LASTING LEGACY (JOHN 12:1-8)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_en Grammar Bible (English)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Bah Tatabahasa Alkitab (Indonesian)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Esp Biblia de Gramática (Spanish)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Tag Gramatika Bibliya (Filipino)
https://bible.ryl.hk Chinese Bible (Chinese)
In Chicago a few years ago a little boy attended a Sunday school. When his parents moved to another part of the city the little fellow still attended the same Sunday school, although it meant a long, tiresome walk each way. A friend asked him why he went so far, and told him that there were plenty of others just as good nearer his home.
“They may be as good for others, but not for me,” was his reply.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because they love a fellow over there,” he replied.
Most readers are familiar with John, the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23, 19:26, John 20:2, 21:7, 21:20), but few have explored the depth of love Jesus had for the siblings Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus (John 11:5). Nothing could separate Jesus’ love for them. In chapter 11 the subject of Jesus’ love was Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus – in that order (John 11:5). Jesus’ love for Lazarus was recorded three times in the Bible in the previous chapter (John 11:3, 5, 36). The strong and sharp praises of Jesus for Mary, however, dwarfed the praises He reserved for others:
“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42)
“Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” (Mark 14:9)
What kind of gifts most represent your relationship with the Lord? How do you demonstrate and increase your reverence for the Lord? Why is love for the Lord a deed rather than a doctrine?
Be Generous: Bring a Gift
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:1-3)
The Junior Sunday School Teacher asked her eight eager 10 year-olds if they would give a $1,000,000 to the missionaries. “Yes!” they all screamed!
“Would you give $1,000?” Again, they shouted “YES!”
How about $100?” “Oh, yes we would!” they all agreed!
“Would you just give a dollar to the missionaries?” she asked. The boys exclaimed, “Yes!” just as before, except for Johnny.
“Johnnie,” the teacher said as she noticed the boy clutching his pocket, “Why didn’t you say ‘yes’ this time?” “Well,” the boy stammered, “I have a dollar!”
The three siblings of Martha, Lazarus and Mary all did their part when Jesus came to town, with none of the sibling’s presence or part less significant. This is the first and only account of anybody making a “supper” for Jesus, but the credit goes to all –”they made” (v 2, KJV). Martha “served” means she was the attendant, host and server. Lazarus, along with others, were content to sit with Jesus, speak to him and seek His presence, although the text did not consider Lazarus’ job as less. It was a collective, charming and caring gesture.
Mary’s part, however, was not only costly, but was criticized instead of credited. The leading actions from Mary in verse 3 are poured out (anointed), wiped and filled. The word “ointment” occurs three times (vv 3 2x, 5) in the passage. Most translations have a “pound” of nard, which is equal to a pint of nard (NIV). Nard, or spikenard in KJV, is for fit kings (Song 1:12) and lovers (Song 4:14). Wikipedia says, “it is a flowering plant that grows to about 1 meter (3 ft) in height in the Himalayas of Nepal, China, and India. Nard oil is used as a perfume, an incense, a sedative, and a herbal medicine said to fight insomnia, birth difficulties, and other minor ailments. It was offered on the specialized incense altar in the time when the Tabernacle was located in the First and Second Jerusalem Temples.” Whether for fragrance and flavoring it was used sparingly, so a pound was extravagant, eye-opening and excessive. The average price for spikenard on the web is US$20 for 10 ml. One pound equals to 473.17 ml, so one pound is around US$950. Unlike the woman who was a sinner (Luke 7:37), Mary’s offering had a volume to it, stated as “very costly”. Would you
The word “expensive” is also translated as great price (Matt 13:46), very costly (John 12:3) and much more precious (1 Peter 1:7). From the Greek rendition of the word “muron” (ointment, KJV), we know that the ointment could be myrrh; “nard” could mean foreign, and “pure” (polutimos) is “very” (polus) and “honorable” (time). Like the woman who was a sinner (Luke 7:38), she anointed the feet (plural) and wiped the feet with her hair. Unlike other instances when Jesus’ feet were anointed, the house was filled with odor – “filled” and “odor” were not specified in other passages. Filled (v 3) means full (2 John 12), perfect (Rev 3:2) and complete (Col 2:10). The scent, smell and sweetness spread to the whole room. The excess (pint), expenditure (expensive) and experience (odor) were stated.
Mary’s task was very daring, dedicated, detailed, delicate and deliberate. She put a lot of thought, love and faith behind it. Her siblings did not have a problem with her doing that, but few other than her family members agreed. One (Martha) did the work and one (Lazarus) sampled the word, but Mary shared her wealth and stressed His worth. It was well-meant, well–coordinated and well-received. For Mary it was worth her saving, spending and sharing.
Be Glad: Bear His Grace
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (John 12:4-6)
A young couple moved into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
“That laundry is not very clean,” she said. “She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.”
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder, who taught her this?”
The husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
The focus of Judas Iscariot was the verb “sold.” The purpose of Judas was to sell, and he even knew the market price, three hundred denarii (KJV) or a year’s wages (NIV). Let me ask the guys: How much is perfume worth? How is it measured by weight? How much does spouse wife spend on perfume a month? Judas was one of the few men who had an eye for perfume and know of its market value. The issue is not giving to the poor but giving to the poor first before giving to Jesus, giving to the poor and not Jesus, and giving to the poor above all else and no matter what. The parallel passage of Mark 14:4 says some were “indignant,” or the translation “sore displeased” (Matt 21:15) or “much displeased” (Mark 10:14). It was considered a waste (Mark 14:4), otherwise translated as destruction (Matt 7:13) and perish (Acts 8:20).
Judas was motivated by the love of money, not care for others (v 6). He was unmoved by the plight of the poor, unsympathetic to their problems and uninterested in for their presence. He showed no compassion, concern or consideration for them.
Judas did not need to betray Jesus later; he was betraying Jesus, the disciples and others before he betrayed Jesus to the religious officials. NIV’s rendering of “he used to help himself” (v 6) is translated in other versions as”
“he used to pilfer what was put into it” NASB,
“he used to take what was put into it” RSV,
“took away what was put therein” ASV.
Judas had kept a lot of money for himself. He was a habitual, hardened and a hidden house thief. The Chinese have a saying: It’s hardest to guard against a house thief. ????????- ????
There are few characteristic of a thief in the Bible not found in Judas that was hardest and almost impossible to guard against:
(1) Thieves have to break through and steal (Matt 6:19), but Judas was an insider.
(2) You don’t know what watch (Matt 24:43) or hour Luke 12:39 the thief would come, but Judas was ever-present.
(3) The thief comes up the other way (John 10:1), but Judas was both ways.
(4) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10), but Judas was the non-violent type.
Judas did not fit the classic “thief” category. He was both-and, pompously, passionately and even prudently arguing and advocating for the poor, but he was a personified, practicing, proven thief.
Be Grateful: Behold the Goodness
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:7-8)
During World War II, when Harry Hopkins’s influence with Franklin Roosevelt was at its peak, Hopkins held no official Cabinet position. Moreover, Hopkins’ closeness to Roosevelt caused many to regard him as a shadowy, sinister figure. As a result he was a major political liability to the President.
A political foe once asked Roosevelt, “Why do you keep Hopkins so close to you? You surely realize that people distrust him and resent his influence.”
Roosevelt replied, “Someday you may well be sitting here where I am now as President of the United States. And when you are, you’ll be looking at that door over there and knowing that practically everybody who walks through it wants something out of you. You’ll learn what a lonely job this is, and you’ll discover the need for somebody like Harry Hopkins, who asks for nothing except to serve you.” (Robert Sherwood, Roosevelt and Hopkins: An Intimate History NY: Harper and Row/1948 pp 2-3 as quoted by Jack B. Hoey, Jr. in Discipleship Journal Issue 39/87)
Jesus supported and sided with Mary the best possible and public way by issuing the resounding, rebuking and reproaching imperative “Leave alone/let alone” (v 7). It means to allow her the space, serenity and sentiment to make her decision, deed, duty and devotion. Why was Jesus so vocal and verbose? Mark’s account said they were indignant (14:4), murmured against her (14:5) and bothering her. The first (indignant) is the temper, the second (murmur) is the text and the third (bothering) is the trouble.
Mary did not spend it on herself. It was not impulse and impetuous serving or spending. Jesus had done the impossible for her family. Jesus had raised her only brother Lazarus from the dead (v 1), recorded in the previous chapter, John 11. No gift was costly enough, perfume was fragrant enough and no gesture was big enough to express her gratitude, appreciation and thanksgiving. Mary was more sensitive than most because both passages had the same background or context:
“Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.” (John 11:53)
“After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.” (Mark 14:1)
What Mary did was to “come beforehand” (Mark 14:8) to anoint Jesus’ body before his burial. The verb “come beforehand” means take before (1 Cor 11:21) or be overtaken (Gal 6:1). Literally it (prolambano) means to receive before or take first step or in advance. No one was more aware, alert or apprehensive of what was happening before and what could happen after. The parallel passages say the chief priests , the scribes (Mark 14:1) and the Pharisees (John 11:47), following the raising of Lazarus, “sought” to “put him to death” (Mark 14:1). It was two days (Mark 14:1) to the Passover, when Jesus was killed and crucified (John 19:14). There was no time to lose, no trouble too hard, and no task too sacrificial.
Conclusion: It has been very aptly said, “The man who keeps busy helping the man below him will not have time to envy the man above him; and there may not be anyone above him.” Do you serve to please God or others? Do you criticize or contribute? Do you take to heart or take for granted the Lord’s mercy to you? How have you shared your tears, thanksgiving and treasures to God and to others?
