The billionaire pledged to donate $5,000.
The next day in the newspaper, the headline read, "Henry Ford contributes $50,000 to the local hospital."
The irate Ford was on the phone immediately to complain to the fund-raiser that he had been misunderstood. The fund-raiser replied that they would print a retraction in the paper the following day to read, "Henry Ford reduces his donation by $45,000."
Realizing the poor publicity that would result from the retraction, the industrialist agreed to the $50,000 contribution in return for the following: That above the entrance to the hospital was to be carved the biblical inscription: "I came among you and you took me in." (Bits & Pieces, March 3, 1994, pp. 1-2.)
We often are called upon to give to a certain cause. And if it is a good cause, and we can afford it…we give gladly from a heart of love.
Illus: We do not give like a mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson about giving.
She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church and said "Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself.”
When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given.
"Well," said the little girl, "I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I'd be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did." (Bits & Pieces, February 4, 1993, p. 23.)
But that brings us to what I want to preach about in this sermon. It is about Mary who gave what some would call a very extravagant gift to the Lord.
In fact, what Mary did was so startling it shocked the other disciples. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
That’s why this story appears in three gospels:
• Matthew,
• Mark,
• and John.
She prepared a gift that shocked the disciples. But Jesus loved it.
The story begins this way with…let’s look at…
I. THE GIFT
Look at John 12:1-2 Jesus therefore six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead. So they made him a supper there: and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with him.
The Bible tells us this feast was given for the Lord Jesus.
In just a few hours Jesus will enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Once He arrived He had a very busy schedule. Soon he will…
• Cleanse the temple,
• Curse the fig tree,
• Teach in the temple courts, and confront the rising tide of hatred from the religious leaders.
• Tonight in this feast that is given on his behalf is the last happy evening he will know on earth.
• Tomorrow he begins his final journey to the cross.
Tomorrow he will enter Jerusalem and in six days he will be nailed to a cross.
As we look at this guest list of this dinner party, we want to concentrate on two people: Mary and Judas.
• Mary never says a word, and Judas says too much.
• One reveals her heart by what she does, the other by what he says.
Let’s focus on two questions that needs to be asked.
II. THE QUESTION
WHAT DID MARY DO?
That is, Mary did something that was so significant that the Lord said, Wherever this gospel is preached that Mary would be mentioned what she did!
WHAT DID SHE DO TO PLACE HER IN SUCH A HONORABLE POSITION?
Look at John 12:3 Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
Can you imagine this feast that took place in honor of the Lord Jesus.
But notice in John 12:9 The common people therefore of the Jews learned that he was there: and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.
This was some feast and many came:
• To see the Lord Jesus
• But also see Lazarus who had been raised from the dead.
But what made this feast to be such a great feast had to do with what Mary did.
The Bible tells us that Mary did several unusual things.
(1) Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus.
(2) And Mary wiped his feet with her hair.
llus: A woman would not normally
• Sit at a man’s feet like a dog would do.
• Much less let down her hair in public.
• And certainly not wipe his feet with her hair.
Mary was a very special lady!!!
Illus: Warren Wiersbe points out that Mary takes center stage three times in the New Testament, and all three times she is sitting at Jesus’ feet.
• In Luke 10 she wants to hear the words of the Lord.
• In John 11 she wants to experience the works of the Lord.
• In John 12 she wants to declare the worth of the Lord.
In a sense, it was a very private act that others were permitted to see.
Notice, she took a pound of PURE NARD (About the size of full can of a Coca Cola) which was very expensive and poured it on the feet of Jesus. And then the Bible tells us she must have had very long hair and she took her hair and wiped his feet.
Now if you want to get in trouble with MOST women, just mess with her hair.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger had a wonderful Christian woman who attended his church and anytime you saw her, every hair was in place and it looked like she just came from a beauty parlor.
Someone asked her how did she manage to keep her hair so presentable all the time!!!
• She said she slept on a silk pillow case,
• She slept with a hair net,
• And she slept on her back all night long without moving around.
Mary must have had very long hair and like all ladies her hair meant something to her and after she poured this costly perfume on the feet of the Lord she took her lovely hair and dried his feet.
WHY DOES THE BIBLE TELL US THAT SHE DID THIS?
Because God wants us to know this woman did not say she loved the Lord, she really loved the Lord to do such a thing.
If you want to know someone:
• You can not always know them by what they say.
• You know them by what they do!
Illus: If you fellows do not think that Mary loved the Lord get your wife most costly perfume and ask her to pour it on your feet and take her hair and wipe your feet and see what kind of response you will get!!!
MARY LOVED THE LORD!!!
A lot of people say they love the Lord, but some do more than say it, they SHOW IT!!!
Illus: We all know people who say they love the Lord, but they do not have enough love for the Lord to attend church on a regular basis even though the Bible commands them in Hebrews 10:25 not to forsake the house of God.
They say they love the Lord but they always have better and more important things to do . REALLY!!!
YOU THINK THE LORD BELIEVE THEY LOVE HIM!!!
The Lord tells us in John 14:15 If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.
God’s Word tells us that our life will reveal we love the Lord if we OBEY THE WORD OF GOD.
But listen, there is another way we can show we love the Lord by obeying the commands of God’s Word but VOLUNTARILY DO SOMETHING because we love Him.
That is exactly what Mary did, Mary was not obeying a specific command of God’s Word to pour this expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet, she voluntarily out of a heart of love did more than the Word of God told her to do.
You could say when it comes to her showing the Lord that she loved Him…SHE WENT THE SECOND MILE!!!
There are some folks who profess to be saved:
(1) And you wonder if they are saved even though they say they are saved!
(2) But there are some who profess to be save and you know they are saved.
There is no doubt about it Mary really loved the Lord.
But notice, the Bible tells us “…and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
This was no “Midnight Breeze In The Junk Yard” perfume.
Now some women can wear perfume and if you get about three feet from where they are standing you can smell that beautiful perfume when they walk by.
But notice, the Bible tells us this stuff that Mary poured on the Lord’s feet, it did not just fill the room, the Bible tells us the HOUSE WAS FILLED WITH THE ODOR.
• Nard was an oil extracted from the root of the nard plant, grown in India. It was, as John notes, very expensive.
• This perfume did not contain NARD the Bible tells us it was one pound of PURE NARD!!!
Illus: Perfume can be very expensive. Did you know…
1. DKNY Golden Delicious Million Dollar Fragrance Bottle – $1 million
2. Clive Christian No. 1 Imperial Majesty Perfume – $12,721.89 per ounce
3. Baccarat Les Larmes Sacrees de Thebes – $6,800 per ounce
4. Chanel Grand Extrait – $4,200 per ounce
5. Hermès 24 Faubourg – $1,500 per ounce
6. Caron Poivre – $1,000 per ounce
7. Joy by Jean Patou – $850 per ounce
8. JAR Bolt of Lightning – $765 per ounce
9. Annick Goutal Eau d’Hadrien – $441.18 per ounce
The only thing I can say about these prices of perfume it would seem to me a woman that would have to spend this much money to smell good she must have some serious hygine problems.
DID YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THIS POUND OF PURE NARD COST?
In today’s terms, some have estimated it would be like spending $45,000 on a bottle of perfume.
Who does that?
You can buy a nice car for $45,000. There is some discussion of how much this pound PURE NARD cost but everyone agrees it cost THOUSANDS OF DOLLARDS.
I’m sure it smelled wonderful. Again, the bible tells us the odor filled the house.
Illus: A pastor had a lady that attended his church that worked at a perfume factory.
• He asked her how did she like her job?
• She said she really liked her job but it had one draw back.
• He asked her what was the draw back?
• She said it was impossible to go home and sneak into their home because everyone could smell her coming.
• Also, she said on the way home from work she could stop by at a Walmart Store and when she got ready to check out the cahier said, I KNOW WHERE YOU WORK, I CAN SMELL THAT PERFUME ON YOUR CLOTHES.
The Bible tells us that Mary took this costly ointment that is believed to have cost $45,000 and poured it on the Lord’s feet. This tells us that Mary and Martha was worth some money.
Mary loved the Lord Jesus to voluntarily give such a gift.
Illus: When Dr. Jerry Falwell was living he had a television program. He just built a new Church building for his congregation at Liberty University.
One Sunday he told the camera man on live television I want you to bring the camera close in, I have something to say that is important. The camera man did as he suggested.
He told his congregation and his television audience about this huge building that would seat about 10 thousand I want to say this:
• Nobody in this congregation gave one penny for this building to be built.
• Nobody that is watching on televising gave one penny for this building to be built.
He said two sisters gave $32,000 million dollars to honor their parents for this huge building to be built.
These two sisters loved their parents and Mary loved the Lord Jesus.
A lot of people say they love the Lord, but there are those who love Him and they can not:
• Give enough
• Do enough
for Him because they love Him.
Was Mary’s gift too extravagant?
It depends.
Illus: People will sometime say, see this watch it is valued at $5,000 dollars. Listen, it is only valued at $5,000 if someone is willing to pay $5,000 dollars for it.
And the gift that Mary gave, is it extrvagant, only if the Lord is worth that much to her. If He is not worth that much than this gift she gave Him was extravagant!!!
Illus: I read recently about Leonardo DiCaprio rented a yacht for $400,000 per week to go on a sailing spree.
• As you can imagine, the yacht came with every sort of fancy adornment. It had world-class amenities.
• Is $400,000 per week extravagant? It did not seem extravagant to him but it would be for me and for most people, but Leonardo DiCaprio is worth $220 million.
Mary's gift didn't seem extravagant to her, THE LORD JESUS TO HER WAS WORTH EVERY OUNCE.
In the Old Testament four groups were anointed:
• Kings,
• Prophets,
• Priests,
• And the dead.
Jesus fits the first three groups. In a few days he will join the fourth. It seems Mary understood Jesus better than his own disciple.
At this meal:
• She did not come to eat the meal.
• She did not come to fellowship with the others.
• She did not come to ask a question.
• She did not come to listen.
She came to give her best to Jesus.
Mary’s gift didn’t seem extravagant to her. Again, as for as she was concern the Lord was worth every ounce!!!
Let’s look at the reaction Judas concerning this gift…
III. THE REACTION
WHAT DID JUDAS DO?
John points out that Judas objected to this “wasteful” extravagance, but Matthew and Mark make it clear the other disciples did as well.
Judas was the spokes person for the group and he let it be known what she did was a PURE WASTE!!!.
They were indignant that Mary would spend so much on perfume that was just poured out on Jesus’ feet.
Why not use the money to feed the poor?
Illus: Remember under the GREAT SOCIETY movement that President Lyndon Johnson said we are going to do away with poverty.
But poverty is as much of a problem today as it was then!!!
Listen, to what the Lord said, John 12:8 For the poor ye have always with you; but me ye have not always.
We will always have poor:
(1) Because some people are not willing to work
(2) Because of bad decisions
(3) Because of things they have no control over in their life
The Lord is right, “THE POOR YE HAVE ALWAYS WITH YOU…”
When Judas said the money should be used for the Poor.
Jesus stated you will always have the poor but you will not always have me here.
DID JUDAS CARE ABOUT THE POOR?
No, he said that to make himself look good and make Mary look bad!
Look what the Bible tells us about Judas in John 12:6 Now this he said, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the bag took away what was put therein.
Yes, the Bible tells us that he was a thief and he stole from the treasure. So when Mary poured this large gift on the Lord’s feet he saw it as taking money from himself.
When Judas objects to Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet with the expensive perfume, Jesus responds this way: John 12:7 Jesus therefore said, Suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying.
DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN DO GOOD AND PEOPLE WILL STILL CRITIZISE YOU!
The Lord tells us why she did what she did. It was because she loved Him that much and He said also it FOR THE DAY OF MY BURIAL.
That comment would not have made much sense at that moment. The disciples wouldn’t understand it until after the crucifixion.
Does this mean Mary had special knowledge about his upcoming death?
• Certainly he had spoken about it on numerous occasions.
• Perhaps she had the sort of intuition women sometimes have about these things.
Maybe she herself did not know all the ramifications of her gift.
Judas had a good point, but so what?
Love has its reasons, and those reasons can’t always be spelled out.
What can we say about Mary?
I’m sure she heard the remarks Judas and the others were making, but I doubt they bothered her because she was not trying to please them.
A woman who would do what she did isn’t likely to worry about what others think.
Mary’s gift to Jesus was so extravagant and so radical even the other disciples couldn’t understand it.
That leads me to one further thought. If everything I say and do seems perfectly comprehensible to the world, then I need to do some soul-searching.
Conclusion:
Judas isn’t yet the Judas we know when this takes place. John says that Judas is FIXING to betray Jesus.
• Mary anoints Jesus on Saturday night.
• Judas betrayed Jesus five days later. So Judas isn’t the bad guy he’s about to become when he makes his objection.
At this point in the story, no one has any reason to suspect his soon betrayal.
After all, you don’t put a suspicious person in charge of the money-bag. You give it to someone you trust. This means the other disciples held Judas in high regard, and it also means they were not good judges of character. Judas fooled them completely.
Here is the fundamental difference between Mary and Judas:
• Mary Loved Jesus.
• Judas loved money.
You can’t love Jesus and love money at the same time. You have to choose.
You can’t love the world and the things of the world and love the Lord at the same time.
You will hate one and love the other.
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
• Mary made her choice.
• Judas made his.
Jesus was clearly pleased Mary showed such love. She was right, and they were wrong. And Judas was worse off than anyone knew that night.
How much is too much? There is no such thing.
We have looked at:
I. THE GIFT
II. THE QUESTION
III. THE REACTION
.
