What Are You Looking At? | The Gospels | John 12:1–11
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome to 10-Minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work.
I'm Tanya Wilmoth.
How does the opening birds-on-the-porch story illustrate perspective shifts?
My friend Angie had her phone out and she was grinning wider as she zoomed in on the birds with her phone camera. The birds were completely filling the nest on my front porch. Their backside feathers were fluffed in a heap so you couldn't tell where one bird ended and the other began. Look over here, I said, pointing to the nest on the other side of the door. Also full, also bursting. The birds were nearly adult-sized, rounded heads bobbing as they wiggled for space in the nest. I think it's time to move out, I said, and then I pointed down at the pile of poop flanking both sides of my front door. That many birds for that many days makes a lot of mess. I was tired of it, tired of the mess, tired of them taking over my porch like it was theirs and not mine.
But Angela wasn't looking at the poop. She was looking up at those wiggly birds, taking pictures to send her kids. So much of what we experience depends on what we're looking at. Same porch, same birds, two completely different stories. I'm writing this sitting outside right now, having knocked the nest down about 50 times this week, guarding the eaves so these barn swallows can't rebuild.
What point does the host make about how Scripture shapes daily perspective?
They're circling with sticks and mud in their mouths waiting for me to go back inside. I will lose this battle, but I'm not going down without trying. Life is often like this for us. Some days you're looking up at the nest full of birds. Some days you're looking at what they've left for you to clean up. This is why we need God's word. We need scripture to shape our perspective daily, to remind us that we're not fighting some kind of losing battle, that we have a savior who never sleeps. We have a savior who never grows weary and never breaks a promise.
How does John 12:1–11 set up the contrast between Mary and Judas?
John 12 is a story about two people looking at the same thing and seeing something completely different. I'm just going to read you from that passage in chapter 12 of the Gospel of John. It says, You've probably heard this before, but listen on so you can hear what happens afterward. Then one of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was about to betray him, said, Why wasn't this perfume sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor? He didn't say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money bag and would steal part of what was put into it. Lazarus' presence at the table. Remember, Lazarus had just been raised from the dead. This is part of what the Jewish leaders were so contentious about.
This is part of the reason why they were ready to arrest Jesus. That miracle was just fueling their hostility. But John just pauses and gives us a look at what's going on. You've got these people reclining at the table. You've got Mary anointing Jesus' feet with oil, and he even tells you what's going on in the heart of Judas Iscariot. John's real focus, though, is on Mary. Her act was extravagant for three reasons. First of all, washing feet was a servant's job. not a family member's, not someone who lived in or owned the house. The perfume cost 300 denarii. That was about a year's wage. Think like you would earn one denarii a day. And Mary used her hair, which a respectable woman in society would always keep her hair covered in public.
Why was Mary’s anointing considered an extravagant act in Jesus’ culture?
So it shows just kind of a humility here about Mary. Now, every part of the story would have offended a man like Judas, whose identity was built on keeping the rules, right? Like, check the box, do things the right way. Mary was anointing Jesus ahead of his own burial. And John shows us here again that Jesus knew exactly what was coming. His life wasn't going to be taken from him, but he was laying it down, just as he said. Mary saw that something was special about Jesus and it just broke open this humility in her and she wanted to anoint his feet and just do this incredible act of service for him. Now, Judas was experiencing the same moment, but he was doing the math. He was counting what he had lost by Mary using up all this perfume.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:05–0:13
2
How does the opening birds-on-the-porch story illustrate perspective shifts?
0:13–1:20
3
What point does the host make about how Scripture shapes daily perspective?
1:20–1:55
4
How does John 12:1–11 set up the contrast between Mary and Judas?
1:55–3:49
5
Why was Mary’s anointing considered an extravagant act in Jesus’ culture?
3:49–5:21
6
What motives does John attribute to Judas and how does that explain his criticism?
5:21–6:53
7
How does the episode connect Psalm 121 and the danger of self-focus like Judas?
6:53–7:12
8
What prayer and practical invitation does Tanya offer to help listeners ‘fix their eyes on Jesus’?
7:12–7:12
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study
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Do You Need a Pilgrimage? | The Gospels | Matthew 4:12–17
When Temptation Comes | The Gospels | Matthew 4:1–11
The Cure for Self-Absorption | The Gospels | Matthew 3:13–16