Here is a teaching on part 1 of chapter 12 of the book of John. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added into that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
Before we get into this Bible study I want to say a quick prayer... Lord I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. I pray that you open up our eyes to see the truth of your words. I pray that you open up our heart, our ears, our mind, and our spirit to you Lord. I pray that in every aspect of our lives that we seek guidance, strength, knowledge and wisdom from you and that we spread the truth that you've revealed in our hearts to others and let them know about you, how you've changed our lives, and how amazing you are. I love you with my whole heart. In Jesus' name, Amen.
John Chapter 12 Part 1:
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 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.” 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.”
So I'm going to stop right there and discuss a few things with you guys here. So in verse 3 when Mary took a pint of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair, this was her showing her love and affection towards Jesus. He had raised her brother from the dead, she knew that he was the Christ and he was the son of God, and she just wanted to show her love and affection towards him. She was very receptive to following and listening to Jesus, just like we read in Luke chapter 11 on our last Bible study about Jesus staying at Mary and Martha's home and how Mary was at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. It seems that Mary always wanted to hear what Jesus said, she wanted to follow him, and she always wanted to show her love and affection towards him. Then in verses 4-6 Judas wasn't worried about the poor, he was worried because the perfume cost so much and he was thinking of how much it was worth and why waste it on pouring it out when you could get that money for yourself. Judas wasn't seeing the bigger picture. Then in verses 7-8 Jesus again was speaking of his crucifixion. He didn't specifically say it, but he did say that it was intended that she save the perfume for the day of his burial, which he is speaking about his crucifixion, and that they're always going to have poor but they're not always going to have him.
9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. 12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
Alright, I'm going to stop right there and discuss these verses with you guys here. Many of the Jews were putting their faith in Jesus because he raised Lazarus from the dead, so the chief priests decided to also kill Lazarus. Then the next day when the great crowd came for the feast and they heard that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem they took Palm branches and they were shouting "Hosanna!" (which is the Greek word for save and it's an exclamation of praise.) So they were shouting "Hosanna," praising him, and they knew that he came to save them. They also said "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," and that is from Psalm 118: 25-26: "O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you." So they were saying this because they knew that he was the savior, that was coming to save them, that he came in the name of the Lord, and that he was going to be the King of Israel that came to save them just like it was prophesied in the old Testament. I also just wanted to point out here with the Palm branches, that is why it's called Palm Sunday. I know at least for my church, the Sunday before Easter Sunday we have Palm Sunday and they usually will have Palm branches out that we can get and celebrate Palm Sunday, which is a celebration honoring when Jesus entered Jerusalem on this day. So Palm Sunday came from these verses here where they took the Palm branches and went out shouting, praised him, and knew that he was their savior and their King.
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
So in verse 15 this reference was from Zechariah 9:9 in the old Testament and it says: "Rejoice greatly; O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." So Jesus found that young donkey and sat upon it to fulfill what was written in the old Testament that the King would be coming, sitting on a donkey's Colt. Only after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection would his disciples understand all of this, realize what was written about him, and the things that they had done to him. So many people had put their faith in Jesus because of him raising Lazarus from the dead and the Pharisees were getting very frustrated so they knew they had to do something about it. We will get more into all of that in part 2 of chapter 12.
John Ch 12 Part 1 Study Guide
Why did Mary pour perfume on Jesus and wipe his feet with her hair?
Why was Judas upset that the perfume was poured out?
What was Jesus referring to in verses 7-8?
What does “Hosanna” mean?
In verses 12-13, why did the Jews do this?
Why did Jesus sit on a young donkey?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
This concludes our Bible study for this week. Stay tuned for part 2 next week.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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