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Back in Bethany
2025 Theme: Faithfulness
Series Title: Trust the Plan
Scripture: John 12:1-11
April 6th, 2025

Something to think about:

We begin a new series today entitled “Trust the Plan.” As we come to another Easter season, our focus is on faithfulness through sacrifice. After having fled to Ephraim after raising His friend Lazarus from the grave, He returns for one last time before entering Jerusalem, where He knows He will die. Upon returning to Bethany, He comes to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus for a meal set in his honor. That evening, a great sacrifice is made that will bless Jesus, but shock others. Let’s take a closer look:

Key Point: “A traitor focuses on self-survival; a servant focuses on self-sacrifice.”

Let’s consider the main characters of this narrative:

· ______________:

John 12:3 (NLT), Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

· ______________:

John 12:4-6 (NLT), 4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

· ______________:

John 12:7-8 (NLT), 7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

· The ______________ ______________:

John 12:9-11 (NLT), 9 When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

Something to take home:

Author Jon Bloom suggests that,

“Judas and Mary are contrasts in treasuring. Both pursued the treasure they believed would make them happy. To Mary, Jesus was the priceless Pearl, which she loved more than anything, and she spent what was likely her greatest earthly possession to honor him. To Judas, thirty pieces of silver was a fair price for the Pearl.

“Judas’s sin wasn’t that he was hunting happiness. His sin was believing that having money would make him happier than having Christ.
“O Judas, the tragedy of your value miscalculation! The Pearl, worth more than the entire universe, sat in front of you, and all you could see were perfume puddles. You grieved the squandering of a year’s wages while you squandered infinite, eternal treasure!”

What are you willing to give to honor Christ in your life? Are you like Mary or Judas, or are you like the religious leaders, so filled with hatred that you will take down anyone who gets in your way?

Read John 12:1-11.

Just weeks before this, Jesus had traveled to Bethany to raise His friend Lazarus from the grave. Now Jesus is back in Bethany as He and the disciples are traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of Unleavened Bread and the Passover Feast.What do you think the atmosphere in the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus was like when Jesus came back into town?

While in their home, Mary took about a pound of expensive perfume and anointed us’ feet with, anointed His feet with her hair.How would you have reacted if you had witnessed this that evening?

Judas Iscariot was irritated by this spectacle because he thought it should have been sold and the proceeds should have been given to the poor.However, Judas' motives were anything but pure.What was he really frustrated about?

Jesus defended Mary’s actions by pointing out that she was preparing Him for burial.He also responded, saying that the poor will always be among them, but that He will not always be with them.Was Jesus diminishing the needs of the impoverished?Why or why not?

When the leading priests learned of the people flocking to see Jesus and Lazarus in Bethany, they decided to kill Lazarus too.Why were they so intent on killing Jesus and Lazarus?What happens when people align themselves with Jesus today?

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