“A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, ‘Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!’” (John 12:12–13 NLT)

Jesus returned to Bethany to attend a supper celebrating the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection. But even as Jesus and His friends celebrated life, the specter of death hung in the air, although Jesus was the only one who realized it. John tells us the supper took place six days before the Passover. In other words, about a week before Jesus’ crucifixion.

Jesus knew full well what awaited Him in Jerusalem. He was always aware of God’s timetable for Him. For years, He had said, “My time has not yet come.” But now His time had come. Unimaginable agony awaited Him. Still, He took the time to celebrate with His friends, just as He had mourned with them when Lazarus died.

During the supper, Lazarus’ sister Mary presented Jesus with an extraordinary gift and act of humble service. In the culture of that time, it was customary for hosts to wash the feet of their guests with water and anoint them with a drop of scented oil.

Mary took that custom to the next level. She used a 12-ounce jar of very expensive perfume to wash Jesus’ feet. (By one estimate, the cost of that 12-ounce jar of perfume was equal to a year’s salary.) After she washed his feet, she let down her hair, something Jewish women of that era rarely did in public. She then used her hair to dry Jesus’ feet. She sacrificed her possessions and her pride to honor Jesus.

Her act of service and humility left everyone in the room stunned. And left the room smelling amazing, no doubt. But the stunned silence didn’t last long. Judas Iscariot—the disciple who was about to betray Jesus—complained that Mary should have sold the perfume and given the money to the poor. But don’t get the wrong idea about him. He didn’t care about the poor. He served as treasurer for Jesus and the disciples. He managed the money donated by Jesus’ supporters. He also was a thief who skimmed coins from the treasury. He was probably upset that he didn’t have a chance to “broker” the exchange of funds between Mary and the poor.

Jesus was quick to defend Mary. “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” (verses 7–8 NLT). He accepted her humble sacrifice in the spirit in which she intended it.

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, the chief priests were plotting to kill not just Jesus but Lazarus too. Many of them were Sadducees, who taught that there was no resurrection. Lazarus’ return to life was an embarrassment to them, and they wanted to eliminate the evidence of it.

When Jesus set out for Jerusalem, news of His coming spread fast. Just as His enemies had feared, people wanted to see the One who had power over death. Crowds lined the streets and waved palm branches because they believed they were welcoming their king. Finally, they had a Messiah who would lead a revolt against Rome. Or so they thought.

In that sense, they were like people today who embrace Jesus when they think He can advance their agenda. These people use the parts of His message that coincide with their own aims and conveniently ignore the rest.

But when those crowds who welcomed Him into Jerusalem learned once and for all what His agenda really involved—and what He really expected from His followers—they didn’t just abandon Him. They angrily demanded His execution.

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