Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Extravagant Love
Matthew 26:6-13
According to businesses, Valentine’s Day is the third biggest day of the year for buying gifts. Christmas is first. Mother’s Day is second. I am not sure Father’s Day made the list. When it comes to candy, flowers, and cards, Valentine’s Day moves to second place right behind Christmas. I don’t want to put any pressure on you guys, but 70% of folk buy their sweethearts a Valentine’s Day present. The price of the gift will average over $140. According to the research, if it weren’t for the skinflints in this room, the average would be a lot higher!
Of course, wise men know that the buying the right gift can be as important as the amount of money spent. Flowers, candy, and jewelry are always good on Valentine’s Day. On the other hand, a vacuum cleaner, a diet book or a new tractor is not.
I am sure you heard about the gal who dreamed of owning a new Ferrari sports car. When her husband asked what she wanted for Valentine’s Day, she told him, “Something that goes from 0 to 200 in sixty seconds.” He bought her a shiny new silver bathroom scales. The funeral is on Tuesday.
Today’s text is a Valentine’s story of sorts. It’s not about married love or romantic love of any kind, though some have tried to read it into this text. The story poses the question that faces every believer—when it comes to our love for Christ, how much is too much?
Those on the One Year Bible schedule read this passage on Thursday. On the surface, this text might seem like a detour from the main event. The fact remains. It is part of Jesus’ story for a reason. Matthew, Mark, and John all write about it. Matthew and Mark’s accounts are nearly identical. John adds quite a few more details.
The story is important because of when it takes place. The event happens at the beginning of Jesus’ last week. The countdown to the cross has begun. John tells us the dinner was in honor of Jesus and his raising of Lazarus from the dead. The meeting place is noteworthy. Matthew and Mark say it took place at the home of Simon a leper, presumably a man Jesus had healed earlier. John doesn’t say where it took place, just that Lazarus is there. His sisters Mary and Martha are helping with the meal. Most of all, this is important because of what Jesus says. Whenever the gospel is preached, he announced, this woman’s act of love would be remembered. We are doing just that today.
We will miss the main point of the story, however, if we miss the context in which Matthew places it. He intentionally recalls this story in the midst of telling about the plot to arrest and crucify Jesus. The dinner had taken place four days earlier. It is sort of a flash back in time. What this woman does stands in stark contrast to all of the other players. When we read of her deed side by side with Jesus’ hate-filled adversaries, the treacherous Judas, and the confused and misguided disciples, we can’t help but ask ourselves, where do I fit in? If I had been there, whose side would I have taken? These characters may be all long gone, but their story is played out every day—especially on Sundays. This is the story of four loves.
First, the adversaries who fill the background display antagonistic love. Dare we even call it love? Probably not! For the three and a half years of Jesus’ ministry, the adversaries had been there. They plotted against him, questioned him, mocked him, and tried their best to rally others against him. More than once, they had plotted to kill him. They were just waiting for the right opportunity. Did you ever wonder why? What motivated these religious leaders, most of whom enthusiastically professed an undying love for God, to take such a negative attitude toward Jesus? The dynamics are still with us.
Jesus made two big mistakes as far as his adversaries were concerned. He didn’t meet their expectations. To a man, those who opposed Jesus would have claimed to be waiting for the Messiah long promised in the Jewish Scriptures. But they had already decided what the Messiah could and could not do. He would always take their side. He would oppose their enemies. He would support their convictions. Jesus didn’t do that. He called sin sin whoever did it. No one got a pass because of race, politics, or social standing. He refused to reinforce their prejudices. He welcomed anyone and everyone who would come in faith to the kingdom of God.
Jesus also refused to honor their “sacred cows.” You understand what a “sacred cow” is. I am not talking about the four-legged kind that Hindus honor as a reincarnation of some long lost relative. “Sacred cow” refers to ideas or practices that are so prized that they are beyond question or criticism. The folk of Jesus’ day had many. Much of the traditions and rituals that Jesus criticized had little or nothing to do with what Scripture taught. They were human inventions and rules that had developed over time. In fact, he said, the scribes and Pharisees valued their traditions more than the Word of God.
A few years ago, business writer Robert Kriegel authored a popular book entitled “Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers.” He insisted that sacred cows, values and practices that were above criticism, posed one of the biggest obstacles to progress for many companies. I wonder if churches have any sacred cows. Silly question! The ancestors of this church often argued that this was the problem with most denominations. Denominations always develop traditions and practices that rival the authority of God’s Word. That’s why they advocated a non-denominational perspective. Of course, they would have been the first to acknowledge that an independent congregation can also raise a herd of such critters as well. I wonder what would happen if we had a roundup and a big BBQ.
Jesus’ adversaries openly voiced their antagonism for Jesus. There was no love lost here. Judas, on the other hand, demonstrated a treacherous love. Everybody knew where Jesus’ opponents stood. Judas was another story. Behind the kind words and smiling demeanor lurked an evil like no other. Judas provides the very definition of two-faced, under-handed hypocrisy. He would have the audacity to complete his act of treachery with a kiss. He greeted Jesus with one hand and betrayed him with the other.
It is no accident that Matthew places our text in the middle of the plot to betray Jesus. He wants us to see the ugliness of Judas’ act in contrast to the beauty of this woman. Matthew goes right from the act of tribute to the act of treachery. Note how he tells it. “Then Judas—one of the Twelve went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me?” Eventually they settle on thirty pieces of silver, the price of a dead slave in the Old Testament law.
What motivated Judas? Frankly, we don’t know for sure. John tells us Judas was the designated treasurer of the disciples and that he sometimes dipped into the funds for his personal use. “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”
Did you hear about the guy who received this Valentine note from an ex-girl friend? "Dearest Jimmy, No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you! Yours forever, Marie... P.S., And congratulations on willing the state lottery."
A few years ago, a national polling organization asked people on the street what they would do for a million dollars. The answers were startling. It wasn’t hard to find people who would lie, cheat, steal, abandon their families, or even murder for money. What would you do? What would you do to Jesus for money?
The adversaries show us antagonistic love, Judas a treacherous love. Against that dark backdrop, the woman’s act of extravagant love shines like the sun breaking through a storm clouded sky. Matthew doesn’t offer many details. John tells us it was Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who anointed Jesus with the costly ointment. It might have been common to offer small amount of fragrant ointment to refresh the dinner guests. But Mary goes beyond custom. She pours the whole vial on Jesus’ head as if she were inaugurating a king to his office or as Jesus would say later, preparing a body for burial.
From the other accounts, we learn that it was a substance called spikenard, a fragrant ointment made from a plant found in the Himalayan Mountains of Asia. This bottle’s worth was valued at 300 denarius, an amount equal to the entire annual income of a working man. This was no bottle of cheap perfume picked up from the bargain bin at the Dollar Store.
Obviously, Mary was a woman of some means. Perhaps, this was a family inheritance. Some speculate that it might have been part of dowry saved for her wedding day. She had it and she was willing to give it up to honor Jesus. Jesus said she did a good thing. He says, whether she knew it or not, she was preparing Jesus for his burial in advance.
The point of the story is not so much the money involved, but the love expressed, love that flowed from gratitude. Of all the guests around that dinner table that night, Mary may well have been the only one to understand what was ahead. Mary had sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his teachings. She had seen many of his miracles and heard of others. She had witnessed him bring her own beloved brother back to life. She had heard him say he was soon to be crucified for the sins of the world—including hers. How do you say thank you for something like that? How do YOU do it? Extravagant love is the proper response to extravagant grace!
We’re not done with the story. In fact, the story might be a lot less disturbing if it stopped right here. But it doesn’t. Quite to the contrary, the key to the story seems to be the disciple’s response or the contrast between Mary’s act and their reaction. According to John, Judas may well have been the key player. But Matthew and Mark make it clear that the other disciples were just as much a part of what happened. The most common opposite of extravagant love is not treachery and betrayal. Extravagant love is more often crowded out by practical, self-conscious, “let’s no get too carried away” love. Dare I call it what it is—cheap love! Some of us have this down to a fine art! In fact, our first impulse is to agree with disciples.
Did you hear their reaction? What a waste! Honoring Jesus—a waste? Why not sell the perfume and give the money to the poor? That sounds reasonable and generous! Note Jesus response, “you always the poor among you, but you won’t always have me.” Jesus words echo the words of Deuteronomy 15. The Old Testament passage says, “Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be poor in the land. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor . . .” (Deuteronomy 15:10 – 11, NLT). The point of the Law was that generosity is a lifestyle not a project. We help those in need not because we think we will end poverty but because that’s the kind of people God calls us to be. We share because of who we are. It is a matter of the heart!
Jesus knew that this supposed concern for the poor was just a cloak of respectability for their critical spirit. He could just as easily have said, “Let’s not be so quick to criticize what she has done with what she has until we have talked about what you have done with what you have. How much of what you have has gone to the poor?” Like me, I am sure you have observed that often the loudest opinions about how the church or other believers share their possessions come from those with the least room talk.
The real point of the story is the contrast between extravagant love and cheap love. Cheap love finds excuses. It asks how much I have to give or how much do I have to do. Extravagant love looks for ways to voice its gratitude and express its devotion to the Lord. Extravagant love cares little for what others say or do. Extravagant love sees only the blessing of the Lord and an opportunity to honor him.
Conclusion: The story is a mirror in which we see our own devotion to Jesus reflected. Is it the antagonism of Jesus’ enemies? Our way or the highway! Could it be Judas? What will you give me for giving him up? Or the disciples who call extravagant love for Jesus a waste? Or is it Mary?
King David knew how he would have answered that. In 2 Samuel 24, David is confronted with a dilemma. He faces the Lord’s judgment for his disobedience. The Lord gives him a choice—three years of famine, three months of war, or three days of plague. He asks God for mercy. The plague comes on Israel. Before the plague reaches Jerusalem, David cries out to God. “Lord, don’t punish my people for what I have done.” The Lord relents. David is told to build an altar and offer a sacrifice as a sign of his repentance. The prophet tells him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19So David went up to do what the LORD had commanded him. 20When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 21“Why have you come, my lord the king?” Araunah asked. David replied, “I have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the LORD there, so that he will stop the plague.”
22“Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. 23I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the LORD your God accept your sacrifice.”
24But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.” (2 Sam 24:18-24).
May we have such love! Extravagant love!
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College of the Bible, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
