Page 87 - The Gospel of John - Student textbook

Study Section 13: Jesus Prepares to Die

13.1 Connect

I remember many years ago that I noticed a bump on my lower lip. It would not go away, so I went
to the doctor who performed a biopsy. A week later he told me it was cancer and may have spread
into my lymph glands and if so, was probably fatal. What a shock that was to me! It’s one thing to
know that we will all die someday, but to know that death is at the door is a bit more sobering. I
thought about my wife and children and distressed over who would care for them should I pass. The
news brought on a plethora of emotions.

We come to chapter 12 of John were Jesus begins to make preparations to go to the cross. He knew He was
about to die and pay the supreme sacrifice for the sins of all men. As a man, I’m sure his emotions were swelling
up in his preparations. In fact, the night of his betrayal in the garden he sweat great drops of blood in
anticipation for tasting sin. Let’s put ourselves in His shoes as he prepares to die…..

13.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to describe the degree of sacrifice that Mary displayed in her act of
devotion to Jesus.

2. The student should be able to explain the purpose and time of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.

3. The student should make a decision about receiving a robe of royalty or a towel of servanthood.

13.3 Jesus has dinner with Mary and Lazarus - John 12:1-50 (HCSB)

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had
raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for Him there; Martha was serving them, and
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Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of fragrant
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oil—pure and expensive nard—anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped His feet with her hair. So the
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house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot (who
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was about to betray Him), said, “Why wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii and given to
the poor?” He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge
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of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it. Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept
it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
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Mary’s act of devotion is a helpful example of heartfelt love and worship. It is obvious that she planned this
expression of love. One would not go to a dinner party with an alabaster vial of perfume unless one intended to
do something with it. Apparently, she thought about the act and decided beforehand that she would anoint
Jesus during the evening.

According to Judas, the value of the anointing oil was about 300 denarii (one denarii was a day’s wages) or in
today’s money, about $60,000 for a middle-class wage earner.

It was not only a planned act of devotion but one that was quite costly. She had contemplated the cost and
found Jesus worthy of the extravagant nature of her action. So often we play our finances so close to the vast
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