, righteous. Although he came to this world as a human being, Jesus never committed a sin. Ever. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” And because he was sinless, He was righteous. 1 John 3:7, “Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.” 

The Zechariah prophecy also proclaimed that the coming King was victorious. In the Jewish people’s minds, that would have meant their King was victorious in battle. This was of course correct, but not in the way the people wanted. Jesus came and defeated the devil through His victory on the cross. There, He satisfied the justice of God on our behalf and broke the power of sin, Satan, and death. Once and for all. The disciples on the Road to Emmaus expressed the disappointment present in the Jewish people, “We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago” (Luke 24:21). For the people, the excitement of the first Palm Sunday evaporated in the event that took place on a hill called Calvary, an event that left a big hole in their hopes and dreams. 

The third quality of the coming King in the Zechariah prophecy was that He was humble. Paul wrote about Jesus’ humility in Philippians 2:5-8, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Jesus ticked all the Zechariah boxes down to the last detail. And we read on in Philippians, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). That’s our Saviour. the Lord of lords and the King of kings.

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for humbly obeying Father God’s mission for You on Planet Earth. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

Exterminate!

Posted on by korgrocker

“When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.”
John 12:9-11 NLT

Jesus and Lazarus had become famous in that part of the world and the Jerusalem grapevine was working overtime. There was no social media in those days but the news of Jesus’ arrival soon got around. And John recorded that the people flocked to see them. Other Bible versions talk about a “great many” of the Jews, or a “large crowd”, and the reason that they went to see Jesus was because they believed in Him. 

Sadly, the religious leaders were so riven with jealousy that they had decided to restore their standing in the community by eliminating who they perceived as being their opponents. Lazarus wouldn’t have been quietly getting on with his life – he would have been quite vociferous in proclaiming what Jesus had done for him. He was a living, breathing miracle and the Pharisees and their cohorts could find no way to refute what had happened. Their stance was no different to that of totalitarian regimes around the world today, where opponents of the leadership are eliminated, either clandestinely, or by conviction following trumped up and false charges. We see it happening in Russia, Iran, North Korea, China and other countries, countries that have become an axis of devil-inspired evil. The devil’s ploys are well known and have been around since the snake slithered around the Garden, deceiving Adam and Eve in the process. 

The Jewish leaders should have know better because they had access to the writings and laws of Moses and the other prophets, but their twisted logic and scriptural misinterpretation had convinced them that Jesus was not who He said He was, in spite of the amazing miracles that He had performed. How did they think that bringing a man back to life, a man who had been dead and buried for four days, would be possible without the power of God behind it. So they decided that the Source of their concerns must be exterminated, and, for good measure, they would attempt to kill Lazarus as well. 

John the Baptist appeared out of the desert dressed and behaving like an Old Testament prophet, and the people flocked to him, responding to his message of repentance. We read in Luke 3:3, “Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptised to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.” John widely trailed the coming of Jesus and the Pharisees had plenty of notice about Who was coming. “Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptise with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God”” (John 1:32-34). Initially, the people thought that John was the coming Messiah, but in John 3:27-28, 30, we read, “John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ … He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” 

But the religious leaders wanted to do away with Jesus because they refused to accept the evidence before them. There was John’s testimony about Jesus. There was the evidence of the miracles. But they rejected it all because to accept that Jesus was indeed the Son of God meant change, so perhaps they thought that if they killed Jesus and Lazarus then the threat against their cosy world would disappear. Little did they know that it was all part of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind.

Dear God. You had a master plan ready ever since the Fall in the Garden. And aren’t we pilgrims glad You did! We praise and worship You today. Amen.

Preparation for Burial

Posted on by korgrocker

“But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” … Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.””
John 12:4-5, 7-8 NLT

Mary caused quite a stir amongst the disciples. To recap, she poured a very expensive quantity of the perfume nard all over Jesus’ feet and then wiped it all with her hair. Judas was outraged and told everyone present that this was a missed opportunity and that Mary had wasted her resources on anointing Jesus’ feet. 

But as an aside, this probably brought into focus Judas’ relationship with Jesus. His opinion of the Master was lacking integrity and he had obviously failed to grasp who Jesus really was. But before we condemn him, think about this. Although we would all have liked to be present with the Son of God, the question of us all is this – would be willing to waste something worth a year’s wages on anointing Jesus’ feet? Hmmm…

Back to John’s account. Jesus came to Mary’s defence and He said something that must have appeared strange to the disciples – “She did this in preparation for my burial”. The disciples were probably having trouble keeping up with events, and what was going on before them was puzzling to them. Why was Jesus thinking about His own death and burial? After all, He was still a relatively young man, and anyway no-one knew when they would die. After death, a person in those days was buried wrapped in shrouds of cloth and heavily anointed with perfumes. But as we know, the smell of a perfume, even an expensive one, fades away over a few days, so, the disciples thought, was Jesus’ death and burial so close? With the benefit of hindsight, we know that it was but the disciples didn’t.

Jesus then said something that superficially seemed a bit callous, and dismissive of the problems of being poor. The rest of the disciples may have agreed with Judas, that surely benefiting poor people was more important than “wasting” all that perfume. But Jesus knew what was happening. The next few days would have been marked by one significant factor as the smell of the perfume followed Jesus everywhere He found Himself. In the Garden, before Pilate, abused by soldiers, and lastly on the Cross. And through it all was Mary, smelling of nard herself, reminding everyone of her act of worship at Jesus’ feet. Jesus was telling the disciples that poor people could have been helped at any time but  Mary’s act alone would not have made even a dent in the overall problem of poverty. Jesus wasn’t dismissive of the poor. He was focused on His mission “and that was not to feed the poor”to seek and save the lost“. 

By the way, we mustn’t take from today’s verses the thought that the poor don’t matter. Of course we must help those in need, in every aspect of their poverty, natural or spiritual. The Apostles James wrote, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you” (James 1:27). And there are other impoverished groups in the world today who need our help. And we may even need that help ourselves. 

Perhaps one day we will meet Mary in Heaven and will still be able to smell the perfume. But on the other hand, we will be too busy worshipping Jesus, I’m sure. Mary knew who Jesus was and she was prepared to lay down her life and possessions for Him. Her example has travelled through the centuries ever since, as a reminder that we truly do worship at Jesus’ feet with all that we are.

Dear Lord Jesus, we worship You today with all our beings. You are our Lord and Master and before You today we bow down, unworthy even to be in Your presence. Amen.

Perfumed Feet

Posted on by korgrocker

“Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.”
John 12:1-3 NLT

Jesus was back in Bethany again, at the home of Lazarus, and his two sisters, Martha and Mary. And John recorded that there was a meal “prepared in Jesus’ honour”, served by Martha as usual. But after the meal, Mary did a strange thing. She took a jar of perfume, expensive perfume, and tipped it over Jesus’ feet. What followed was also strange – she wiped His feet with her hair. And as we might expect, it was impossible to go anywhere in the house without being able to smell the perfume. 

Why did Mary do something so extravagant? Again, John wrote the account of what happened in his usual dispassionate terms, but we can imagine the consternation on the faces of those present. Perhaps Martha and Lazarus were a bit embarrassed about their sister’s behaviour. The disciples and others who were present might have been distracted from their conversations as they looked on. Women in those days were supposed to stay in the background and not bother the men with anything. Perhaps Mary committed a social gaff but there was something far more important going on. Mary left us with a picture of an act of worship of Jesus with a gift that mattered. We don’t know what Mary was keeping this jar of perfume for, or where she had acquired it from, but it was obviously a very precious possession. It was important to her.

What do we pilgrims consider important and precious to us, and would be be prepared to lay it down at Jesus’ feet in an act of worship? The perfume would have run over Jesus’ feet and the floor, and Mary mopped up any stray liquid with her hair. It was then gone forever, never to be returned to the bottle. There were others gifts that Mary could have offered to Jesus. Perhaps a lamb that was important to her, or a sum of money, her life savings. But in every other possibility, the gift stayed intact. 

The Apostle Paul wrote, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him” (Romans 12:1). We pilgrims lay our lives down at the feet of Jesus, in an act of worship that ties us to Him for ever. The smell of Mary’s perfume would have stayed with Jesus all through the rest of His short life, and in our cases, our lives must stay with Jesus for the rest of our earthly days. According to Paul, by laying down our lives before Jesus, we too are a wonderful fragrance. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15a, “But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. …“. By the grace of God we will never change from a pleasant perfume in God’s nostrils, to becoming an unpleasant stench. Will we?

Dear God. In everything we do and say we want to be pleasing to You. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.