Even when we consider all of the surprising things that Jesus did in his teaching and healing ministry, this scene was likely one of the most shocking so far to the people around him.

At that time, it was common for a servant to wash people’s feet as they entered a home. And as we might imagine, this was an important practice of hospitality. Most people wore sandals as they walked roads covered in dust, dirt, and animal dung. So we can easily imagine how unpleasant it would be to wash someone’s feet—and that’s why it was typically done by the lowest ranking slave or servant in a household.

But here Jesus gives us a beautiful picture of the gospel—the good news of the kingdom of God. Washing his disciples’ feet shows God’s love for sinners in a way that mere words cannot express. This act of service gave the disciples a preview of the cross, when Jesus laid down his very life to wash our sins away.

But Jesus didn’t stop there. He also told his disciples to go and do the same for others.

We are called to communicate the gospel through a servant lifestyle, giving of ourselves so that others may experience life.

How is God calling you to do this? How can you humbly serve others, in order to point them to Jesus, who gave himself on their behalf?

It’s easy for us to know that Jesus is God because of all his miracles. But this episode reminds us of Jesus’ humanity. Here, in John 12, Jesus tells the disciples that his soul is “troubled.” He knows the pain that he must endure by dying on a cross—both physically and spiritually—as he bears the weight of all human sin on himself. Thinking about that leaves him feeling troubled.

How does this feel to us as readers? What does it say to us that Jesus experienced a moment of weakness like this?

As one who is fully God, Jesus absorbed all the sin we have done and will ever do, in order to cleanse us completely. He is the one, final sacrifice for the payment of sin—and that is only possible because he is fully God.

But because he is also fully ­human, Jesus experienced emo­tion, a troubled soul, and even deep questions. At this moment, and in others like it, we see the depth of God’s love for us revealed in a new way.

Notice that in spite of these feelings, Jesus remained obedient. He did not stoically bear the cross without feeling. It hurt—far more than we can imagine.

And yet in spite of the pain, Jesus remained faithful, committed to God’s mission of redeeming us and restoring the world (John 3:16). How great is his love for us!

Many first-century Jews had hopes that their promised Messiah would be a political leader, someone who could lead Israel in a revolution against the Roman Empire. Their hope was that Jesus could lead the nation to independence again.

So in our reading from John 12 for today, Jesus is hailed as a hero on his way into Jerusalem: “Blessed is the king of Israel!” In fact, the crowd is so large and excited that the religious leaders despair that “the whole world has gone after him.”

We can understand why the Jewish people would want to return to their country’s glory days. But Jesus came to be a very different kind of king. He came not so much to wear a crown but to bear a cross. He came to break the curse of sin for our sake, laying down his own life in our place. And that’s how he would welcome all who believe in him to enter God’s kingdom in this broken world. Because he is God, Jesus is and always has been the King of kings and Lord of lords!

Jesus’ coming teaches us that God is not interested in a political agenda, or just one nation, or just one people group. God loves the entire world, and his kingdom purposes are bigger than any of us. As followers of Christ, our citizenship is in the kingdom of heaven, first and foremost, and all of our other goals and desires must fall into place with respect to that.

Scholars describe the raising of Lazarus as the seventh and final “sign” or miracle in the book of John, and—as we can see—Jesus has saved the best for last.

Even though Lazarus has been dead for several days, Jesus pulls him back from death’s grasp and restores him to life. All it takes is Jesus’ command. The voice that spoke creation into existence now calls him out of the darkness of death and into the light of life again.

In our skeptical, post­modern age, this may seem like a ­story that’s been embellished by John to help “sell” people on the idea of following Jesus. But this miraculous story is real. Like the other signs in the book of John, it is meant to point to a deeper truth about Jesus and his ministry.

Lazarus’ resurrection points us to the hope of resurrection and new life that we have in Christ. What Jesus did for Lazarus is also a promise for all who believe: in Jesus there is no ene­my of God—not even death itself—that can defeat us. If we are in Christ, we will have eternal life and victory over death, no matter what we face today.

When we have times in which we are struggling, anxious, or afraid, we can look to Jesus and remember his promises of life forever with him. Nothing is too big, and no problem is too difficult for Jesus to overcome. Not even death itself.

If you have ever owned a pet, you know the bond that can form between an animal and its caretaker. For example, if you have a dog, you provide it with food and shelter, discipline, and belly rubs. And, in return, the dog forms a strong bond with you because you are giving it a sense of belonging and safety.

In John 10, Jesus identifies himself as the good shepherd—someone who takes care of a flock of sheep. You and I might not love the idea of being compared to sheep, because they are not very bright animals. But there’s a lot of power in this picture of Jesus as our shepherd.

A shepherd in those days was both a leader and a caretaker. Sometimes the shepherd provided comfort to the animals when they were scared or injured, going as far as carrying them back to the flock when they had wandered off. Other times the shepherd had to correct and guide the sheep to get them where they needed to go. A good shepherd acted with the sheep’s best interest in mind.

What a great way to think about Jesus and what he does for us! He is much more than a teacher. He is our Master and Lord. His voice leads us on the path of life. His hand provides for our needs. His discipline keeps us out of harm’s way. His love and care give us the best life possible.

The disciples see a man who was born blind, and they assume that his blindness is someone’s fault. This was a common way of thinking about suffering in those days. Sickness and disability were often believed to be a result of sin somewhere in the family line.

If we think about it, we can see how people could fall into that kind of thinking. It has happened in many cultures. If a person has a disability or a terrible disease, or if they are down and out in some kind of hardship, it can be convenient to blame them or their family or even their friends or community. It calms our fears if we can state a reason or a cause for something we don’t understand—or don’t want to.

In this story Jesus complicates things even more by implying that God allowed the man to be blind so that his healing by Jesus could help people see the works of God being done. This is hard to understand—there is no getting around that. Human suffering is a lot more complicated than we would like to believe. Sin has broken this world in ways that go beyond our understanding.

But at the same time, this story offers comfort because we see that God can and will work to bring good out of challenges and suffering. God works for our good in all things (Romans 8:28)—and he has redeemed us in Christ. When the works of God shine through adversity, he shows in a unique way that he is good and loves us.

Jesus challenges a crowd that is ready to stone a sinful woman to death. He says that only those who are without sin have the right to throw a stone—and, one by one, the accusers walk away, forced to admit that they too are sinners.

Jesus is reminding us that we are often blind to our own sin. We can be quick to criticize a spouse for a thoughtless comment, quick to judge a fallen celebrity, or quick to look down on a neighbor for breaking a law. But we quickly forget that we too have sinned—perhaps even in the same ways. In this story we see that we all stand equally in need of forgiveness and that only Jesus has the right to judge.

Why are we so quick to criticize and condemn? Probably because it is much easier than looking inside ourselves. We live in a world that provides limitless ways to avoid the pain of self-reflection. But if we are honest, we must admit that we are just as guilty of violating God’s law as anyone else.

And yet Jesus has a word for us. When we repent and believe, we experience the gift of forgiveness. Then he encourages us to leave our life of sin and be born again, becoming a new creation in the image of Christ.

Several years ago I experimented with something called the Paleo diet. The idea is that you eat the way cavepeople supposedly ate before agriculture was developed, focusing on meat and plants while avoiding carbs as much as possible.

This diet (and others like it) is endorsed by a number of celebrities, bloggers, and social media influencers who have found success losing weight or improving their athletic performance. But when I tried the diet, I mainly felt crabby and sluggish. What worked for others didn’t really work for me, and I quickly abandoned it. It was an interesting experiment, but I found that it wasn’t the right fit for my lifestyle.

Sometimes we are tempted to treat Jesus’ voice like just another voice in the world giving advice about options for our diet, finances, or productivity. But in this passage in John 7, we are reminded that Jesus actually speaks for God because his teaching is from God.

Jesus’ instructions are not something we can pick and choose from. Every instruction he gave is in line with the way you and I were created to live. If we want to experience life as it was meant to be lived, we will find it by listening to Jesus and doing what he asks us to do.

Here Jesus was challenging people who wanted him to lead a revolution. Their nation was occupied by the Roman Empire, and many people were hoping that their promised Messiah, a leader specially appointed by God, would restore them as a political power. Jesus was indeed the Messiah, but he was not a political leader.

We can understand why the people would want things to change in their country. But Jesus wanted them to understand that he had come for an even bigger purpose. As we have seen earlier, Jesus has come to give people eternal life and bring them into the presence of God. If people would trust in him as the bread of life who would provide them full life with God, their deepest and greatest need would always be met.

In our busy world, we can easily get caught up in pursuing “food that spoils.” We want to take care of our family. We want to do well in our job. We may want to be involved in leading our community and our nation. These are all good things. But sometimes these good things can get in the way of the best thing.

Are we spending too much time chasing goals that will not last? Are we so concerned with the here and now in our lives that Jesus is getting crowded out? Or are we walking with him daily so that we can live life to the full?

In this episode Jesus finds himself in trouble with the religious authorities for healing on the Sabbath. They saw it as “working” on the Sabbath, the day on which people were commanded to rest from all kinds of work. The Sabbath was meant to be a good gift to God’s people. But unfortunately that sense was lost under a mountain of rules against activities that counted as “work.” For example, the man who is healed in this story gets in trouble just for carrying his mat.

When Jesus heals on the Sabbath, the religious leaders get angry because their rules have become more important to them than love for their neighbor. But here Jesus reminds us that mercy is more important to God than rigid legalism. Jesus has an opportunity to heal, and he takes it because the Father is always working to build his kingdom, regardless of what day of the week it is.

This challenges us today to consider any “rules” we follow that may limit our ability to serve God. Are there places we are unwilling to go, people we are unwilling to help, or times when we make ourselves unavailable to others? If so, are we putting something in the way of showing God’s love and care?