DEVOTED TO YOU.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in John 11. I’m sure you have read it, or at least heard the story, which depicts the time where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Let’s not just sweep over that. This is a true story where Jesus raised someone from the dead. 

There is so much in this chapter that it overwhelms me every time I open it up. My heart literally burns within me, and my eyes are opened + widened in awe at the God who was present in this story, who wrote it on this page thousands of years ago, and now sits with me opening up His very scriptures to me. What an honor it is to sit at His feet!

I cant help but sit in every word. Every detail. Picturing the event. Imagining I’m there watching it all happen. What was it like? What did it look like? These pages are some I love to dwell in. So much so, that the entire chapter of John 11 actually came out of my Bible. Lol.

I’m not saying any of this to say, oooh look at me I read my Bible so much a page came out! Please know I’m not saying that at all! I am instead sharing this with you to encourage you to lean into every word too. It’s that good. That alive. That active. That sharp. That piercing. That it cuts deep. Joint + marrow. Soul + spirit. 

Lord God please reveal Who You are in Your Holy Word to us today. Humble us before You to hear from You. Speak Lord, we are listening. Amen.

I know I gave a dramatic entrance for John 11, which was well earned, however we are only going to be covering one verse in it! Trust me, I could sit here all day and read + write about all He is and shows me in this story. And don’t worry I will. But I want you to experience it with Him as well. 

A truth that has become overwhelmingly obvious to my life is the idea that… Only you are able to spend your time with Jesus. Only you are able to behold Him for you. Only you are able to trust Him for you. Only you are able to be in relationship with Him for you. No one can make that choice for you, or do it for you. It’s up to you. It is something you get to do. He wants to have a relationship with you! Not with you through someone else.

The God of all Creation deeply desires a relationship with you!

And the same Mary we are about to read about knew this too. And she “chose what was better,” and was promised “it will never be taken from her.” (Luke 10) That promise stands true for you today too.

So come. Sit at His feet. Together. With my page of John 11 propped up on my computer as we sit in God’s truth letting it seep into every fiber of our being. 

To set the scene, we must read verse 1, “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.” The next verse is the one we are going to be focusing on. And in my Bible it’s written in parentheses. We must not merely gloss over the parentheses!

“(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)” John 11:2

So from these 2 verses we learn that there is a man named Lazarus who has two sisters, Mary + Martha. A family that were dear friends of Jesus. For instance, a few verses later, John writes that “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” And this is the same family, Jesus weeps with in verse 35. 

The God of all Creation, came to us in flesh, and wept over the brokenness of mankind. Over the death of His friend. All while He knew His own Sunday was coming and that He was the only One who takes away death’s power forever.

So let’s just stop right here and address a question that comes up often in grief + death. How could God say He loved Lazarus and his sisters if He let him die?

This is the first thing both Martha and Mary say upon Jesus' arrival, "if You had been here Jesus, my brother would not have died." This is faith whether it appears that way or not.

Both sisters sent word to Jesus when their brother was sick. Then they both ran to Jesus when He showed up. And they both believed their circumstance would be different had Jesus been present. This is faith.

But then Martha says, "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

This is faith in action. This is walking in the confidence of what we hope for. This is living assured of what we do not yet see. This is trust in The One we put our faith in.

In Josh Baldwin's "Safe in Your Arms," I kept hearing this particular lyric louder than the rest... "In the light of Your goodness, all the fear I’ve known is gone."

Trust is knowing fear, but choosing to better know He who is faithful. Trust is releasing what fear wants us to know, so we can instead know and believe what God wants us to know. Which is Himself.

And to also know that His love is never defined by death. But instead shown in death. 

In Romans 8:35, Paul declares in confidence, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…. For I am convinced that neither death nor life…. nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

If death can’t separate us from God’s love then why do we need to question if His love is true or present when facing death?

John 11:5-6 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,”

As much as I wish I could find the words to explain why things happen or why God allows things. As much as I want to bare your burdens with you to breath life in dead situations, to encourage + comfort you. Truly, I sit in pains I don’t even typically struggle with just so I will be able to reach + relate to you and point you to Jesus. So I’ll have words that will possibly suffice.

But the truth is, I am imperfect. God’s ways + thoughts are so much higher than mine that I’ll never understand them fully. I will never be able to perfectly explain Him or His love or goodness because it’s too good for us to understand at times. And I’ll have questions + pains. But that’s the beauty of it all.

That although we live in a broken world, we still have the opportunity to turn to the One who makes all things whole. And we know that that day is coming. When every tear will be wiped away, death will be no more, pain and sorrow will pass away.

And the message God so kindly makes clear to my heart in this story of Jesus and Lazarus is that nothing ends in death with Jesus.

Because Jesus defeated death. And now reigns in everlasting life that He invites us to. Where He promises He will make all things new. This is a hope we can choose to cling to.

I’m in no way trying to overlook or belittle very real pain, grief, and hurt, but rather desiring to encourage you to lean into the always present Love of God in it. And into the grace that you have a choice to do so.

Choosing to do so changes everything. 

Just as Paul said, I am convinced! Death can never point to the lack of God’s love, but only to His unrelenting pursuit + choice to lavishly pour it out on those least deserving.  

Sometimes we face these moments where we question if His love still stands true. But perhaps these moments are presenting to us an opportunity to love Him too. 

I’m not saying that God allows us hardship so He can hold over us the command that we must love Him anyway or He rebukes us forever. 

But rather, that these moments open up a choice for us to believe God’s love for us stands true when everything else falls apart. That His love is so good that we wont always understand it. And that we can choose to love Him too. No matter the cost. 

Wouldn’t you rather have this option, than to just live a life doubting the truth of God’s love for you? Angry and burdened, confused and hardened? I have tried it. It is not wrong to ask questions, but to sit in the questioning gets us no where. I learned that the hard way. 

And out of His great love for you, that is never His desire for you. But only to love + be loved by you too. He has never wanted you to sit in fear and confusion, which He says He does not give us. He instead wants us to walk in His power, His love, and His sound mind, which comes only from His presence.

The God who created us all, and has had to experience His own creation turn their backs to Him, and their love away from Him. Imagine the pain, grief, and betrayal He must feel. Yet in all that, He came and died on a cross to show us His love. We can show Him our love in our hurt too by going to Him believing He is good + His love is true.

Next question… is this even possible? To choose to love Him when my circumstance doesn’t make me feel like He loves me? 

Yes! And I want to show this is true through someone who has done so so beautifully, that Jesus Himself declared it was “a beautiful thing” to Him, and that what she had done would be “told in memory of her” wherever the gospel was preached throughout the world. (Matthew 26)

It’s found in that little parentheses. “(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord, and wiped His feet with her hair.)” 

Each time written into the Bible, this Mary appears to know her place, and never hesitates to find herself there. 

In Luke 10:38-42, we read the story of Martha welcoming Jesus into their home. This is a totally different instance, yet Mary is in the same place. At Jesus’ feet, “listening to everything He had to say.” 

I love how she is completely mesmerized by His presence. She knew it was precious + priceless, and she wasn’t going to miss a moment. And she wasn’t going to miss a word that came from His Holy mouth.

Then we read that Martha interrupts Jesus, “Lord don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Perhaps Mary knew the care of Jesus unlike Martha in this moment because she was positioned humbly at His feet to receive it. 

Not that He doesn’t give it to Martha too. But sometimes when our hands are so busy doing, we forget they are first meant to be held in praise + surrender to Jesus. 

When our hands are too full with preparations and stress, they are bound by what He never desired we carry. So our hands must be released in order to take hold of His great love + care for us. 

Then we are able to serve God out of the overflow of who He is, instead of us trying to take hold of something we don’t even have the room to grasp when holding onto so many other things. 

Another moment of this is in the next chapter, John 12, where Martha serves The Lord again, Lazarus reclines at the table with Him, and Mary anoints Jesus with oil.

This wasn’t just any oil. It was a pint of pure nard, and she broke it and poured the whole bottle on Jesus. Not only did John write the measurements of this oil, he also made sure to explicitly state that it truly was “an expensive perfume.” 

She knew this place. This humble position of honor. That she could sit at The Lord’s feet. So she did. Over + over. And the sight was so beautiful, God’s Holy Spirit made sure it was written down multiple times. This scene is not only included in each of the four gospels, its honored as the extravagant gesture it was.

Usually when anointing a guest, those welcoming their guest into their home would simply swipe a drop of oil on the forehead. Not only did Mary welcome Jesus into her home and anoint Him as the guest He was. She honored Him as the guest she knew He was in His own world He created. So she broke the alabaster jar and poured all of it out on Him. Knowing it still couldn’t even possibly be enough to rightfully honor The King of Kings. Yet He was pleased she would give her all to Him.

Then she let down her hair, which was also unusual for women to do. And she sat there and wept. So much weeping that her tears drenched his feet. 

Oil + tears. Perhaps this is the recipe for devotion toward our Lord and Savior. 

Opinions conspired amongst the disciples, “why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It’s worth a years wages.” 

I love how of all 4 writings, it is never written that the devoted woman at Jesus’ feet looked up when their indignation was shown. She was not moved by the comments depicting her worship. But was only moved by the object of her worship. 

She was deeply moved, yet stayed where she was. She wasn’t going to miss this moment. 

Devotion moves us. Yes to where God leads. But will always first move in our hearts. We can never move for Jesus if we have not first sat at His feet to let Him move in us. 

Back to that parentheses in the chapter before, my Bible’s commentary writes, “Since John does not record this event until 12:3, he presupposes that his audience has already heard about it.” 

I love this so much. Jesus said this story would be told in memory of her, and it has. To the point where John could confidently write about it in the chapter before it even happened. 

And this chapter is where the third moment of Mary at Jesus’ feet is. I think its one we may do more than we realize. 

Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has already been dead for 4 days. Martha runs out to meet Jesus, and He so beautifully meets her + grows her faith all the more. (I could write so much about this priceless moment of Jesus + Martha but I have to stay on topic!) Then she goes back to get Mary. Verse 29 reads, “when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him.” So to Jesus she went, and the crowd comforting her quickly followed. 

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet, and said, ‘Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’”

Falling at His feet is still sitting at His feet. 

And sometimes it takes falling to get us there. And that’s beautiful too. 

I’ve learned that pride never gets us to His feet. Pride actually does everything it can to stay off of its knees. Humility, however, is what gets us to His feet. Mary’s humble heart before The Lord took her there time + time again. 

But we need not put so much focus on what gets us to His feet, but instead what happens when we get there.

Because when we find ourselves at His feet, it not only moves us. It deeply moves the Heart of Jesus too.

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and The Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.”

Perhaps He bent down even closer to her than He already was. 

He knew this scene. He was used to Mary sitting at His feet. And this time, moved Him to sit + weep with her too. 

He truly is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. It’s His promise. He traveled a long way to meet her. Knowing He could be killed on the journey + upon arrival. Yet He was devoted to His love to The Father, and to His people. So He came.

He does the same for you and for me. He left His Heavenly Throne of Glory to come live + dwell with us. To save us. To die for us. So we could be with Him forever. 

God Himself did this. He is not only a near God, but He is a good God. A loving God. A compassionate God. And He is with us now. In our deepest hurts, our aching wounds, our biggest questions, and our heavy grief. He is with you always.

Our devotion also moves those around us who see. It is so interesting to me how everyone comforting Mary in their home, noticed how quickly she got up. They went out and they followed her.

Perhaps your choice to run to Jesus when it doesn’t make sense. To pour out your love for Him when you feel it + don’t feel it. No matter the cost. No matter the opinions. To choose what is better when it feels so hard to, or when it feels effortlessly easy to. To listen to everything He has to say when it’s hard to hear His voice. To run to Him and fall at His feet crying out truth you have read over and over, yet still hasn’t quite settled in your heart. Perhaps these opportunities - present the sight of devotion people didn’t realize they could have toward Jesus too. So they are moved to run to Him as well.  

Martha saw Mary’s devotion. The disciples saw Mary’s devotion. The whole mourning crowd saw Mary’s devotion. For John not only wrote about Mary at Jesus’ feet in John 12, he also felt the need to pre-mention it in another chapter. 

People see your devotion to Jesus. It changes your life. And perhaps the lives of those around you. 

Don’t be devoted for show. Be genuinely devoted, and I am sure some will despise. But others will say, “wow I want to know Jesus how she knows Jesus.”

Perhaps that’s what we can remember people by. It’s what people remember Mary by. I want to be remembered, not for who I am, but simply for who Jesus is to me.

And I’ll only ever know who He is, if I make the choice to sit at His feet. 

At Passion this year, Jon Tyson said a quote amidst his stunning message titled, “The Unwanted God,” that I still can’t quite get over. And never want to.

He said, “perhaps as Jesus was hanging on the cross, only days after Mary had anointed Him… The Unwanted God was spit on, mocked, accused, beaten, and crucified by His own creation who didn’t want Him, yelling up at Him. Yet on that cross, He still had the smell all over his bleeding body of one woman’s devotion to Him.”

A whole crowd of despite. Yet one woman of devotion. 

He was despised to make us whole. He was devoted to make us One with Him again.

Not only did the criminals to His left and right smell that perfume, but I am sure those who demanded He be crucified, those who whipped Him, beat Him, and hammered the nails into His anointed feet + hands. I am sure they smelt it. And perhaps it moved them. That’s why God wanted people to remember her by it, so they would be moved to His feet in devotion too. 

But you know, even if no one else smelt it, or saw, or noticed, or heard of it ever. God did. And that is all that matters.

Jon Tyson ended his sermon that day with another challenge that still moves me months later, “Perhaps in a world who doesn’t want God, you were destined to be the one person devoted to Him.”

To be the one devoted to God is a life worth living. Jesus would know, for He lived + gave His life for the devotion of God to the restoration of our devotion forever.

Jesus wore our sin for us. So we could wear His righteousness forever. Along with our scars, He wears His Holy Robe with a train that never ends. He wears His name “Faithful + True” and has “King of Kings + Lord of Lords” written on His thigh. He wears unapproachable light as a garment, and radiates in His unending Glory forever. On top of all of this… He also delights in getting to wear our devotion to Him. It’s the one thing we can clothe Him in. The oil of our heart’s love + devotion to Him. 

And He says that is beautiful to Him.

So break the jar. Pour the oil. Cry the tears. Wipe the feet.

One day we will get to lock eyes with the One who has always been devoted to us. How beautiful that day will be. Priceless. Matchless. Nothing is worth more than getting to live with Him forever. And what a gift that forever begins now.

Thank You Jesus for Your forever devotion to me so I can be devoted to You forever. I love You! Amen.