areliablefaith

Mark 11; John 12

The Lord wants everyone to know Him. Jesus came to earth to fulfill God’s mission, and at the heart of that mission is a God who wants to be known.

At first, today’s reading seemed to hold two very different stories. One takes place at a dinner in Bethany, and the other among the crowds in Jerusalem. The more I prayed over them this morning, though, the more I saw that they belong together.

An Extravagant Love

Six days before the Passover, Mary, the sister of Martha, shows her absolute devotion to Jesus.

“Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” (John 12:3)

This was an extravagant expression of her love and commitment, and she humbled herself to the nth degree to offer it. She held nothing back, and everyone in that house knew it. They could smell it.

“We Wish to See Jesus”

Then we come to Jerusalem, crowded with people for the Passover. Some Greeks who had come up to worship at the feast approach Philip with a simple request:

“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” (John 12:21)

Philip tells Andrew, and the two of them go and tell Jesus. His response is striking. It’s almost as if their request is some type of trigger:

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23)

Gentiles are starting to seek this Jewish Messiah. The word is getting out, and it’s headed for the outermost parts of the world. It fits what Jesus had just done in the temple, when He drove out the money-changers and declared:

“Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?” (Mark 11:17)

All the nations. Now, in the very week He will be sacrificed, the nations are coming to ask for Him.

The Father Speaks

“The hour” is the moment Jesus offers Himself as God’s perfect sacrifice for sin. He knows what that will cost, and He says so:

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” (John 12:27-28)

Then God the Father speaks from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” Some in the crowd say it thundered. Others say an angel has spoken. Jesus tells them why it happened:

“This voice has come for your sake, not mine.” (John 12:30)

God wants to be known, so God reveals Himself. And Jesus adds a promise that reaches every one of those Greeks, and every one of us:

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32)

Not So Different After All

As I pondered and prayed about this, I recognized that Mary was showing a heart so in love with God that it points to God. It helps make God known when we show our love and adoration for Him.

One of the ways we do that is by how we serve others. Another is by sharing how God has been active in our lives. For me, the one most aligned with Mary’s devotion is worship. When I’m listening to praise and worship music aimed at the Lord, whether in church or on my headphones, I let my heart soar toward Him. Sometimes my hands are raised. Often I look upward and recognize that this is the God of the universe, the One who created us, who has given us everything we need for life, and who gave us Jesus so that we might be reconciled to Him in spite of our own sin.

I can’t help but worship Him. And that points to God. When we worship freely and fully, the Holy Spirit inside us is connecting us to God the Father, the One from whom all blessings flow, and it helps make Him known.

So Mary’s action and the Father’s voice aren’t really different. Through both, God is revealing Himself to anyone and everyone, that they might come to saving faith. That they might be rescued from what this fallen world wants for us and brought into the kingdom of light, advancing God’s kingdom on earth.

That’s what I want to do. I want to be a faithful example who points to Jesus in every area of my life: everything I do, every action I take, every word I say, and even here in this post, every word I write. May God be worshiped. May God be praised.

To You be the glory, Lord. To You be the glory.

Who around you might be saying, “I wish to see Jesus,” and what will they see in you today?

Be blessed and be a blessing, my friends.