Having an encounter with Jesus is like a sheet of polar ice coming into contact with the hull of an icebreaker ship – people respond to him in diverse and life-changing ways.

We see that in this part of John’s gospel – two people reacting to the same Jesus in vastly different ways.

Mary choses a costly and extravagant way to demonstrate her devotion to Jesus.

Judas appears to be pious but his religion is simply a cover for a heart that is far from Jesus.

The encounter leads us to three positions we can adopt in response to Jesus:

1. a person who knows they need resurrection life from him
2. a religious moral person who is comfortable with a religion that works for their own ends
3. a follower of Jesus who wants more

Main text: John 12:1-8

Speaker: David Varney