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The Good Shepherd
Knowing others and understanding them is very difficult. Many times, we live our lives, not knowing how others feel. We say things without thinking what they may feel. We do things without understanding how they may affect them. We are so indifferent that we don’t care at all about others.
When the world becomes like that, there will be many people who feel very lonely and isolated. We will live in a fragmented and disjointed society.
Feeling understood is a very important part of a good life. Our God whom Jesus introduced to us is very intimate God who knows us and understands us.
Jesus said,
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. (John 10:14,15)
God knows about us even in such a detail like how many hairs we have on our head.
But even the hairs of your head are all counted. (Luke 12:7)
Intimate God wasn’t Jesus’ unique idea. Prophets also knew very intimate God. Jesus continued the prophetic tradition.
God said to the prophet Jeremiah,
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you… (Jeremiah 1:5)
God knows our wishes and dreams, our troubles, our sorrows, our disappointments, and our shortcomings. God knows what we are insecure about and what we fear. God knows how we feel.
Jesus had this tremendous knowledge about people. He knew what they were thinking and what they were feeling.
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman, he knew exactly what her problem was, what she was going through, and what she needed. What she needed was water and Jesus talked to her about the living water.
Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. (John 4:13, 14)
When he mentioned her secret of having had five husbands, she let her guard down and started talking with Jesus. What we read in today’s story was not about how expensive the perfume was. It was not about her sacrifice. It was about how well Mary also knew about Jesus. She knew exactly what Jesus was going through. She knew exactly what Jesus needed. She had the powerful insight about Jesus and what was going on in his life. Let me tell you a little bit of background of this story.
The passage begins with this.
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. (John 12:1)
When you read chapter 11, you will see the story of Jesus raising the dead Lazarus. In today’s passage, they all gathered together to celebrate the life of Lazarus who was raised from the dead. It was a big deal. It was not a funeral reception. It was a party for coming to life from the dead. Raising Lazarus created a great commotion. So many people heard about this news. So they came to see, not only Jesus but also Lazarus who came to life.
When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. (John 12:9)
So the mood was celebratory. No one was thinking about death. Everyone was thinking about life. No one was thinking about the consequence of raising Lazarus. To them, it was just a fantastic miracle. Raising the dead man? What can be more sensational than this?
But not to Jesus. Jesus was thinking about the consequence of raising Lazarus. Jesus knew that raising Lazarus would create commotion and more people would follow Jesus. This would bring a greater threat to the religious leaders.
Jesus’ Hour
That was exactly what happened right after Jesus raised Lazarus. Many people came and were totally shocked pleasantly but the leaders weren’t very happy. They didn’t know what to do with Jesus.
So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, ‘What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.’ (John 11:47, 48)
So what did they decide? They decided to kill Jesus. Not only Jesus, but also Lazarus.
So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus(John 12:10, 11)
This was the reason why Jesus could not simply enjoy the party.
In John, you hear Jesus saying this many times. My hour has not yet come, my hour has not yet come… When did Jesus say that his hour came? Right after raising Lazarus.
Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:23-25)
Raising Lazarus meant that his time came. Time to really confront the religious leaders. Time to die. By raising Lazarus, he invited death to himself.
Right after he said his hour came, he confessed his struggle.
Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour?” No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. (John 12:27)
Mary’s Love
All these things were going on in Jesus’ mind. Jesus’ heart was heavy. But nobody knew what Jesus was thinking and what he was going through in his mind. Nobody understood him.
But Mary did. How? I don’t know. She knew something very serious was happening.
Something prompted her to take out her most precious thing. It wasn’t planned. But she felt compelled to do that. She didn’t have much. But she had this very expensive perfume. It was worth one year’s wage of a labourer. So it was about $40-50,000. It was very expensive.
She poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair. It wasn’t necessarily a beautiful scene. It was a very uncomfortable scene. Finally, Judas couldn’t stand it any more. So he blurted out, “Why this waste?” There was nothing wrong with what he said. But one thing that he didn’t know. He didn’t know what Jesus was going through and what Jesus needed.
Jesus interrupted Judas and said,
Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. (John 12:7)
She knew what was going on in Jesus because she truly loved him. KNOWING SOMEBODY IS NOT A SKILL. IT COMES FROM LOVING THAT PERSON.
Wisdom that Comes From Love
When we don’t have love, we can never know and understand what others are going through. When we don’t have love, we become blinded. We don’t know others, we don’t know God, and we don’t even know ourselves.
What God wants from us is not what we do for him. He doesn’t need anything. He has everything.
That was what God said.
What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt-offerings of rams
and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats. (Isaiah 1:11)
What God wants from us is for us to know him and understand him.
That was what Hosea said,
Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord;
his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
like the spring rains that water the earth. (Hosea 6:3)
God doesn’t want our sacrifice. God wants us to love him and know him.
God expressed what he desired through Hosea,
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings. (Hosea 6:6)
How can we develop the ability to know others? Love them. Then you will know them.
When somebody feels heard, known, and understood because of you, you give the best gift for that person. Sometimes, after the funeral sermon, either in the eulogy or after the service, they say “exactly”. They show their appreciation that I understood the person who was deceased. That is the greatest compliment for me.
Understanding somebody is hard. But if we have love, we will get better at it. We will get to know them and get to know God.
What we need is the heart of love. Then, we can do beautiful things like what Mary did. We can do so much good to others because we would understand them. This kind of wisdom comes from love.
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