I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on John 12-13.

    John’s description of Judas’ response to Mary anointing Jesus reminds me of many of those today who claim to care for the poor and needy. Many people disguise their efforts to advance their own interests by making the claim that doing so aids the poor and needy. When we put together programs to aid the poor and needy, let us work to make sure that the programs actually serve the poor and needy and not just our own desires.

    John tells us that when people in Jerusalem heard that Jesus was coming many of them gathered to see Him coming. They even gathered palm branches to proclaim Him the king of Jerusalem. Among the crowd were those who had witnessed Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead and they were eager to tell those around them about it. Yet a few paragraphs later John says that most people did not believe in Jesus and many of those who did were afraid to admit it. Despite seeing the many miraculous signs, many people were unwilling to believe in Jesus, and many of those who did believe were still more frightened of human threats than they were of disappointing God.
    In between these two contrasting reactions of the crowd John recounts Jesus telling us that if we want to serve Him we need to follow Him. In this particular context, Jesus was saying that we need to follow Him as He goes to His execution at the hands of the authorities of this world. Are we willing to follow Jesus even when it means suffering?