Henry Ward Beecher once said, “In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.”(1) Our passages of Scripture for this morning speak of sacrifice. One definition of sacrifice is “to offer to God in homage or worship,” and another one is “to destroy, surrender, or suffer to be lost for the sake of obtaining something.”(2) Sacrifice, in terms of the believer, is suffering loss for the sake of God and His Son, Jesus Christ, with the hope of gaining eternal rewards. The “here and now” is not where our treasure is supposed to lie. Jesus said, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20); and in order to do as He said, we must make sacrifices while still on this earth.
We are going to begin our message this morning by reading through two passages of Scripture – Mark 14:3-9 and John 12:1-8. We will examine both passages for the very reason that the account is told by more than one gospel writer and with different details in each account. By looking at both testimonies we can gain a fuller picture of the event, and see exactly what each writer deemed as important to emphasize. Our message this morning looks at a woman named Mary who made a costly sacrifice in order to express her love to Jesus; and from her one act of worship we can learn something about how God requires us to live our lives for Him each and every day.
Please stand with me at this time in honor of the reading of God’s Word, as I first read Mark 14:3-9:
3 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.
6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7 For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8 She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9 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.”
Please remain standing as we seek to honor the Lord’s Word, and turn with me now to John 12:1-8:
1 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. 3 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.
4 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?” 6 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. 7 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.”
From these two passages I have derived six points that will help us understand how to live a life of sacrifice to God. Some of these points will also allow us to see how we often tend to act in ways that are contrary to a life of sacrifice. I wish to encourage you to listen to the spiritual application, and not get distracted by debating whether these two accounts are actually related.
Point #1: Our Flesh Must Be Broken (Mark 14:3)
Point number one is that “Our Flesh Must Be Broken.” Mark 14:3 tells us, “A woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.” This woman, whom John identifies as Mary (John 12:3), broke an alabaster flask. Alabaster is a white, yellow, or brown calcium deposit found mainly in limestone caverns and it can be quarried and carved into vessels.(3)
Some translations, such as the King James Version, will say Mary broke a box instead of a flask, and others call it a jar (eg. NLT, NRSV, NIV). Exactly what it was that she broke is not as significant as the fact that she chose to break it. The alabaster box or flask represents our body or flesh.(4) The apostle Paul, in speaking of the power of Christ abiding in each of us, said, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
One commentator tells us, “I believe that breaking the flesh is what the story in the Bible of the woman with the alabaster box is all about. She broke that box so the expensive perfume could be poured out. In the same way, we have to break our flesh so the good things of God will pour out of us.”(5) Keeping this observation in mind, why must our flesh be broken, and what are the good things of God that must be poured out of us? These questions bring us to point number two.
Point # 2: Our Life Is to Be an Offering (Mark 14:3; John 12:3)
Point number two is that “Our Life Is to Be an Offering.” In Mark 4:3 and John 12:3 we are told that Mary poured out oil from the flask. The oil here is symbolic. We read in the New Bible Dictionary that “oil was prominent among the [Old Testament] firstfruit offerings (Exodus 22:29) and . . . during the daily sacrifice (Exodus 29:40).”(6) So, the oil is symbolic of sacrifice.
Mary not only broke the alabaster flask, or her flesh, but she poured out her life as an offering unto God. The apostle Paul declared in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship” (NIV). Paul stated of himself in Philippians 2:17, “I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith.” Our very life is expected to be poured out as an offering unto God.
In John 12:3 we read, “The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” “We all have sweet perfume in us. But our alabaster box (or our flesh) has to be broken so the perfume (or the good things of God) can pour out of us. We are [each full of] the good things of God. We each have the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. But many times our alabaster box (or our flesh) keeps them from being poured out.”(7)
In Philippians 4:18, Paul said that the lives of the Philippians given to God in acts of service were “a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.” If we break our flesh and offer our life as a sacrifice unto the Lord, then our life will become as sweet and aromatic oil unto God.
So far, we have seen that our flesh must be broken and that our life is to be poured out as an offering unto God. So, how does this begin in our life, or where does it all start? This question brings us to point number three.
Point # 3: We Must Bow at the Feet of Jesus (John 12:3)
Point number three is that “We Must Bow at the Feet of Jesus.” We read in John 12:3 that Mary “anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.” What I hope we will take from this example is how Mary spent time at Jesus’ feet. In the gospels there are at least eight times in which someone either bows or falls at the feet of Jesus. Six of those times we see people requesting His healing, or they are there after having received a healing miracle. What we observe in the gospels is that people brought “their problems” and laid them at the feet of Jesus. Now why would people place their burdens at His feet?
Bowing at someone’s feet was the sign of a servant. When Jesus wanted to demonstrate servanthood to His disciples, He humbled Himself and kneeled before them and washed their feet (John 13:1-17). Therefore, when someone came to Jesus with their problems they were demonstrating humility before Christ, who is Lord, and they were submitting to His will and authority. They submitted to Jesus because they believed He could defeat their problems and place them under His feet. Hebrews 2:8 declares, “You have put all things in subjection under His feet.”
Now, it’s not just our problems we should bring to Jesus. We should also lay before Him our passions and desires, and submit to Him as a servant would. How many of us are willing to give up our own worldly kingdom and earthly treasure for Christ, in order to gain that which is eternal and will never fade away? When we learn to bow down at the foot of the cross of Christ and give Jesus all our wants and desires, then that’s when our flesh is broken and our life is poured out before Christ as a beautiful aroma.
There are many of us who have not allowed our life to be poured out as an offering and sweet smelling aroma unto Christ. Why might that be? This question brings us to point number four.
Point # 4: Many People Have Their Own Plans (Mark 14:4-5)
Point number four is that “Many People Have Their Own Plans.” In Mark 14:4-5 we read, “But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor’.” We see here that some of the disciples had their own plans on how to utilize the oil. They thought it should have been sold and the money used to help the poor. Their perception was quite different than that of Jesus. It is not at all unusual for people to have their own plans concerning how the things of God should be conducted; but following our own plans instead of God’s perfect will can get us into trouble.
For example, in 2 Samuel 24:1-17, we read how King David wanted to know how many fighting men he had in Israel, so he had a census conducted in order to gain a tally. However, God was greatly displeased, because David was trusting in numbers for his security instead of trusting the Lord. Therefore, God provided David with a choice as to what punishment he would receive: seven years of famine, fleeing three months before his enemies, or three days of plague. David chose the latter, and then seventy thousand men of Israel died.
David said to the angel of the Lord who carried out the sentence, “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done?” (2 Samuel 24:17). Many innocent people died because David had his own idea of how things should be done. When we choose our own plans over God’s will, then it can lead to severe consequences for ourselves and others.
How many of us have our own ideas and perception of how the Christian life should be lived? When we carry out our own plans and ignore God’s will then we could wind up in a heap of trouble, which brings us to point number five.
Point # 5: Many People Waste Their Life (Mark 14:4)
Point number five is that “Many People Waste Their Life.” Notice how in Mark 14:4 some of the disciples, along with Judas, used the word “wasted.” They were so worried that the expensive oil, or perfume, would be wasted that they didn’t realize they were wasting their own lives by being disobedient to Jesus.
Commentator Warren Wiersbe tells us it’s interesting that Judas, in John 12:4-6, would be one of the accusers saying that this particular use of the oil was a waste. According to Wiersbe, “The word ‘waste’ . . . in the Greek is the same as ‘perdition’ in John 17:12, a verse that refers to Judas,” and Wiersbe continues to say, “He wasted his God-given opportunities and eventually wasted his life, ending it by committing suicide. What a contrast between Mary the worshiper and Judas the traitor!”(8)
Wiersbe said that Judas wasted his God-given opportunities. He wasted his life by being overly concerned with his earthly well-being. He stole money in order to live a comfortable life in the here and now. He didn’t trust that Jesus was telling Him the truth when He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2). You see: “We love our alabaster box . . . We spend so much time taking care of it; we don’t want it to be broken. Unfortunately we worry too much about our comfort right now and not enough about later on.”(9) Judas stole the money because he wasn’t thinking about later on.
Many people forget that Jesus asked, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). When we stop worrying about being taken care of in this life, and do as Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, and “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” then surely “all things shall be added to [us].” If we would stop wasting our life on making a cozy nest here in this present world, and trust that Jesus will take care of our needs, then we could more easily break our flask and pour out our life as a sweet smelling sacrifice unto God.
Point # 6: Our Devotion Will be Remembered (Mark 14:9)
Point number six is that “Our Devotion Will be Remembered.” If we ever come to the point where we learn to sacrifice our wants and desires to serve the Lord then we will finally be living a life devoted to Christ. Mark 14:9 tells us, “Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” This verse basically says that this woman’s one act of devotion will be remembered for all time. If we break ourselves of our own desires and pour ourselves out for the sake of Christ and the kingdom, then we will be remembered by God forever and all eternity.
In Revelation 3:5 Jesus said, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” The phrase “he who overcomes” means he who is able to put aside worldly gain for the sake of Christ; and to all those who pour out their life at the feet of Jesus, their names will be written down and remembered in the Book of Life (Revelation 21:7). If we learn to sacrifice our life now, then we will gain so much more in eternity.
Time of Reflection
I want to encourage you this morning to break your flask, or break your box. If you, like Judas, are ignoring the call to serve the Lord because you are too busy making your life in this world secure, then I want to urge you to let go. Start storing up treasure in heaven, for what you have here on this earth can’t be taken with you when you die.
If you do not know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, then you need to pour out your life before Him. Come kneel at the foot of the cross this morning. Come bow down, and lay your earthly crown before Him, for Jesus said, “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). If you will pour yourself out before Him this morning, it will be accepted before Him as a sweet smelling sacrifice holy and pleasing to God, and your name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
NOTES
(1) Henry Ward Beecher, “Sacrifice,” Webster’s Twenty-first Century Book of Quotations (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1992), p. 226.
(2) Noah Webster, “Sacrifice,” 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language (San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 2002).
(3) Ibid., “Alabaster.”
(4) Joyce Meyer, Eight Ways to Keep the Devil under Your Feet (New York: Warner Books, 1998), p. 32.
(5) Ibid., p. 32.
(6) “Oil,” The New Bible Dictionary (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1962) taken from Logos 2.1 on CD-ROM.
(7) Meyer, pp. 32-33.
(8) Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1992) taken from Logos 2.1 on CD-ROM.
(9) Meyer, p. 33.
