In today’s passage two very different attitudes toward Jesus show up in the same moment. Mary kneels at Jesus’ feet and pours out an extremely expensive perfume. It’s a bold act of extravagant worship that doesn’t hold anything back. Judas immediately criticizes this - it seems like a waste.  To Jesus, it is true worship.

Judas responds in a way that sounds smart and caring. He talks about helping the poor. His words make sense on the surface. But Jesus reveals what’s really going on—Judas isn’t motivated by love for Jesus but by selfish greed. Mary gives freely because she loves Jesus. Judas speaks carefully but gives nothing.

This passage challenges us to look at our own hearts. Is our devotion to Jesus marked by real sacrifice, or by words that sound right but cost us nothing? Is our worship a sacrifice like Mary, or mere lip service like Judas?

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it didn’t just inspire worship—it ignited outrage. Some believed. Others plotted murder. Why? Because the real trouble wasn’t Jesus… it was the religious people who felt threatened by Him.

In this sermon from John 11:45–57, we confront an uncomfortable truth: sometimes we are the trouble. When faith becomes about control, comfort, or reputation, the presence of Jesus disrupts everything. The greatest opposition to God’s work doesn’t always come from the world—but from those who think they’re protecting religion.

Are we more concerned with preserving our systems than proclaiming the Savior?

Join us as we examine how fear, power, and misplaced priorities can turn religious people into opponents of God—and how Jesus still moves forward with His redemptive plan, even through human resistance.