Reflection on John 12: "Following Jesus in the Light"
John 12 presents a powerful contrast between different responses to Jesus. Some worship Him, some follow Him, and some reject Him.
The chapter begins with Mary anointing Jesus' feet with expensive perfume (John 12:1-8). While others saw the perfume as a waste, Mary saw Jesus as worthy of her very best. Her act was one of love, gratitude, and worship.
In contrast, Judas criticized Mary's gift. He argued that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor. However, John tells us that Judas was not truly concerned about the poor; he was stealing from the disciples' money bag (John 12:6). Judas teaches us an important lesson: it is possible to be physically close to Jesus while having a heart far from Him. He was one of the Twelve, witnessed miracles, heard Jesus' teachings, and yet greed slowly took hold of his heart.
Judas reminds us that the greatest danger to our faith is not always open rebellion against God. Sometimes it is allowing hidden sins, selfish ambitions, or love of money to grow unchecked. While Mary surrendered something valuable because she loved Jesus, Judas wanted to hold on to what he valued more than Jesus. Their lives ask us a challenging question: What do we treasure most?
Later, Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey (John 12:12-19), showing that God's kingdom is built on humility rather than earthly power. He then speaks of a grain of wheat that must fall into the ground and die to bear much fruit (John 12:24). Jesus is describing His own sacrifice and the call of every disciple to surrender their lives to God.
Finally, Jesus urges the people to walk in the light while the light is with them (John 12:35-36). Throughout the chapter, we see examples of those who choose the light and those who turn away from it. Mary walked in the light through worship and devotion. Judas chose darkness by allowing greed to control his heart.
Lesson
John 12 invites us to decide what kind of followers we will be. Will we be like Mary, offering Jesus our best? Or will we be like Judas, staying close to Jesus outwardly while clinging to things that pull our hearts away from Him?
Join us this Wednesday at 5:00 PM for Bible Study as we dive deeper into John 12 and discover what it means to truly follow Jesus. Everyone is welcome!
