How Much Is Too Much?

The billionaire pledged to donate $5,000.

The next day in the newspaper, the headline read, "Henry Ford contributes $50,000 to the local hospital."

The irate Ford was on the phone immediately to complain to the fund-raiser that he had been misunderstood. The fund-raiser replied that they would print a retraction in the paper the following day to read, "Henry Ford reduces his donation by $45,000."

Realizing the poor publicity that would result from the retraction, the industrialist agreed to the $50,000 contribution in return for the following: That above the entrance to the hospital was to be carved the biblical inscription: "I came among you and you took me in." (Bits & Pieces, March 3, 1994, pp. 1-2.)

We often are called upon to give to a certain cause. And if it is a good cause, and we can afford it…we give gladly from a heart of love.

Illus: We do not give like a mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson about giving.

She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church and said "Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself.”

When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given.

"Well," said the little girl, "I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I'd be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did." (Bits & Pieces, February 4, 1993, p. 23.)

But that brings us to what I want to preach about in this sermon. It is about Mary who gave what some would call a very extravagant gift to the Lord.

In fact, what Mary did was so startling it shocked the other disciples. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

That’s why this story appears in three gospels:

• Matthew,

• Mark,

• and John.

She prepared a gift that shocked the disciples. But Jesus loved it.

The story begins this way with…let’s look at…

I. THE GIFT

Look at John 12:1-2 Jesus therefore six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead. So they made him a supper there: and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with him.

The Bible tells us this feast was given for the Lord Jesus.

In just a few hours Jesus will enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Once He arrived He had a very busy schedule. Soon he will…

• Cleanse the temple,

• Curse the fig tree,

• Teach in the temple courts, and confront the rising tide of hatred from the religious leaders.

• Tonight in this feast that is given on his behalf is the last happy evening he will know on earth.

• Tomorrow he begins his final journey to the cross.

Tomorrow he will enter Jerusalem and in six days he will be nailed to a cross.

As we look at this guest list of this dinner party, we want to concentrate on two people: Mary and Judas.

• Mary never says a word, and Judas says too much.

• One reveals her heart by what she does, the other by what he says.

Let’s focus on two questions that needs to be asked.

II. THE QUESTION

WHAT DID MARY DO?

That is, Mary did something that was so significant that the Lord said, Wherever this gospel is preached that Mary would be mentioned what she did!

WHAT DID SHE DO TO PLACE HER IN SUCH A HONORABLE POSITION?

Look at John 12:3 Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.

Can you imagine this feast that took place in honor of the Lord Jesus.

But notice in John 12:9 The common people therefore of the Jews learned that he was there: and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

This was some feast and many came:

• To see the Lord Jesus

• But also see Lazarus who had been raised from the dead.

But what made this feast to be such a great feast had to do with what Mary did.

The Bible tells us that Mary did several unusual things.

(1) Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus.

(2) And Mary wiped his feet with her hair.

llus: A woman would not normally

• Sit at a man’s feet like a dog would do.