Daily Dose of Hope

October 28, 2025

Scripture – John 12:1-19

Prayer: Holy God, We rejoice in your name today. You are almighty and wise, the Alpha and the Omega. You are the one who was, and is, and is to come. We give you all the glory and praise. Help us now, Lord, gather our scattered thoughts and focus on you. In these next few moments of silence, hear our prayers... In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts. Today, we begin John 12.

There is a lot going on this chapter. It begins with Mary anointing Jesus with an expensive perfume, much to Judas’ dismay. The other Gospels don’t name the woman who anoints Jesus’ feet, but John says that it’s Mary, sister of Lazarus and Martha. By doing so, Mary is pointing to Jesus’ identity as Messiah King, but also as Servant King. She wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair, a lowly position, but one that foreshadows Jesus’ own actions at the Last Supper when he washes his disciples’ feet and demonstrates love through sacrificial, humble service.

Judas was all about the money. Remember, he wasn’t complaining about the “waste” because he truly wanted to help the poor but because he was skimming from the money bag. He wanted more money for himself.

One more quick comment about this. I once had someone tell me that there was no real need to give to the poor because Jesus himself said the poor you will always have with you. I think most of you know that context is everything. Jesus took care of the poor all the time! He was not telling us not to care for the poor in any way, shape, or form. Rather, in this specific instance, he was responding to Judas’ superficial complaint. He knew that Judas didn’t care about the poor but about his own pockets. In that moment, Mary was caring for Jesus. There would be plenty of time for her to care for the poor in her community and I’m sure she did because she followed Jesus’ example. But there is a time and a place for everything.

There is a brief discussion, before the Palm Sunday passage, about the need to kill Lazarus. The Pharisees are getting desperate. It isn’t enough to simply target Jesus, they also plan to target Lazarus because he is also getting attention for being raised from the dead. These are men of God whose hearts have grown hard. Fear has a tendency to do that.

With that, let’s move on to Palm Sunday. As a little girl going to Sunday School, I can remember making palm branches and waving them. Jesus’ triumphal entry was described kind of like a parade. Think about parades with their marching bands, large balloons, and dancers. They are often about celebration and national pride. But Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem this wasn’t that kind of parade, especially as the book of John describes it.

Basically, we see Jesus being given a royal welcoming. The other Gospels go into even more detail. The people are laying palm branches down for him. They are running ahead in the streets to give him this royal kind of treatment. This is the kind of welcome that the emperor or a high official of the Roman government would have received. Think of it kind of like the red carpet being rolled out---a sign that a very important leader, the new king, has arrived. While the disciples appear to be confused, some of the Jews in the crowd would have known that this a fulfillment of prophecy. John quotes Zechariah 9:9,Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. All the signs point to the fact that this Jesus is the king. By making this announcement, Jesus knows what this means. His death will be soon.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 27, 2025

Scripture – John 11:45-57

Prayer: Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, We give you all the glory and praise. Thank you for being a God who provides. Thank you for being a God who heals and cares. God, we pray protection over Jamaica and the other Caribbean islands which are in the way of Hurricane Melissa. Be with the people in the path of the storm. Help them find safety. And we pray that the storm will turn in the name of Jesus. May there be as little destruction as possible. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading. We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts. Today, we are finishing up John 11.

After Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, many believed. In fact, he was getting to be quite popular. As a result, the Jewish leaders were scared of Jesus. That is the bottom line. They were scared that too many people would believe in him and they would lose the limited power they had under the Romans. They think seriously about wanting him dead. The high priest, Caiphas, even says that wouldn’t it be better for one man to lose his life rather than a whole nation to be wiped out.

Caiphas’ words actually have a bit of a double meaning, of which he wasn’t aware of at the time. However, John picks up on it. Let’s reread verses 51-52, He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

While the Jewish leaders decide it would be better for Jesus to die, they had no idea the enormous truth that they set out to accomplish. They didn’t understand Jesus’ mission at all. Not only would Jesus’ death be better for them, but it would open up salvation to all people, everywhere. The Jewish leaders’ vision was much smaller than Jesus’ vision of his mission, but it was large enough to allow Jesus to do what he needed to do and accomplish what he needed to accomplish.

But what their plans did mean was that Jesus could no longer walk around publicly. He had to be very careful. He knew his time would come but he didn’t to rush it. There was still work to be done.

Tomorrow, we begin Passion Week. Get ready.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki