¹ Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. ³ Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ⁵ “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” ⁶ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. ⁷ Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸ For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

Reflection Questions

John 12:1-8
“Spices and ointments were quite costly because they had to be imported. Frequently they were used as an investment because they occupied a small space, were portable, and were easily negotiable in the open market. Mary’s offering was valued at three hundred denarii (v. 5) approximately a year’s wages for an ordinary workingman. Perhaps it represented her life savings. […] Wiping his feet with her hair was a gesture of utmost devotion and reverence. The penetrative fragrance of the ointment that filled the house told all present of her sacrificial gift.”
• Reflect on Mary’s outpouring of this expensive perfume. Why was this appropriate in light of what Jesus was about to do (vv. 23-24)?

• What fundamental difference between Mary and Judas was revealed by his objection to what she did?

• With whom can I identify more?

• Think about the progression of Judas’ actions–“used to help himself” to the communal money to “was about to betray [Jesus].”

• How might things have changed for Judas if he had been honest about what was going on in his heart?

John 12:5-6
• Judas expressed outrage by pretending to care for the poor. Are there some ways in which I use similar means to hide what is really going on in my heart?

⁴⁵ Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, ⁴⁶ but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. ⁵⁰ Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” ⁵¹ He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,⁵² and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³ So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

⁵⁴ Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.

⁵⁵ Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. ⁵⁶ They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” ⁵⁷ Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

Reflection Questions

John 11:45-53
• What were the two responses of those who witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead?

• How was it possible for two groups of people to see the same thing and respond in such drastically different ways?

• What was the real motivation behind the chief priests’ and the Pharisees’ opposition to Jesus (v.48)?

• To what extent is it still true to this day that people resist Jesus mainly because he threatens their autonomy and security?

John 11:49-52
• Although he would probably give a different meaning to his words, Caiaphas, “who was high priest that year,” unwittingly prophesied that Jesus “would die for the nation.” What can I learn about how God works from the fact that he was faithful to the office of high priest till the end, although Caiaphas was faithless?

³⁸ Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” ⁴⁴ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Reflection Questions

John 11:39-41
• Think about Martha’s response. Is it understandable? What perspective does her response represent?

• In what ways am I like Martha in how I think about what God can do in my life or in the lives of others?

• Jesus, who has the power to raise the dead, asked the people gathered there to “take away the stone.” What is the lesson behind this?

John 11:43-44
• What were the two things Jesus commanded, first to Lazarus and then to the others?

• How have I responded to both commands to “come out” and be “unbound”?

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

Reflection Questions

John 11:25 Ÿ
• Reflect on Jesus’ statement in v. 25. How does my life reflect my belief that Jesus is “the resurrection and the life”? How is my life different from those who do not have this faith?

John 11:33-36 Ÿ
• How did Jesus react when he saw Mary and the Jews weeping for Lazarus? Ÿ

• Considering that Jesus already knew he would raise Lazarus from the dead (v. 11), what explains Jesus’ reaction? Ÿ

• What false notion of God does v. 35 challenge? Ÿ

• Are there times when I am doubtful of God’s ability to sympathize or understand? What should be the ultimate proof of God’s love for me during those times?

1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Reflection Questions

John 11:1-6 Ÿ
• What are some ways in which God has redeemed painful experiences in my life “for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through [them]”? Ÿ

• Are there any seemingly hopeless situations in my life through which Jesus may be glorified?

John 11:14-15 Ÿ
• Jesus said he was glad at how events turned out “so that you may believe.” Considering the fact that these were his disciples who had followed him all along, and already believed in Jesus, what can we learn about the nature of believing?

John 11:8, 12 & 16 Ÿ
• The disciples seemed preoccupied with safety concerns (v. 8), and then misunderstood Jesus (v. 12) and the situation (v. 16). Think about the role of fear in affecting people’s perception of reality or in hearing God’s word accurately. What are some fears that may be having a similar effect on my life right now?

31The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42And many believed in him there.

Reflection Questions

John 10:31-42 Ÿ
• Jesus’ “many good works” were met with acceptance, while his claim to “make [himself] God” elicited a violent response. In what ways does this parallel people’s responses to Jesus today? Ÿ

• Contrast the people’s response in vs. 41-42 to the response of the Jews. Ÿ

• What is behind this desire to separate Jesus’ good works and his claims about who he is? Ÿ

• How clear am I that the most important thing about Jesus is who he claims to be? Ÿ

• Are there some ways that I, too, want to separate aspects of Jesus that are widely accepted (his kindness, high ethics, etc.) from his claims to divinity?

22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Reflection Questions

John 10:22-24
“The Feast of Dedication, now known as Hanukkah, was established as a memorial to the purification and rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus, [who successfully led a revolt against foreign occupying forces and who therefore was regarded as a Messianic figure].”

• Given that this happened during the Feast of Dedication, what might have motivated the Jews to ask the question about Jesus’ identity? Ÿ

• Why would approaching Jesus as a potential political deliverer from the Roman occupiers eventually lead to anger and rejection?

• How does this dynamic play out in people’s approach toward God in our day?

John 10:27-29 Ÿ
• What are the characteristics of Jesus’ sheep? Ÿ

• How do Jesus’ words “no one will snatch them out of my hand” encourage me in my struggles today?

10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

19There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Reflection Questions

John 10:10-15 Ÿ
• “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” Who or what might be “thieves” in our day? Ÿ

• Reflect on the words that describe why Jesus came. In what ways does the gospel lead to an “abundant life”?

John 10:10-11, 14-15 Ÿ
• What are the characteristics of a good shepherd vs. a hired hand? Ÿ

• Reflect on the fact that, as the good shepherd, Jesus has ownership over my life. To what extent have I yielded to his claim on my life?

John 10:17-18 Ÿ
• Reflect on vs. 18 and what this means for me personally.

1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Reflection Questions

John 10:3-5
• Reflect on the words “the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” To what extent does this characterize my relationship with Jesus?

• Am I heeding other voices that are muffling Jesus’ voice in my life?

John 10:7-10
“The sudden shift of metaphor from shepherd to gate seems rather strange to us, but in reality it is not. When the sheep returned to the fold at night after a day of grazing, the shepherd stood in the doorway of the pen and inspected each one as it entered. … After all the sheep had been counted and brought into the pen, the shepherd lay down across the doorway so that no intruder—man or beast—could enter without his knowledge. The shepherd became the door. The emphatic singular pronoun ‘I’ (ego) emphasizes that the shepherd is the sole determiner of who enters the fold and who is excluded. It parallels the later statement: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6).”

• The thief represented “all who came before” (v. 8) who claimed some authority to guide the sheep. What modern-day sources of authority tell people how to live and where to find pasture? In what ways is it accurate that the end result of such thieves’ voices is to “steal and kill and destroy” people’s lives?

• What would it look like for a Christian to allow Jesus to be the exclusive “door” for his life to keep “thieves and robbers” out?