John chapters 11-12 record the last week of Jesus' life, and we are now seeing more of the personal interactions between Jesus and those closest to Him. Because it was a week before the Passover celebration, pilgrims from all over the region were arriving a week early to prepare themselves for the festival by purifying themselves from anything that would disqualify them from participating in the Passover. It could be sins of omission or commission, for example, not giving the required tithes and offerings or offering the wrong kind of sacrifice, not keeping the Sabbath, touching a dead body - they had so many laws it was very easy to break one whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Those arriving in Jerusalem were somehow aware of the council’s arrest warrant for Jesus so they were wondering if Jesus would even risk coming to Jerusalem. Those pilgrims who were “seeking” Him, in all likelihood, were not seeking Him with hostile intent, but out of simple curiosity. Their speculation as to whether or not He would come to the festival is more natural and understandable since they knew who He was and were acquainted with His previous works.” The people at the temple were asking, “What do you think? Surely, He won’t come to the festival.” This question assumes a negative answer, yet it was clear that if He did show up it would be a bold move indeed.
John 12:1-8
1 Therefore, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a dinner there, and Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who intended to betray Him, *said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the proceeds given to poor people?” 6 Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he kept the money box, he used to steal from what was put into it. 7 Therefore Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
There are different people portrayed in this account in John 12 but I would like to focus on one person in particular: Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Pretty much every time we read about Mary’s encounters with Jesus, she is sitting or worshiping at His feet. I wondered what the significance was of being at someone’s feet at that time and place in history. We see expressions of this type of outward respect in many countries, in the way people bow to each other and even in the use of language when addressing those who are older than them.
Charles Spurgeon pointed out:
The Easterns pay more attention to posture than we do…In their courts certain positions must be taken up by courtiers. Oriental monarchs are approached in positions which indicate the greatness of the king and the submissiveness of the petitioner. So, in their worship, the Easterns abound in postures significant of the humility which should be felt in the Presence of God. Most of us think very little, indeed, of outward postures. Perhaps we do not even think enough of them. Inasmuch as in devotion we think little of the position of the body, let us pay all the more attention to the posture of the soul.
This is why we bow our heads in prayer and get on our knees in prayer in worship because we aren’t just in the presence of a king, but in the presence of the King of all kings, in the presence of God Himself, the creator and sustainer of the universe. When we have this posture of the soul, we are saying to God, “You are the sovereign King, You are above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only now but also in the age to come. You are our God and Savior, the One whom we trust above all else.”
Mary's outward posture revealed the posture of her heart toward the Lord, one of reverence, dependence, humility, obedience, and devotion. Her posture tells us something about her relationship with the Savior. When coming to His feet Mary:
? Listened to Jesus
? Learned from Jesus
? Loved Jesus
Let’s look at the first thing Mary did. She:
1. Listened to Jesus
In Luke 10:38-42 When Jesus came to Bethany, Martha welcomed Him into her home and as is the custom she prepared a meal for her guest. Her sister Mary came in and sat for a period of time at the Lord's feet listening to His teaching. Her sister, on the other hand, was running around getting things prepared and was growing quite frustrated with Mary and indirectly used her conversation with the Lord to criticize her sister’s seeming complacency. Jesus' response to Martha is quite insightful - “Martha there are a lot of other things upsetting you (tearing you in different directions) and causing panic in your heart right now. But getting your sister to help you will not solve those deeper issues. Only one thing will benefit you, and Mary (in her heart of hearts) has made a deliberate choice to first sit at My feet to listen to me. That decision will have a definite outcome and that outcome will be for her own good and the good of others.
When we read this account, I think most of us can probably relate to Martha, whether it’s the things happening in the world around us or our own responsibilities that tear us in different directions. There are so many things we can’t control, for example the natural disasters happening everywhere in the world - wars, rumors of wars, corruption and injustice, economic recession, inflation, things that can cause anxiety and panic in our hearts and minds. When we internalize these things, it can weigh our hearts down. The temptation is to get critical of others, start pointing the finger, like Martha did to Mary, and then become bitter. “If only people would see the needs and help, if only the government would get their act together, if only people would help me with my situation, if only people would cooperate and not add to the problems but become part of the solution.”
We can become bitter toward God, bitter towards others' actions or inactions, maybe indicting others indirectly hoping to guilt them into change because of our unrealistic expectations. I think we all have Martha's tendency; we tend to point to something else as the source of our problem when in reality the problem is in our own hearts. And it’s just a matter of time before my thoughts and emotions are overwhelmed and it may take one little event or just one word from someone before Mt. Vesuvius erupts. What do I do when I sense that overwhelming feeling coming on because of stress or anxiety? Do I simply get busier and more frantic, or do I bring these things to the feet of Jesus? We don’t have to wait till the end of the day to give Him our issues. We can bring all these things to the feet of Jesus as soon as we wake up in the morning and throughout the day when they come up.
We’ll only hand these things to Jesus if we recognize Him for who He is and listen to His voice. The word “listen” here means more than just hearing what someone has to say, it means to “come under.” Listening implies a deliberate choice that produces faith to believe and act. It is only when we bring everything to Jesus’ feet and listen to His voice that we have His peace and the power to act by faith on what we have heard. It is only when we bring everything to His feet that we experience His truth, His strength, and the wisdom necessary to do what needs to be done. It’s in this place that He reassures me of His love and His goodness. Prov 1:33 says: “Whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
We know over time that Mary’s friendship with Jesus was cultivated to the point where she entrusted her Friend and Savior, with more and more, her deepest desires and disappointments, her greatest joys, and fears. She entrusted Him with these things and left them there at His feet and waited to listen to what He had to say. When Mary listened it wasn’t in one ear and out the other, like “that’s nice advice, I’ll think about it.” Instead, she realized that Jesus' words were full of power and authority. In fact, the more Mary sat at His feet and listened, the more she…
2. Learned from Jesus
The second time we see Mary come to the feet of Jesus is in John 11. It was when Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus became gravely sick and died. This is where Jesus, knowing Lazarus’ situation, knowing he would die, purposely waited 4 days after his death to arrive. We don’t know how long they watched their brother suffer, nor do we know all that was going on in their minds as his condition worsened. But after the fact, while the family and friends were mourning Lazarus’ death, Jesus finally arrived and Mary came to Him and fell at His feet.
Jesus let her pour out her honest feelings, allowed her to share her grief, even her anger and her disappointment in Him. But it was at His feet when she was sharing her burdens and choosing to listen to what He had to say about these things that she began to learn His ways. What did she learn? She learned to trust the great I Am, not just for the things in the past but to trust in who He is right now, the resurrection and the life. Not just for the future but for her present situation and reality. Jesus challenged her to go beyond her natural understanding and rationalization and to listen and to act on what He is saying right now in the moment. Like we saw last week, He told them “to roll that stone away.”
We tend to think that when we come to the feet of Jesus for help in our need, for mercy, even in the midst of our doubts and sins, we somehow detract from Him, lessen Him, or impoverish Him. But what you learn is that when you bring things to the feet of Jesus He has been waiting for you to come to Him all along. He’s been waiting for you to bring Him your burdens and to be yoked up with Him, to learn from Him as your gentle, humble Shepherd. Lord, how will I make it - what should I do? What we learn is that He is unfazed by our storms, unfazed by our impossible situations and our anxieties. At His feet we learn about who He is right now, what we can trust Him for right now. Right now, we can learn about His infinite mercy, grace, forgiveness, wisdom, assurance, acceptance, and provision. What we learn is that no matter what we are going through, we can come. Ultimately, we learn that only in Him will we find rest for our souls.
All that Mary listened to and learned at the feet of Jesus completely transformed her life and this is why she:
3. Loved Jesus
The third time we read about Mary coming to the feet of Jesus is in John chapter 12. Jesus had been in Ephraim, but He didn't go right up to the Passover festival but to the place where Lazarus was in Bethany (which was the house of Simon the former leper) about two miles outside of Jerusalem. On this night they had made dinner for Jesus and Martha was now serving with the right attitude and Jesus along with Lazarus and many others were reclining at the table.
At this point, Mary comes into the room with a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard (considered the most expensive) and pours it over Jesus’ feet and then wipes His feet with her hair. So here is a question: Why didn’t Mary simply wash Jesus’ feet, as was customary in terms of offering hospitality to one’s guests? I don’t think anyone was expecting Mary to pour this pure nard out on His feet and the incredible fragrance must have been overwhelming when it began to fill the room.
We don’t know where Mary got this 16-ounce jar of expensive perfume. Maybe it was a family heirloom. Some scholars speculate this was a gift given to her to use on her wedding day and so it had extra value. Scholars estimate the value anywhere from $10,000 - 24,000. Any way you look at it, Mary’s action was extravagant! She realizes its worth yet gives it all to Jesus. She doesn’t bring cheap perfume or doesn’t just dab a little bit of a more expensive one on the inside of His wrists and dot it on His feet. She brings out the best, most extravagant, the most precious thing to her, and she pours every ounce on Him. In response to the One who is the resurrection and the Life, she gave that which was most precious to the King and everyone in that room knew it. Warren Wiersbe described it this way:
Her act of love and worship was public, spontaneous, sacrificial, lavish, personal, and unembarrassed.
Second question: After she poured out the perfume on Jesus, why did she use her hair to wipe His feet? In Judaism (and in many other cultures in the ancient world), hair was associated with a woman's glory, her self-worth and respect. In other words, she placed all that she is and all that she has at his feet. It was an expression of love and gratitude for who He is and what He has done for her and her family. Another author described Mary’s love for Jesus this way:
Nothing here resembles a grudging obeisance to a distant deity…This is whole-hearted adoration of a loving Lord. In just a few verses into the story, we can already sense God’s call to each of us to follow Mary’s lead, to become disciples of utter devotion to Jesus.
In v. 4 John contrasts her devotion to Christ with Judas’ devotion to himself as he criticizes her for wasting this perfume on Jesus as if this nard was more valuable than the Co-creator of the universe. He said, “this could have been sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor” (v. 5). It sounds like a noble concern for the poor, a perfect blend of concern for both social justice and fiscal prudence. After all, a denarius was a day’s wage, and three hundred denarii might have done a great deal of good for the poor (see v. 6:7).
Whenever there is a work of God going on in someone’s life, whenever people take bold steps of faith to worship, listen to, and obey the Lord, you can always count on the presence of a Judas in the midst who revels in pointing out flaws and problems in people and in the church. Who question your actions and commitment to the Lord.
There will always be a Judas who claims that they love God and are living for Him but are living for themselves, serving God on their own terms and at their own convenience. This kind of Christianity doesn’t cost them a thing, but they make you feel guilty for “wasting” that which is most precious to you as an expression of your love for Jesus.
In spite of the criticism from Judas about the waste, Mary said nothing. Rather, she allowed Jesus to defend her and at the same time vindicate her. Jesus knew Judas' real concern was not for the poor but for his own wallet. Come to think about it, there is no mention of Judas ever helping the poor or making any sacrifice of his own personal possessions or time, yet he accuses her of wasting her best on Jesus. So what did Jesus do? He rebuked Judas for criticizing her and trying to stop her. He said, “Leave her alone.” From God’s perspective, Mary’s expression of love and devotion was not wasted because it was used to fulfill God’s eternal purpose. Jesus said, “wherever this gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her” (Matt 26:13). Mary was not just some passive observer, her love for the Lord caused her to act, not only did everyone in that room know it, but her story has been recorded in the Bible for all to read.
One of the greatest challenges for any one of us is taking that which is most precious to us and giving it to the Lord. Placing it at His feet and allowing it to be used for His eternal purpose. Nothing we do for the Lord will ever be wasted or forgotten by God. Jesus said the poor you will always have but I am only here for a short time. How do we see this? The poor have been and will be on this earth even after we die, my question is how are you living for the Lord in this short time we have with Him on this earth? It would be a pity if you wasted your time sitting at the wrong feet.
As a people pleaser, how often have I sat at the feet of others and listened to their opinions over the voice of God. Been so consumed by the fear of rejection, by what others said or did to me, instead of bringing others to the feet of Jesus. How often have I given things authority over me instead of giving Jesus’ authority over those things. I don’t live in denial about the issues that I face, but I want to deny their access and authority over my life.
Think about it - who’s feet are you sitting at? Who or what has authority over you? People are sitting at the wrong feet, listening, and learning things that take them far from the Lord. They have given authority to the wrong things, no wonder we have so many issues, so many unhealthy relationships, so many broken hearts and homes.
What I have found, that as life gets busier, there is a need for more communication, and with more
communication comes more misunderstanding, with more misunderstanding comes hurt feelings. What will you do with this? Bury it, avoid it, wait for it to go away, or say it’s forgiven when you know it’s not. How’s that working for you? You can continue to hold onto those things, or you can bring it to the feet of Jesus. You can live like a victim or die to yourself and receive the power and the wisdom at the feet of Jesus to handle it in a way that brings God glory and causes you to grow up and mature in your walk with Him.
This passage made me ask the question -In the short time I have on this earth, am I taking time to sit and listen at the Lord’s feet like Mary, or am I like Martha, always running, always restless, too busy to deal with the deeper issues.
In the short time I have on this earth with the Lord, am I willing to bring the things that life brings my way - the challenges, responsibilities, joy, and heartaches and be yoked up with Him, to listen and to learn from Him, as my gentle, humble Shepherd?
In the short time I have on this earth, am I willing to give all that I am and have, those things which are most precious to me and put them at the feet of Jesus as an expression of love for Him? Here Lord, you take this and use it for Your glory and for Your purpose so that people will know that you are the great I Am, the resurrection and the life.
