Well I'm very pleased this morning to be able to say would you open your Bibles please to John chapter 12. John chapter 12 as we this morning now resume our study been a year since we took a little break. For the previous five years, we studied through the first 11 chapters of John's gospel. And this morning now, after some review, we are ready to pick it up where we left it a year ago now. And actually that one year break that we took to study the subject of heaven ended up being, I didn't plan it this way, but it ended up being right at a very significant turning point in the flow. of John's gospel. By the time we finished up with chapter 11, John had pretty much covered all of our Lord's public ministry. And as we hit chapter 12 now, the Passion Week begins. And so it's kind of lays out like this as we hit chapter 12 now, well, actually chapters one through 11 have covered pretty much the entire three-year period of our Lord's public ministry. And these last 10 chapters in John's gospel now, beginning in chapter 12, will cover just that one final and very intensive week of Jesus' life and ministry, leading up of course to his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. Something else I would point out to you as we make this transition now into chapter 12 is that in this final week of our Lord's earthly life, there is going to be A very noticeable change in his focus and in his emphasis in the first 11 chapters of John's gospel. As you know, Jesus has performed miracles, right? And we all know that he had performed many, many more than just the seven miracles that John has recorded for us. Throughout those first 11 chapters in John's gospel, Jesus has interacted with the crowds numerous times. He has had numerous ongoing debates with the Jewish religious leaders, those guys who hated him, rejected him, and on numerous occasions have even tried to kill him. But here's what's going to happen now from chapter 12 on. Our Lord's primary focus is going to be for this final week, his primary focus is going to be on teaching and training his disciples. Those men who are going to soon be the leaders of the church that will be born after he ascends back into heaven and sends the Holy Spirit down. on the day of Pentecost. And so we're going to see that it's going to be quite obvious as we move into chapter 12, that his focus and his emphasis is now going to shift from the crowds and the Pharisees to his special focus on his disciples. Now, as we begin, let me go ahead and show you right now how we're going to break this chapter down by way of outline so that you'll have at least an initial idea of where it's going and what it contains. We're going to take this chapter in four major sections and so let me just give them to you now. It'll take us a little while to get to the other end of it all, but let me give you the sections now. In the first 11 verses, we're going to call that section, Jesus is anointed at Bethany. Now that's the section that we'll get a pretty good running start on before we're done today. Our Lord's anointing by Mary is the event that will kind of, I guess we could say, informally launch the Passion Week. And then when we get to verses 12 to 19, we're going to call that section, Jesus, that's a real significant event in this chapter. We're going to call that section, Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. And that of course now will be the event in this chapter that will officially launch the passion week. All right. The triumphal entry. We're going to call it verses 20 to 36. This is kind of interesting. We're going to call verses 20 to 36. Jesus is sought by the Greeks. You know, the Gentiles of course, have always been a significant part of God's redemptive plan. Ever since he called Abraham back in Genesis chapter 12, right? In you all the, what did he say? All the families of the earth will be blessed. Israel was to be not a bucket to receive God's blessing. Israel was to be a channel to disperse God's blessings to all the nations of the world. They failed miserably. in that responsibility, in that calling. But now, as the Passion Week is underway, in the middle of this chapter, in the middle of chapter 12, guess what? Here come the Greeks. Here come the Greeks. Here come the Gentiles. Made me remember something that we studied in John chapter 10. I have other sheep. Remember that? Jesus said, I have other sheep, which are not of this fold, Jesus said in John 10 16 and that fold he's referring to there would be the fold of Judaism. I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them also and they will hear my voice and they will become one flock with one shepherd. And so in this section of John chapter 12, we're going to begin studying this morning as the Passion Week begins. We see those Gentile sheep coming to Jesus. This section of John chapter 12 will mark Really we could say it this way, it'll mark the dawning age of the Gentiles as it looks forward to the temporary setting aside of Israel for their rejection of Christ, for their disobedience, and the soon to be born and what will be the predominantly Gentile church that will be born on the day of Pentecost coming right up just around the corner. And then we have one more section. In verses 37 to 50 of this chapter, we're going to call that section, Jesus is rejected by the Jews. This is really his final offer to them. And this is their final rejection of him. In this final section of the chapter then, chapter 12, John is going to tell us how the prophet Isaiah had predicted the Jews' unbelief. And then Jesus will issue a final call to believe. And so that's kind of how this chapter unfolds. I'm going to read the text for you in a minute here and we're going to get started on it. do that. I want to take a minute. I know we just reviewed chapter 11 at the end of our time last week. We went through that rather tedious review of 11 chapters. It took us three weeks. A lot of stuff went through our minds fast, but hopefully that was enough to get you ready for chapter 12. I know we just reviewed chapter 11 and at the end of our time last week. But before I read the text in those first 11 verses of chapter 12, now I do need to take you back to chapter 11 again, just for a couple of minutes, if you would allow me to do that, so that we can reestablish that important flow from chapter 11 into chapter 12. And so bear with me as I just review again, just a few of the things that took place at the end of chapter 11 to get that flow into chapter 12 for this morning. In chapter 11, of course, as you all know very well, Jesus has just raised his dear friend Lazarus from the dead as the seventh and culminating miracle in this gospel to prove his deity. This was the icing on the cake miracle, if you will. Everyone knew about that miracle. and no one could deny that miracle. Even the Jewish religious leaders who hated Jesus knew what he had done. Many of the Jewish religious leaders had even witnessed that miracle with their own eyes. In the sovereign plan of God, we've talked about this many times before, this miracle, this raising of Lazarus from the dead had taken place in Bethany. Why did it take place in Bethany? Because that was only two short miles walking distance from Jerusalem. God had sovereign, we have a sovereign God, people. that we need to worship him every day for his sovereignty. We have a sovereign God and our sovereign God had arranged this miracle to take place right on the doorstep of the headquarters of Judaism and right under the noses of those hypocritical Jewish religious leaders. These guys, as you know, had worked very hard all throughout the course of our Lord's public ministry. They had worked very hard to do everything they could do to explain away all of the miracles, all of the previous miracles that he had performed. They even tried to do that with the healing of the blind man. Remember they had all of those interrogations with the blind man and then with his parents and then with the blind man again, anything they could do. to prove that that miracle didn't really happen. But listen, for this one, for this one, they're at a loss. For this one, they have no answers. They all knew that Jesus had clearly and unarguably raised a man to life who had been dead for four long days, long enough for his body to be showing the evidence of decay. Lazarus people was as dead as dead can be, but you know what happened? We studied it carefully. When Jesus shouted into that tomb, Lazarus come forth. The man who had died came forth, it says, in John 11, 44, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go. These Jewish religious leaders saw that happen. Many of them did. They saw that happen. And so let me say to you again this morning what I've said to you probably more than once before. If all it took was evidence, If all it took was evidence, if all it took was proof to make people believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, then all of these chief priests and Pharisees right now should have been on their faces. They should have been on their faces before Jesus Christ, worshiping him with repentance and faith, right? Because there could be no greater display of evidence. for the deity of Jesus Christ and what these guys have just witnessed with their very own eyes. There is no greater display of evidence that anyone could ever ask for than raising a dead man to life. And yet these chief priests and Pharisees still would not believe because, as we've said so many times before, I'll say again, Evidence alone is never enough. Evidence alone is never enough. Even a truckload of evidence is never enough. And so how do we understand this great doctrine of salvation that is taught all through the Word of God? I say this all the time. Please never forget it. For any man or woman to truly believe in Jesus Christ requires divine intervention. Requires divine intervention. Please never forget that. You do not believe Jesus had said to these same guys back in chapter 10 in verse 26. Why? Because you are not of my sheep. It's only my sheep, Jesus said, who hear my voice and follow me. Jesus went on to say in verse 27, and so, and so, in the face of this profound miracle of all miracles that these religious leaders could not possibly deny, these hard-hearted guys, these hard-hearted Jewish religious leaders just dug their heels in even deeper. Instead of believing, which they should have, it should have been the only logical and reasonable response to this miracle. All this miracle did for these guys is deepen their hatred for Jesus and renew their passion to kill him. And so instead of believing, what do they do? The Bible says they convened a council. They convened a council because our Lord's hour is quickly approaching. In his sovereignty again, God actually used this resurrection from the dead miracle to push these guys over the edge on their long standing murder plot that so far hadn't worked out too well for them. Instead of bowing their knees to Jesus Christ, they convened a council. These guys are very worried. And they're very frustrated right now. They see their power and control slipping away from them. And so they called an emergency meeting. Instead of bowing their knees to Jesus Christ, they called an emergency meeting. And at that meeting, they said to one another, you know, guys, we haven't been doing very well with this murder plot. And do you see, and did you see what he's done now? Did you see what he's done? How in the world are we going to explain this one away? Guys, it is time for us to get serious. If we let him go on like this, they said to one another in verse 48, all men will believe in him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. And right about at that point in the meeting is when the godless high priest Caiaphas popped up, right? Remember he stood up at this meeting. If you recall, there's only one solution. As I see it, Caiaphas said to the rest of them, kind of talking down to them as was his arrogant custom. This Jesus guy has got to go and he's got to go now. Jesus, to put it in his words, Jesus, Caiaphas said, must die for the good of the people. Isn't that interesting? Jesus must die for the good of the people, Caiaphas said, for the good of the nation. God, interestingly and ironically, using this godless guy, this godless high priest, Caiaphas, to confirm the Jews plot to murder Jesus. And he actually did it by using the very terms of a substitutionary sacrifice. Very interesting. So from that day on, they planned together to kill him. It says in John 11, 53, while Jesus heard about that convened council and the confirmed plan to kill him that came out of that meeting, therefore, Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews. It goes on to say in verse 54, but went away from there. to the country near the wilderness into a city called Ephraim. And there he stayed with the disciples. And so as we come to the beginning of chapter 12 now. Jesus has been out of sight. Jesus has been undercover for a little while. We don't know exactly how long, by the way, but he had probably been out of sight for several weeks or so in between chapter 11 and chapter 12. And then there is just one more very significant thing that I would remind you of as we make the transition now from chapter 11 into chapter 12. We learned at the very end of chapter 11, that the Passover was near. Very significant little piece of information. The Passover was near. I've told you many times throughout all of the years of our study in those first 11 chapters of this gospel, that as a faithful and obedient Jew, what did Jesus do? He always attended the Passover feast. In fact, he attended all of the other Jewish feasts as well as a faithful and obedient Jew. Jesus is going to attend this Passover, but listen, This Passover for Jesus is going to be different than any of the other Passovers he has ever attended before. Jesus will be coming to this Passover to be the Passover lamb. He's coming to this Passover to be the Passover lamb. He knows, he knows good and well that there are people there in Jerusalem waiting to kill him. In fact, in the last verse of chapter 11, it says that, 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. As you know, the Jews have attempted to kill Jesus many times before. We've seen all of those attempts, right? Throughout the first 11 chapters, but they have never been successful in their attempts to kill him up to this point. What was the reason that John always cited? Why did John say they weren't able to kill him? Because his hour had not yet come. That's why they weren't able to kill him. But as Jesus goes to Jerusalem for this last time of his earthly life now, his hour has finally come. You see, here's what's going to happen. Jesus is going to go to Bethany on Saturday. Jesus will ride into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey on Sunday. We're going to talk about all of that. And on Friday of this coming week, which will be Passover, Jesus Christ is going to die on a cross outside of Jerusalem. And he's going to die on that cross at the very moment when the Jews are slaughtering the Passover lambs. And so with those few reminders of the flow now from chapter 11, let's move on into chapter 12 this morning. If you're there in chapter 12, pick up with me, please, if you would, in chapter 12 and verse one, as I read the inspired word of God from there down through verse 11, John chapter 12 verses one through 11. Here's what it says. Jesus, therefore six days before the Passover came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made him a supper there and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. Something beautiful is going to happen now in verse three. We won't get there. We won't get that far today, but here's what it says. Mary then at this supper, Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of Purinard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples who was intending to betray him said, Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and given to poor people? 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. Therefore, Jesus said, let her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. Some interesting teaching that we'll talk about there. in days ahead. Verse nine, 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. Lazarus was becoming quite a popular guy, but the chief priest, verse 10, planned to put Lazarus to death also. Talk about getting rid of the evidence, right? They want to kill Lazarus too. Because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. And so there we have the text that we're going to work on now for the next few weeks. Let's pray together and get to it. Father, thank you for this Lord's Day opportunity. Father, you've taught us a whole year's worth of precious truth about heaven. that I know has forever changed all of our lives for your glory. I know it's changed mine forever, but it's a good day today, father, to be back to our verse by verse study of these words in John's gospel that you have breathed out of your mouth for us. And so father, we, we come to you asking you to teach us more now and that you father would continue to use your word to feed our souls and change our lives ever conforming us more and more into the image of your son. while we eagerly wait for him to come for us. Father, would you guide our thoughts and would you teach us now more wonderful truth in John chapter 12. We commit our study time to you and we pray it all in Jesus name. Amen. Well, once again, the main event in these first 11 verses of chapter 12 is our Lord's anointing by Mary for his burial, our Lord's anointing by Mary for his burial. Now, I need to make a comment there, however. We're not sure. We're not sure by the way, and we'll see that as we get on through the text. We're not sure by the way, if Mary understood that she was anointing Jesus for his burial or not. Nowhere does the text make that clear, but what the text does make clear in verse seven, is that Jesus interpreted what she was doing as that. He interpreted what she was doing as an anointing for his burial. So keep that in mind. We don't know for sure whether Mary knew that or not. Now I'm going to be giving you six bullet points as we work our way down through these first 11 chapter or verses of the chapter. The first one is this. In the first two verses, that will be our text for today's study. John gives us the setting for Jesus anointing. That's all I want to talk with you about this morning. These first two verses and the setting for Jesus anointing. Now, two things happen here that we're going to talk about today. One for each verse. In verse one, notice that John tells us about our Lord's arrival there in Bethany, where this anointing is going to take place. And then in verse two, John goes on to tell us about a supper they made for him there. And so go back with me to verse one now, and let's look a little closer at what John says about our Lord's arrival in Bethany. I've just reminded you of the fact that Jesus has been undercover, right, for at least a few weeks with his disciples to the country near the wilderness into a city called Ephraim. Because Ezra wasn't quite here, he got out of Dodge when he knew the Jews were ready to kill him after that council meeting. And so he's been undercover for a while, but now in chapter 12 and verse 1, Jesus, along with his disciples, come out from under cover. Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover came to Bethany, says in verse one, where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Now, There are two Bethanies. I think we've talked about this before. There are two Bethanies mentioned in the New Testament. And so John makes a point of identifying this one for us right away in verse one. This is the Bethany where Lazarus was. This is not Bethany beyond the Jordan. That was the other Bethany. That Bethany beyond the Jordan was way out in the wilderness somewhere. That's where, by the way, John the Baptist was when he first began baptizing. Way out in the woods. And that also is where Jesus was. He went there at the end of chapter 10. That's where Jesus was at the beginning of chapter 11 when he heard that Lazarus was sick. So there's Bethany behind the Jordan out in the woods. Then there's this Bethany where Lazarus was. This is the Bethany where Lazarus lived with his two sisters, Mary and Martha, it says in John 11.1. And this is the Bethany. that according to John 11, 18 was about two miles from Jerusalem, walking distance to Jerusalem. And so what is John's point here in verse one? His point in verse one now is to tell us when this is a timestamp verse. His point here is to tell us when Jesus arrived in Bethany from having been undercover with his disciples out in Ephraim, right? Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead. And so there we have our timestamp now on Jesus' arrival in Bethany where, and here's, here's what's interesting about this little visit. We have the timestamp on Jesus' arrival in Bethany where in the very midst of all the hatred toward him that is coming from everywhere, In Bethany, there were actually a few people who truly loved him. And so what's going to happen here, folks, is that Jesus is going to, as the Passion Week is about to begin, Jesus is going to spend a day here, a beautiful day with a few people on the face of this earth who really truly love him. Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany. Now on that six day timestamp, let's ask this question. Is that just a meaningless little incidental that John threw in here? Is that just a little point of trivia, if you will, that John put in here? No, no. I think you know better than that. There's nothing in the Word of God like that. As I think you know, there was divine significance to every little single detail in our Lord's earthly life and ministry, and this is no exception to that. Every single one of Jesus' words, his acts, his movements, and even the timing for everything was all unfolding with precision and pinpoint accuracy under the sovereign plan and will of God, to which Jesus, of course, was always fully committed, 100% committed. And so when the Bible says here that Jesus came to Bethany six days before the Passover, we have to understand that to be more than just a coincidence. And it was, of course, more than just a coincidence. as I said a few minutes ago, Jesus will die on this next Passover, which on the Jewish calendar will be Friday, Nisan 14. All right. That's when Jesus is going to die. And so what John just told us here in the first verse of John chapter 12 is that Jesus arrived in Bethany on Saturday, Nisan 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, six days before the Passover. Now, It's always a little bit confusing for us to understand these dates and times on the Jewish calendar because a new day for them began at 6 p.m. Whereas a new day for us begins at midnight, right? And so it's very confusing for us sometimes. And so Nisan 14, Friday, the Passover day when Jesus would die, actually began on what would be our Thursday at 6 p.m. going on through our Friday until 6 p.m. And then Nisan 8, Saturday, when Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover, that's a day that would have actually begun at 6 p.m. on our Friday and ended at 6 p.m. on our Saturday. Now when we get to verse two, a little bit later on this morning, We're going to learn that they made a supper for Jesus there in Bethany. And so let me just throw a little side note in right here on that supper, because the Jews would not have prepared and served a meal on the Sabbath. This supper, which would have been the evening meal would have been prepared and eaten after 6 p.m. on that Saturday, which would technically then be the beginning of their Sunday Nisan 9. So that meal would have been after 6 p.m. when the Sabbath was over. But then it would have been during the daylight hours of Sunday, Nisan 9, that Jesus would have made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. On the next day, it says, if you'll glance down at verse 12, on the next day, on the next day after Jesus' arrival in Bethany, the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 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. Jesus finding a young donkey sat on it as it is written, fear not daughter of Zion. Behold, your King is coming seated on a donkey's colt. Now, as we think about the significance of this timing this morning, as Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover, six days before the crown of thorns, six days before the nail, six days before the cross, six days before the spear in his side. Let me take a minute, a few minutes actually, right here to remind you of something we talked about in our very last study in John chapter 11. I don't even expect you to remember that. been a long time ago, but let me remind you. We were talking that day, maybe some of you remember, we were talking that day about how God used this miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead to bring about the fulfillment of Passover. God used that miracle as the impetus for action on the Jews' murder plot. This is why they finally did it, pushed him over the edge. This is why they finally did it from their perspectives anyway. But from God's perspective, they finally did it now. Why? Because Jesus, our has now come. The hour had come for Jesus to die on the cross as the perfect Passover lamb in fulfillment of that Old Testament picture. And so I took you back that day to the first Passover to remind you of all the very specific ways that Jesus perfectly fulfilled that picture of the Passover lamb. We're not going to talk about all of those things again. But I do want to remind you of one thing about that first Passover that pertains very specifically to what John just said about the timing of Jesus' arrival in Bethany. If you would turn to Exodus chapter 12 with me, I'd like you to look again with me at the first six verses in that chapter, Exodus chapter 12, as Moses is giving instructions for the first Passover. And I just want to point out, one very significant thing here that pertains to our text today. Here's what it says, Exodus chapter 12, pick up with me in verse one. This is the first Passover. Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, this month shall be the beginning of months for you. It is to be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel saying, On the 10th of this month, they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their father's households, a lamb for each household. And so this Passover lamb, here's the point, this Passover lamb was to be carefully selected on the 10th of the month, on the 10th of the month. Now, if verse 14 or verse 4 goes on to say, if the household is too small for a lamb, that he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them. According to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male, a year old," verse five, You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now this Passover lamb had to be unblemished. That was very significant. And the perfect lamb of God, of course, also had to be unblemished. Salvation through substitution required that very important qualification, a qualification that Jesus Christ met perfectly. Let me remind you of what Peter said about that. You were not redeemed with perishable things. like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers," Peter said in 1 Peter 1.18-19, but with precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. That is a critically important part of this Passover picture, but that's not really what we're here to see right now. It goes on to say this in Exodus 12.6 about that unblemished male lamb that was to be carefully selected on the 10th of the month. Verse six, you shall keep it until the 14th day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. And so this one-year-old unblemished male lamb was to be very carefully selected and set apart from the rest of the flock on the 10th day of the month, but not killed until twilight on the 14th day of the month. That 14th day of the month that is being referred to here in Exodus 12 would then have been the first Passover, right? But before the Passover lamb was to be killed on that day, it was to be carefully observed in the home for five days. Why? to make sure it met the qualifications. Selected and set apart on the 10th day, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, five days before that lamb would be killed. Let's fast forward now to the perfect lamb of God. In the first verse of our text today, it says that Jesus arrived in Bethany. He knows where he's going. Bethany is a stop on his way to Jerusalem. He knows where he's going. In the first verse of our text today, It says that Jesus arrived in Bethany for this anointing for his burial six days before the Passover. And when did he officially go to Jerusalem then? I already read that for you. On the next day. On the next day, it says in John 12, 12, Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Sunday, Nisan 9, leaving now five more full days for him to be there in Jerusalem before he would die on a cross on Friday the 14th. He would have been in Jerusalem, Nisan 10, 11, 12, 13. 14. The Passover lamb in Exodus 12 was selected five days before the Passover to be observed. And now John just told us that Jesus spent five days in Jerusalem before the Passover. The Passover lamb was closely observed during those five days. And during those five days in Jerusalem, what happened to Jesus? He was also closely observed. If you read the New Testament, you know what happened, all of the things that happened. During those five days when he was in Jerusalem, after his ride in on that colt of a donkey, Jesus was tested. Jesus was questioned on every single turn. It was during these five days that Jesus endured all of the scourging, the crown of thorns, the mock trial, on and on it goes. But through it all during that whole five day period when he was there in Jerusalem before his crucifixion, no one, Not a single one of them was able to find any fault with him, which makes me think of when he was there before pilot, right? What did pilot say to the people? Matthew or not Matthew, John chapter 18 and verse 38, even pilot said to the Jews that day, I find no guilt in him. Right? And then while we're talking about the timing on this, why don't we just go ahead? and narrow it down for a minute from the calendar to the clock. At the third hour on that 14th day, Nisan 14, Passover day, which would have been 9 a.m. on Friday, Nisan 14, what would happen? The high priest would tie the Passover lambs to the altar for sacrifice, 9 a.m. And on this Passover, at that exact moment, guess what happened? Outside the city walls of Jerusalem, our Lord and Savior, was nailed to a cross, 9 a.m. For six long and grueling hours then, the Passover lambs and the perfect lamb of God awaited death. And when that ninth hour came, which would have been 3 p.m., the high priest ascended the altar and the temple sacrificed the Passover lambs. And at that exact moment, people, from that ugly Roman cross, The perfect Lamb of God cried out, it is finished. It is finished. Tetelestai, marketplace term that means paid in full. That's what it says in John 19.30. It is finished. One of those words, one of those phrases that Jesus uttered from the cross, it is finished. The redemptive price has been fully paid, paid in full. And he bowed his head, it says, and gave up his spirit. Please understand. that Jesus arrival in Bethany six days before the Passover was by no means, by no means just a coincidence. And then something else that I should mention here in verse one, while we're talking about the timing of our Lord's arrival in Bethany is what some have claimed to be a contradiction in the scriptures between what John says about that timing and what Matthew and Mark say about that timing. Matthew and Mark, by the way, are the two other gospel writers that record this supper for Jesus at Bethany and Mary's anointing of him and the triumphal entry and so forth. There is also an account, by the way, in Luke 7.37-39 that some think is a parallel account of this same event. But I don't think so. That one in Luke is clearly an entirely different event, if you're familiar with it. That anointing of Jesus that Luke records took place in a Pharisee's house, and it was done by a woman the Bible calls a sinner, literally an immoral woman, which Mary definitely was not. As you know, Mary had a solid reputation in the New Testament as being a devoted worshiper Jesus Christ. And so let's count that one in Luke's gospel out. That is not a parallel account. That is a different account. And so leaving us then with Matthew and Mark, who are the only other gospel writers to record this event that we're studying right now. And I might be getting just a little bit ahead of myself here, but I do want to show you that apparent contradiction that I just mentioned. And then as we, as we study this, account in John's Gospel, we do need to be familiar with the other two accounts, Matthew's account and Mark's accounts as well, and so I decided to just go ahead and do that now. Let's look at those other accounts right now. Let's just get them out on the table and then we'll be able to refer to them on and off throughout the rest of our study of this text. There are some differences into three gospel accounts of this event that we're going to note. There are some things that Matthew and Mark tell us that John doesn't tell us. John's account of this, by the way, is the briefest account. John's is just basically a summary. Matthew and Mark tell us way more about this than John does. And then while we're looking, we need to do it anyway, and so let's do it. While we're looking at Matthew and Mark's accounts of this event, That'll also give me an opportunity to to talk about a little bit about that contradiction that the critics cite. By the way, never let these supposed contradictions in the scriptures unravel you, even in the least, because as I've said to you so many times before, whenever we deal with any of these supposed contradictions in the scriptures, we always start with a premise, right? What is that premise? We always start with the promise that that they are only apparent contradictions, right? There are no contradictions in the scripture, but there are apparent contradictions. And we always know that up front, even if we're unable to figure them out for right now, even if we're never able to figure them out throughout this lifetime, they are still apparent contradictions. Why? Because of what we know for absolute sure about the word of God. We know, don't we? We know that the scriptures were The words of this book were literally breathed out of the mouth of God for us, 2 Timothy 3.16, and therefore these words cannot possibly have any real contradictions. And so let's take a look at these parallel accounts now. Take a look with me first. at the account of this anointing of our Lord at Bethany that Matthew records in the first 13 verses of Matthew 26. And as I begin to read Matthew's account here, Matthew 26, the first 13 verses, as I begin to read Matthew's account, you will immediately see that supposed contradiction. Here's what it says. When Jesus had finished, Matthew 26.1, when Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples, you know that after two days, The Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion. Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest named Caiaphas, and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him, but they were saying not during the festival, Otherwise a riot might occur among the people. Did you see the contradiction? Pretty clear. John says that Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover. But what did Matthew just say? Matthew says it was two days before the Passover, the critics will say. That's a contradiction in the scriptures. No, it's not. Really isn't. Matthew didn't say here that Jesus arrived in Bethany two days before the Passover. Matthew, in fact, hasn't even mentioned Bethany yet. What Matthew just recorded here is our Lord's prediction to his disciples that he will be delivered up and crucified in two days at Passover, and that the Jewish religious leaders had resolved then that he should not be put to death during the festival so as to avoid a riot among the people. Okay. So those two things, Matthew says happened two days before the Passover when Jesus was already there in Jerusalem. He'd already been there in Jerusalem for three days. And then in verses six to 13, Matthew goes on to recount in retrospect, that's the key here. Matthew goes on to recount in retrospect what had previously happened in Bethany And so there you have the simple solution to this apparent contradiction. But let me read that now, where we're going to learn some things about this event in Bethany from Matthew that John doesn't tell us. Now, when Jesus was in Bethany, Matthew says in verse six, looking back now, Once again, there's no contradiction on the timing here at all. In his comments on this, by the way, D.A. Carson said that time indicators and chronology in Matthew and Mark's gospels are notoriously loose. And so after saying what he said in the first five verses of Matthew 26, while Jesus was already there in Jerusalem in verse six, Matthew is now looking back at the Bethany event. But there is something interesting here. At the end of Matthew 26.6, look at it with me. There is something interesting here in Matthew 26.6 about that Bethany event that John didn't tell us. Now, when Jesus was at Bethany, Matthew says, at the home of Simon the leper. Isn't that interesting? Hmm. Now just reading in John's gospel, chapter 12, verses one and two, what would we just naturally assume? We would just naturally assume that this supper for Jesus and that this, this anointing that Mary did had taken place at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, right? We would just naturally assume that. But according to Matthew, it didn't take place there. It took place at the home of Simon the leper, Matthew says, who is a guy who also lived there in Bethany. So let's just go ahead and draw a conclusion right here about this man named Simon. Even though Matthew doesn't confirm that conclusion for us, I think it is nonetheless a very reasonable conclusion. By this time, Simon the leper must have been Simon the ex-leper, because if he wasn't Simon the ex-leper by now, he wouldn't have been hosting a supper party at his house. You see, lepers were outcasts from society. Lepers were unclean. Lepers were not allowed to be anywhere near other people, much less having a dinner party or a supper party at their houses. No, no, no, no, no. That wouldn't have happened. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp, it says of lepers in Leviticus 13, 46. Anyone who attended a meal with a leper would have been considered unclean as well. And so that just would not have happened. bringing us to the pretty sound conclusion that by now, as the host of this supper in Bethany, this guy named Simon, who the Bible refers to as Simon the leper, by the way, that name kind of stuck on him, hung on him. He's called Simon the leper, but he must have been Simon the ex-leper, which raises the next question. How do you suppose he would have become, how do you suppose he would have become Simon the ex-leper? Well, Again, this is just speculation because the Bible doesn't tell us, but I don't think it's too far out to assume that our Lord had miraculously healed Simon the leper. And that's why he is now Simon the ex-leper. And that's also why, no doubt the reason why, his gratitude for that is no doubt the reason why he's hosting this supper party at his house. And so get the picture here now. This is so incredible. Get the picture here now. And understand right where there's, there's a supper that's going to happen here when we get to verse two, understand now this beautiful day that Jesus is going to have there in Bethany, just before the passion week begins, get the picture here now and understand that there, there are going to be two very interesting people reclining there at the table with Jesus for this evening meal, an ex leper and an ex dead man. are going to be reclining there at the table with Jesus enjoying this dinner, this supper together. Isn't that awesome? That I think is, that in fact, you know, as we think about that, you think about that scene, you know, we're going to, we're going to get to verse three, hopefully, Lord willing, next Lord's day. But as you think about that scene with Jesus sitting there having supper with an ex-leper and an ex-dead man, I'm quite sure that's all a part of what pulled that worship trigger. in Mary's heart. And she went running for that expensive vial of perfume as she saw her brother who just weeks ago had been dead with rotting flesh in a tomb. And then this, this, this, this leper, everybody in Bethany would have known about Simon the leper, right? Who is now Simon the ex leper. What a beautiful thing. Well, Matthew goes on with his account of this evening meal in verse seven. And it just note the differences with me. We'll just get them out there and get them through your mind and get them on the table. A woman came to him, John tells us. John tells us that this woman is Mary, right? A woman came to him, Matthew says. John tells us this woman is Mary, but Matthew just says it was a woman. A woman came to him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at the table. And so there we have another contradiction, right? The critics will say, you know, rebellious unbelievers love this kind of stuff. They really do. If they can disprove the Bible, gets them off the hook, right? I guess that's what they're thinking. John says, Mary poured this costly perfume on Jesus' feet. But Matthew says, no, the woman poured it on his head. That's a contradiction. Now, again, that's not a contradiction. We're going to get to that on another day. But John says that it was a whole pound, 16 ounces of this very, very expensive perfume that got poured out on Jesus. And so just understand that that would have been enough to go from his head all the way down to his feet. And probably some of it even ran out onto the floor, right? A lot. That was a lot of very, very expensive perfume. And furthermore, when we get to verse 12 in a minute here, Matthew 26, 12, Jesus will say, she poured this perfume on my body. She did it to prepare me for burial. And then Mark 14, eight, we'll say the same thing. We'll get there in a minute as well. This perfume was poured out on Jesus' body, not just on his head or his feet, but on his whole body. And so you just see different, different perspectives from the different gospel writers. But the disciples, verse eight, Matthew goes on to say in verse eight, but the disciples were indignant when they saw this and said, why this waste? And there we have another difference in the accounts. that you should note. John only mentions the criticism of Judas, but Matthew, and can I add this word? Disappointingly. Matthew disappointingly includes all the disciples in that. Apparently they sort of chimed in. I think Judas was a ringleader on that criticism, but all the disciples disappointingly chimed in with Judas on that. Why this waste? They said. For this perfume, the indignant disciple said in verse nine, might've been sold for a high price in the money. given to the poor, but Jesus said aware of this, but Jesus aware of this said to them, why do you bother the woman for she has done a good deed to me for you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me for when she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. And so there's Jesus perspective on that. And then, oh, here's a beautiful thing. If you're still there in Matthew in verse 13, Matthew adds something else to this account that John doesn't mention. Matthew and Mark both had this. John doesn't say this. Matthew 26, 13, Jesus went on to say this. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her. Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that beautiful? And isn't that happening right now? Right now? Isn't that happening right now? Here we are some 2000 years later. What are we doing this morning? We're speaking of this event. We're speaking of this, this beautiful worshipful act that Mary committed that night. She is going to be known for that by the way, throughout all of eternity. Can you imagine that? Mary is going to be known. Mary is going to be known about that in heaven forever and ever and ever. She's the one who poured that perfume out on Jesus. And then while we're getting these parallel accounts out on the table, let's go ahead and get the other one. The other one is in Mark chapter 14. If you can get to Mark chapter 14. This one I'm going to read without too many comments because Mark brings out many of the same things that Matthew did. Again, Matthew and Mark, our accounts of this are both more complete than John's. Mark 14.1. Now the Passover and unleavened bread were two days away, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize him by stealth and kill him. For they were saying, not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people." Passover and unleavened bread, by the way. are technically two separate feasts. I think we've talked about that before, but they overlap. The Passover really isn't, isn't really a day. The Passover is essentially a meal. Passover is a meal. And then for seven days, there is the feast of unleavened bread. So they, they overlap these two feasts. And so sometimes they're spoken of interchangeably. What I want you to see here is that what Mark said happened two days before the Passover is exactly what Matthew said happened two days before the Passover. And then just like Matthew, Mark goes on to speak of this supper at Bethany in retrospect, by looking back, no contradiction here in the timing. Verse three, while he was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, reclining at the table there came a woman with an alabaster vial, a very costly perfume, a pure nard. We're going to talk about that in days ahead. And she broke the vial and poured it over his head. You should make note here of the fact that Mark in his account is the only one who said that she broke the vial. Nobody else says that. Mark says that she broke the vial and And I can't imagine what that would mean other than to indicate a kind of a lavish pouring out of a large volume of this perfume faster than it might be able to come out of the small opening at the top. Mary smashed, broke the vial and poured it out on Jesus. But some were indignant, verse four, remarking to one another, why has this perfume been wasted? That perfume wasn't wasted, right? That perfume wasn't wasted. For this perfume might have been sold for over 300 denarii in the money given to the poor, and they were scolding her. Notice another difference here. John says that it was worth 300 denarii. I think a denarii was a day's wage. That'd be like a whole year's worth of wages. Matthew says it was a high price, but only Mark says over 300 denarii. And so when you put that all together, what we understand is that what we're talking about here is a very large amount of very, very, very expensive perfume. But Jesus said, verse six, let her alone. Why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to me. 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. By the way, when we get to those verses, we'll try to work through that little scenario there. because we struggle with that sometimes too, don't we? Right? She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burial. 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. And so there you have now the parallel accounts out on the table of the one that we're studying in John chapter 12. We will of course be dealing in the weeks ahead with all the many beautiful details of this anointing. What a beautiful thing. What a beautiful, beautiful thing. But I wanted to at least get those other accounts out on the table today as we begin to work our way down through the text in John chapter 12. And so now as we study John's account, I'll be able to point you back to some various things as we, as we go along. And with that now, Go back with me now to chapter 12, John chapter 12 in verse one. And I want to just very quickly pick up a couple more things that haven't been mentioned there. And then we'll, we'll finish up with verse two. Back to John chapter 12 in verse one. Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. And we've already established the fact that Jesus would have arrived in Bethany on Saturday, Nisan eight. And what is Saturday? Saturday of course is the Sabbath, right? Saturday is the Sabbath. And so note with me right here, before we leave verse one, that this Sabbath will be the last legitimate Sabbath. This will be the last legitimate Sabbath. This is the final old covenant Sabbath because on the following Friday, before the next Sabbath comes around on the next, on the following Friday, Jesus will die. as the perfect Passover lamb, thus ratifying the new covenant and rendering the old covenant obsolete. And then finally in verse one, just note with me again, what it says at the very end of the verse. Can't get over that scene. Therefore Jesus, therefore six days before the Passover came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John probably threw that little phrase in here just to emphasize the fact that Lazarus by now had become somewhat of a celebrity. Lazarus had put that little village of Bethany on the map, if you will. Everyone knew that Bethany was the place where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. The word of that was everywhere in that region. And then John maybe also put that in here just to sort of subtly remind his readers that the one who raised Lazarus from the dead is about to go to his own death as a sacrificial lamb, as the substitute savior sinners who would repent of their sins and believe in him by faith. And let's finish up for today in verse 2 now and talk just a little bit about that supper that was prepared for Jesus there at Bethany on that Saturday evening. Verse 2, so they made him a supper there it says and Martha was serving but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. Now John doesn't tell us who they are made Jesus a supper there, but we would be pretty safe in assuming at this point that it would have been Mary and Martha and Lazarus and according to Matthew and Mark, Simon the ex-leper could have been more, could have also very reasonably included others from there in the village of Bethany who would have been willing to pitch in to help with the planning and the work of preparing this meal. They made him a supper there, John says. The Greek word translated supper here doesn't necessarily have to refer to the evening meal, but this no doubt was the evening meal on what for them would have been the beginning of Sunday and what for us would have been Saturday evening after 6 p.m. the Sabbath was over. The evening meal It was a meal that the Jews ate slowly while reclining around the table, included lots of fellowship, lots of conversation. It wasn't a, it was, it was a kind of a social type thing. The evening meal was. Lazarus, as I said a minute ago, had quickly become a celebrity there in Bethany. But would you note something with me here? The supper was not made for Lazarus. He was a celebrity, but the supper was not being made for Lazarus. The supper was being made for Jesus. at the house of Simon the ex-leper. And it's pretty clear, isn't it, that Mary and Martha played a large part in putting the supper all together. The meal was made for Jesus. The meal was made in honor of Jesus by these people out of their deep love for him and as an expression of their gratitude to him for raising Lazarus from the dead. And I'm sure that there was a deep love for Jesus and gratitude from the heart of Simon the leper, the ex-leper as well. And what does it say in verse two? It goes on to say, and Martha was serving, it says. Even though this meal wasn't being served at Martha's house, Martha was still quite obviously in charge of preparing and serving that meal. And that's kind of fitting, isn't it? We already know, don't we, that that's what Martha did best, right? That's right where Martha was in her wheelhouse, if you will. Mary was all about sitting at Jesus' feet, but Martha was all about the pots and the pans, right? We know that, right? Jesus had actually rebuked Martha one time about that, telling her that Mary, right? Why aren't you telling Mary to help me, right? She's not helping me, right? Jesus had rebuked Martha one time about that, telling her that Mary had chosen the better thing, and certainly Mary had chosen the better thing. But let's give Martha just a little bit of a break right now. Let's not forget here that serving is also held up pretty high. It's an honorable thing in the scriptures. You see, our creator has wired us all up a little bit differently, hasn't he? Right? He's wired me up to do things that he hasn't wired you up to do and vice versa. And so it was with Mary and Martha. He's wired us up all a little bit differently. And Martha as a true believer was a servant. And so let's understand that to be not a bad thing, but a good thing. In fact, Jesus himself was a servant, wasn't he? Right. You can see that all the way through the gospels in the very next chapter of this, of this gospel. In fact, after no one else, right? We're going to get to that. I can't wait to get to that. John chapter 13 in the upper room, right? In the very next chapter of this gospel, after, you know, they were looking, looking around the table, right? And no one sees the opportunity to serve. And so what happened, right? Jesus says in John 13, four and five, in that upper room with his disciples, Jesus finally got up from the supper and laid aside his garments. Think of the opportunity that all those other guys passed up, right? Opportunity to serve, they passed it up. Jesus got up from supper, laid aside his garments, and taking the towel, he girded himself. Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with a towel with which he was girded. Beautiful, beautiful stuff in the days ahead. And so yes, Martha's type A personality has gotten her in trouble. She's rebuked her Lord a couple times when she shouldn't have. It's gotten her in trouble, but As we see her here, she is to be commended. She's to be commended here for doing what God had enabled her to do best as she took charge of the serving at this supper to thank, praise, and honor the Lord and Savior, her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who had raised her dear brother from the dead. And just get the incredible beauty and wonder of this scene now, as we finish our study for today at the Universe 2. I know I've already mentioned it a couple of times, but I'm going to mention it again. So they made him a supper there. And Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him," John says. Incredible sight. Here's our Lord reclining at the table and enjoying an evening meal with his dear friend Lazarus, who only just a few short weeks earlier had been lying in a tomb with rotting flesh. Arthur Pink drew an interesting parallel from this picture of Jesus and Lazarus there at the table together enjoying that evening meal. Let me share it with you. This illustrates the true Christian position, Pink said. Lazarus had been dead, but now alive from the dead, raised up from the dead and seated in the company of his savior. So it is, positionally with the believer, Pink went on to say. And I think you all know where the Bible says exactly that, don't you? We read it often. But God, but God says, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, Ephesians 2, 4-7, even when we were dead and our transgressions made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Isn't that a beautiful parallel to that scene of Jesus the ex-dead man reclining at the table. He made us alive together with Christ, he raised us up, he seated us with him in the heavenly places and there we have the true Christian position. Well next time Lord willing we're going to jump back in at verse 3. Beautiful stuff we're going to see. Take a closer look next time at Mary's worshipful act of devotion. As that worship trigger gets pulled in her heart, she goes running for the vial and pours that expensive perfume on her Lord. A whole pound of very costly perfume. We'll pick it up there next time. Bow with me in prayer. Father, we're off and running now once again in our study of John's gospel. Thank you, Father, for its richness and thank you for its life-changing truth. Continue to bear precious fruit with it now, I pray, in the lives of these dear people as you see fit and as only you can. And Father, thank you as well for the joy of this Lord's Day morning. We love you and we worship you and we pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.