This chapter marks a change in Jesus' ministry. The end that He has been trying to prepare His disciples and followers for is now fast approaching. All of the events of this chapter lead Jesus nearer to the cross.
Chapter 12 begins with Mary making a tribute of selfless love to Jesus. She has "kept" (v. 9) an expensive container of perfume for a special occasion and now she sees the time for using it. She understands what danger Jesus is going into, she has heard Him say that He must be "lifted up". She knows she won't be able to stop what is going to happen, so she prepares for the inevitable. Instead of washing Jesus feet, she anoints them with her treasure and she dries them with her unbound hair. As the beautiful fragrance fills the room, the others are startled at this gift. Some feel she was foolish to waste it (Judas in particular), but Jesus knows what she is saying with this gesture. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial." (v.7 NIV)
When it becomes clear that Jesus intends on leaving Bethany to go into Jerusalem for the Passover, crowds begin to gather and a plan is made to honor Him. The people gather palm fronds and line His path. They begin a chant "Hosanna, blessed is the King that cometh in the Name of the Lord"(v.13). Jesus prepares a visual lesson for them. He finds a young ass to ride on. To Jews who see this picture, with the shouting crowds honoring a man riding on a donkey, it will mean one thing. Here comes a Prince of Peace! He was not coming as a conqueror or he would be riding a horse. Zechariah prophesied of this day when he said, " Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zech. 9:9) Jewish scholars would see the prophesy come to life this day!
When the triumphal procession reaches Jerusalem, the crowds are immense and Jesus takes the time to address them. He prepares them for what will happen with the verse I used in the image today. He reminds them that if a seed is planted in the ground and "dies" it produces much more fruit than if it were kept safe on a shelf. He even shares with them His struggle to face this death that is to come “Now My soul is troubled. Should I say, ‘Father, save Me from this time of trouble and pain’? No, this is why I came to this time." (v.27 NLV) In verse 32 Jesus explains to them that if He is lifted up, He will draw all men to himself. He does what He can to get them ready for what is about to happen. They expected Him to conquer this city and throw out the hated Romans and the corrupt religious leaders, but there was much more at stake here than national freedom! The words of Jesus persuaded even some of the "chief rulers" to believe, but they feared to confess Him because they "loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (v.43) They found it hard to give up their religious status.
And here is the heart of this chapter, in order to serve God, you must be willing to do what Jesus did and sacrifice all that your earthly life has to offer you to gain the spiritual life God has to offer you. No one can say this is easy, even the Son of God said His "soul was troubled". But remember, with the sacrifice Jesus made, we have an Eternal Life that we would not have had access to if He had faltered on the road to Jerusalem that day. So, what it comes down to for us is being able to say "nothing in this world is worth losing my soul over".
For me, giving up my worldly life has brought a real sense of Peace. It no longer matters what this life holds in store for me, Jesus my shepherd will guide me through all of that. What matters is what comes next! And that is securely in God's hands not mine, I placed my future in His hands when I accepted the sacrifice Jesus made for me on the Cross. He truly is my Prince of Peace!