John 12:1-11
Who Came to Dinner?
John’s gospel is a unique gospel in several ways but one is the way
John dealt with time. On the one hand, John helps us understand the
life of Christ chronologically by listing four references to what we
believe to be the Passover, meaning Jesus’ ministry would have
spanned 3 plus years.
(1) \\#John 2:13\\
(2) \\#John 5:1\\
(3) \\#John 6:4\\
(4) \\#John 12:1, 19:14\\
On the other hand, John’s gospel is different chronologically
because he skips so much time. Up to this point, John selectively
listed miracles and events that happened around sermons or teachings
that John wanted to give us. While the other writers were focused
more on the miracles of Jesus, John was focused more on the teaching
of Jesus; and as such, he gave us fewer miracles and details of the
life Jesus.
However, starting in John 12:1, things change a bit. From
\\#John 12:1\\ to \\#John 19:42\\, John concentrates on the last six
days of Jesus’ life. And beginning in \\#John 13:1\\ John
particularly notes what happened in the upper room. Why? Because John
wants to record the teaching Jesus gave His disciples in the upper
room.
So, especially in the upper room, John goes from giving us the least
details to giving us the most details. We are not at the upper room
yet, but we are in the last six days of Jesus’ life. Let’s notice
some of the things going on.
I. \\#1\\ Jesus is invited to dinner.
A. Notice some of the details given.
1. Jesus was going to Jerusalem for two reasons.
a. \\#John 12:1\\ It was the Passover and all Jewish men
were required to come to Jerusalem for the Passover,
Pentecost (Feast of Harvest, Weeks), and
Tabernacles (Trumpets, Booths).
b. \\#John 13:1\\ "Jesus knew that his hour was come that
he should depart out of this world" - He was going to
die.
2. Jesus stopped in Bethany.
a. Actually, Jesus did more than stop. It appears that
during Jesus’ last days, Jesus went back to Bethany
each night \\#Mark 11:1, 11-12, 14:3\\.
b. \\#Matt 20:29, Mark 10:46\\ indicate that Jesus was
coming from Jericho going to Jerusalem.
c. While I don’t know all of the routes between Jericho
and Jerusalem, it appears that on this occasion,
Jesus chose to travel over the mountains.
(1) Bethany was on or just behind the Mount of
Olives.
(2) That route would be a harder but more direct
route.
(3) Since Jesus had friends through that area, it
makes sense that He would travel that direction.
d. By traveling across the mountains, Jesus would
naturally enter Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate
(Golden Gate) for the Triumphant Entry (John 13).
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/the-triumphal-entry
e. So the route was an not accident and the destination
was not a mystery. Jesus had an appointment and it
was with the cross!
3. A feast, a great supper, was prepared for Jesus.
a. Thank the Lord somebody cared enough for Jesus to do
something for HIM!.
b. Most of what we read about is Jesus doing something
for US.
B. There is what some consider to be a discrepancy in the dates
here and what Matthew and Mark record.
John 12:1 Then Jesus six days before the
passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was
which had been dead, whom he raised from the
dead.
Mark 14:1 After two days was the feast of the
passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief
priests and the scribes sought how they might
take him by craft, and put him to death.
Matt 26:2 Ye know that after two days is the
feast of the passover, and the Son of man is
betrayed to be crucified.
3 Then assembled together the chief priests,
and the scribes, and the elders of the people,
unto the palace of the high priest, who was
called Caiaphas,
1. How could it be both six days before the Passover and two?
2. The answer is that John recorded when Jesus arrived in
Bethany while Matthew and Mark were telling us the
particular day on which the chief priests and the
scribes met planning to take Jesus.
3. A lot of things happened during days before the Passover.
The writers are telling us about two different things
which happened on two different days.
4. We should remember that—as far as we know—none of the
gospels attempted to record every event in exact order.
II. Let’s notice who attended the feast.
A. The host - Simon, the Leper
Matt 26:6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the
house of Simon the leper. \\#Mark 14:3\\
1. We need to do some Bible thinking to get the full picture
here.
a. The Bible calls Simon a leper but was it likely that
he was at that time?
b. The answer is, "No" for several reasons.
(1) Lepers were not allowed to live in the city by
God’s command.
Num 5:2 Command the children of Israel, that
they put out of the camp every leper, and every
one that hath an issue, and whosoever is
defiled by the dead:
(2) Leprosy was a very painful, deadly, and
contagious. If a leper had a party, it is
doubtful anyone would show up.
(3) Leprosy pictured sin and the lepers were
considered great sinners, cursed by God.
2. So why were they eating in the house of Simon the leper?
a. The logical answer was that he was no longer a leper
but had been.
b. The logical problem with that statement is that there
was no cure for leprosy until 1941.
c. I always find that very strange as God dedicated
Numbers 5 to what a person was to do WHEN he was
healed of leprosy!
(1) Until 1941, that might have been the least used
chapter in the Bible.
(2) It got a lot of use in Jesus day. Jesus healed
10 men who were lepers at once
\\#Luke 17:11-19\\, one in \\#Mk 1:40-45\\, this
man and others.
(3) Was that the only reason God gave Numbers 5? I
don’t think so.
(4) The fact that God put that chapter in the Bible
is an indication that there was a cure, it just
would not be found for a long time.
(a) This is another of those cases where the
Bible lead science!
(b) Think about. If leprosy was a picture of
sin, it had to have a cure. Jesus was the
cure for sin and so leprosy had to have one
as well. Mankind would just have to wait
until God gave it.
d. If there was no cure until 1941, how would Simon have
been healed?
(1) JESUS!
(2) Sitting at the table with Jesus was a man that
Jesus had healed.
B Lazarus - One returned from the dead
1. Simon being there was nothing compared to Lazarus being
there.
2. Lazarus lived in Bethany and had been recently raised
from the dead!
a. That miracle was just recorded in John 11.
b. John did not give us any idea of how much time had
passed between the events of John 11 and 12.
c. Lazarus had become a popular in Israel and an
instrumental man for the faith.
d. He had also become a marked man.
John 12:9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew
that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’
sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also,
whom he had raised from the dead.
10 But the chief priests consulted that they
might put Lazarus also to death;
11 Because that by reason of him many of the
Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.
e. I mentioned when we looked at John 11 that Lazarus
would have to die again. It might not have been
very long before he did.
C. These are just two of the people at that table who had been
helped by Jesus. There may have been many others.
1. Martha - Lazarus’ sister, Martha, was serving again!
2. Judas, the traitor - By this time, Judas had either made
his deal with the religious leaders or he was mapping out
the final details of doing it.
3. The other eleven - Jesus’ closest disciples and friends
were there but were totally unaware of any thing that was
going on!
4. The curious were there. They may not have been at the
table but they were around the city.
John 12:9 Much people of the Jews therefore
knew that he was there: and they came not for
Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see
Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.
5. Others whom we do not know were probably there.
III. A party crasher was there - Mary.
A. \\#John 12:3\\ This story centers on Mary and the gift she
gave to Jesus!
1. It is a nice change to see that someone gave something to
Jesus instead of Jesus always giving something to someone
else!
2. This would seem to be Mary, the sister of Martha and
Lazarus.
a. Sadly, there are many Mary’s in the New Testament so it
is impossible to know that for certain.
b. However, this Mary was mentioned in the verse AFTER
Martha and Lazarus.
c. If Martha and Lazarus were there, Mary should have
been there and should have been mentioned as well.
3. This would make the third time that this family had been
mentioned in a unique way.
a. John 11 - The raising of Lazarus
b. \\#Luke 10:38-42\\ Earlier, Martha and Mary had
prepared a meal for Jesus.
B. From the times that we see Jesus and this family, we see this
family represented humanity’s best in dealing with Jesus.
1. This family recognized Jesus as the Messiah.
a. We do not know HOW this family came to know Jesus, but
it is obvious from all the Bible recordings of them
that they strongly believed Jesus was the Messiah.
b. Not just one but all three believed it.
2. Not only did they recognize Jesus, but their faith was
strong. So strong that when Lazarus died and Jesus
failed to come, they still believed.
3. And they served. Martha is known as the servant of the
family, but I am sure they all served.
4. And they worshipped. Again, Mary is known as the one who
worshipped but I am sure they all worshipped Jesus.
C. In this account, we see how rich their worship was.
IV. While all of the family worshipped Jesus, Mary would likely be
called the "religious fanatic!"
A. Mary was the one who would let everything else go just to
sit at Jesus feet.
Luke 10:42 … hath chosen that good part, which
shall not be taken away from her.
1. Mary was the one who had heard Jesus’ every word.
a. She had probably studied—the best she could—the Old
Testament as well.
b. The Holy Spirit was no doubt upon her.
2. By this Mary came to understand what Jesus would DIE.
a. \\#John 12:7\\ She was anointing Jesus’ body for
burial.
b. She would not have been doing that if she did not
understand what Jesus was about to do.
3. Mary brought an alabaster box of ointment and poured it
on Jesus’ head \\#Matt 26:7, Mark 14;3\\ and His feet
\\#John 12:3\\, then wiped His feet with her hair.
a. This ointment was likely her burial ointment.
b. This was Mary’s worship. So what is worship?
(1) Mary gave what she had
(2) Mary gave all she had.
(3) Mary gave what she had in love, brokenness,
gratitude, and submission.
c. This is complete, total, and absolute surrender! It
is the highest plane of worship, beyond recognizing,
believing, and even serving.
4. And why did she do this?
a. She was giving Jesus her love while He lived.
(1) There is a song, "Give Me Roses While I Am
Alive."
(2) Too often, we leave the important words unsaid
and the important actions undone until it is
too late.
(3) Not Mary! She was loving Jesus while He was
alive.
(a) She did understand.
(b) She understood first.
(c) She understood alone.
(d) She did something about what she understood.
She gave all she was!
b. She as giving Jesus her love while she lived.
Too many of us Christians are going to regret how
little we loved on Jesus during our earthly lives.
B. It is not only amazing to me that Mary did get it all of these
thing, but it also amazes me that the others did not get.
1. Peter who walked on water and acknowledged first that
Jesus was the Son of the living God was there, but he
did not get it.
2. John who had a sensitive heart and spoke of love,
forgiveness, duty, and holiness did not get it.
3. Phillip was the first to recognize Jesus as Messiah. He
found his brother, Nathaniel, and brought him to Jesus,
but he did not get this.
4. Simon who had experienced a miraculous healing and
Lazarus who had been raised from the dead did not get it.
5. Even Martha who loved to serve did not get it.
6. But Mary, who wanted only to sit at Jesus’ feet and
adore Him, she got it and then did something with
the knowledge she had!
What does that tell you about the best kind of worship? Serving is
good and needful, but the kind of worship we need to give is the
kind that just sits and adores Him!
The title of the message is, "Who came for dinner?" but the better
question is, "Who got dessert?" for only Mary got to have the
sweetest time with Jesus. Wouldn’t like to have a sweet time
tonight? Let’s worship Him in complete surrender.
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