Encountering Christ: Mary Anoints Jesus

Title: “Encountering Christ: Mary’s Extravagant Demonstration of Devotion” Script: Mt. 26:6-13

Type; Series Where: GNBC 3-20-23

Intro: Many of you know that my oldest daughter and her family live in the Texas Hill Country. They live on a small ranch that they are going to use as a ministry center for young people. Last fall they had their 1st Harvest Festival to introduce the ministry to the community and begin to start fund raising. A few weeks after the festival, they got a call from a couple in a town about an hour away. The couple asked several questions about the ministry. The next day the wife called again and spoke to Katherine for about an hour. The same thing happened later in the week. Finally, the woman called a fourth time and said they would like to give a donation to the ministry and wondered if Katherine and Jon would mind driving to their city to pick up the check in person. Thought it was a strange request, but went. Drove into their neighborhood and knocked on the door. Older couple came to the door and invited the Hagers in. After a few minutes of small talk they told Jon and Katherine: “We are supportive of what you are doing and would like to give you this check to help with your ministry. One stipulation, please don’t ever share our names. We want this to be anonymous. Agreed and opened the check… $200,000! Katherine shaking! Grateful! PTL! Was an EXTRAVAGANT act of support. Well, in today’s }”Encounter with Christ” we see an individual, Mary, demonstrating an extravagant act of devotion towards Jesus.

Prop: Exam. Mt. 26:6-13 we’ll notice 3 Important Elements of this Encounter with Christ.

BG: 1. Story takes place right before the Triumphal Entry. Part of Christ’s formal presentation to Israel.

2. Event is contained in Mt. 26; Mk 14:3-9; John 12:2-11. Not the same story as recorded in Lk. 7. Different event. 3. Singularly one of the greatest acts of devotion towards Christ recorded in the Gospels.

Prop: Examine Mt. 26 w/me as we see 3 Important Elements of this Encounter with Christ.

I. Mary Poured Out What She Had of Value in Her Devotion to Christ.

A. Mary Pours out What She Had of Value in Her Devotion to Jesus.

1. As Jesus is gathered with Friends for a meal, an Extravagant act of Devotion takes place.

a. The event takes place at an interesting location with several notable guests. Matthew and Mark tell us that the event takes place at Bethany, a village about 2 miles outside of Jerusalem. They are about to eat a meal together at the home of Simon the Leper (Obviously healed.) John tells us that Martha is there, doing what she does best: serving. Besides Jesus and the disciples, John records (12:2) one other notable guest: Lazarus, whom you may remember that Jesus raised from the read in the previous chapter of John’s Gospel!

b. Interestingly, only John records who the next individual in the encounter is by name, Mary. This is the Mary who notably sits at the Master’s feet, and thereby chooses the “better thing”. (Lk. 10:39) Both Mt. and Mk simply state: “a woman with an alabaster vile” enters the supper and disrupts the proceedings with an extravagant act of devotion! Taking her alabaster vile of perfume she pours it over the Savior’s head and feet and wipes it from His feet with her hair! Illust: I can only image what a room full of men must have been thinking right about then! Have you ever been in a room when a woman had WAY TOO MUCH perfume on? God help you if you have COPD! This isn’t, a few extra pumps of Channel. Rather, this is an entire POUND of pure spikenard!

2. What was this Gift that Mary poured out on Jesus?

a. Bible Scholar Leon Morris tells us: “There are several expressions that show that the gift made by Mary was very costly. First it is said that it came in an “alabaster box.” The Greek word so translated denotes, according to Liddell and Scott, a “globular vase without handles for holding perfumes, often made of alabaster.” Such a container was itself costly whether made of alabaster or not, and thus it was only in use for holding perfumes that were of value. Evidently it was sealed, for Mark tells us that she broke the box to pour its contents over the Master’s head.” (The Story of the Cross, p. 12)

b. Both Mark and John (v.5 in both accounts) tell us the value of the perfume. This is worth the equivalent of a year’s wages for a laborer! “300 denarii”. Have you ever wondered what this vile represented to Mary? Ever wonder how she got it? Was it a family treasure handed down? Was it an important personal treasurer she had worked years to purchase? Was it her dowry for marriage? We don’t know.