Teen Life Application Study Bible - Gospel of John - Flipbook - Page 21
JOHN 12
1164
53
So from that time on, the Jewish leaders
began to plot Jesus’ death. 54As a result, Jesus
stopped his public ministry among the people
and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near
the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and
stayed there with his disciples.
55
It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all
over the country arrived in Jerusalem several
days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began.
56
They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood
around in the Temple, they said to each other,
“What do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will he?” 57Meanwhile, the leading priests
and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so
they could arrest him.
12
JESUS ANOINTED AT BETHANY Six
days before the Passover celebration
began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home
of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the
MARY &
MARTHA
dead. 2A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor.
Martha served, and Lazarus was among those
who ate* with him. 3Then Mary took a twelveounce 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.
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.” 6Not 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.
7
Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this
in preparation for my burial. 8You will always
have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
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.
12:2 Or who reclined. 12:3 Greek took 1 litra [327 grams].
12:5 Greek worth 300 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a
laborer’s full day’s wage. 12:9 Greek Jewish people; also in 12:11.
PERSONALITY PROFILE
ARE YOU THE KIND OF PERSON who loves to have people hang out at your
house? Hospitality is an art. Making sure a guest is welcomed and well
fed requires creativity, organization, and teamwork. Mary and Martha’s
ability to accomplish these makes them the best sister hospitality team in
the Bible.
For Mary, hospitality meant giving more attention to the guest himself
than to his needs. She was more interested in her guest’s words than in
how clean her house was or what time dinner was served. She let her sister
Martha take care of those details. Mary was mainly a “responder.” She prepared little, but participated a lot.
Unlike her sister, Martha worried about details. She wished to please, to
serve, to do the right thing. Perhaps she was the oldest and felt responsible.
So, she tried too hard to have everything perfect. Mary’s lack of cooperation
bothered Martha so much that she finally asked Jesus to tell Mary to help.
Jesus gently pointed out that Mary was actually doing her part.
Each sister had her own lesson to learn. Mary needed to learn that action
often is appropriate and necessary. The fact that she later anointed Jesus’
feet (John 12:2-8) shows that she probably learned that lesson.
Martha learned that obedient service often goes unnoticed. The last time
she appears in the Gospels she is again serving a meal to Jesus and the disciples—this time without complaint (John 12:2).
There may be times when you feel like Mary or Martha. How will you
determine the “one thing worth being concerned about” (serving others or
spending time with Jesus)?
BOTTOM LINE: Getting caught up in details can make us forget the main
reasons for our actions.
There is a proper time to listen to Jesus and a proper time to work for him.
Mary and Martha’s story is told in Luke 10:38-42 and John 11:1–12:8.
UPS:
• Known for their hospitality
• Friends of Jesus
• Had a strong desire to do
everything right (Martha)
• Had a deep concern for
people’s feelings (Mary)
DOWNS:
• Expected others to
agree with her priorities
(Martha)
• Overly concerned with
details (Martha)
• Tended toward self-pity
when her efforts were not
recognized (Martha)
• Allowed others to do the
work (Mary)
• Tended to respond, rather
than prepare (Mary)
STATS:
• Where: Bethany
• Relative: Lazarus (brother)
KEY VERSE: Luke 10:40
