Here's where unchecked sin can lead.
The Gospel of John: John 12.1-11
Read and meditate on John 12.10, 11.
Unchecked sin spreads like a cancer, but it harms more than just those who are afflicted by it.
10The priests determined to
kill Lazarus, too, 11because so many Jews
on his account had turned to Jesus, and
believed in Him.
– John 12.10, 11
Reflect
1. In Psalm 73, Asaph is confronted by a powerful temptation – to prefer the ways of the prosperous ungodly to the servants of God. But though he complained about the disciplined life of following God, he would not so much as speak what was in his heart. Instead, he sought the way of escape from this temptation, which he found initially by remembering that his sin, unchecked, would constitute a betrayal of God’s people (vv. 13-15). How so? And how can you see this in the priests and religious leaders in our text? Complete this prayer: Show me, Lord, day by day, where I have fallen short of Your glory, and lead me to…
2. The rage of the priests and other religious leaders against Jesus was channeled toward Lazarus as well. What was his crime, as they saw it? Asaph likened temptation and unchecked sin to a slippery slope (Ps. 73.18, 19), and remembering this, was bolstered in his determination to stay true to the Lord. Is Asaph’s metaphor an apt description of the priests’ situation? Explain. What should we learn from this? Keep my feet on the solid ground of Your truth, O Lord, and show me whenever I…
3. In their blind rage against Jesus and Lazarus, the greatest power the priests could wield was the power to kill, and they determined to employ that power against the two of them. What were they overlooking? Put another way, to what was sin blinding them? How did Asaph appeal to this as a way of escape through temptation (Ps. 73.23-26)? Your power, O Lord, is greater even than death. So I can…
4. Sin works destruction on the soul. Like a cancer, it overruns healthy cells with deadly ones, and destroys all that is wholesome and good. Having decided to kill Jesus, killing Lazarus only made sense, since he was the cause of many others coming to believe Jesus. What was sin doing to the minds of these priests? To their hearts (affections)? Their priorities and values? Can sin do the same in us? Explain. Lord, guard my soul – heart, mind, and conscience – from the destructive powers of sin, and keep me…
5. Where would rage and sin lead these priests and religious leaders, not just in Jesus’ lifetime, but ultimately? Meditate on Psalm 73.15-28. By how many different means did Asaph resist temptation and thwart the power of sin? Bring together into one your prayers from questions 1-4.
Summary
“See now how frantic the rulers seem to become, wildly rushing here and there under the influence of their envy and saying nothing coherently. They seriously meditate murder on murder, thinking they can remove the force of the miraculous deed at the same time as their victim in order to stop the people from running to believe Christ.” Cyril of Alexandria (375-444 AD)
Sin will kill you. And unchecked sin in you will inflict harm on others. What’s the lesson here?
Closing Prayer
You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.
Psalm 73.24-28
Psalm 73.21-28 (Ellacombe: Hosanna, Loud Hosanna)
When my poor sad, embittered heart was pierced within by grace,
I saw how beastly was the part I chose before Your face.
But I am ever with You, Lord, You hold me by the hand,
And guide me daily by Your Word; in glory I e’er shall stand.
Then what have I in heav’n above but You, my God and Lord?
And on this earth what shall I love besides You and Your Word?
My flesh and heart shall surely fail, and death my soul release;
Your strength for me shall e’er avail and grant eternal peace.
Then let them perish who depart from You and from Your Word.
All those unfaithful in their heart You shall destroy, O Lord!
But as for me, Your nearness, Lord, is where I e’er will dwell!
I hide myself within Your Word, Your wondrous works to tell.
T. M. Moore
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.
