Devotions: John 12-14

Hi there! Here are my thoughts after reading a couple more chapters in John.

John 12: True Worship & Testimony

My first thought is about how I show gratitude. Mary was a perfect example for us to copy. For her family, Jesus had brought Lazarus back to life and probably did other things that we do not know. We do know that they were all close. Mary literally poured out her gratitude to Jesus by giving him an expensive and precious gift and by serving Jesus in one of the most humblest of ways- anointing his feet with oil using her “crown of glory”. Her actions remind me of Revelations 4 where it depicts rulers bowing before God and laying their crowns down to him. This was Mary’s way of laying down her crown and honoring Jesus. How do I honor Jesus? What is most precious and valuable to me? How can I lay it before Jesus to show that I am thankful he’s my God? How can I use it to honor him, in private and in public? These questions are worth asking to help bring us to a place of truly worshipping God.

My second thought is about Lazarus and bearing our cross when we follow Jesus. In verses 10, 17-19, we see that the miracle Lazarus experienced had compelled people to believe in Jesus, so much so that the Pharisees plotted to kill Lazarus too. Even the people that were afraid to publicly show their belief- privately believed that Jesus was Christ because Lazarus was a walking, living, breathing testimony of Jesus’ power. To follow Jesus, we must pick up our cross. Now what does that mean? Here, to me it means not being silent about the miracles God has done in my life- even if it would cost me my life, or in less dramatic circumstances, cost me my credibility. It means letting these miracles be the catalyst that makes people want to know more and hear more about Jesus. In the midst of ensuing chaos, Lazarus didn’t shy away from his connection with Jesus. There he was a living testimony, having a party and relaxing with Jesus. We should not shy away from Jesus too.

John 13: Clean Feet

I am intrigued by Jesus’ words: "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." (John‬ ‭13:10‬) How are you completely clean if your feet need to be washed? Peter wanted Jesus to wash his whole body, so that he could follow Jesus. Jesus replied, however, that it wasn’t necessary if you have already bathed. This makes me think about our great commission to go out into the world to spread the gospel of Jesus. Doing so may require us to enter unclean places or situations and step into the lives of people with unwashed robes in order to share the love of Jesus and his gospel of hope. We use our feet, as Eph. 6:15 says, to spread the gospel of peace. This passage reminds me that when we do this work, we must remember to ask Jesus to clean our feet so that we don’t let any uncleanliness seep into our hearts. As Jesus said, we are completely clean, but our feet need to be washed.

John 14: The Right Questions

I have a new appreciation for Thomas, the disciple. We all know him as “doubting Thomas”, yet he seemed to be a devoted disciple, ready to follow Jesus and willing to learn. A few chapters ago, Jesus announced he was leaving to see Lazarus- which would put Jesus in danger. Thomas was ready to endanger his own life too by following Jesus. Here, we see Thomas asking the right questions. Jesus is foretelling that he was leaving to go to the Father and talks about how we can reach the Father through him. Thomas essentially asks: 1) where are you going; and 2) how can we know the way in order to follow you? I try to place myself in this moment with Jesus and the disciples and it’s hard to grasp the gravity of what Jesus means- which is, he’s going to die and go to heaven. Thomas asked the questions that hold important answers for us after Jesus' death. 1) Our destination is to be with God; and 2) knowing Jesus is the only way to get to God. This is a wonderful and essential truth.