Video: The Power of Giving (1:29 min) (Available on SermonCentral.com)
What Every Christian Needs to Know About Stewardship: Stewardship in church terms has always meant giving. But over the last few weeks we have looked at stewardship meaning so much more. We established that all we have is from God and as such we are stewards of God’s things, and as stewards, we will all give an account to God of those things we managed. the fact is one day, when I enter glory and my eyes see Jesus for the first time, the biggest reward I could ever have to hear my Lord say:
Matthew 25:21 & 23 (NKJV) ‘Well done, good and faithful servant . . . enter into the joy of your lord.’
But part of stewardship is motive. Yes, giving is part of stewardship, but what is needed is not a rulebook telling us what to give, how much to give, by what means we give. What is needed is a heart that is right with Jesus.
We live in a world fraught with causes to support. Yet the point of stewardship isn’t about causes, important as they may be. Jesus surprised his disciples with this principle. [This story we are going to read in a moment is] The story of Mary and the expensive perfume found in John, Mark and Matthew is one example.
During a visit to the home of Simon the Leper, a woman emerges with a year’s wages worth of precious perfume and pours it on Jesus. Some of the disciples grumbled, imagining all it could have accomplished for the poor. But Jesus wanted to focus their attention on the heart of the giver. This woman showed her deep love for Jesus through the use of her resources. The disciples missed the point. When we make God our highest priority, our desire is to honor him, this releases a spirit of love, which releases resources to meet real needs.[1] You see - Stewardship Is About The Heart, Not Causes.
John 12:1–8 (NKJV)
I was told that Butterball has a hotline and answers questions. A few years ago, before Thanksgiving, one of the workers received a phone call early in November. The customer wanted to know if a turkey that had been frozen for over 15 years would harm you. After some searching the Butterball employee responded, that is appears that the meat of the turkey that had been kept deeply frozen for 15 years probably would not hurt you, but the flavor would be decreased. To that the caller said, “That’s what we were thinking also. That being the case we will just donate it to our church.”
That may sound funny, but unfortunately, this is all too common. The Church, The Body of Christ all too often gets our left overs and not our best.Today as we look at this story about Mary anointing the feet of Jesus, we will also consider the parallel account in Mark 14. The is the same account in Matthew 26. There is a very similar account in the Luke 7 but it was in another time and place.
According to Mark, the story takes place at the home of Simon the Leper, or should we say the former leper. Jesus must have had, at some point, healed Simon because there is no such thing as former lepers other than what Jesus healed. Also lepers never mixed with non-leprous people.
John 12:1–2 (NKJV) Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.
The timing of this meal is very significant. It was on Saturday evening after sunset and the sabbath was over. Passover was in the next week which means by Friday, Jesus will be hanging on a cross. The next day was Sunday, when Jesus make His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The anointing by Mary could be seen as the anointing of the King. However, also significant, at some point before this meal, a few days perhaps a week or two earlier, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead.
I want deviate for a moment to point out Martha in this verse. “and Martha served” You remember Martha. Sister to Lazarus and Mary. In Luke 10:38-42, you can read the story, Martha complained to Jesus about how Mary wasn’t helping out in the serving. What a contrast here, she is serving happily with no complaints. We often belittle Martha, but her gift is service, and she is happy to serve so others can hear Jesus. We all need Martha’s just to function. We had a kitchen full of Martha’s yesterday, serving a family that was grieving after a funeral. They served a beautiful time of fellowship, ministering in way I could never do. Martha’s act of worship was serving. Martha was doing what she did best. It takes the Martha’s working in the background to make it all happen for the glory of God. Now let’s move to Mary.
John 12:3 (NKJV) Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. In Scripture we always find her at the feet of Jesus. In Luke 10, we find Mary hanging on to every word coming out of Jesus’ mouth, while Martha served. In John 11:32 we finding her falling at Jesus’s feet crying out to Jesus saying “If only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Here we find Mary at the feet of Jesus anointing them with expensive perfume, and wiping his feet with her hair. You could only wonder what was going through the mind of Mary. She had the heard the very words of life from the One who is “the Way the truth and the life.” More than that, she witness up-close and personal the very act of Jesus calling her brother out of the grave. Mary, more than most, including the disciples, is really beginning to grasp just who Jesus is and it can be pretty overwhelming.
Mark and Matthew records Mary anointed Jesus head, and perhaps she started there, but John, an obvious eye witness to the whole event, said she anointed His feet.
“a pound of very costly oil of spikenard” Mark records that Mary took a alabaster flask and broke it. The flask has a very costly perfume, spikenard, from India. Word at least 300 denarii, about a year’s wages for a common laborer. Still available today at over $20 an ounce. Mary had a Roman pound, or about 12 ounces.
The flask is a sealed bottle that must be broken, or at least the neck of bottle, to use. Once broken, all of it must be used, you don’t pour just a little, all of it was committed. Mary perhaps used a family heirloom, or most probably it was her dowry, her life savings. She gave the absolute best she had and she gave all of it, not holding any back. Mary giving all is no different from the poor widow who gave two mites.
Mark 12:43b–44 (NKJV) “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
Giving all to Jesus, what are we holding back? Where is our heart?
It was common to use spikenard for burials. Isn’t it interesting, she did not use it on her brother, Lazarus when he died? Jesus said in verse 7 that Mary was doing this for His burial. Maybe Mary sensed something or understood Jesus talking about his upcoming death, that she anointed him now, so he could enjoy the fragrance, rather than after his death. It is also interesting to note that this Mary, sister of Lazarus, was not among the ladies at the tomb on that resurrection morning. The Women were at the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with spices, but Mary had already done so.
“and wiped His feet with her hair” Mary at the feet of Jesus, a performing a task reserved for the lowest of servants. Not just washing Jesus feet in this expensive perfume, but wiping His feet with her hair. It was unheard of a proper woman letting her hair down in public. The woman’s hair was her glory and she was wiping the feet of Jesus with it. She had no regard for what the world thought of her, all she was focused on was serving her Lord. She did not care what others though, it was all about Jesus.
With her hair she carried for some time the very fragrance of her worship of Jesus. When we worship, do we leave here with the very fragrance on our being of being with Jesus? Of truly worshipping him? Or did we waste an hour on a Sunday morning?
“And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil” This was a statement of an eye witness. Does this place fill up with the fragrance of true worship? True worshipping was happening, right before the eyes of everyone there including the disciples. Then someone goes and spoils the mood by criticizing.
John 12:4–5 (NKJV) But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
Mark and Matthew record that the other disciples were in agreement with Judas, but as we know, Judas had other motivations. In their defense, it was customary to gift a gift to the poor at the time of Passover which was quickly approaching. But here is the problem. The world has never had a problem with religion in moderation. It has no problem with too much wealth or power or sex or influence, but it has a problem with too much religion. [2]
The disciples on the other hand said it was a waste because they thought they were being practical and they believed they had a very good reason to act as they did. Their devotion to Jesus was Moderate at Best. Let’s honor JESUS But let’s not get silly about it. Let’s anoint JESUS but not with expensive stuff. Let’s serve JESUS but let’s not be crazy about it. The church has far too many who like the disciples respond to Jesus with Moderate Devotion, and when they see true devotion they don’t understand... They too shout "why the waste"[3]
The Disciples judges by appearances, Jesus judges by the heart and motive. Then consider Judas:
John 12:6 (NKJV) This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
Judas was the treasurer for the 12 disciples. Obviously, he helped himself the funds. Judas, always with a calculator in his hands, knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing. He could not stand to see that money poured out when he could have it. Mark and Matthew records that right after this event, Judas went out and made a deal with Chief Priests to betray Jesus, for 30 pieces of silver, or about 120 denarii, less than half the value of the alabaster flask of Spikenard.
John 12:7–8 (NKJV) But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
The issue here is not between Jesus and the cause of helping the poor, it was between “always” and “not have always.” Jesus was in their midst. His time was growing short. We will always have the poor. The focus is on Jesus.
Our first question is not social justice, is not caring for the poor, is not whether dirty politics are happing in Washington. The question is not any other cause you care to mention. The question is whether our heart is right with Jesus. Does He have all that you are, the very best that you have.
We are coming to the Lord’s table this morning, remembering all that He has done for us. Jesus left his home on high to come to earth and give his all, All without holding anything back and without reservation for us. What is the measure of our devotion to Him? Will we give without reservation to Him?
[1] Dave Briggs, “What I Wish I Had Known about Stewardship,” CT Pastors, August 2016, www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2016/august-web-exclusives/what-i-wish-i-had-known-aboutstewardship.html
[2] James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 414–415.
[3] https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/worship-at-the-feet-of-jesus-kevin-l-jones-sermon-on-worship-187399?ref=SermonSerps
