Be Ready To Receive Help Series

I want to begin by sharing something from the apostle Paul. Paul, in speaking about what a person should give to the church in the way of monetary offerings; he once stated, “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12). When the Lord receives our gifts and offerings, He does not get disappointed if what we give appears to be smaller than our neighbor’s contribution; so long as we give with a willing mind and in proportion to our income, and in accordance with our heart conviction.

2 Corinthians 8:12, which I just read, concerns the giving of monetary offerings; however, it can also be applied to other types of offerings, such as the giving of our time and talents in service to the Lord. When someone comes before God seeking to serve Him in ministry, the Lord doesn’t say, “I am sorry, but Bob has more skills and raw talent than you do; so, you’re not allowed to offer your service unto Me.” Instead, the Lord says, “I see that you have a willing mind and heart to serve Me; therefore, I receive you according to what you feel led to give.”

In our passage today we are going to see that Jesus received people according to how they were convicted to serve Him. In contrast, we will observe how His disciples were unwilling to receive someone who felt led to perform an act of spiritual service unto Jesus; revealing how we, as human beings, often miss the bigger picture, and forfeit opportunities to assist people in being used by God to further the kingdom. We will learn today just how important it really is to be receptive to others who offer their help and service within the church.

Jesus Allowed Someone to Serve Him (vv. 6-7)

6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.

So, we read here that a woman approached Jesus “having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil” (v. 6). Alabaster is “a carbonate of lime or sulphate of lime, white or yellow stone, named alabaster from the town in Egypt where it was chiefly found. It was used for a phial employed for precious ointments.”(1) The oil is described as being fragrant, but Matthew does not elaborate on the type of oil. Mark, in his account, calls it “oil of spikenard” (Mark 14:3). “Spikenard, also called nard, is a flowering plant of the valerian family that grows in the Himalayas.”(2)

The oil was known in ancient times and was part of the ayurvedic herbal tradition of India. It was obtained as a luxury in ancient Egypt and the Near East. In Rome, it was the main ingredient of the perfume nardinum . . . In the Hebrew Bible . . . it is referred to as the HaKetoret (the incense). It was offered on the specialized incense altar in the time of the First and Second Jerusalem Temples.(3)

Now, the identity of this woman seems to be an endless debate among scholars, having no real resolution. Her identity is not as important as the significance of her action. She took the “very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table” (v. 7). This lady offered a great service for Jesus, not to mention personal sacrifice. Later on, in verse twelve, Jesus stated that she did it with the intention of anointing Him for His burial.

Once again, I want to emphasize how this woman poured out this fragrant oil on Jesus as an act of service. She offered her help in preparing Jesus for his death and burial. Jesus allowed this, because God had called her to do it; and He permitted it, because it would bring the woman spiritual fulfillment. The main point is that when someone offers his or her help in spiritual service, we must be willing to allow and receive their assistance. It could be that the Lord has asked the person to pitch in; and in serving, the individual has an opportunity to grow in his or her faith.

In had a college friend, and fellow ministry student, who began attending a church I once pastored. He felt called to serve within the church; so, I began having him assist my wife and I in teaching the youth Sunday school class. His heart was sincere and he enjoyed working with the youth. I also took him on church visitation, because I needed a ministry partner. However, I began receiving complaints from church members that they didn’t like him working with the youth or going on visitation. Some of the deacons told him to stop helping me, and needless to say, he was very hurt and left the church.