1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
— John 12:1-11, ESV

The Gospel of John was written so that people would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and become His disciple.  There is no theological nor practical distance between becoming a believer and being a disciple.  It is a synonymous experience, for a person of true belief is immediately transformed into a true disciple.  

In our day, however, people consider themselves Christians if they have “asked Jesus into their heart,” a phrase no where to be found in the Bible.  They think this secures salvation for them, even if no life change is observed or disciplined behavior follows.  Those who say they are believers but have not become disciples are badly, and in danger of being eternally, mistaken.

John’s Gospel uses the word for “believe” 98 times, always as a verb, because real faith results in real action.  He uses the word for “disciple” 80 times, all of them in high fidelity, with the exception of a couple of bad notes (ref. 6:66, 12:4).  

Since it is necessary to be a disciple of Christ to consider yourself a true believer in Christ, it behooves us to know what a disciple looks like.  This text is a textbook case.  It takes us to a great dinner party just before the last Passover.  Jesus is the guest of honor, as should always be the case.  He is surrounded by His disciples.  On His right are His true disciples.  On His left, a false disciple.  On the outskirts sit some potential disciples.  Exactly where are you seated?

True Disciples

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus are three of the most real and robust disciples of Jesus Christ mentioned in the Gospels, even though the sisters only appear twice (ref. Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-12:11), and Lazarus just once (ref. John 11:1-12:17).  Despite their scant mention, we feel like we know them.  They each have their own individual personalities, but all three share a common love for the Lord, a sincere faith in the Lord, and a willingness to do anything for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Like Emmylou Harris was “Born to Run,” Martha was born to cook.  That is what she is doing in both of her biblical appearances, and by the second time she’s learned not to complain about it.  Serving is what God made her and called her to do.  She is like most Christians are supposed to be, serving Christ by serving others.  It is the mark of a true Christian.  People need the gospel, people need encouragement, people need food, people need the Lord.  Disciples can always find needs to meet and people to serve.  

Mary is the most glamorous of the three, given Jesus’ compliment of her sitting at His feet in the Gospel of Luke.  She tops that in the Gospel of John with her extraordinary act of worship.  By the way, she should not be confused with the sinful woman of Luke 7:36-50, who invented perfume anointing near the beginning of Christ’s ministry.  Mary simply repeats it, sensing the Lord’s ministry is near its end.  In doing so, she shows the primary purpose of Christianity, to publicly worship and adore the Lord Jesus Christ.  Discipleship flows out of such worship.

Lazarus doesn’t say much.  No biblical quotes are attributed to him.  Not every disciple is on display for speaking or singing.  Lazarus simply shows the evidence of a changed life, of one brought back from the dead to walk in newness of life, following Christ, listening to His word, bearing witness to the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The fruit of the Spirit in a faithful disciple’s life speaks louder than words.

Though there were distinctly different, they shared one important thing.  They all paid what the late, great Dietrich Bonhoeffer titled, “The Cost of Discipleship.”  Real discipleship is just that, costly.  God’s grace is free, faith is a gift, but following Jesus as His disciple costs everything you have.  

For Martha, it was her work, her time and her culinary resources, a great sacrifice in her day.  For Mary, it was her worship, using a life’s savings spent on a special perfume for her wedding day.  For Lazarus, it was his witness.  And simply living for Jesus raised the specter of dying for Jesus, as many heroic missionaries and martyrs have done over the past two thousand years.  

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus believed in the Lord, therefore they behaved like His disciples.  They are the poster children for true disciples.  You want this to be a picture of you, too.

False Disciples

Honest John always gives us the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We boo when the Pharisees appear on the screen.  Now it is time to hiss, as Judas Iscariot, the first and foremost fake disciples of all time, comes to the forefront.

The irony of the Pharisees and Judas is that they were among the most respected men in Israel in Jesus’ day.  Judas may have been the most trusted of the twelve Apostles.  He had been appointed as treasurer of the JNEA, the Jesus of Nazareth Evangelistic Association, which implies a great deal of trust.  Christianity Today reported in 2022 that treasurers of churches, usually the most trusted members of the churches, embezzled over 59 billion dollars that year alone.  

Here the Word of God, sharper than any two-edged sword, cuts Judas Iscariot open and exposes his sin, his selfishness, his spurious discipleship.  Like most phonies, he was hyper-critical and hypocritical.  He wasn’t following the Lord for what he could give, his soul, his life, his all.  Judas was getting close to Jesus for what he could get, monetary gain, power and prestige, much like the infamous televangelists of our day.  

They say that Benedict Arnold looked like the quintessential U.S. soldier.  He had even received a commendation from General George Washington shortly before he sold out his fellow Americans.  Now his name is synonymous with traitor.   Even more so is the name of Judas Iscariot.  The character Pete, when betrayed by his first cousin in the film O Brother Where Art Thou, lashed out and called him “Judas Iscariot Hogwallop.”  

Traitors can find forgiveness.  Thieves can make restitution.  But there is no remedy for the false disciple.  Their guile is too great and their hearts are too hard.  They go through life pretending to be Christians, fooling others.  But, you cannot lie to the Lord.  He knows if you’ve been faithful, and He knows if you’re a fake. 

Potential Disciples

At the end of this story, a “large crowd” gathers.  Jesus was not particularly fond of crowds during His ministry, but He keenly looks into this one.  I suppose they are a group of potential disciples, some who will follow, some who will fake it, some who will just fall away. 

What would you do, if you were a face in that crowd?  Today, you are.  You had best make up your mind.  

You have to make up your mind about Jesus.  There He is, eating, talking, laughing, celebrating.  Is he a mere man, a mad man, or is He the Messiah, God and Savior?  

You have to make up your mind about Lazarus.  Was he really dead?  Did Jesus really, miraculously bring him back to life?  Can the messages and miracles of Jesus really be trusted, and can he really grant mere mortals eternal life?

You have to make up your mind about what it means to be a “believer” in Jesus Christ  You have to make up your mind that it requires being a “disciple.”  So, make up your mind.  Be a disciple on display, for the whole world to see.