When John 12 opens, Jesus and his disciples are at Bethany, the hometown of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. Jesus is among His favorite people. Earlier in John 11:3, Mary and Martha in sending a message to Jesus refer to Lazarus as “he whom thou lovest.” Jesus, then, is enjoying good company.

Jesus is also enjoying good food. John 12:2 tells us that they made a supper for Him, and Martha served. We know that Martha was meticulous about her serving (Lk. 10:40-41), so this supper would likely be very nice.

Jesus also enjoyed a great gift from Mary. While others ate or served, Mary decided to devote a precious “pound of ointment” to Jesus (John 12:3). The ointment was called spikenard. Spikenard came from a plant called a nard. It was very expensive because it was imported from India, and it had a wonderful fragrance that Solomon praised (Song 1:12; 4:13-14). Thus, Jesus is enjoying good company, good food, and the wonderful aroma of being anointed with this precious ointment.

But leave it to a faultfinder to spoil this supper. It is an odd and aggravating truth that many times instead of enjoying good moments, there comes a faultfinder who cannot enjoy the moment nor allow others to. Judas Iscariot plays this part here. He finds fault with Mary over what he perceives to be poor judgment when he is the one “which should betray him” (John 12:4). Judas accuses Mary of wasting, saying that this ointment could be sold for 300 pence and given to the poor. But the record clarifies that Judas did not care about the poor (John 12:6). This concern for the poor was a smokescreen for his true motive: sinister thievery.

Judas “had the bag,” that is, he was the one responsible for the money bag for the disciples. Though he was treasurer of the little band of disciples, he was a thief and he “bare what was put therein” (John 12:6). “Bare” is from a Greek word with a double meaning, not unlike the English word “lift.” It signifies “to carry,” but it may also mean “to carry away” or pilfer as in the English word “shoplift.” “Bare” means that he repeatedly “lifted” from the bag and that is why he wanted more money in there. Judas was the one with the problem. This avarice eventually grew in his heart until it caused him to betray the Lord for thirty pieces of silver (Mt. 26:15).

Yet, Judas is the one criticizing Mary over a matter of judgment. He wants to tell her what to do in a matter of opinion, when he is wrong in a moral matter. Really, it was up to Mary to decide what she wanted to do with the expensive ointment; however, when somebody is really guilty, that person often is quick to jump on others, criticizing others over minor issues.

Jesus then defends Mary, saying, “Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this” (John 12:7). Mary did it as an act of respect for Jesus. The disciples, some of whom joined in with Judas in criticizing (Mt. 26:8; Mk. 14:4), would after Jesus’ death want to show respect to Him in a similar fashion as Mary had. Jesus then said, “For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.” In saying this, Jesus taught that the poor do not suffer because of the lack of money in the hands of others but from lack of love in their hearts. This entire ordeal showed a lack of love in the disciples’ hearts, particularly Judas’. Because he was guilty, he decided to make others feel bad by undue criticism, thus, spoiling this wonderful supper. Don’t spoil your supper. Get guilt out of your heart by repentance and let love in. Instead of looking for a fault in every situation, look for something to praise.

-Mark Day

No one with a modicum of awareness will deny that racism—the inclination to judge a person solely on the basis of his skin pigmentation or ethnic background—has been a human problem for centuries.

Paul addressed this problem before the haughty Greeks in Athens; there he affirmed that:
“God made of [out of] one [masculine – one man, an allusion to Adam] all men to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26).

This concept ran counter to the ancient Greek notion that they were superior to others. Many have been racist out of ignorance or weakness. Others, with a more ingrained disposition, have sought to defend it.

Many past advocates of evolution were racist to the core. Charles Darwin’s, The Origin of Species (1859) was even subtitled “The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life.” The notion of a “superior race” that later was argued by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) and so brutally implemented by Adolf Hitler clearly had Darwinian roots.

But many religionists — of all ethnic backgrounds — have been racist as well. There are, of course, black militant groups that are intensely racist also, as indeed there are racists in all ethnic segments of humanity. Jesus, in his parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), renders a death-blow to racist ideas.

Why racism is morally wrong
Racism is morally wrong for the following reasons:
1. It denies the basic unity of the human family as the offspring of God. Adam and Eve are the grandparents of us all (Genesis 3:20).
2. The denigration of any human being, made in the image of God, is an assault upon the Creator himself (cf. Genesis 9:6).
3. Since Christ died for all people (1 Timothy 2:5-6), any attempt to castigate a segment of humanity, suggesting its unworthiness, reflects upon the Savior’s sacrifice.
4. Racism militates against one intended design of Jesus’ mission — to eradicate all ethnic barriers (Galatians 3:28).
May God help us be more like the little boy who, returning from his first day at school, joyfully told his mother, “Mamma, I’ve found a new friend.” “What color was he?” she inquired. His pure response was, “I forgot to ask.”

-by Wayne Jackson
–submitted by Jerry Sturgill

As the winter season waxes upon us, we find ourselves in situations that can bring us despair. In this time, harsh weather and shortened sunlight are combined with increased sickness and the stresses of events with family, who bring us manifold joys but also multiple heartaches. The great prophet Elijah comes to mind when these circumstances of the wintertime are considered.
 
Elijah became pitiable and despondent on the heels of experiencing great triumphs in his life. By his word to God, the rain stopped for over three years and returned (1 Kings 17:1; 18:1). During the drought, he had received bread and flesh from ravens sent from God (1 Kings 17:6). God worked through him to make food for one meal last for several days to feed him and a widow and her son (1 Kings 17:14-16). God even used Elijah to restore the widow’s son back to life (1 Kings 17:20-22). And who could forget one of the greatest peaks of Elijah’s career as a man of God, his contest on Mt. Carmel with the 450 false prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18? God sent fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice, proving Elijah to be a true man of the true God (1 Kings 18:36).
 
However, gloom came upon Elijah almost as suddenly as God’s fire came upon his sacrifice. Jezebel sought his life so that he fled and, “sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers (1 Kings 19:4). Elijah is exhausted, he feels he has had enough, and all he wants to do is stay secluded in a dark cave (1 Kings 19:9). He feels alone: that no one understands him, and that he is the only one who wants to serve the Lord (1 Kings 19:10).
 
What the Lord tells Elijah is good advice to keep in mind for all of us as we experience the blues of the cold season. First, God tells Elijah to get up and eat (1 Kings 19:7). This does not mean that we should consume all the sweets available during this time of year. One of my problems when I am feeling down is that I have not eaten good, nourishing food and that I have filled up on simple sugars that have caused me to crash. So remember the right kind of food, even if you do not have an appetite, can help. Second, God spoke to Elijah so that he would not be entirely alone for a long period in a dark cave (1 Kings 19:9). Communicating with others instead of hiding from the world is important to our health. Third, Elijah’s focus is shifted from himself to the great power and presence of God in his life (1 Kings 19:11-13). Though God is not speaking to us directly today, we can focus on the great good God has accomplished in our lives. Finally, God gave Elijah a task so that he would forget himself and get busy rendering his service to others (1 Kings 19:14-16). Instead of paddling about in a pool of self-pity, it is good for us to focus on serving others, helping them with their problems, and training them in the Lord.
 
Elijah went on to be a beloved mentor of Elisha, just as God had instructed him (1 Kings 19:16, 19). Just as the new year on the horizon will soon come with new life, soon dark days will be over and we can continue with renewed vigor the work God has for us. Soon we will be called up to be with Him in heaven, where we will be in a place of eternal light (Rev. 22:5) and no more tears (Rev. 21:4), leaving our work on earth to others, as Elijah did (2 Kings 2:1-15).
 
–Mark Day