Thursday, September 17, 2015

Year 5, Day 260: John 12

Theological Commentary: Click Here


Discipleship Focus: Capacity

  • Capacity asks whether or not the person has the time in their life to obey God.

This is a great chapter to study the idea of capacity.  We’ll take four looks, but the reality is that there are so many more perspectives in this chapter.

First, let’s look at Mary.  She blesses Jesus with an incredible anointing.  But let’s stop for a moment.  Jesus is a man that she’s grown to love.  Jesus also just raised her brother from the dead.  Why wouldn’t she celebrate His presence?  She sees her opportunity to glorify the Lord and she takes advantage of it.  That’s capacity.

Of course, we then have a look at Jesus, who also has capacity.  He receives Mary’s sacrifice.  He lovingly chastens Judas’ rebuff of Mary.  He welcomes the questions of the Greeks, who themselves have the capacitance to see God and follow Him.  He teaches an unpopular teaching that leads to many of His followers walking away (again).  Jesus has what it takes to do the will of God.  He doesn’t always get the results for which we might think He deserves.  But He has the capacity to obey.

Of course we have Judas.  Here is a man who just doesn’t have the capacity.  My hope and prayer is that He finds forgiveness.  But the reality is that he just doesn’t have the capacity to obey.  He is unable to accept Mary’s sacrifice for her Lord.

Finally, we have the rest of the disciples.  At the triumphal entry, they just don’t get it.  But here’s the cool perspective on this.  They don’t get it while it is happening, but they do get it eventually.  After the resurrection, they do understand it!  Therefore, they do have the capacity to understand, just not in this particular moment.  But that is so true about all of us.  None of us are always prepared to act and understand in our full capacity.

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