Costly Worship (John Part 36)
Text: John 12:1-8
Well it’s good to see you all this morning. I hope you are excited to be gathered with the Church. Today I’m going to do something I’ve never done as your pastor… and I think I’ve only done one other time in the 21 years I’ve been a pastor… I’m going to preach about money. I typically don’t do that because the Bible is pretty clear, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (That’s Matthew 6:21). Meaning we display what we love, worship, and adore, by what we give our money and treasures too. If you love Jesus, and His Church, the ministries of the Church, the preaching of the Word and feeding of your soul, you’re going to give. It’s not some deep theological mystery. It’s just “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So… I guess when you get right down to it, this sermon isn’t really going to be about money, it’s about worship. With that in mind, take your Bible and open it up to the Gospel of John, chapter 12 (READ John 12:1-8).
So; this is a little while after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, and He’s come back into the area of Bethany because Passover is about to start. Our text tells us, that it’s going to happen in six days. What that means is that we are getting close to the end of Jesus life… in John’s Gospel, John focuses roughly half of his Gospel account hitting the high points of the first 3 years of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and then he focuses the last half of his Gospel, on the final week of Jesus’ life… and this is where he starts that, right here in chapter 12. So we’re six days before Passover, just a few days before the Triumphal Entry, and then of course Jesus will be betrayed by Judas, and crucified by the mobs. And while He’s in Bethany, He gets invited to dinner.
Now, in reading John’s account, you might think that Jesus is again at Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus’ house, but John never actually says that. Verse 2 says, “So they gave a dinner for Him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him at the table.” But it doesn’t say whose house they were in… we have to turn to Mark 14:3-9 to find that out, so let’s go ahead and do that (READ Mark 14:3-9)… So there we have it… “Bob’s your uncle!” No… Jesus is in Bethany; He’s been invited to eat at Simon’s house. And Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are all there with Him, along with the disciples. Who is Simon the leper? Well some people say that he was Mary, Martha, and Lazarus’ father. Some people say that he was the one out of the ten lepers who gave thanks after he had been healed. One thing we do know is that he was not Simon the Pharisee that we read about in Luke 7… and the Mary here in our text is not Mary Magdalene from Luke 7… so the events depicted here in John and in Mark are not the same events in Luke 7. Two different occasions, two different events.
Here’s what we do know: Simon the Leper would have been someone who was well known to the people of the region, and of that time period, but his identity has been lost to us today. We can pick up little clues here and there, but we can’t say with certainty who he was. And the reason for that is because he’s not the focus of this story. He’s just providing the setting for it all to take place. And so… Jesus, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, Simon the Leper, and the Disciples are all at this home, they are eating, and it’s six days before Passover – that’s what we need to know here! Jesus, and the other men are all reclining at the table, and in comes Mary with an alabaster flask of expensive ointment of pure nard. She breaks the flask of alabaster, and pours the pure nard on Jesus’ head and on His feet.
Now to us, that might seem like the weirdest thing ever. I don’t want someone coming up and pouring stuff on me… even if it is expensive perfume or cologne, or ointment. Just don’t do that ok! It’s uninvited; it’s unwanted. Just don’t. Second I’d probably be thinking, “Man, do I stink or what? Do I smell so bad that you have to cover it up with this ointment?” And granted, sometimes, my feet can really get sweaty, and start reeking, but I still don’t want someone pouring stuff all over me. So to us, this seems strange and unusual. It’s odd to us. But again, this isn’t in our time and place and culture.
We have very good friends from England, and when they greet you they give you a peck on the cheek… and it doesn’t matter if it’s guys or girls, it’s just what they do. And the first time we met them, and our friend Richard leaned in to kiss my cheek, I backed up really quick. And I was like, “This is America! We don’t do that here. I’ll shake your hand all day long, but some dude isn’t going to give me a peck on the cheek.” And he respected that, and it was all good. And had I been in England, I would respect and honor their culture. So the thing is… this is a different time, a different place, and a different culture, and things like this happened a lot. It was respectful and honoring, and accepted. And had this been a $40 dollar bottle of Polo, it probably wouldn’t have been a big deal… but instead it was a bottle of pure nard.
Now why is that important? Well… you have to understand that nard comes from the root of a plant that grows in the Himalaya’s in India. So #1. It was hard to get to. #2. You had to prepare the ointment in a certain way. #3. You had to transport it from India to Israel. In other words, this is expensive stuff. In-fact Judas values its worth at about 300 denarii. In today’s money, that’s about $25,000 dollars. And that’s not counting the value of the alabaster flask that held it. I don’t know about you all, but to me, that’s a lot of money. What could you do with an extra $25,000 dollars? Pay off some bills? Start, or maybe finish some projects at home? Buy a new car? Pay for your kids college? Take an amazing vacation? Maybe invest it in something? All of those things are good things, and almost everyone would look at those things and say, “Yup, I’d probably do something like that too.” What about give it to your local Church? Or to a specific ministry that’s truly making an impact?
Now I’ll just tell you straight up, there’s a lot of so called churches, and ministries, causes, and organizations out there, that I wouldn’t give a dime to. We’ve got to be discerning when it comes to giving. God expects us all to be wise and good stewards, and to be smart with the finances He has given to us. Not necessarily so that we can enrich ourselves, but so that we can use those finances for His work, and His purpose, and for His glory!
And that brings us to Mary… she’s got this expensive ointment. It’s probably her greatest treasure. It’s probably the single most valuable thing she possesses, and she gives it to the Lord. Without hesitation, and without reservation. She breaks the flask, so that she can pour out every drop, and willingly gives her most valuable treasure to Christ. And I feel like I need to make this clear, just so we don’t misunderstand. No one told her she had to do that. No one commanded her, or compelled her. She does this as an expression of pure worship and love, and adoration.
Church, I have to wonder, have we broken the alabaster box of our life and poured out every drop for Jesus?
Where does your treasure go? That’s where your heart is.
What gift? What effort? What treasure is Jesus NOT worthy of? Is Jesus not worthy of giving up your Sunday? Is He not worthy of giving up your tithes and offerings? Is He not worthy of giving up your future plans? And people say, “Well what if Jesus’ plans for my future, are not my plans for my future? What then?” And to that I’d say, “If your plans for your future are contrary to Jesus’ plans, what good are they then?” “If your plans for your finances are contrary to Jesus’ plans for your finances, what good are they?” “If your hopes for your children are contrary to Jesus’ plans for your children – what’s going to happen if you drive them away from the plan and purpose of Christ?”
You know; there’s something interesting here. Every time we see Mary, she’s at the feet of Jesus. The first time we meet her, she’s sitting at Jesus’ feet learning. She hears the Word, and wants to be taught the Word. (That’s Luke 10:38-42). The second time we see her, it’s at the tomb after Lazarus has died. In other words, Mary has suffered, and gone through a very hard situation and time in her life. She’s experienced loss, but she falls at the feet of Jesus, because He’s the only One who can get her through this sadness, and grief, and depression. We looked at that not very long ago, when we went through John 11. And here; we see her again at Jesus feet. Now she knows fully who Christ is, and she worships Him with all that she has, and her greatest treasure.
And really what that shows us is a picture of the progression of the Christian life. We hear the Word, and are brought to saving faith. We continue to hear the Word, and grow in maturity and understanding. And even when tragedy or hard times come upon us, we fall at the feet of Jesus, and cling to Him in faith. And ultimately; as we know Him better and better, and we love Him more and more, our hearts are filled with worship, and praise, and adoration, and love for Him. We understand that the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of HIS glory and grace. We understand that HE IS THE TREASURE. We understand that IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS!
And people ask: Is that really what Mary is doing here? Is that really where she’s at in her faith?
Well; let me just say this. Only four kinds of people were anointed in those days. Kings, Priests, Prophets, and those who had died… they were anointed for burial. And Revelation 19:16 tells us that Jesus is the King of Kings. He is the sovereign Lord over all. Hebrews 3:1 tells us that He is the Great High Priest. And Matthew 13:31 tells us that Jesus is a prophet… “THE PROPHET.” Not Mohammed, JESUS! The only kind of prophet Mohammed was, was a false prophet.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God is Prophet, Priest, and King. And of course, He alone dies for our sins. He alone goes before God and takes our sin upon Himself, so that He may take the punishment of those sins on the cross. And on the cross He endures the wrath of God, and is our propitiation – our atonement – our sacrifice for sin, so that we can be forgiven and made right with God.
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The secret is to understand that Jesus is our treasure. He is the most valuable person… the most valuable treasure. This world, and everything in it, is passing away. But what’s interesting is that the Bible tells us that if you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, in-other-words, if you seek Christ, and His rule and reign in your life, first and foremost. Then God will give you the things you need. He will provide all that you need.
So let me ask you this morning, what do we worship? What do we love and treasure the most? You probably won’t be able to answer that in 5 minutes… this is something we all need to wrestle with over the next few weeks. It’s something we need to dig deep in our hearts to find the answer, and it’s a question that we need to be honest with ourselves about. It’s a question we ask ourselves daily in prayer. It’s a question we ask ourselves every time we get our bank statement, or balance our check book. When we lay down at night, and when we rise. It’s not just a Sunday morning question.
CONCLUSION
