UNIONISTS

  • Home
  • Thoughts
  • Sounds
  • Sights
  • Gatherings
  • Evidence
    • From the Word
    • From Outside Sources
    • From Our Readers
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Thoughts
  • Sounds
  • Sights
  • Gatherings
  • Evidence
    • From the Word
    • From Outside Sources
    • From Our Readers
  • Contact

Jesus, both Judged and Worshipped

1/4/2016

3 Comments

 
The text for John 11:45-12:11 in the Phillips translation:
After this many of the Jews who had accompanied Mary and observed what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went off to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Consequently, the Pharisees and chief priests summoned the council and said, “What can we do? This man obviously shows many remarkable signs. If we let him go on doing this sort of thing we shall have everybody believing in him. Then we shall have the Romans coming and that will be the end of our holy place and our very existence as a nation.”

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, addressed the meeting: “You plainly don’t understand what is involved here. You do not realize that it would be a good thing for us if one man should die for the sake of the people — instead of the whole nation being destroyed.” (He did not make this remark on his own initiative but, since he was High Priest that year, he was in fact inspired to say that Jesus was going to die for the nation’s sake — and in fact not for that nation only, but to bring together into one family all the children of God scattered throughout the world.) From that day then, they planned to kill him. As a consequence Jesus made no further public appearance among the Jews but went away to the countryside on the edge of the desert, and stayed with his disciples in a town called Ephraim. The Jewish Passover was approaching and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem before the actual Passover, to go through a ceremonial cleansing. They were looking for Jesus there and kept saying to one another as they stood in the Temple, “What do you think? Surely he won’t come to the festival?”

It should be understood that the chief priests and the Pharisees had issued an order that anyone who knew of Jesus’ whereabouts should tell them, so they could arrest him.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the village of Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. They gave a supper for him there, and Martha waited on the party while Lazarus took his place at table with Jesus. Then Mary took a whole pound of very expensive perfume and anointed Jesus’ feet and then wiped them with her hair. The entire house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (the man who was going to betray Jesus), burst out, “Why on earth wasn’t this perfume sold? It’s worth thirty pounds, which could have been given to the poor!”

He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was dishonest, and when he was in charge of the purse used to help himself to the contents.

But Jesus replied to this outburst, “Let her alone, let her keep this for the day of my burial. You have the poor with you always — you will not always have me!”
​

The large crowd of Jews discovered that he was there and came to the scene—not only because of Jesus but to catch sight of Lazarus, the man whom he had raised from the dead. Then the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus as well, because he was the reason for many of the Jews’ going away and putting their faith in Jesus.
3 Comments
Steve Hickory
1/4/2016 14:48:46

Mary seemed to be emersed in God's will aka the Holy Spirit. She was preparing Jesus for his death. All "I" or self was gone and she did what God willed or desired. What a great example for us to emerse ourselves in His will by total confidence and belief in Jesus aka the Holy Spirit and God. Every day... every moment of our existence, and then our "I am" disappears and we become like Him. Only God can do that thank goodness.

Reply
Marvin Harrell
1/5/2016 05:58:12

I too am struck with Mary's "undignified" action. Driven by pure and reckless live she gave everything in that moment. I admire her bravery and devotion and think one day I too will graduate to that level of undignified devotion. I expect the scene in Acts 2 looked very much like this as well-a group of people do full of worship the onlookers accused them of being drunk! Such joy and devotion most certainly looks different for everyone, but I'm thinking of the overflow experience. Pour it all out is the only reasonable offering. May it be in my life!

Reply
stan andersen
1/5/2016 07:30:30

Hi, i am new to the class, i don't get to come often and i am one of the older guys but what i love about the class is the environment of you have that allows people to share their hearts. The young lady who stated that she often feels more like Judas or the fellow who's early teaching about Jesus seems to more of a stumbling block than a stepping stone, As they were talking my soul was leaping for they were wrestling within God not with God as Jacob and Zechariah - that can put you out of joint. Wrestling within of before God -- there is no safer place to be. What i see in those two struggling IN God is His inviting them further up and further in - into His Joy. Thank you all for sharing your hearts wedded to Jesus - isn't that what we see that is really going on in Acts, God Bless you

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Themes

    All
    Abiding
    At The Right Hand...
    The Cross
    The Father
    The Holy Spirit
    The Incarnation
    The Inheritance
    The Resurrection
    The Son
    The Way
    The Work Of The Gospel
    Unity In The Body
    Worship

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.