Jesus, the Greeks, and the Pharisees Chapters 5.4-5.5 John 12

Who Were the Greeks? (12:20-22) While Jesus was in the temple, a group of Greeks came to Philip seeking Christ. These men were Gentile converts to Judaism, so while they were at Passover, they wanted to meet the man who was supposed to be the Jewish Messiah. “The hour has come…”- These guys were the “first fruits” of millions of Gentiles who would seek Jesus throughout the centuries because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Jesus’ Purpose (12:23-26) Jesus came to die, and through his death, give life to all mankind. Example: wheat stalk or ear of corn. How many plants are produced when one of these dies? This idea made no sense to the Jews, because the Messiah was not supposed to die, according to their beliefs. Through his death Jesus accomplished 3 purposes: 1. Gave light (understanding) to men. 2. Saved the world from sin. 3. Obeyed the Father perfectly.

The People’s Response The people there responded to Jesus’ teachings in 2 ways: 1. Unbelief. John quotes Isaiah here (53:1 & 6:10). Although Jesus had performed many miracles, the people still chose not to believe. So God blinded them from the truth (Roman 1:18-32) 2. Belief without confession. Believing without confessing does not result in true salvation! We must not only believe in Jesus, but confess him before others! (Rom. 10:9-10; Matt. 10:32-33)

Tuesday: Christ is Questioned On Monday, Jesus met with the Greeks. After that he left Jerusalem, and went somewhere (we don’t know where) to get some sleep. On Tuesday, a lot happened. Most of the day was spent in conflict with the Pharisees. They asked him 4 main questions: 1. Q: By what power do you do these things? A: Was John’s baptism from heaven, or of men? (Pharisees refused to answer, so Jesus refused to answer them.)

Christ is Questioned (cont.) 2. Q: Should we pay taxes to Caesar? A: Whose picture is on the coin? Give material things to Caesar and spiritual things to God. 3. Q: If a woman’s husband dies and then remarries, whose wife will she be in the Resurrection? A: That Age is not like this Age. There is no marriage or death in the Resurrection. 4. Q: Which is the most important commandment? A: Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Jesus Asks a Question Q: How can the Messiah be the son of David when David called Him his Lord? A: Silence...(they had no answer) Jesus publicly embarrassed the Pharisees, and then proceeded to denounce them in front of the entire crowd. He called them: hypocrites, blind guides, fools, white-washed tombs, murderers, serpents/vipers. This was the final straw for the Pharisees. By Wednesday, Jesus would be arrested, beaten, & killed.

Tuesday Night: Jesus at Simon’s House After his conflict with the Pharisees, Jesus headed back to Bethany, this time to eat dinner at Simon’s house (Simon was a leper, who Jesus probably healed). During dinner, it was typical for the woman of the house to walk around the table and wash the feet of her visitors. The unusual event at this dinner was that Mary used incredibly expensive ointment on Jesus’ feet. And not just some, but all of it. This made Judas furious; his greed was showing through again. He wanted to sell the ointment to make money for himself.

3 Lessons Mary: Showed us what it really looks like to love Jesus. She sacrificed her most expensive possession to serve him. We must be willing to do the same! Judas: Showed us what fake Christians look like. Judas only used Jesus to gain more wealth from him. We cannot treat God like a ticket to money, power, popularity, and blessing. Jesus: Shows us that we cannot hide our true selves from God. Jesus knew Mary’s and Judas’ real motivations. And he knows our motivations as well.