Jesus’ Final Words

Before you start todays devotional, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In the last weeks of His life, Jesus turns His focus to the people closest to Him. He visits again with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Yes, Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead now shares a meal with Him. Martha serves, as always. And Mary sits at Jesus’ feet in worship, as we often find her.

Read John 12:1-3.

Mary continues her worship when she takes expensive perfume and anoints Jesus’ feet and dries them with her hair. This act met with polar responses. Judas reveals his true nature and criticizes Mary’s extravagance, but Jesus defends her gift. She sensed He was to die for the sins of the world, and she was anointing Him for death ahead of time.

Meanwhile, many curiosity-seekers came to see Lazarus—the living/walking miracle. The chief priests also began to conspire how to kill Lazarus. The next day, Palm Sunday, the people followed Jesus into Jerusalem.

Read John 12:12-16.

As Jesus rode down the Mount of Olives on a donkey according to Old Testament prophecy, Jesus offered Himself publicly as their King that day. But the people rejected Him as Savior. Even His disciples didn’t understand His significance until later, after His resurrection.

Jesus could have gone to the crown without going to the cross that day, but then we could never be saved. He must go to the cross if He’s to be our Savior.

For the Jews and the Romans, the cross was a place of disgrace and shame—a scaffold where criminals died. But for Jesus, it was the place of redemption, where He could save us from the curse of the Law (see Philippians 2:8 and Hebrews 12:2). Mercy, pardon, and forgiveness are found there, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Read John 12:27-36.

And so with a troubled soul, Jesus cries to His Father in heaven and in loving response, His Father speaks back to Him.

“Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” (v. 28)

When God’s voice came from heaven, some heard thunder (a natural, unbelieving explanation to the supernatural); others said they heard an angel.

Jesus said God’s voice was for our sakes, and that He is lifted up in death so that He could draw people to Him. But even when He walked among men, they saw His light but refused to believe He was their Savior. Most people choose instead to walk in darkness.

Next, Jesus prays the longest prayer in the Bible and you can read it in 3 minutes.

1. How do the words and actions of Mary and Judas regarding the costly ointment reveal their hearts toward Jesus?

2. Repeatedly, the disciples failed to grasp exactly what Jesus was doing. How should this change the way we think about our own failures to understand God’s plan?

3. How do we go about investing in our eternal life rather than our physical, natural lives?