Countdown to the Cross: Now Is the Time

John 12 sets a countdown in motion. The long “not yet” ends and the “now has arrived,” as Jesus steps into the final week with purpose, focus, and obedience to the Father. The passage opens around a table in Bethany. Dinner is served, and friendship frames the moment. Mary’s perfume becomes the sermon in the room. Her costly nard is poured out, filling the house, and likely clinging to Jesus’ body through the week, so that even before Pilate the fragrance of worship lingers. Judas objects, but Jesus defends her: this act aims at burial. Extravagance belongs to the worth of the One present.

Lazarus, a living miracle, draws a curious crowd. His very breathing becomes witness. The aroma of Christ spreads by simple presence, and the powers respond with a plot. Unbelief will kill a sign if it cannot silence it.

The next day the palms wave, but the expectations are crooked. Zechariah’s donkey rides in, not Rome’s white horse. Jesus demilitarizes their vision and declares messianic peace. “Hosanna” is bigger than the crowd imagines. Their political Jesus is too small. Philippians’ Jesus, who empties himself and receives the name above every name, is the One riding low in humility and high in authority.

Then Greeks ask to see Jesus. The hour has come. The mission is universal. A kernel falls. Death will multiply life. The troubled soul speaks straight: “Father, glorify your name,” and heaven answers. Judgment comes now. The prince of this world is driven out. When Jesus is lifted up, he will draw all people to himself. The light stands among them, urging them to walk while they have it.

Yet unbelief persists. Isaiah saw it. Eyes are blinded, hearts are hardened. Some believe but love human praise more than praise from God. Darkness is preferred when exposure threatens. And there is a sober word about judgment. Jesus, not opinion, teaches the reality of hell and the eternal weight of rejecting the Light.

The countdown insists on urgency. James’ vapor hangs in the air. Only one life will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last. John 12 presses the church to trade the “when it’s convenient” for “now.” Public allegiance matters. Worship that looks “undignified” to pride fits the worth of the King. A life that smells like resurrection turns heads and hearts toward him.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Live inside Christ’s sacred countdown The text moves from “not yet” to “now,” and that shift exposes delay as a luxury souls cannot afford. Purpose, not panic, is the posture, because the Father’s hour orders the days. Numbered time becomes holy when it is spent in obedience. Urgency is not noise; it is faith with a calendar. [36:56]
• 2. Worship Jesus with holy extravagance Mary’s perfume teaches value with volume. Cost, reputation, and restraint all bow to the worth of the Son. Worship that honors Christ may look undignified to pride but remains deeply biblical. The fragrance of true adoration often outlasts the moment. [46:47]
• 3. Let resurrection become your aroma Lazarus witnesses by living, and the crowd comes to see life. Influence grows not first through arguments but through presence saturated with grace. Where Christ has raised the dead, the room changes. The church carries that scent into ordinary places. [51:59]
• 4. Receive the demilitarized King of peace Palm branches want a throne; the donkey carries a cross-shaped kingdom. Jesus conquers not Rome but sin, death, and the grave, and he does it in humility. A “personal Jesus” shaped by preference shrinks the gospel. The real Jesus brings messianic peace that reaches nations and hearts. [55:11]
• 5. Walk in the light while you have it Light given is light to be used. Delay grows darkness, and darkness grows confusion. Belief steps into illumination, refusing the fear of man and the love of shadows. Today’s obedience becomes tomorrow’s clarity. [60:41]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [35:05] - Opening prayer and life theme
• [36:56] - The countdown to the cross
• [41:59] - Dinner at Bethany begins
• [46:08] - Mary’s costly perfume
• [47:49] - Undignified, biblical worship
• [50:51] - The curious crowd and Lazarus
• [53:22] - Triumphal Entry confusion
• [55:11] - Demilitarized vision of Messiah
• [58:28] - Greeks seek Jesus, hour has come
• [59:19] - Lifted up to draw all people
• [60:41] - Walk in the light, not darkness
• [67:02] - Why unbelief persists
• [75:22] - Jesus on hell and judgment
• [81:12] - Now is the day of salvation

1. What specific actions did Mary take to honor Jesus, and how did others respond to her act of worship? ([46:47])
2. How did Lazarus’ presence after his resurrection impact the crowd and the religious leaders? ([51:59])
3. What contrast does Jesus’ entry on a donkey create with the crowd’s expectations of a political/military leader? ([55:11])
4. What does Jesus mean when He says, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed” (John 12:24)? ([58:28])

1. Why might Mary’s act of wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair have been seen as “undignified,” and what does this teach about the relationship between cultural norms and worship?
2. How does Jesus’ choice of a donkey (instead of a warhorse) redefine the concept of “peace” and His role as Messiah?
3. Why does Jesus connect the arrival of the Greeks (non-Jews) seeking Him with the declaration that “the hour has come” (John 12:23)?
4. What does James 4:14 reveal about the urgency of aligning our lives with God’s purposes?

1. Mary’s worship cost her financially, socially, and emotionally. What is one tangible way you could express “extravagant” worship this week, even if it feels uncomfortable or costly? ([46:47])
2. Lazarus’ resurrection made him a walking testimony. How can your daily actions, conversations, or choices intentionally reflect the life-changing power of Christ to those around you? ([51:59])
3. Jesus’ humility on the donkey challenges our desire for a “personal Jesus” shaped by our preferences. What areas of your life do you struggle to surrender to His authority, and what practical step could you take to trust His plan? ([55:11])
4. The sermon emphasizes that “delay grows darkness.” What is one decision or action you’ve been postponing in your walk with God, and how will you prioritize it this week? ([36:56])
5. How can you intentionally “walk in the light” (John 12:35) in a relationship or situation where fear of judgment or rejection has held you back from living boldly for Christ?
6. The phrase “only what’s done for Christ will last” was highlighted. Evaluate one area of your time, resources, or energy—what adjustments could ensure it aligns with eternal priorities? ([40:44])
7. In what practical ways can you cultivate a “fragrance of resurrection” in your workplace, home, or community to point others toward Jesus? (2 Corinthians 2:15)