The Spectrum of Belief (CaD Jhn 12) – Wayfarer

Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.
John 12:37 (NIV)

We are just over halfway through John’s account of Jesus’ story. John now shifts the narrative to focus on the final days of Jesus’ earthly journey. Almost half of John’s account is the events leading to Jesus’ crucifixion and His subsequent resurrection.

In today’s chapter, John shares about the wake of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Word spreads about the miracle. Lazarus and his sisters hold a feast to honor Jesus. Crowds are arriving for the Passover festival and the buzz is all about Jesus who raised a man named Lazarus from the dead. Everyone wants to meet both of them. It is on the wave of this #trending event that Jesus enters Jerusalem with crowds waving palm branches and proclaiming Him king.

As I sat back and looked at the structure of the chapter, it became clear to me that John prepares his readers for the final, climactic chapters by providing a survey of where people were on the spectrum of belief in Jesus.

It begins with Lazarus and his sisters, who have every reason to put their faith in Jesus. In particular, however, it is Mary who acts with humility and foresight in pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her own hair. Jesus explains that she is preparing Jesus for His own burial. Mary not only believes, but she may be the only one who seems to understand what is about to happen to Jesus.

Next, John makes sure to mention Judas, his indignation at Mary wasting perfume that cost a year’s wages to give Jesus a foot bath. The money could have been sold and given to the poor, though John is sure to mention that what Judas really meant was it could be sold and put into the ministry’s money purse where he would have access to it. He will, instead, find another way to make 30 pieces of silver. Even among Jesus’ disciples was one who was on the unbelieving end of the spectrum.

Next are the crowds of Jews who have been recurring characters in John’s account. In the wake of Lazarus’ return from the grave, they are clamoring to get close to both Jesus and Lazarus. Of course, John has already made clear in the aftermath of the miracle of the Filet-o’-Fish Feast that the crowds are fickle. They’re all in on believing when it’s about free food or an entertaining spectacle, but they will move to the unbelieving side of the spectrum and chanting “Crucify Him!” in just a few days.

Then there are the religious leaders known as the Pharisees. They and the Chief Priests are hell-bent on killing Jesus, and now they add Lazarus to the hit list. How ironic that they want to kill the man who was just raised from the dead. These are the people on the extreme end of the unbelief side of the spectrum.

John then mentions Jesus’ disciples, himself included, and confesses that while they believed Jesus, they really didn’t understand what Jesus was doing or saying until after all of the events he’s recounting actually happened. So add to the spectrum those who believed, but didn’t really understand what it was that they were believing.

John also introduces us to a group of Greeks who were in town for the Passover festival. These were non-Jewish (a.k.a. Gentile) adherents to the Jewish faith but who weren’t fully circumcised converts. What’s fascinating about John adding this group to the mix is that by the time John wrote this account, the biggest controversy among the rapidly growing Jesus Movement was whether the large number of Greek Gentiles who were becoming believers must become Jewish converts before they could be considered good Christians. In response to this group of Greeks who want to meet Jesus, Jesus says “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” John’s first-century readers would have found these Greeks on the belief side of the spectrum to be very important to the mix, and a foreshadowing of the conflict within the Jesus Movement years later.

John then makes sure to mention that, despite all of Jesus’ signs and miracles, there were many unbelievers entrenched on the unbelief side of the spectrum. He seems to acknowledge those who would refuse to believe no matter what Jesus did or said.

John then mentions the Religious Leaders who secretly were on the believing side of the spectrum but who would not publicly acknowledge this. They fear the institutional union leadership who would have them kicked out (and maybe added to the hit list) if anyone were to find out they were believers.

In the quiet this morning, I can’t help but hear John’s unspoken question in the subtext. He’s given me all these different people and groups at various places on the spectrum from disbelief to belief. “So, Tom, where are you on the spectrum? With which person or group do you identify?”

Of course, that’s the important question. I have to believe that it’s the motivation for John writing this primary source account in the first place. I find it fascinating that John places this belief spectrum right before the final events of the story. It’s as if John is taking my spiritual temperature leading into the climax. As a life-long disciple, I find it worthwhile to ponder this question anew, especially in this season of Lent when believers all over the world are introspectively walking through the climax of the story together.

I enter another day of this earthly journey with Jesus’ words from today’s chapter ringing in my ears: “For I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”

I’m back on Facebook for those who liked to read my chapter-a-day posts there! Facebook refuses to give me access to my old, hacked account, but I have started a new account. Please search for me on Facebook and friend me. If Facebook won’t let you friend me, please go to my Facebook profile and “Message” me, which should then allow me to friend you. Cheers! -Tom

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