JOHN CHAPTER 12 - MARY ANOINTS JESUS AT BETHANY

John Chapter 12 – Lesson 1

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

John 12:1 (ESV) Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.

Since Passover was less than a week away, Jesus was staying with His good friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus since Bethany was near Jerusalem and the temple. This was the Lazarus that Jesus had raised from the dead. They were the first “Singles’ Group,” remember? Jesus and Lazarus were relaxing or as the younger generation says, “chillaxing” at the table while Martha served the meal. Jesus’ friends were hosting this dinner in His honor. People had wondered whether Jesus would dare to show His face in Jerusalem for the Passover since the leaders were out to kill Him. Obviously, He did not let that threat keep Him away. HIS TIME HAD NOT YET COME, but it was very, very near.

John 12:3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

“Exactly what is nard?” you may ask.

Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language:

NARD, noun

1. A plant usually called spikenard, spica nardi; highly valued by the ancients, both as an article of luxury and of medicine. It is an odorous or aromatic plant.

2. An unguent prepared from the plant.

So, nard is an expensive, fragrant ointment with healing properties. It was customary for a servant to wash a guest’s feet since they wore sandals and were dirty, tired, and sore. Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with the expensive, perfumed, healing balm, something beyond the usual foot washing. She then bent down and wiped them off with her own hair with her face right by His feet. I wonder why no servant stepped in to offer her a towel at that point? Perhaps everyone was in shock that she would do such a thing in the first place. Do you think the people there realized there was a sacred exchange going on? Or did they think she was being a little weird? I wonder if she realized she was anointing Him for burial? Maybe she did or maybe she didn’t, but Jesus knew. I believe she was led by the Spirit to do so. Mary was always at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him intently, hanging on His every word.

Luke 10:39 (ESV) And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.

Read the account in Luke 10 to learn more about the personalities of Martha and Mary and what Jesus had to say to them.

John 12:4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

One denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer, so this ointment was worth almost a year’s salary! Judas questioned the extravagance of this seemingly wasteful gift. He seemed to think it was foolish to use up all the nard in this way. Judas made the supposedly benevolent suggestion that the nard could have been sold to support the needy.

John 12:6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Judas’ desire was not relieving some poor person’s distress. It was self-interest because as treasurer of the disciples he could steal the money to line his own pockets. He didn’t really care about needy people but was just looking for a way to justify his indignant attitude toward Mary using the nard on Jesus’ feet.

 John 12:7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

Jesus foreshadowed His imminent death and burial as He told Judas to leave her alone. He accepted her act of worship as preparation for the trial He was about to face. There would be other opportunities to help the poor, but this might be Mary’s last chance to minister to Jesus, to worship Him while He was living among them.

John 12:9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

The people wanted to see the Miracle Worker and the miracle recipient, Lazarus. Because he had been raised from the dead, Lazarus now drew crowds of his own. He was a walking billboard proclaiming that Jesus was Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

John 12:10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Now Lazarus’ picture was on a wanted poster! His testimony was bringing people to belief in Jesus as God. Therefore, he was as much a threat to the chief priests as Jesus Himself. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha could testify that Lazarus had been dead four days. Many of the Jews had witnessed this miracle as well, but their hearts remained hardened to the truth. All they could see was the threat to their political power and therefore, all the creature comforts that came with it.

Q – Mary gave all of the best thing she had, the expensive ointment. She withheld nothing, not even her dignity, as she knelt and wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair. Are you willing to lay everything at the feet of Jesus? Or does pride keep you from humbling yourself before Him and in front of others?

John chapter 12 – Lesson 2

The Triumphal Entry

John 12:12 (ESV) The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

Palm branches were plentiful due to the date palms in Jerusalem. Palm fronds had become a nationalistic symbol of the anticipation and expectation of the Messiah’s reign. Hosanna meant “give salvation now.” This praise word was found in Psalm 118:25 which was a part of the Hallel sung each morning in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Dedication, especially the Passover. The crowd was wanting the Messiah, the One who comes in the name of the Lord, to take on rulership, kingship, right then. But that time had not yet come. Jesus’ purpose at that time in history was to die for His people in order to free them from slavery to sin rather than to lead them to war to free them from slavery to Rome. The time for Him to rule as an earthly King is still in the future even though He is and always will be the King of kings.

John 12:14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;

behold, your king is coming,

    sitting on a donkey's colt!”

Jesus chose to ride in on the foal of a donkey in order to fulfill the prophesy quoted here which is found in Zechariah 9:9. The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) also record what is referred to as “The Triumphal Entry.” This is one of the few events that is mentioned in all four gospels. This proves that it has great significance. It was a direct fulfillment of messianic prophesy as you can see by reading Zechariah 9:9 below:

Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

    righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The people rejoiced and shouted praises as Jesus entered Jerusalem, but the atmosphere would change soon – His time had nearly come. The people were proclaiming Jesus as their King, but they did not understand that this King of theirs would have to die to fulfill His divine purpose.

John 12:16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.

The disciples did not see that one and one made two while Jesus was riding the donkey; but after Jesus’ resurrection, the magnitude of His manner of arrival dawned on them. They realized the whole foal of a donkey thing was a fulfillment of prophesy in Zechariah 9:9 and the shouts of “Hosanna!” were quoting Psalm 118:25. Since their first “audiences” would be Jewish, being able to prove Jesus was the Messiah foretold by the prophets would be a most useful witnessing tool. We are wondering as we write this whether some of the teaching time Jesus had with his disciples was spent having them learn all the Old Testament prophecies that applied to Him. Seems plausible. The word does not tell us.

John 12:17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

The people who had seen Jesus raise Lazarus were talking to others about Him, and word traveled fast even without Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. So the people who came out from Jerusalem to meet Jesus did so because they had heard He raised a man from the dead. They were eager to see who this Man was who had done all these miraculous things. They wanted to verify for themselves whether what they had heard could be true.

John 12:19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

The Pharisees went into hyper egotistical jealous mode, and continued to fear that Rome would see this as a rebellious uprising. The fact that the people were shouting “Hosanna” and calling Jesus “King” added fuel to their fears. The plot to kill Jesus intensified among the Pharisees even as His popularity grew among the common people.

Q – Jesus fulfilled well over 300 Old Testament prophecies concerning the messiah. Have you examined the evidence that Jesus is the Son of God? It is historically documented that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person living on the earth at a specific time in history. The biblical accounts bear witness that He was both God and Man. The testimonies of those who have surrendered their lives to Him are strong evidence that Jesus Christ is alive and well and continuing to rescue people from the quicksand of sin in order to adopt them into His forever family. Weigh the evidence. Surrender your will to His and be forever changed and completely satisfied!

John 12 – Lesson 3

Grain of Wheat

John 12:20 (ESV) Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.

These Greeks were probably “God-fearers” rather than Jewish proselytes. They were people who worshipped the God of the Jews and participated in synagogue but had not fully converted or undergone circumcision. The Reformation Study Bible points out the irony of Greeks approaching the disciples for an audience with Jesus when the Pharisees had just said, “Look, the world has gone after him.” Most of the Jewish religious elite snubbed and did not believe Jesus and His teachings, but they were up in arms that the rest of the world was now showing interest in Him. This could also fuel their fire that Rome could see Jesus as causing an uprising.

John 12:21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

John MacArthur states, “At the very moment when the Jewish authorities were plotting to kill Him, Gentiles began to desire His attention.” They asked Philip if they could see Jesus. Philip told Andrew, and together Philip and Andrew told Jesus. The request had to travel through the disciple pipeline to reach Jesus. John does not record any direct reply from Jesus. Instead, Jesus begins an illustration of the spread of the Gospel which would ultimately reach  the Gentiles including Greeks.

John 12:23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

HIS TIME HAD NOW ALMOST COME! With the entry into Jerusalem we are now studying what is known as “The Passion Week,” which is the beginning of the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry and the end of the beginning of the Gospel message. Jesus was about to be crucified. How would that glorify Him? He was glorified in the eyes of the Father and ultimately in our eyes because He was fulfilling His purpose. We have the opportunity to be His forever and ever because of what He accomplished on the cross. We praise and glorify Jesus not only as Creator but also Savior and Sustainer of those who belong to Him.

John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

I love to garden. If I plant one tomato seed, it dies but from it grows a plant that bears many tomatoes. I once had a tomato plant that bore well over 100 cherry tomatoes! Then each tomato contains several seeds which in turn can become plants. When the seed dies, it produces much fruit. Jesus was willing to die in order to produce the fruit of believers who would in turn produce multiplied fruit due to their spreading the message of His death, burial, and resurrection (the Gospel). Thus, those adopted into God’s forever family would increase exponentially. Dawson Trotman who founded the Navigators urged each person being discipled to find two more people to disciple, and each of those to disciple two, etc. Thus the Gospel spreads like pyramid marketing!

John 12:25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

We, too, must die in order to produce fruit. We must die to ourselves and self-love, in the sense of putting ourselves above God’s will, in order to bear fruit. We have to learn to put God’s will first in our lives and place loving others as a priority. We must love ourselves because God loves us and in order to love others, but we must not place ourselves above the Lord.  Disciples cannot cling to life but must be willing to give up life if necessary to stay true to Jesus.

Matthew 16:24-25 (NIV) Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

If a person is following the Lord and has life in proper perspective, he or she will fulfill what Christ desires for him or her as His ambassadors and as made in His image. We lose ourselves in the sense that we no longer claim a right to ourselves but are totally surrendered to our Lord and Master. But if a person loses his/her physical, earthly life in service to Jesus, they have simply moved into the presence of the Lord which is to be more alive than possible on earth.

Philippians 1:21 (VOICE) For my life is about the Anointed and Him alone. And my death, when that comes, will mean great gain for me. 22 So, if it’s His will that I go on serving here, my work will be fruitful for the message. I honestly wouldn’t know how or what to choose; 23 I would be hard-pressed to decide. I lean toward leaving this world to be with the Anointed One because I can only think that would be much better. 24 To stay in this body of flesh—even with all its pains and weaknesses—would best serve your needs.

Paul expressed these ideas quite well in the passage from Philippians above. Dying is to be with the Lord, but living is to be in obedience and service to Him. Life in Christ is a win-win situation!

John 12:26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

So the object is to be “with” Jesus whether physically or spiritually by obeying Him. We must follow His lead whether that be to remain in the flesh sharing the Gospel message or to exit our “earth-suit” as Susan calls it and be with Him in Heaven. If we are in obedience to Jesus, serving the Lord, God will honor us.

Q – If you have been baptized into the body of believers, the minister may have said, “Buried with Christ in baptism; Raised to walk in newness of life,” or something similar. Have you died to yourself in order to be born anew in the family of God? As a Christian are you daily dying to selfish ambition in order to be that grain of wheat that dies in order to bring forth much fruit? As Saint Francis of Assisi wrote, “it is in dying that we are now born again.”

John 12 – Lesson 4

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

John 12:27 (ESV) “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

Jesus realized “His time” was just around the corner. It was almost upon Him. In His humanity, He was anguished at the enormity of what fulfilling His purpose would require. Obedience to the Father would mean facing not only excruciating death on the cross but bearing the weight of the sins of the world in His perfect person as the final sacrificial Lamb slain once for all.

Revelation 13:8b (KJV) … the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Jesus asked rhetorically whether or not He should beg God to let Him bypass “this hour.” He answered His own question by stating it was for this purpose that He came. Incarnation, Jesus’ birth as the God-man, was always about His ultimate sacrifice in the place of those who would believe in Him. This was God’s eternal “end-game.” Jesus came in order to increase the eternal family from three (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) to include many adopted sons and daughters who He would redeem by paying the price of their sin on the cross.

John 12:28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

Jesus was submitting to the Father by accepting the painfulness of the trial He faced in order to bring ultimate glory to God. The Father spoke audibly from Heaven to assure Jesus the Son that He had already received glory from His ministry and would glorify His name again through Jesus’ obedience. Of course, Jesus would have already known this since He and the Father are One.

John 12:29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

God’s voice sounded like thunder to some in the crowd, but others thought it was the voice of an angel talking to Jesus. The difference in interpretation of the sound may have something to do with whether the person was inclined to believe Jesus was the Messiah or not.

John 12:30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

The voice from Heaven was for the benefit of the people gathered around Jesus because we know Jesus could hear the Father without audible words. Jesus spoke of the judgment of the world and the ruler of the world being cast out. Satan may have appeared to have a victory when Jesus died on the cross, but it was His death as the Lamb of God that caused Satan’s defeat.

Hebrews 2:14-15 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Satan is still active in the world, but he knows his time is limited and he is ultimately defeated. Jesus lived a sinless life as a man, died in our place on the cross, and rose from the dead showing that Satan and death have no power over Him.

John 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

The picture of Jesus dying in MY place on the cross proves to me that He loves me as no one else ever has or ever could. It is sad that many “churches” have negated the cross in their décor and even in their sermons as this is God’s highest “drawing card.” Whose house is it after all?! The cross was the turning point of history, and the cross was the turning point of His story. It is also the realization that Jesus, the sinless Son of God, died in my place and rose from the dead, that makes all the difference in my story.

John 12:34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

The crowd understood that Jesus was speaking of crucifixion when He said He must be lifted up. They were thinking His death would be permanent. They did not realize He would rise from the dead victorious forever.

John 12:35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

Jesus did not really answer their question but went on to present an invitation to believe and trust in Him. One of Jesus’ “I AM” statements was “I am the Light of the world.” Jesus would not be there to guide them and instruct them in the ways of God much longer. He admonished them to listen attentively while He was in their presence in the flesh. He explained they needed to trust in Him so they could be adopted into God’s forever family.

Matthew 5:14 (ESV) “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

When we trust in The Light, Jesus puts His light in us to make us lanterns to guide others to Him and ultimately toward our eternal home.

Q – Have you ever thought of the image of Jesus on the cross drawing people to Him? It is the ultimate expression of love – dying for someone else. Do you believe Jesus did this for YOU? Have you trusted Him to take you to Heaven? Have you come to that turning point in YOUR story. If you are already a believer, a Christian, are you being the lantern God intends for you to be; or have you let your light become so dim that people have a difficult time seeing it, let alone following it to The Light? Add some oil to that lamp and let it shine!

John 12 – Lesson 5

The Unbelief of the People

John 12:36b When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

After He had asked them to come into the light and become part of His family, He went into seclusion. Often after a time of intense teaching and ministering, Jesus sought time alone with the Father. Humanly, He may have needed time to clear His head. He needed respite and to allow the Father to re-energize Him. Or as the time for His sacrificial death approached, He may have needed time to prepare Himself.

John 12:37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,

Even though Jesus had done many miracles – turning water into wine, healing a lame man, healing a man born blind, even raising Lazarus from the dead – many Jews still not did not believe He was the Messiah. Unbelief still pervasively dominated. Even today, true Christians are in the minority worldwide.

John 12:38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,

    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

In Isaiah 53:1, Israel’s rejection of the Gospel message is predicted. Jesus was the suffering Servant prophesied by Isaiah, but the lost sheep of Israel refused to believe it. Their denial of Jesus as the Messiah was by the Father’s sovereign design in order that the Gentiles would be given the message and be enabled to be grafted in.

John 12:39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,

40 “He has blinded their eyes

    and hardened their heart,

lest they see with their eyes,

    and understand with their heart, and turn,

    and I would heal them.”

As Susan said, God sovereignly chose to harden the hearts of the Jews. However, that did not absolve them of the sin of unbelief. They had still made willful choices that led to their disobedience.

John 12:41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.

Isaiah foresaw the coming of the Messiah and wrote many prophecies concerning Him as the Lord revealed them to him. Isaiah saw not only Jesus as the suffering Servant, but also foresaw His ultimate glorification.

John 12:42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Many of the Temple teachers believed in Jesus, but they would not come out publicly to say they believed He was the Messiah. How weak were these teachers that they feared Rome and the Chief Priests more than God? They feared the consequences of being put out of the synagogue and losing their places of honor. Their faith was not yet strong enough to enable them to stand firm. They feared the loss of their societal, academic, and political status more than they revered the Lord and their intimacy with Him. Were they truly believers at this point? Trusting Jesus involves commitment to Him. Only the Lord knows for sure. But, in the least, they were starting down the path to belief; and some would be bold enough to stand for Him publicly after His death as we will see.

Q – The crowds had witnessed many miracles, yet many refused to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. We want to judge them harshly, but there are many today who have the Bible, the Gospel plus the adventures of the early church leaders, and the testimony of Christian friends; but they still refuse to believe the truth. Are you one of these? You can trust in Jesus today while there is still time. If you are a believer, do you live in such a way as to draw men to Jesus?

John 12 – Lesson 6

Jesus Came to Save

John 12:44 (ESV) And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.

The Jews saw Jesus as competing with the Jewish Religion and with the true God. However, Jesus explained many times in many ways the He and the Father were One. Part of the Shema (the prayer that Jews recite in morning and evening prayers) was “Hear, O Israel, The Lord is your God, the Lord is One,” so I can see why some would be confused about God and His Son being equally God. However, that is exactly what the promised Messiah was to be – God’s Son who is equally God. Jesus came to fulfill God’s original intention. The Lord is one – He is not fragmented. There is not a god of the moon, god of the flowers, god of fertility, etc. as pantheistic religions believe. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even though they have different roles or jobs, have one unified purpose. They are drawing to themselves a holy people, newly created by grace, to not only serve them but to be one with them as family. Christianity is unique in that we have a risen Savior rather than a dead founder and in the fact that God desires to be our perfect Father, that we become sons and daughters of our God. In claiming deity, Jesus was pointing out that if a person sees Him, knows Him, that person sees and knows God. He was the Messiah sent to be sacrificed as the perfect Lamb in order that we might be freed from slavery to sin to have that family relationship with our Holy God.

John 12:46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

Jesus is the spotlight on the path to the Father. Jesus came into the world as a beacon to draw men out of darkness and show them the safe way home like a lighthouse guides the ships to harbor. When we step into the light by trusting Jesus, He cleanses us from the darkness of sin.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Walking in the light Jesus provides not only gives us fellowship with God but enables us to have fellowship with other believers, our brothers and sisters in His family. Darkness is a euphemism for sin. Even in movies or TV shows, if someone walks into a dark alley, the ominous music begins to play, and we know something bad is going to happen. Jesus is the opposite of the darkness. He is perfect good and drives out darkness for those who trust Him.

John 12:47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

The time when Jesus will judge was not yet, and is not yet; but it WILL come soon. Jesus came so that those the Father chooses and the Holy Spirit draws could avoid judgement. As was said earlier in John 3:17 (NIV) “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus’ purpose while He ministered on earth at that time was to die for sinners and draw them to a relationship with the Father. Jesus entire mission was to die as the perfect Lamb in order that those who believe would be saved by His grace and freed from the tyranny of sin. His mission was to be lifted up in order to draw people to Him and make them part of the Father’s forever family.

John 12:48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

On the last day, those who have not believed in Jesus will be judged by the Scripture. Jesus was the Word (Scripture) incarnate, so His words will judge them. Those listening to Him would eventually be judged for rejecting His words, and those who have heard or read the word of God, the Bible, will be judged based on the word. To reject the Bible is to reject Jesus.

John 12:49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

The IVP New Testament Commentary:

Since Jesus' teachings come from God and offer eternal life, a rejection of these teachings is itself condemnation, for it is a rejection of God and his offer of life.

When a person does not believe or negates the Bible, that person is rejecting the very word of God. It is like snubbing your nose at God’s invitation to become a part of His family. It is as if a person is thinking in their mind that they are so good they have no need of God. Even as believers, if we pick and choose portions of the Bible to live by and ignore the verses we don’t like, we are being disobedient to God. Taking the Bible as an a la carte menu? I don’t think so. We need to study the whole counsel of God and ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to obey what we learn.

Q – We are striving to faithfully share the word of God with you. As you read the Bible along with us, you are either believing or rejecting what it says. Are you trusting Jesus or are you rejecting His word? Remember, rejecting the Word of God is the same as rejecting God’s invitation to eternal life as a part of His loving family. Please do NOT reject the word of God! The opposite is also true. Believing the word of God, trusting in Jesus, is accepting that invitation to freedom from a life of sin and freedom to become a part of God’s forever family.