I want to begin by sharing something from the apostle Paul. Paul, in speaking about what a person should give to the church in the way of monetary offerings; he once stated, “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12). When the Lord receives our gifts and offerings, He does not get disappointed if what we give appears to be smaller than our neighbor’s contribution; so long as we give with a willing mind and in proportion to our income, and in accordance with our heart conviction.
2 Corinthians 8:12, which I just read, concerns the giving of monetary offerings; however, it can also be applied to other types of offerings, such as the giving of our time and talents in service to the Lord. When someone comes before God seeking to serve Him in ministry, the Lord doesn’t say, “I am sorry, but Bob has more skills and raw talent than you do; so, you’re not allowed to offer your service unto Me.” Instead, the Lord says, “I see that you have a willing mind and heart to serve Me; therefore, I receive you according to what you feel led to give.”
In our passage today we are going to see that Jesus received people according to how they were convicted to serve Him. In contrast, we will observe how His disciples were unwilling to receive someone who felt led to perform an act of spiritual service unto Jesus; revealing how we, as human beings, often miss the bigger picture, and forfeit opportunities to assist people in being used by God to further the kingdom. We will learn today just how important it really is to be receptive to others who offer their help and service within the church.
Jesus Allowed Someone to Serve Him (vv. 6-7)
6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.
So, we read here that a woman approached Jesus “having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil” (v. 6). Alabaster is “a carbonate of lime or sulphate of lime, white or yellow stone, named alabaster from the town in Egypt where it was chiefly found. It was used for a phial employed for precious ointments.”(1) The oil is described as being fragrant, but Matthew does not elaborate on the type of oil. Mark, in his account, calls it “oil of spikenard” (Mark 14:3). “Spikenard, also called nard, is a flowering plant of the valerian family that grows in the Himalayas.”(2)
The oil was known in ancient times and was part of the ayurvedic herbal tradition of India. It was obtained as a luxury in ancient Egypt and the Near East. In Rome, it was the main ingredient of the perfume nardinum . . . In the Hebrew Bible . . . it is referred to as the HaKetoret (the incense). It was offered on the specialized incense altar in the time of the First and Second Jerusalem Temples.(3)
Now, the identity of this woman seems to be an endless debate among scholars, having no real resolution. Her identity is not as important as the significance of her action. She took the “very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table” (v. 7). This lady offered a great service for Jesus, not to mention personal sacrifice. Later on, in verse twelve, Jesus stated that she did it with the intention of anointing Him for His burial.
Once again, I want to emphasize how this woman poured out this fragrant oil on Jesus as an act of service. She offered her help in preparing Jesus for his death and burial. Jesus allowed this, because God had called her to do it; and He permitted it, because it would bring the woman spiritual fulfillment. The main point is that when someone offers his or her help in spiritual service, we must be willing to allow and receive their assistance. It could be that the Lord has asked the person to pitch in; and in serving, the individual has an opportunity to grow in his or her faith.
In had a college friend, and fellow ministry student, who began attending a church I once pastored. He felt called to serve within the church; so, I began having him assist my wife and I in teaching the youth Sunday school class. His heart was sincere and he enjoyed working with the youth. I also took him on church visitation, because I needed a ministry partner. However, I began receiving complaints from church members that they didn’t like him working with the youth or going on visitation. Some of the deacons told him to stop helping me, and needless to say, he was very hurt and left the church.
In another church I pastored, a lady decided to join the church and she became a member. It wasn’t long before she felt a call to service. She asked me if she could teach a Sunday school class; and so, I took her request before the deacons. She was immediately denied the opportunity. Why? Because she was from a Pentecostal background, and some of the deacons stated that a “holy roller” (as they called her) could not be trusted to teach sound doctrine. Not even the suggestion that she have a co-teacher to observe her was sufficient. Needless to say, like my friend in the previous example, she became hurt and left the church.
Getting back to our Scripture, some people try to identify the woman in the account as Mary, because of the apparent parallel found in John chapter twelve. Remember, however, that she is not specifically identified here; and perhaps her identity was even unknown to the disciples. So, let me ask, “How many times do we allow someone who is new to us to join us in serving the Lord?” Remember, Jesus allowed her act of service because He recognized her assignment from God, and because He did not want to deny her a spiritual blessing.
Let us be certain to take the time to deeply consider someone’s request to serve within the church. That way, if the person’s calling is truly from God, then we can pray together and help discern the specific area of ministry, and not miss an opportunity for an individual to be blessed in the Lord’s service. It can also be to our benefit to consider someone’s request to serve, for their work within the church could become a blessing to the entire body of Christ.
Jesus Was Not Worldly Minded (vv. 8-10)
8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” 10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.”
The disciples did not see in this woman what Jesus saw, and they did not understand her action. They instead became indignant, or rather “offended.” The disciples called this pouring out of oil a waste, and they were blinded to the spiritual significance. They demonstrated worldly-mindedness; and a person becomes “worldly-minded” as they are “godly-blinded.” If our heart becomes overly focused on material things and earthly possessions, and the cares of this world, then we can get distracted and miss what God is doing in the hearts and lives of the people around us.
Too many times people fail to look at the heart. Perhaps this failure is the result of some prejudice that causes us to see someone as having little or no potential; or maybe it’s simply the result of fear. We could be frightened about the prospect of new ideas and eminent change that the individual might bring with them. Just remember what the Lord told Samuel concerning David: “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
My college friend, who wanted to serve within the church where I pastored, was a rather hefty fellow, to say the least. My wife and I knew his heart, and we realized that he was a gentle giant; however, some of the church leaders were intimidated by his size, and stated that he frightened the youth. I found this statement rather strange and unfounded, since the youth spoke favorably of him. The deacons failed to see his heart, for they judged him by his outward appearance, and were taken back by his boisterous personality. They forbade his service based on some kind of prejudice.
Sometimes we can have an ulterior motive in forbidding someone’s service. The disciples told Jesus, “For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor” (v. 9). The disciples were blinded to the spiritual significance of this woman’s act, because they were focused on dollar signs; and one of the disciples in particular, Judas Iscariot, was thinking about acquiring the money all for himself (cf. John 12:4-6). How many times does money become the motivating factor, or rather “the bottom dollar,” in our decision to allow, or not allow, someone to serve? Perhaps how they want to serve is deemed as not being monetarily beneficial to the church. They might run off good tithing church members.
Jesus responded to the disciples’ indignance, stating, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me” (v. 10). Like Jesus, we need to be spiritually minded; rather than worldly-minded and godly-blinded. We need to have our hearts so in tune with the Holy Spirit that we can readily identify the “good works” and good intentions of those who are seeking to serve the Lord. In that way we will not “trouble the woman” (v. 10), or trouble the man, who is called to God’s service.
Jesus Saw the Spiritual Significance (vv. 11-13)
11 “For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
Jesus stated that “in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial” (v. 12). Jesus identified the spiritual significance; that she was anointing Him for burial. The reason why we often object to an act of spiritual service is because we forget the significance. For example, I once baptized seven people during a baptismal service. The members of the Baptismal Committee were complaining that I was baptizing too many. They were so focused on the “grueling task” of assisting the candidates in and out of the baptistery that they failed to take joy in the fact that so many people had just received Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Jesus said of this woman, “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (v. 13). Commentator John Gill pointed out here that “though the disciples blamed this action, it should be spoken of by others to her praise and commendation, in all succeeding ages, throughout the world.”(4) The disciples were offended by this woman’s action; however, in retrospect, and separated by many centuries, others in history could identify the significance of her sacrifice.
Just as this woman’s spiritual act would be remembered and cherished throughout all time, the Lord could do the same thing with those whom we try to prohibit from service. We do not know the great things that God has in store for those whom we disdain. So, we need to seriously consider someone’s request to serve within the church, and we need to make it a matter of priority and prayer. Be careful about immediately saying no, before taking the time to seek out discernment from the Lord.
Time of Reflection
The woman in our account felt called to draw near unto Jesus to bestow a blessing on Him, and to receive a blessing through her service. The Lord draws people unto Himself even today. He does so to save them from the curse of sin, in order for them to become a blessing. In Zechariah 8:13, the Lord declared, “Just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing.” First of all, we should note that when someone has been saved by the Lord, that He wants them to become a blessing; He wants them to serve. So, if a believer in Christ approaches us wanting to serve within the church, then we should seriously consider their request.
Secondly, we should note that the Lord calls people to be saved from the curse, meaning the curse of sin. The curse of sin is spiritual death (Romans 6:23) and eternal separation from God (Isaiah 59:2). Paul stated that “Christ has redeemed us from the curse . . . having become a curse for us, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13). Jesus died on the cross in our place, in order to take the curse of sin on Himself, so that we might receive the blessing of eternal life in Him. Romans 6:23 declares, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Let there be no hindrance in drawing unto the Lord. We as Christians need to be careful about hindering a fellow believer from approaching Him in service. Also, if you are an unbeliever – meaning that you have not yet confessed Jesus Christ as Lord, or received Him as Savior from your sins – then let nothing hinder you from approaching Jesus for salvation and eternal life. The Lord is calling you unto Himself to receive the blessing of a lifetime!
NOTES
(1) A. T. Robertson, Robertson N. T. Word Pictures, on Power Bible CD.
(2) “Spikenard,” Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spikenard (Accessed July 29, 2011).
(3) Ibid.
(4) John Gill, “Matthew,” John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, Bible Study Tools: www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/matthew-26-13.html (Accessed July 29, 2011).
