What is in the Air? • John 12:1-8
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John 12:1-8
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.[b]” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
John 11:16
Then Thomas (the twin) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
John 11:38-44
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Six days before the Passover…
John Chrysostom - “For a dreadful, a dreadful thing is the love of money, it disables both eyes and ears, and makes men worse to deal with than a wild beast, allowing a man to consider neither conscience, nor friendship, nor fellowship, nor the salvation of his own soul, but having withdrawn them at once from all these things… it makes those captured by it its slaves.”
Power - one’s ability to shape circumstances in order to meet one’s basic human needs and the needs of others.
John 12:7
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.
• Jesus talks to women as equals, not as inferiors - like the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:1-42.
• Jesus accepts a rebuke by a Gentile woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon, and commends her it in Matt 15:21-28.
• Jesus praises women for their faith and piety - the poor widow with her meager offering in Luke 21:1-4, the bleeding woman who touched his garment in the crowd in Mark 5:25-34, the ten virgins waiting faithfully for the bridegroom in Matt 25:1-13, and more.
• Jesus heals women in ways that show concern for their unique difficulties in society and elevates them to places of honor - like healing the woman bent double for 18 years and calling her a “daughter of Abraham” in Luke 13:10-17 (the only place that phrase is used in the New Testament).
• Jesus even commends Mary of Bethany in Luke 10:38-42 as the ideal disciple.
Devotion to Jesus changes the scent in the air.
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Each Sunday, we come together we offer an open invitation into the way of Jesus. An invitation to enter into sacred rhythms - to draw near to God through singing, giving, learning, and praying.
As a community that desires renewal in Des Moines as it is in Heaven, we recognize that we cannot offer what we do not have. We cannot lead where we have not been led; in turn, these questions aim at reflection—reflecting on God’s word and making space for his leadership.
After watching or listening, consider the following discussion questions as a large group or in groups of three to four:
What stood out from the teaching?
After reading the passage, consider the following: Of all the characters in this scene (Martha, Mary, Judas, Jesus, the twelve), who do you resonate with and why?
How might Jesus’ reception of Mary’s worship shape our worship practices?
What can lavish devotion to Jesus look like in our community?
Spend a moment discussing how Jesus disrupts conventional power and what the implications of “Kingdom of God power” are for the modern church in Des Moines.