Scripture: Philippians 3:4-14; John12:1-8
As we read through Paul’s letter to the church in
Philippi, we discover that it is primarily a letter of encouragement and an
expression of love and joy at their obvious growth in faith and service in the
name of Jesus Christ. This isn’t to say,
however, that their faith is all that it should be, or that they have arrived
at perfection. But that, as John Wesley
might have commended them, their steps in faith are leading them ever higher in
their journey of “going on to perfection”.
And even while Paul languishes in a Roman prison, he
is still thinking of and preparing to provide for the welfare of this
church. Earlier in this letter, he lets
the Philippians know that Timothy, who he holds in a very high regard, will be
coming to them soon to serve as their pastor.
And he offers them his personal testimony as a means of encouraging them
as an example of what true faith does for our life.
Read Philippians 3:4-14
In the lead in to this reading, Paul tells the
church that those who are the true faithful are those who worship in the
Spirit, and who see circumcision as a spiritual measure, not a physical
one. In his letter to the Romans, Paul
writes that God has no need for circumcision of the flesh, but rather for an
inward one of the heart that can only be accomplished by the Spirit of God. (Romans 2:28-29 and Jeremiah 4:4)
As he continues in his letter, he begins to show
just how much he has had to give up so that he can follow in the way of
Jesus. But he also admits that those
things that he had previously depended on and rejoiced in were worthless, now
that he has put his life in the glory and love of Christ. He used to trust in all that the world was
impressed by, but now all of that has become useless to him. And he suggests that the church should learn
from his example – that they should never give the desires and ways of the
world any importance or prominence in their life. He wants that we should just lean on the Lord
Jesus, who sees us and loves us in a totally different way than the world does.
Interestingly, the only items in his entire list of
prestigious advantages that he gained through his own decisions were his
obedience to the law and the honors that he received for being faithful to
them. But he had now come to the
realization that obedience to Jesus was far more important for both this life
as well as for the life that is to come.
He offers the concept of profit and loss as an example – that he now know
that everything that was formerly to his “profit”, was all a lie. For now the only profit that can mean
anything to him comes in knowing the greatness that resides in his Lord Jesus
Christ. Everything else is nothing more
than “trash”!
We also need to grow in trust and obedience to that
very attitude! Any time that we put our
dependency in some belief or aspect of worldly glory, we are beginning
to walk further and further away from the glory of God! Prestige in our human positions, the benefits
that come from personal wealth, the honors that others heap upon us, the
achievements, opportunities, and advantages that are gained through our own
human efforts, any of the worldly attributes of this life, that others may see
and desire for their own life – those things that may look good but will never
bring us any closer to the life we live as a member of the family of God.
As Paul continues, He lets us know that human
perfection can never be our goal, but that a closeness in and to the love of
God, all that we find through a life in Christ Jesus, will be the greatest
decision and will bring the greatest joy, that we could ever imagine.
Read John 12:1-8
John’s gospel reminds us that any profits of worldly
value will only have true worth when we refuse to hold them as a benefit to our
own life, and instead, use them to bring glory and honor to our Lord Jesus. This gospel passage contains several
references that closely connect us to Lent and Easter.
The first is John’s mentioning that the time was
less than a week before Passover. The
first Passover in Egypt was an obvious herald to the coming of Messiah, as well
as to the Judgment. So who was saved
from the sentence imposed by the Angel of Death, and what did the Hebrews have
to do to receive the Lord’s salvation?
They feasted on the innocent Lamb that had been sacrificed on their
behalf, and they smeared the Lamb’s blood on the front door frame of their
home. Do you see the connection to Holy
Communion? And who did not survive the
angel’s task? Anyone who wasn’t
protected in a home covered by the blood of the Lamb!
And Jesus would become the final Passover in just a
few more days.(Exodus 12:1-11, 21-30)
The second is the reference to the raising of
Lazarus from his tomb. We read that
Lazarus had been dead for four days before Jesus called him to leave the tomb,
and Jesus would have been dead for 3 days before His resurrection. Upon the man’s return to life, Jesus ordered
the people to “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” And at Jesus’ rising from the dead, He, too,
left His grave clothes behind, before leaving His place of death. (John 11:1-44)
Fourth, a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. The Passover meal was also a time to honor
all that the Lord God had done for the people that night in Egypt by freeing
them to begin their journey to the land that God had promised them. Easter is God’s promise that we, too, have a
new home waiting for us. And our promise
is evidenced by the resurrection that raised Jesus into a new life. So when you celebrate Easter with a great
meal, be sure to give the Lord all the praise you possibly can – for this should
be the time when we praise God for our passover - which will be the Lord’s promise to us of
eternal life!
Fifth, Mary anointed Jesus’ feet, with a large
amount of expensive nard. We remember
that Jesus also washed, or anointed, the feet of His disciples at the Last
Supper. As the Lord washed their feet,
He told them “15 I
have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
Mary had anointed Jesus just before the most critical days of His entire
ministry – the completion of His Passover blessing at Calvary – The gift He
gives to all who will come to Him by faith! (John 13:1-17)
And the final connection would be the moment when
Judas revealed his cold, thieving heart! Judas’ feet had been washed, just as Jesus
washed them all, and he also received Jesus’ gift of bread before Satan took
him, and just before he then left to complete his evil betrayal. (John 13:18-30) And yet, he would still go to his evil work.
In John 13, the Lord Jesus also gave this advice to
all who will follow Him – 20 Very
truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts
me accepts the one who sent me.” These are words for all, throughout the ages,
who have ever welcomed the Lord into their life, and who have shared the Good
News of Jesus Christ with another. And
for those who refuse to accept those who proclaim Jesus as Lord, Savior,
and Redeemer, they will never know the salvation that accepting Jesus will bring.
If you have never made a first time
commitment to Jesus Christ, won’t you please pray this prayer today–
Lord Jesus, I’m a
sinner and am unworthy to ask you into my life. But I am lost, and in need of your
forgiveness and your saving grace.
Lord, I want you and need you to be my guide and stay for this life, and I will follow
and love you for the rest of time.
Amen.
