The Anointing of Jesus

Transcript

GR 380
11/23/1980
The Anointing of Jesus
John 12:1-19
Gil Rugh

John chapter 12 in your Bibles. John's gospel and the 12th chapter. Chapter 12 draws to a close the public ministry of Jesus Christ. When we pick up again with Jesus relating to the leadership after the 12th chapter, we are at chapter 18 and we come to the betrayal and the crucifixion.

Chapter 11 closed with the plan being settled by the Jewish leaders that Jesus must be arrested and executed. Caiaphas the high priest had said that the only solution to the problem of Jesus’ popularity was to have Him executed, and that would be the better thing to do because if they don’t get rid of Jesus the Jews will keep believing in Him. And as more and more believe in Him and become His followers, soon the whole nation will look to Him as king and that would result in the Romans' intervention and putting down rebellion. So in verse 50 he says, "...you do not take into account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." And what he had in mind there is that we will kill Jesus and that will remove any possibility that the Romans will intervene and bring destruction on the nation. Now of prime concern for Caiaphas and the leaders was their own position in Israel. That if the Romans would intervene that would mean we would lose our position of leadership and influence. Now John tells us in vs. 51 and 52 that Caiaphas didn't really understand what he was saying. That God was using Caiaphas as a mouthpiece to give a prophecy that Jesus would die on behalf of the nation, and not for the nation but also for the Gentiles so that people would not have to perish. Not talking primarily about physical perishing but primarily spiritual perishing, that we might have life. And how do we have life? Jesus Christ the Son of God has died and paid the penalty for our sin, and by believing in Him, we have forgiveness of sins. So instead of condemnation, we have life. Instead of destruction, we are promised an eternity in God's presence.

So verse 53. "So from that day on they planned together to kill Him." It has become a settled plan now for the Jews that Jesus Christ must die. The only thing we wait for is the appropriate time and place. With that, Jesus at the end of the chapter retires from Jerusalem because it is not yet God's time. So He pulls back from the center of opposition and delays for a short time. But when we come to chapter 12, we find Jesus returning to the vicinity of Jerusalem, to Bethany and then to Jerusalem. And it's interesting. Through the earthly ministry of Christ, there have been times when the Jews determined to kill Him. So He removed Himself from their midst because it was not yet God's time. And in the parallel account in the other gospels, we are told that at this coming pass- over the Jews had determined they would not attempt to arrest Jesus Christ because it might start a riot, and yet it is at this very time that it is God's appointed hour and He will be arrested and crucified.

So when man thinks he will do it, God says no. When man thinks he won't do it, God says yes. God's in total control of everything that is transpiring in these events.

Chapter 12 opens. "Jesus therefore six days before the Passover, came to Bethany." The therefore builds, I take it, upon what has just happened. Therefore, in light of the settled plan of the Jews to kill Him, in light of the fact of the people coming up to the Feast of the Passover were wondering whether Jesus would dare come into the region because of the animosity of the Jews. In light of these facts, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Now Bethany being the home town of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, within two miles of the city of Jerusalem. So close enough to be a center of opposition to Him. And there they made Him a supper. And at this supper Mary is going to anoint Him with costly ointment. Now this occasion of the anointing of Jesus Christ is recorded in two other gospels—in Matthew and in Mark. Now you need to be aware that there is another occasion in the Gospel of Luke and the seventh chapter where Jesus was anointed with ointment, but that is a different occasion. If you read that account and read the account in John, you’ll see that there are many differences. It was at the house of a man who had been a leper and had been healed by Jesus. This occasion is a different occasion. That account was not the leper that was the account of the Pharisee. The other account revealed this is the account of the leper. Now that you’re confused, turn to Matthew!

Matthew chapter 26, and at verse 6 Jesus was at the home of Simon the leper. This is the same account as John 12. So when He came to Bethany, He didn’t come to the home of Lazarus, but He came to the home of Simon the leper. Evidently a leper that Jesus had healed, and this is where this account takes place. In Luke chapter 7, He goes to the home of a Pharisee, and the events transpire of the anointing that you can read on your own.

Verse 6 of Matthew 26, ’Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume" and anoints Him. Now it’s interesting, note verse 13 while you're here in Matthew 26. Jesus says, "Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her." And here we are 2000 years later going to talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and what are we going to talk about? The anointing of Jesus Christ by Mary. Because any time you are going to talk about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in the events leading up to that it is significant that Jesus was anointed by Mary. So here He utters this prophecy and we are a fulfillment of it this morning, 2000 years later. Who would have thought when Jesus uttered that that in 2000 years there would be a crowd of Christians, believers, assembled to study about what Mary did in anointing Him?

Back to John chapter 12. That's what we're going to be focusing at least part of our attention on this morning. At this supper, Martha is serving; and every time we find Martha, she is busy. I take it that’s not a rebuke for her here—she is active doing those things which are necessary to meet the needs on this occasion. Lazarus is there reclining at the table. In biblical times they reclined at the table as they ate. Mary, in verse 3, appears at this time. "Mary therefore took a pound of very costly, genuine spikenard-ointment, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment." Every time we find Martha, she is serving. Every time we find Mary, she’s at the feet of Jesus. We found that in the other gospels where Martha was busy about serving; Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus as He teaches. In chapter 11, verse 32, when she meets Jesus after the death of her brother, Lazarus, she falls at His feet and says "Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died."

Now we come to chapter 12 and we find her at the feet of Jesus anointing Him with very costly ointment. Matthew and Mark reveal that she not only anointed His feet but His head. But John focuses in on the anointing of His feet which is totally unique, that she would pour this costly ointment on His feet and then dry the feet with her hair, picturing that total commitment and devotion, that love that she expresses to Him in such a unique way. The whole house is filled with this fragrance, an awesome act of love, of devotion. You have to admire Mary for her commitment and the manifestation of this love. And the others around don’t understand what is going on. Judas here speaks up. Verse 4, "Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, who was intending to betray Him..." and you see how totally out of character it is. Here is the one who intends to betray Him, who in his very inner being is a thief, speaks up and says "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people?" Now, amazing how people of certain character hide behind the veneer of religious kind of activity. And it sounds so spiritual on this occasion for Judas to say"300 denarii. Think what we could have done for the poor." That’s a lot of money. A denarius was a day’s wage for a working man. So 300 denarii would cover a year's pay! So you have a year's wages here, and Mary simply breaks the container and pours it out on Jesus' feet. And Judas says "What a waste! It's gone. We could have used it to meet the needs of the poor."

Now verse 6 says, "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 was the treasurer for the group. For Jesus and the disciples, as money was contributed to them for their ministry, it was entrusted to Judas and Judas used to pilfer off a little bit for himself. He may have been making investments on the side for the time when he wouldn't wander around any longer with this nomadic band.
At any rate, he used to siphon some of it off for himself. So he wasn't concerned at all for the poor. All he was concerned about was Judas, and he doesn't see anything of the beautiful devotion manifested here on Mary's part. Only 300 denarii—that's a year's wages! What couldn't I do with a year's wages what a waste!

You know, it's interesting. You can't study the gospels and not be overwhelmed by the character of Judas. Here is a man who spent three years, day and night, in the presence of the Son of God and he is unchanged as regards his character. He was with Christ for three years. With the disciples for three years and when it's all over, he has not changed at all on the inside. But he had a very effective veneer or facade for people to see. When Jesus announces to the disciples that one of them would betray Him, no one guessed that it was Judas, even when Jesus did the obvious. No one guessed it was Judas Everyone was fooled. All the other eleven disciples with all their perception, none of them guessed that Judas was an unbeliever, had no real spiritual life at all. Unmoved. And you know, that's not so different today. We've got people today who spend time in the right places with the right people, but their character is unchanged. They are where the Word of God is being proclaimed. They are with people who are believers in Jesus Christ, and to look at them you see the veneer and the facade but on the inside their character is unchanged. There has been no change on the inside and they fool many of us. They can be part of a group like this. They are here where the Word of God is being taught, with people who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for them, but on the inside their character has been unchanged. There is no spiritual relationship with God at all. Awesome! They are in the mold of Judas. To be exposed repeatedly over a period of time to the person of Jesus Christ, to the work of Jesus Christ and be unchanged. Have contact continually with those whose lives have been changed by the Son of God and not be affected by it at all. We need to examine ourselves to be sure that we have come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the One who died to pay the penalty for my sin. Have you come to believe in Him? Are you one who is trusting Him as your Savior? Not, do you come to this group, do you have Christian friends? But has He changed your life? Have you come to believe in Him?

Now a sad thing here is not just Judas. You know what Matthew and Mark relate in their account? That the other disciples joined in with Judas in this rebuke of Mary. Awesome. You think, well, I might expect it of Judas but Matthew and Mark both relate that the disciples joined in and scolded Mary— that's the way Mark puts it. They scolded her, they rebuked her. Now John makes clear here that Judas is the leader, and he's the one who speaks about the poor. A tragedy. The disciples follow along and say 'Yes, we could have used this money for the poor and you've wasted it.' A reminder. We need to be careful whose lead we're following as believers. We ought to be sure that we're not being influenced and enticed by those who are not really devoted to Jesus Christ at all. Who are not really in love with Him at all. And it's a little bit of a letdown to see the disciples following Judas instead of taking a hint from Mary that this expression of love and devotion is more characteristic of one who loves Jesus Christ.

Now. Can you imagine how Mary felt? Here she has taken an alabaster vial that contains perfume that could have been sold for a year's wages and broken it and poured it out on Jesus Christ, drying His feet with her hair in total devotion and commitment in love to Him. And everybody around is rebuking her. "What a waste, what a foolish woman." Think how intimidating that can be. Sometimes I think we are intimidated. We are afraid to go all out in our devotion and commitment to Jesus Christ. Really afraid to express our love to Him because we're afraid of what even other Christians might say. As though that made any difference. That my love and devotion to Him ought to be complete and total, and it doesn't matter that the eleven disciples here aren't in tune with what is going on. What matters is that she has committed herself to Jesus Christ and is manifesting that love and devotion as fully and as completely as she can. And Jesus Christ intervenes here on her behalf. "Jesus therefore said, 'Let her alone, in order that she may keep it for the day of My burial.'" Mark says in Mark 14:8, let me read it to you. "She has done what she could. She has anointed My body beforehand for burial." That's what the idea of verse 7 is in John 12. She has anointed His body beforehand for burial. It was the custom in New Testament times to anoint the body with spices and perfume. Now Jesus would be crucified in less than a week, incidentally, and with the crucifixion and the impending Sabbath following the crucifixion, there would be no time to prepare the body for burial. They would simply take it from the cross and lay it in the tomb. Three days later when the ladies come with the spices and perfume to anoint the body, the resurrection has already taken occurred. And what Jesus is saying is that this is the only anointing that My body will receive for its burial. Now the disciples didn't understand that. We don't know how much Mary understood, but you get the idea that she had some perception of what was going on here. Perhaps some insight into what lay ahead in light of the response of the Jews to the resurrection of her brother. But at any rate, she has anointed His body for burial. Jesus says, "For the poor you always have with you; but you do not always have Me." Mary had seized an opportunity that would not repeat itself. They could do good to the poor on a multitude of occasions, but there would not be another occasion where they could anoint the body of Jesus in preparation for His burial. So what they are saying is they’ve missed the point. Mary was seizing an opportunity that would not repeat itself. They could do good to the poor—fine. They would have multitude of opportunities to do that, but there would be no other occasion where they could anoint Him in preparation for His burial. So often we’re like the disciples. God gives us opportunities that will not be repeated, to glorify and magnify Jesus Christ, to demonstrate our love and devotion to Him and so often we are oblivious to what is going on. Opportunities that will not be repeated. That's true for the life we live here now. I have unique opportunities here in this life in this physical body now for honoring Jesus Christ that will not be repeated for all eternity, and I need to seize upon them. I realize as a child of God I will honor and glorify Jesus Christ throughout eternity, but I also realize I have opportunity in a unique way to do that now that I will not have in eternity. Those are portrayed by the rewards that will be given to us in various areas of faithfulness as God's children. A reminder that we ought to be seizing upon the opportunities to glorify Him, to express our love and devotion to Him. Its cost ought not to be a factor. That doesn't mean you have to spend a lot in your devotion to Him, but it does mean that it ought not to be an issue. Mary's not sitting there thinking, Oh, I shouldn't have poured out all this perfume. Boy, that's a year's wages. What we couldn't have done with a year's wages. We could have put an addition on the house; we could have taken a trip. We could have done this. No. What is she taken up with? Jesus Christ and the opportunity to express her love for Him. What’s a vacation? What's an addition on the house? It’s my chance to express my love to Him that will not be repeated.
And she seizes the opportunity and Jesus comes to her defense before the disciples.

With this we move to verse 9. "The great multitude" that's moving in to catch a glimpse of Jesus Christ and of Lazarus. "The great multitude therefore of the Jews learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead." The word began to spread again that Jesus is back in the vicinity and as the pilgrims come from all parts of the kingdom for the celebration of the Passover, word spreads that Jesus is in Bethany and many come. Keep in mind that the Passover is one of three feasts where the presence of the males in Israel was required in Jerusalem, and multitudes came. One writer says 2^ million at one Passover; 250,000 Passover lambs sacrificed at one Passover. Now even if those figures are hyperbole, you get some idea of the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people descending to Jerusalem for the celebration of this feast.
And word spreads about Lazarus and Jesus, and they come to get a glimpse of Jesus Christ and of Lazarus.

But note verse 10. "But the chief priests took counsel that they might put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the Jews were going away, and were believing in Jesus." You see what happens? Sin multiplies itself. In verse 50 of chapter 11, Caiaphas said "...it is expedient that one man should die to preserve the nation." But shortly thereafter, it has become necessary that two die and pretty soon it will become necessary to execute all the disciples. There’s no way to stop it. That's what happens with sin in every area of our life. Once you step into a realm of sin you are out of control and you do not know where you will end up. The impact it will make upon your life, the things that you will do. We'll get rid of Jesus, no problem. But now we’ve got to get rid of Lazarus too along with Jesus because even if we kill Jesus, here’s Lazarus walking around giving testimony—I was in the grave four days but Jesus raised me from the dead, and people will be believing Him and we’d better kill him too. You see how settled in unbelief the Jews are? It bothers them that there is living testimony here concerning the power of Jesus Christ and they’d rather kill Lazarus than reconsider their own wicked, sinful condition.

Now on this note, we come to the next day. One of the familiar events in the closing days of Jesus’ ministry. We celebrate it on what is called Palm Sunday, the Triumphal Entry as we refer to it. Where Jesus comes into Jerusalem on the colt of the donkey to the acclaim of the multitudes that He is the King of Israel.

On another occasion, Jesus has not allowed Him to acclaim Him King, to promote Him as King. But on this occasion He presents Himself and accepts their testimony. In fact He says in the other gospels that if they didn't give testimony, the rocks would begin to cry out because this was God's time to announce, to present Him as the King of the nation. An awesome event. He is riding to Jerusalem to be executed, to be crowned as King.

"On the next day the great multitude 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 cry out, ’Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.'" Psalm 118:25. Now you note. The multitudes would come to Israel. When I was younger I had a Bible story book that had a picture of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on this colt of a donkey and it had a few people along the way spreading out palm branches and garments. I always had fixed in my mind these few people, a sparse kind of group along the way crying out to Him. But keep in mind the great multitudes that come to Jerusalem for Passover. Hundreds of thousands of people, perhaps millions. Now on this two-mile journey from Bethany to Jerusalem, I take it, it would be packed with hundreds of thousands of people acclaiming Jesus Christ. You get that idea from the response of the Pharisees a little bit later. It's not just a few people. The nation as they are acclaiming Him and they are quoting from Psalm 118, a Messianic Psalm. Hosanna—means save now or save, I pray. Crying out regarding the salvation of God, present in the person of Messiah. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," a title recognized as the title of the Messiah, the One coming in the name of the Lord. He is the King of Israel. So here you have this great multitude, hundreds of thousands of people lining the way from Bethany to Jerusalem, as word is spread from Bethany to Jerusalem that Jesus, the King of Israel, is coming. The multitude pours out of the city to greet Him, to acclaim Him as their king. Now it is true, they don’t have the full understanding. Many of them are caught up in the emotion of the moment because this same multitude will follow the Pharisees and Sadducees in crying out, "Crucify Him!" in less than a week. So on this occasion they are moved to recognize Him as king. "And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, ’Fear not, Daughter of Zion' Behold, your King comes sitting on a donkey’s colt.'" Matthew, Mark, and Luke record this account as well. In Matthew 21, Mark 11 and Luke 19. And there they supply some details which John chooses to leave out, such as how they secured the donkey and colt—by having the disciples go, telling them where it would be tied, telling when they are asked the question 'The Master has use of it.' We are told it is the colt that no one had ever ridden on before, and now He comes riding in on a colt of a donkey in fulfillment of Zechariah chapter 9, verse9. Something that had been written centuries before—"Behold, your King comes sitting on a donkey's colt." Again, you see the tremendous sovereignty of God here. Especially in light of verse 16. "These things His disciples did not understand at first; but when Jesus was glorified, they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him." The disciples did not realize this was fulfilling Zechariah 9:9, or say ’It's time for Zechariah 9:9, go get the donkey’s colt.’ Not at all. They didn’t even realize it until after He was dead, after He was raised from the dead and Christ opened their eyes to understand the Old Testament Scriptures. They could look back and say, ’Remember when He rode into Jerusalem on the colt of the donkey. That’s what Zechariah 9:9 said would happen.’ But they didn’t understand it at this point. But you see the total sovereignty of God? Why a donkey's colt? Would have been much more striking if He had come riding in on this tremendous horse which was what the Romans would have used. The conquerors would have used to display the power and majesty, but He comes riding in on a lowly colt of a donkey, denoting His meekness as the other gospels reveal. He is meek, His gentleness, His peacefulness. Now when He comes at the second coming in Revelation 19, He comes on a great white horse and He comes as a conqueror to bring judgment and destruction upon unbelievers. But as He comes to Jerusalem on this occasion, He comes as a meek and gentle, peaceful Christ, the King of Israel. He is rejected.

"They did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered." Then these things would fit together for them.

Verse 17. "So the multitude who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, were bearing Him witness. For this cause also the multitude went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign." So you see what is happening. In Bethany the word is going out from Bethany, all the way to Jerusalem that Jesus the one who raised Lazarus from the dead after four days is coming. So you have this group from Bethany coming with Him. You have this multitude pouring out from Jerusalem. So you have approximately this 2-mile trip covered with people, laying out palm branches picturing the joy, the praise that they would have for the Feast of Tabernacles. The Old Testament instructed the Jews to have the palm branches as symbolic of their praises, their thanks, their joy. And here they lay them out, symbolic of that praise and joy being expressed on this occasion.

But then you meet the Pharisees again in verse 19. The Pharisees therefore said to one another, ’You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.™ You can be sure there weren’t just a few stragglers out there acclaiming ’The King of the Jews.’ The Pharisees would have been laughing, but for them it is no laughing matter. If they could have stood on a high point of the city and looked out and saw hundreds of thousands of people acclaiming Jesus as the King of Israel, it seemed that all their plans and all their schemes had come to not. The whole world, not just the nation, the world had turned to Jesus as the Messiah! You know, in all of this, Jesus Has not been caught up with the emotion and excitement of the moment. He is fully aware of why He is coming to Jerusalem. He is not coming to Jerusalem for a coronation, but He is coming to Jerusalem for His crucifixion.

Look back in Luke chapter 19. Luke records something here that John does not. Verse 38 of Luke 19, you have the cry of the multitudes quoting from Psalm 118, then "some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to Him, ’Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’ He answered and said, ’I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”' I wonder if they would have believed if the stones had cried out. I don’t think so.

Verse 41, though. "And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it." You see, Jesus hasn’t been caught up here in thinking 'Oh at last, I am received as King. At last the nation is ready for me.’ But there is tremendous tragedy being carried out. Within the enthusiasm of this scene, Jesus sees through it all the destruction that is coming because in the heart they have not acknowledged Him.

He wept over Jerusalem saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.
For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.™ An awesome scene, that here Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the King of Israel, has ridden into Jerusalem at the acclaim of the nation and Jesus says, ’You don’t recognize the time of your visitation. You don’t really perceive who I am. You really don't grasp the significance of this moment.' And you see how close but how far the nation is. Here in the very presence, in the capitol of the nation is the Son of God prophesied in the Old Testament to be the King of the nation, the One who could provide spiritual deliverance, the One who could provide physical deliverance, and they are oblivious to the fact. They don't recognize Him. It has been hidden from their eyes. They don’t recognize the time of their visitation—so close, yet so far. Makes all the difference in the world. Jesus says 'I am here, I am present. The option was there.’ They could have submitted themselves to Him, placed their faith in Him as Messiah and experienced His salvation, but they are blinded and what is left to them? Destruction, ruin. There is no hope for the future.

Similar to today where Jesus Christ is proclaimed. So close, yet so far. People hear Him proclaimed, sit in a group like this and are told that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of mankind, the One who died to pay the penalty for your sins. So close, and yet they do not recognize Him as the One who died for them. They will not believe in Him, and all that is left for them is ruin and destruction. Seems so clear as you read it in history, and say 'Oh what a tragedy for the nation, that the Messiah should be there and they not recognize Him.’ So they spend 2,000 years in agony and suffering and ruin because they did not recognize the Messiah was there. But not near the tragedy that there is for people who are confronted now with Jesus Christ, the Savior who died for them. And they do not recognize Him. They are unwilling to believe in Him, and all that awaits them is destruction and ruin. Eternal condemnation at the hands of an eternal God. What a tragedy! How unnecessary, in one sense, humanly speaking, when the provision is there! And yet we are blind to it, we are unwilling to see it.

You're here this morning—have you ever come to see Jesus Christ as the Savior? Maybe you're here like Judas, maybe you're here every Sunday. You are exposed to the truth of the Word of God. You are exposed to other believers, but your character has been unchanged. You have never yet come to believe in Him as the One who died for you. Your confidence is still in you and what you are doing and not in Him. The amazing thing is, there is still opportunity. You're here this morning. You can believe in Him, and when you do it makes all the difference in all eternity. It's the difference between heaven and hell. It's the difference between life and death.

For those of us who have believed in Him, we need to be careful that we do not lose sight of who He is and who we are. There is no sacrifice too great. There is no commitment that is too costly. We ought to be in the pattern of Mary, who are taken up with our devotion to Him, our love for Him regardless of what others think. I am totally in love with Him, I am totally committed to Him.
I am going to live my life for His glory and it doesn't matter what anyone thinks, even other believers—whether they think it's the right, the best. What is important is my devotion and commitment to Him in light of what is revealed in the Scripture. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for the greatness of the passage we have considered. Father, for the tremendous display of love and devotion of Mary. I thank you for one who was totally absorbed with the Savior; Lord, who did not consider relevant the opinions and scornings of others. Rather, her Savior was most important. May we be people in that pattern that mold. May our lives, Lord, be seizing the opportunities that will not be repeated to honor and magnify our Savior while here on earth.

Father, for those who may be here who are like the Jews, who are like Judas. Father, they are in the presence of the Son of God. He is here offering to them a salvation that He has secured through His death and resurrection. Lord, I pray that the Spirit might remove the veil from their eyes that they might see and perceive and believe that Jesus Christ died for them, for we pray in His name