About This Message
Wednesday night Bible study walked John 12 verse by verse — the same chapter Pastor Roy Jones preached Sunday — the congregation reading and answering out loud. He opened by feeding off Sunday's word: Jesus refused to ask the Father to remove His purpose, because the purpose was the reason He came — and the strength to go through it is in the light. Then he gave the night its topic: a true follower of Jesus. Because, he said, everybody that's with you is not a true follower. Some people are constituents — with you for what they can get out of you — and when the benefit stops, they're gone. The session covered verses 1–37: the supper at Bethany, Mary and Judas at the same table, the plot against Lazarus, palm branches, the Greeks asking to see Jesus, the grain of wheat, and the voice from heaven.
The Word — John 12
1Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.
2There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.
3Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
John 12:1–3 (NKJV)
4But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said,
5“Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
6This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
7But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.
8For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
John 12:4–8 (NKJV)
5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5 (NKJV)
22Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matthew 7:22–23 (NKJV)
9Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
10But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also,
11because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
John 12:9–11 (NKJV)
16And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
John 10:16 (NKJV)
12The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
13took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”
14Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
15“Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
16His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.
John 12:12–16 (NKJV)
9“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9 (NKJV)
17Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.
18For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.
19The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”
John 12:17–19 (NKJV)
20Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.
21Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
22Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
23But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
24Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
John 12:20–24 (NKJV)
10Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
2 Corinthians 9:10 (NKJV)
25He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
27“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
28Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
John 12:25–28 (NKJV)
29Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
30Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.
31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
32And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
33This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
John 12:29–33 (NKJV)
34The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
35Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
36While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
37But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him,
John 12:34–37 (NKJV)
The Message in a Sentence
At one table in Bethany, two people showed the world what following really is. Mary took a pound of costly spikenard, poured it on Jesus's feet, and wiped them with her hair — celebrating Him for who He is. Judas, three and a half years of miracles deep, did the math on her worship and asked what it was worth in cash. Pastor Jones's word: everybody that's with you is not a true follower. A true follower follows without needing all the details, serves without complaining, dies to self like a grain of wheat in the ground, and stays with the purpose when his soul is troubled — because God doesn't only know your name from the womb; He knows you by the life you live.
The Arc of the Message
Opening — Feed Off Sunday, Then the Topic
He started where Sunday ended: "Should I ask God to remove this purpose from me? Nevertheless, this is the reason I have come." Why ask God to remove what you know He sent you for? Then to verses 34–36 for the frame: it's only daylight for a little while — draw nigh to the light while you have the light, do the things of the Father in the light, and you become sons of light, no longer sons of darkness. And then the topic, plainly: tonight, a true follower of Jesus. Because not everybody with you is one.
Development — The Table, the Question, the Seed, the Voice
Bethany's table holds both kinds of follower at once: Martha serving — this time without a complaint — Mary worshiping with everything she had, and Judas the treasurer-thief questioning the anointing because his hand couldn't reach the money. That raised the night's big question: God told Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you" — so how can Jesus say to some, "I never knew you"? The key word in both is know: known and ordained in the womb, but not known by a life of lawlessness. From there: Lazarus plotted against because his raised life was winning people; a King honored with palm branches, riding the colt the prophecy promised; Greeks asking for Jesus — the whole world going after Him, just as He'd said of His other sheep; the grain of wheat that must die to produce; and a soul troubled at the hardest assignment of all, answering "Father, glorify Your name" — and heaven answering back, while the crowd argued about whether it thundered.
Landing — Believe While You Have the Light
The night closed at verses 34–37. The crowd hid behind the law — "the Christ remains forever" — confused by a Son of Man who said He must be lifted up. Jesus doesn't argue. He gives them the light one more time: walk while you have it, believe in it while you have it. And John's verdict stands over the whole night: although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him. Judas walked with the Light for years and never believed. A true follower believes.
Key Points
In His Own Words
Illustrations From the Message
The Two Members and the Car
Pastor Jones told it from that same day. He called two members of the church out of the blue — true followers, he called them — and told them he'd need them to come pick up a car. It had nothing to do with pastoring; he gave them no reason, no back story, no long detail about why. They didn't ask what he'd need it picked up for, or what was going on. All they said was, "Okay, Pastor." Then, "Follow the instructions," and it was: amen, amen. He said it showed him their commitment to follow — they trusted that the one asking had a purpose behind it. And thank God, he said, this church has quite a few members just like that: call them, give the instruction, and they just say, "Amen, got it, Pastor. We'll make it happen."
The Seed in the Jar
Take a seed — a beautiful seed. Put it in a jar, put the covering on it, set it up on the shelf. It will sit there and be there forever — and as long as it's sitting in that jar, it's not going to produce anything. But take that same seed and plant it in the ground. It dies in the ground — and it produces a stalk. And the stalk produces leaves. And on it, many, many kernels. That's Jesus's own math for a follower's life: unless the grain falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. When you die to yourself — when you stop worrying about yourself and what people are going to say — you're finally able to help somebody else. God gives seed to the sower; the blessing you sow has a way of coming back.
SOIL — Go Deeper This Week
S — Scripture: Read John 12:24–26. What does the grain of wheat have to do — and what two promises does Jesus make to the one who serves Him and follows Him?
O — Observation: Put Mary (vv. 3–8) and Judas (vv. 4–6) side by side at the same table. What does each one do with what's in their hands? And what does Jesus say in defense of each scene?
I — Interpretation: Set Jeremiah 1:5 beside Matthew 7:22–23. God knew you before He formed you — yet some will hear, "I never knew you." Pastor Jones said the key word is know. What makes the difference?
L — Life application: Honest check: are you following Jesus, or are you a constituent — with Him for what you can get? Name one thing you would still do for the Lord if nobody ever thanked you, noticed you, or benefited you for it.
Dig a Little Deeper
1. Pastor Jones called two members who said "okay" before they knew a single detail. The last time God asked something of you, did you need the whole plan first? What does your answer say about your trust?
2. Judas saw the blind receive sight, the lame walk, and a dead man raised — for three and a half years — and never believed. What have you seen God do, up close, that you still haven't let change you?
3. The seed in the jar stays pretty and produces nothing. What's one thing in your life — your time, your money, your pride, your plans — that you're keeping in the jar instead of putting it in the ground?
This Week's Challenge
Follow one instruction from the Word this week without asking for the whole plan first — a plain "okay, Lord," and then obedience. And give the Lord one costly thing, Mary's way: not what's left over, and not while calculating what it might get you. Just worship.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, we don't want to be constituents — with You for what we can get out of You. Make us true followers. Forgive us for walking beside You without believing, and for the lives we've kept safe in the jar, producing nothing. Teach us to die to ourselves so other lives can grow. When our souls are troubled, keep us with our purpose — and let everything we do be for the Father's glory, not our own. While we have the light, help us believe in it, until we become sons and daughters of the light. In Your name, amen.