As we near Palm Sunday, I was considering the context of John 12. The Lord was at Bethany, where Lazarus was, and he shared a meal with some of his disciples (vv. 1-8). Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anointed Jesus’ feet with an expensive ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. She loved the Lord greatly because of the great mercy that she had received (cf. Luke 7:47). Now, notice the contrast in reactions between Mary and Judas. Judas, on the other hand, complains that the ointment was wasted on Jesus’ feet. It could have been sold for a great deal of money. The Lord rebuked Judas and reminded all of the disciples that he would not always be with them. It is quite a scene.

The apostle John transitions next to the reaction of a large crowd of Jews who learn that Christ is present in Bethany (John 12:9-11). The crowd wants to see the Lord but they also want to see Lazarus. They heard about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead but they wanted to see him with their own eyes. Yet, listen to verses 10 and 11, “So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus” (John 12:10–11). Notice the contrast between the reactions of the crowd and the chief priests. It doesn’t take long to discern who knows and loves Jesus in this account and who does not.

The religious leaders had already committed to putting Jesus to death by almost any means necessary. In their zeal to stop the Lord, they were willing to kill Lazarus also. Notably, their opposition to the Lord Jesus had more to do with maintaining their power and influence than it related to God’s glory (John 11:48). Scripture teaches us that the lost are opposed to God and the things of God (John 15:18-25). So, the religious leaders were convinced that they could end Christianity by killing Jesus and Lazarus. We know this thinking is foolish but they were committed to it.

The death of Jesus on the cross didn’t end Christianity because the resurrection followed three days later. His death was not permanent (Rev. 1:17-18). The Lord’s death and resurrection provide eternal salvation and hope for all Christians. It was the Father’s eternal plan for his Son to die and rise again (Acts 2:23-24). Furthermore, Lazarus died a second time and his death didn’t cause Christianity to come to an end either. Jesus died but he rose to life again. His Church is alive and growing. There is nothing that can stop Jesus from building his Church (Matt. 16:18).