Honored – John 12:1-3

• Q. What are significant events or seasons for believers? 
  
  • Discuss. 
  • Christmas, Easter, Baptisms, Potluck Dinner, etc.
  • For Jews the Passover was extremely important. Here we see Jesus travel to Bethany (not far from Jerusalem) in preparation for the Passover celebration. 
• Q. What do you think the atmosphere was like at this dinner? 
  
  • Give time to answer. 
  • Celebratory, laughter, amazement, etc. Jesus had raised a man from the dead.
• Q. What stands out to you about Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with perfume? 
  
  • Discuss. 
  • The cost: She didn’t use a small amount. Her abundant gratitude and love for Jesus is demonstrated by the great value of the perfume used. 
  • The feet: The parallel passage in Mark 14:3 indicates that Mary also anointed Jesus’s head which would match the Jewish burial practices. Furthermore, this passage foreshadows what Jesus will say in John 13 about serving others as He washed the disciples’ feet. 
  • The hair: This act seems odd to us and even more so in her culture as women did not let down their hair in public. What we see here is that Mary was unconcerned with decorum and demonstrated grateful love for Jesus with her actions. (Keep in mind that washing feed was a lowly task often reserved for slaves). 
• Q. In what ways can we as believers honor Jesus? 
  
  • Give time to answer
  • Obedience – Jn 14:15 
  • Humility – Phil 2:3-5, Jn 13:34-35
  • In every aspect of our life – Rom 12:1-2

Questioned – John 12:4-8

• Q. How would you describe and contrast the actions of Judas to those of Mary? What words would you use for each? 
  
  • Discuss
  • Judas: Greed, selfishness, deceit
  • Mary: Generosity, selflessness, devotion
• Q. What can we learn about man/humanity form Judas? 
  
  • Give time to answer. 
  • Greed and selfishness are deadly sins. 
  • Greed can be hidden behind reasonable sounding arguments. 
  • Not everyone is who they claim to be. This disciple of Jesus was not truly following Him or His teaching. 
• Q. How do we reconcile Judas’s being involved in ministry as a disciple with his betrayal that led to Jesus being arrested? 
  
  • Discuss. 
  • Matt. 7:21-23 – “Not everyone …”
  • 1 Sam 16:7 – God looks at the heart, we can only see what is visible. 
  • Phil 1:17-18 – God can use wrong motives.
  • Ps 139:23-24 – We need to ask God to search our hearts and lead us in the right direction. We need to evaluate our own heart and intentions. We aren’t a Christian because we simply go to church. 

Division – John 12:9-11

• Q. What stands out to you about the actions of the religious leaders and the chief priests? 
  
  • Give time to answer. 
  • People like to keep their authority and power. 
  • People can block out anything doesn’t fit into their reality. 
  • Their decision to kill Jesus made it easier to kill again. 
• Q. How can your testimony point others toward Jesus? 
  
  • Discuss. 
  • Your testimony obviously won’t include a story of being raised from the dead, but it does include how Jesus gave you a new life. The transforming power of Christ in your life points people to Him. 
• Q. What can you do to prepare for opposition you might face? 
  
  • Give time to answer.
  • Determine in your heart to honor God no matter what. Daniel 1:8 shows us how important it is to stand firm on God’s word no matter the opposition.