Session 18: October 15, 2022

Scripture Reading: John 12:1-26

1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 So they prepared a dinner for Jesus there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was among those present at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took three quarters of a pound of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus. She then wiped his feet dry with her hair. (Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.) 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was going to betray him) said, 5 “Why wasn’t this oil sold for 300 silver coins and the money given to the poor?” 6 (Now Judas said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box, he used to steal what was put into it.) 7 So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial. 8 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me!”

9 Now a large crowd of Judeans learned that Jesus was there, and so they came not only because of him but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too, 11 for on account of him many of the Jewish people from Jerusalem were going away and believing in Jesus.

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him. They began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Do not be afraid, people of Zion; look, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt!” 16 (His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him and that these things had happened to him.)

17 So the crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were continuing to testify about it. 18 Because they had heard that Jesus had performed this miraculous sign, the crowd went out to meet him. 19 Thus the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you can do nothing. Look, the world has run off after him!”

20 Now some Greeks were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast. 21 So these approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew, and they both went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 I tell you the solemn truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. 26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Main Themes

Jesus’ Anointing—1, 2, or 3

At the beginning of Chapter 12 we find the anointing of Jesus. The scene is strange yet incredibly moving. Before we can delve deeper into it though, we need to address an issue of consistency between all four gospels. There is a similar anointing story in each gospel. Yet each story seems to be different in some ways. Do they refer to the same event? If so, maybe some (or all) of the gospels got details wrong. That is not a conclusion we should accept lightly. Christians have an incredibly high regard for scripture. In fact, many Christians hold that there are no mistakes in scripture. Can biblical inerrancy hold up to the four anointing stories? I think so. (This is the kind of topic on which we could spend a couple of hours. My blog will present an abbreviated answer. There is a more detailed resource linked at the end.)

Luke has the most different version of events. Let’s begin by comparing Luke to Mark. Consider the following passages:

Luke 7:36-50. 36 Now one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. 37 Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfumed oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” 40 So Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed him 500 silver coins, and the other 50. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfumed oil. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Mark 14:1-11. 1 Two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to find a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 2 For they said, “Not during the feast, so there won’t be a riot among the people.”

3 Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of costly aromatic oil from pure nard. After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his head. 4 But some who were present indignantly said to one another, “Why this waste of expensive ointment? 5 It could have been sold for more than 300 silver coins and the money given to the poor!” So they spoke angrily to her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a good service for me. 7 For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want. But you will not always have me! 8 She did what she could. She anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus into their hands. 11 When they heard this, they were delighted and promised to give him money. So Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him.

What are the similarities that would make us consider that both stories refer to the same event? Both accounts happen at a Simon’s house, both accounts involve perfume in alabaster jars, and both accounts involve a woman using the perfume to anoint Jesus. What are the differences? The Luke story happens in Galilee and much earlier in Jesus’ ministry. The Mark story happens in Bethany (Judea), a few days before Jesus’ death. One Simon is a Pharisee, the other Simon is called a leper. The dialogue is different as well.

Can we explain the similarities if the two narratives are describing different events? Yes. Simon was the most common name at the time. This is why the Bible rarely refers to a Simon without giving a sort of last name (Simon Peter, Simon the leper, Simon the Zealot, etc.) The fact that two stories involve Simons should be barely eye-catching. Also, perfume was commonly held in alabaster jars. Despite what you may have heard, alabaster jars were not rare. Thousand of these jars have been discovered. So, the alabaster detail is unimportant as well.

But what are the odds that two women anoint Jesus with perfume using their hair? (The hair detail is not in Mark, but it is in John.) Completely independently, that would be suspiciously unlikely. Nevertheless, the odds are pretty good if we do not assume that the stories are independent. The later woman could have been inspired by the prior one. To put it simply, Luke refers to a different anointing. This earlier anointing of Jesus described in Luke helps inspire Mary’s behavior in John. Why would Mary think of doing such a thing? Because she had heard how another woman had shown kindness to Jesus. She wished to do the same.

Now, let’s consider the more difficult question: can Mark, Matthew, and John be reconciled? Consider the following passage in Matthew and the verses of John we read today.

Matthew 26:6-18. 6 Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfumed oil, and she poured it on his head as he was at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they became indignant and said, “Why this waste? 9 It could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor!” 10 When Jesus learned of this, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a good service for me. 11 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me! 12 When she poured this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

14 Then one of the 12, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me to betray him into your hands?” So they set out 30 silver coins for him. 16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him.

Matthew and Mark have similar descriptions of the story. But what about John? At first glance there are some glaring inconsistencies. Maybe, then, there are three anointings of Jesus: one in Luke, one in Matthew and Mark, and one in John. Although that is not technically impossible, it is not convincing. In Matthew, Mark, and John, the story occurs at the same time in Jesus’ ministry (plus or minus a few days), in the same town, with the same amount of perfume, that could have been sold for the same 300 silver coins, and it resulted in Judas turning on Jesus. Quite clearly, Matthew, Mark, and John are discussing the same event.

What are the major inconsistencies between John and the other two gospels. There are two. First, the timing. Mark seems to place the story “[t]wo days before the Passover.” John seems to place the story “six days before the Passover.” Second, the location. Mark and Matthew seem to place the story in the home of “Simon the leper.” John seems to place the story “where Lazarus lived.”

The timing question is the trickiest one. John seems firm on the timing—I mean we could hardly interpret John’s Gospel any other way than the anointing happening six days before Passover. Is Mark as firm on the timing? Not really. What we find in Mark may very well be a “Markan sandwich.” Mark will sometimes divide one story in two by introducing another story in the middle of the narrative. This is not as strange as it sounds. I bet you have been telling a story once and had to interrupt it to tell another story as proper background information, and then returned to your main story. In Mark, what happens two days before the Passover is the meeting of the priests and Pharisees. (See also Matthew 26:57.) Then Mark interrupts his story to tell us about “now while Jesus was in Bethany.”

The location question is not quite as difficult. Mark and Matthew unequivocally state that the event occurred at “Simon the leper’s” house. Does John make an equally definitive statement that the scene happened at Lazarus’ house? Not at all. Notice that John says the following, “Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he had raised from the dead. So they prepared a dinner for Jesus there.” There where? There where Lazarus lived. Where did Lazarus live? In Bethany. All that John makes clear is that the event happened in Bethany—not at Lazarus’ house specifically.

Everything I wrote above is based on Mike Winger’s work. Please watch his video for a more detailed explanation.

Jesus’ Anointing—Anointing a King and a Dead Man

After taking into account the information presented above, the event of Jesus’ anointing by Mary goes something like this. Six days before the Passover, Jesus returns to Bethany. A meal is prepared at the house of Simon the leper. Jesus’ disciples, Lazarus, Martha, Mary, and perhaps other people are present. In this context, Mary takes approximately 12 ounces (a Roman pound; for scale, this is the amount of liquid in a typical soda can) of expensive nard perfume and pours it on Jesus’ head and feet. She proceeds to wipe Jesus’ feet dry with her hair.

Let’s consider some details. What is nard? Nard is a plant that grows far from Israel, in the modern countries of India, China, and Nepal. That made nard perfume highly expensive. The word perfume is also misleading to the modern reader. Nowadays, we might refer to a nard “perfume” as an essential oil. Additionally, the normal quantity of perfume one might buy was about one ounce. No one would have used a full 12 ounces to anoint anyone. In fact, 12 ounces of nard perfume would have been worth more than most women would inherit from their families. One silver coin was one day’s wage for a laborer. The perfume was worth about 300 silver coins—more than a whole year’s wages.

I wrote about the odd significance of feet in Jewish culture in my last blog post. However, I did not get to discuss it during the session and it is relevant for this week. So, I am reposting some of that material. We must keep in mind that feet were dirty in a literal sense and in a ceremonial sense. To come close to someone’s feet was a dramatic demonstration of humility. Consider this excerpt from the Jewish Encyclopedia

Since the Israelites, like all other Oriental peoples, wore sandals instead of shoes, and as they usually went barefoot in the house, frequent washing of the feet was a necessity. Hence among the Israelites it was the first duty of the host to give his guest water for the washing of his feet (Gen. xviii. 4, xix. 2, xxiv. 32, xliii. 24; Judges xix. 21); to omit this was a sign of marked unfriendliness. It was also customary to wash the feet before meals and before going to bed (comp. Cant. v. 3); to abstain for a long time from washing them was a sign of deep mourning (II Sam. xix. 24). Though there are no extant laws for laymen in regard to washing the feet, such laws for priests are given in Ex. xxx. 19-21. There mention is made of brazen vessels, placed between the Tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering, in which the priests had to wash their hands and feet on entering the Tabernacle or before approaching the altar of burnt offerings: hence at all their priestly functions. Just as no one is allowed to approach a king or prince without due preparation, which includes the washing of the hands and feet, so the Israelite, and especially the priest, is forbidden in his unclean condition to approach Yhwh, for he who comes defiled will surely die.

Finally, we must talk of a woman’s hair. (I bet you didn’t anticipate today’s lesson was on feet and hair. Neither did I.) In 1 Corinthians 11:15, the apostle Paul refers to a woman’s long hair as her glory. During biblical times, Jewish women often covered their hair when outside the home. Their custom was similar to the Muslim practice today.

So let’s put all this together. Mary takes the equivalent of a year’s worth of earnings in perfume (for perspective, using the American minimum wage rate that would be about $15,000) and pours it on Jesus. Then she not only touches his feet—a literally and ceremonially unclean part of the body—with her hands, but with her hair! She would not have dared even show her hair to most men, and here she uses it as a rag to clean Jesus’ feet. As a modern audience, we might see this situation as strange. Sure, it was. But that is missing the point entirely. This is a scene of the utmost humility on the part of Mary—a humility beneath that of a slave. And this is a scene of the utmost exaltation—exaltation not even due a king. Exaltation only properly due to God.

Moreover, as we have grown accustomed throughout John’s Gospel, the moment drips with irony. Kings were anointed before their coronation. Jesus is about to be received as king in Jerusalem. The other common anointing was that of dead bodies before burial. Jesus is about to be killed. Jesus does not require two anointings though, because his coronation is his death on the cross. His raising up as king is his raising up as sacrifice.

Judas the Betrayer

Mark: Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus into their hands. When they heard this, they were delighted and promised to give him money. So Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him.

Matthew: Then one of the 12, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me to betray him into your hands?” So they set out 30 silver coins for him. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him.

John: But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was going to betray him) said, “Why wasn’t this oil sold for 300 silver coins and the money given to the poor?” (Now Judas said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box, he used to steal what was put into it.)

Christian and non-Christian alike knows that Judas is nearly synonymous with betrayer. We have finally come to the verse that tells us the very moment Judas decided to betray Jesus. I quote three gospels above to give us a better picture of what happened. For some reason Mary using the expensive perfume to anoint Jesus was the tipping point for Judas. People speculate about the reason. Maybe Judas was disappointed and upset that his (ill-gotten) wealth was wasted and decided to create wealth elsewhere. Maybe it was not about the money at all. Maybe Judas finally realized that Jesus was not the savior he desired—a king and conqueror who would give Judas an honorable role in the kingdom. Some people have even speculated that Judas betrayed Jesus to force Jesus into starting his kingly conquest. Your guess is as good as mine.

But more importantly, what do we know with certainty? John’s remark that Judas was not truly concerned with the poor is a clear way of letting the reader know that Judas was of evil character. Additionally, the term John employs to describe Judas as “unconcerned” is the same that John used to describe the hirelings “unconcerned” for the sheep.

The story of Judas should also make us consider the criterion of embarrassment. According to Wikipedia (shame on me for quoting Wikipedia), “The criterion of embarrassment is a type of critical analysis in which an account is likely to be true as the author would have no reason to invent an account which might embarrass them.” Judas was not only selected by Jesus to be a disciple; Jesus made him treasurer! For an omniscient being, Jesus was quite a poor judge of character. Applying the criterion of embarrassment, the story is likely true. Why would anyone make that up? Of course, one can interpret Jesus’ decisions in two ways. As stated above, one option is that Jesus was a poor judge of character. Alternatively, Jesus walked to the cross intentionally—selecting every piece on the chess board just right. The chess game needed a betrayer.

The Triumphal Entry

The key to understanding the triumphal entry is to focus on the language used by the crowds and the odd things involved: a donkey and palm branches.

Hosanna. The word “hosanna” renders the Hebrew of Psalm 118:25. As translator note 26 to John 12:13 in the NET Bible explains,

The expression ῾Ωσαννά (hōsanna, literally in Hebrew, “O Lord, save”) in the quotation from Ps 118:25-26 was probably by this time a familiar liturgical expression of praise, on the order of “Hail to the king,” although both the underlying Aramaic and Hebrew expressions meant “O Lord, save us.” As in Mark 11:9 the introductory ὡσαννά is followed by the words of Ps 118:25, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου (eulogēmenos ho erchomenos en onomati kuriou), although in the Fourth Gospel the author adds for good measure καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ (kai ho basileus tou Israēl). In words familiar to every Jew, the author is indicating that at this point every messianic expectation is now at the point of realization. It is clear from the words of the psalm shouted by the crowd that Jesus is being proclaimed as messianic king.

For context, here is Psalm 118:14-27

14 The Lord gives me strength and protects me;

he has become my deliverer.”

15 They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly.

The Lord’s right hand conquers.

16 The Lord’s right hand gives victory;

the Lord’s right hand conquers.

17 I will not die, but live,

and I will proclaim what the Lord has done.

18 The Lord severely punished me,

but he did not hand me over to death.

19 Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple.

I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

20 This is the Lord’s gate—

the godly enter through it.

21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me,

and have become my deliverer.

22 The stone that the builders discarded

has become the cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord’s work.

We consider it amazing!

24 This is the day the Lord has brought about.

We will be happy and rejoice in it.

25 Please, Lord, deliver!

Please, Lord, grant us success!

26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord be blessed.

We will pronounce blessings on you in the Lord’s temple.

27 The Lord is God, and he has delivered us.

Tie the offering with ropes

to the horns of the altar.

I encourage you to read Psalm 118 from the standpoint of the believer. Imagine a man who is well aware of how he perishes in his own sin, but he trusts that God will deliver. God will not let him die. Finally the day of deliverance comes. He is overjoyed and exclaims, “tie the offering with ropes!” What he does not know is that the offering is God himself.

Donkey. As a Christian article explains:

[T]o modern readers the donkey seems to be an unlikely and surprising device for Jesus’ use. That is because we see donkeys primarily as work animals capable of carrying heavy loads, or as docile creatures used for children’s rides, but certainly not as the animals of choice to transport triumphant kings. In the ancient world, however, donkeys were used for ceremonial purposes. Whereas horses were symbols of war, donkeys were symbols of peace and often used to enact treaties. [Emphasis added.]

Additionally, the donkey is part of prophecy fulfillment. Zechariah 9:9 foretold,

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!

Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!

Look! Your king is coming to you:

He is legitimate and victorious,

humble and riding on a donkey—

on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.

Palm Branches. Palm branches recall military triumph. The most immediate reference in the Jews’ minds may have been that of the Maccabean rebellion. Consider 1 Maccabees 13:51 (NCB):

On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the year one hundred and seventy-one, the Jews entered the citadel with shouting and the waving of palm branches, to the accompaniment of lyres and cymbals and harps and the singing of hymns and canticles, because a great enemy of Israel had been destroyed.

So what does the expression Hosanna, a donkey, and palm branches have in common: Jesus is king. Jesus comes as one who has succeeded (i.e., celebrated with palm branches) and returns in peace (i.e., on a donkey). The crowds recognize this as they exclaim, Lord, saves us!

Greeks Want to See Jesus

Some Greeks were attending the Passover festivities. What does John mean by Greeks? He could be referring to Diaspora Jews, Gentile proselytes, or Greek God-fearers. However, the first two groups would normally be referred to by terms other than “Greeks.” The word “Greeks” is likely referring to the third possibility: gentiles who feared (that is, followed) the God of Judaism but had not converted to Judaism.

Notice that Jesus does not respond to the Greeks’ request. Instead Jesus exclaims, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Jesus recognizes that we are at the end of the story. The prophecy to Abraham is almost complete. God promised Abraham he would have many descendants, those descendants would become a conquering nation, and eventually blessings would come from that nation to the entire world. Acts I and II are over, and the Gentiles coming to Jesus signifies the climax of Act III.

The Price of Following Jesus

Jesus uses a commonplace image to explain how his death will work. It is like a kernel of wheat planted in the ground. The kernel will break and open—no longer being a grain of wheat. It that sense, it dies. Yet from its death something else sprouts. An entire plant springs forth from which many kernels come. In the same way, Jesus lays down his life such that many may obtain eternal life.

Here’s an interesting question: is this a sacrifice only Jesus must make? The answer is decidedly no. Jesus adds the following statements to his short parable, “The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” Of course Jesus’ sacrifice is unique. Only he can satisfy divine justice and he does so completely. We can add nothing to what Jesus has done. Nevertheless, the fact remains that every believer must lose his life as well. Don’t believe me? This is Jesus’ most common teaching. Consider the following verses:

Matthew 10:39. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of me will find it.

Matthew 16:25. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.

Mark 8:34b-35. If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and because of the gospel will save it.

And finally, the most shocking:

Luke 14:26. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

What does it mean that we must hate our own life, hate our parents, hate our wife, and hate our children? This sounds pretty bad. Quite clearly, Jesus does not mean hate in the emotional sense we employ today, but I do not want to downplay the demand made by Jesus. He says one must hate one’s life to the point of losing one’s life. Surely that must mean something important.

The best way to understand these statements is in covenantal terms. A covenant was an ancient form of treaty between nations or sometimes groups or individuals. Oftentimes this kind of treaty was between a suzerain and a vassal. (Both the terms suzerain and vassal are anachronistic. They come from medieval times. However, they are used by historians and theologians as useful terms to describe relationships even in more ancient times.) Covenants had their own type of language, just like modern contracts. For example, a modern contract has recitals, conditions, and promises. To break a contractual promise is called a breach. Covenants also had promises and responsibilities that the parties had to follow. However, if a party broke the covenant, that party was not said to have breached. That party was said to “hate” the covenant and the other party. To follow the covenant was called to “love” the covenant and the other party. In a covenantal context, love and hate are not emotional terms. They are terms of fidelity and obedience.

So, how are we to “hate” our lives and even the people closest to us? We “hate” them because they are not our highest allegiance. Our highest allegiance is not even ourselves. We follow God over all things. In a funny turn of events, what does God commands us to do towards everyone? To love them. This is one of the most profound Christian truths. We love people because our allegiance is not to them, but to God. This is why Christians love differently from the world. For example, Christians cannot love someone by affirming a lie or going along with something harmful that person desires, even if it hurts their feelings. Christians must engage in holy love. They must sacrifice for others within the confines of God’s goodness.