MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(REVISED: 2016)
TEXT: Mark 14:3-9
The scene is Bethany, a village just a few miles from Jerusalem, & the time is the night before Jesus' triumphal entry. In just a few days He will be arrested, tried, convicted, & crucified. And Jesus knows it. He knows exactly what is going to happen.
So what does Jesus do on this night? He goes to a party given in His honor by Simon, the Leper. He goes to enjoy good food & conversation, & a last visit with friends before He goes into Jerusalem, & before He dies.
A. As Jesus is reclining at the table along with His disciples, a woman, who must have been a part of the crowd there, is so overwhelmed with emotion that she takes an alabaster jar containing very expensive perfume, breaks the container & uses all of the precious perfume to anoint the head & feet of Jesus.
Some there began immediately to criticize her. Listen to Mark 14:4-9. "Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, 'Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages & the money given to the poor.' And they rebuked her harshly.
"'Leave her alone,' said Jesus. 'Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, & you can help them any time you want.
"But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.'
"'I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.'"
And Jesus was right, for what she did that evening has been told & retold down through the centuries as an example of pure & impulsive love.
B. I don't know if you have ever experienced that kind of love or not. If you have, it probably took you by surprise.
ILL. It may have been when you walked into your teenager's bedroom & saw that he or she had made the bed, picked the clothing up off the floor, hung them all neatly in the closet, & emptied the trash.
The room was a model of neatness, & you just knew that your child must have done something wrong, & was trying to win your favor. Or else your child was expecting something in return.
So, you begin to question your child, only to hear this reply, "Mom, it's no big deal. I just did it because I love you."
ILL. Or maybe your husband came home with a dozen roses. It wasn't Christmas or your birthday or anniversary or Mother's Day. It was just another day, & he brought you roses. You knew that he must have done something wrong, or that he was preparing you for some bad news.
But he says, "No, honey. I bought these flowers because I love you. There's no other reason. I just love you."
It is an unexpected act of pure love. And we see that kind of love in this story in a very beautiful way.
C. You see, it's sad to say, but most of the people who followed Jesus came to Him for selfish reasons, whether they thought about it that way or not.
Sick people came hoping that He would heal their sicknesses. Poor & hungry people came because He had the reputation of having compassion upon them. His disciples followed Him because He talked about a kingdom, & they wanted to be a part of it.
Religious leaders followed Him because they wanted to trap Him by His words. Great crowds followed Him. But most of them were there because they were wanting something, not because they loved Him.
D. But Jesus loved them anyway. He looked at the city of Jerusalem & wept because He loved them even in their sins. He looked at the crowds gathered on the hillsides, & loved them & longed for His love to be returned.
But there is no record of anyone ever coming to Jesus & saying, "Lord, I love you." In fact, hardly anyone even bothered to come back & say "Thank you," after He had healed them.
I. SHE FOUND A WAY TO EXPRESS HER LOVE
That is why this story is so special, because this woman is overwhelmed by love, & she found a way to express it.
A. Now, we're not even sure who the woman was. Her name is not given in either Matthew or Mark's gospel accounts. John tells us that her name is "Mary," so some think that she was Mary Magdalene. Others think that she was Mary, the sister of Martha & Lazarus. But we really don't know for sure just who she was.
Some scholars point out that the alabaster jar contained expensive perfume of a kind commonly used by prostitutes. It was a tool of their trade. They doused themselves in it to make themselves more appealing to men who would pay for their favors.
If that is true then this story takes on an even deeper meaning. Because it means that this woman took a tool of her trade & broke it to give to Jesus, & in essence said, "With the same enthusiasm that I once gave to the sins of the world, I now give myself to You."
B. Now chew on that for a moment. Have you ever stopped to think what a difference would be made IF we became as enthusiastic for Jesus as we have been enthusiastic for other things?
ILL. Each week during the football season thousands of people fill stadiums all over the country to cheer on their favorite teams. Now, I've been a Dallas Cowboys' fan for more than 35 years, through good times & bad, & I do think you can be a football fan & a Christian at the same time, although there are some who seem to have their priorities mixed up.
The Cowboys have a magnificent billion dollar covered stadium in Arlington, but for years they played at Texas Stadium, & fans paid a steep price in order to watch them play there. Unless you were among the early birds, you didn't find any close in parking. You’d end up 3 miles away & paying at least $8 or more to park your car.
And when you got into the stadium you would often find yourself sitting among inconsiderate people blowing smoke in your face, & spilling their drinks around you.
You'd swelter in the heat during the early months of the season, & shiver in the cold during the later months. You'd cheer yourself hoarse, hollering & screaming & behaving like some kind of fanatic.
You'd pay too much money for a cold hot dog & watered down drinks. And when you left you'd walk 3 miles to get back to your car. Yet, you would tell anyone who’d listen, "I had a wonderful time!"
APPL. Have you ever stopped to think what a revolution could take place in the church if we were that enthusiastic for the things of God? Well, that woman was, & without hesitation or reservation she found a way to express it.
II. SHE EXPRESSED HER LOVE EXTRAVAGANTLY
A. It was an extravagant & foolish act in the eyes of those who watched. But love is often extravagant, isn't it? Love does extravagant things.
All of us can remember buying things we couldn't afford, to give to people we love. We sacrificed to purchase those treasured mementos. But love does that. Love does things that may appear to be foolish or extravagant as it tries to say, "This is how much I love you."
B. Maybe another point is that this alabaster jar did not have to be broken. She could have just opened it up & poured a few drops of that expensive perfume on the head of Jesus. Everybody would have said, "My, what a wonderful act of devotion."
Or, she could have poured it all on Him, but saved the jar so that it could be filled again. Once more, everybody would have said, "My, how generous! How much love she must have!"
But this woman broke the jar so that it could never be filled again. Her sins were forgiven, & because of Jesus she would not be returning to her old way of life again.
SUM. So in this one fleeting moment, when the opportunity was there, she seized it. Oh, yes, there were those who criticized her, but Jesus knew her heart & what she had done. No wonder He said, "She has done a beautiful thing to me."
III. SHE DID WHAT SHE COULD
A. And then He followed up with these words, "She did what she could."
When I stand before the throne of Almighty God, & when He opens the Book of Life & comes to my name, & sees all the sins that are blotted out by the blood of Jesus, more than anything else I long for Jesus to say,
"Father, this is Melvin. He is mine, & he did what he could. Many others did more. Some did less. But he took what We gave him & he did what he could."
I can think of no greater praise than that. This woman didn't have much, but what she had she gave to Jesus - not to Simon, the Leper, not to Peter, or James or John. She didn't do it for anybody else. What she did, she did just for Jesus.
Now ask yourself, "What have I ever done just for Jesus? How have I expressed my love to Him?" "Lord, I just want to tell You that I love You, & I don't know how else to do it, except to take the most valuable thing I have & give it to You. So I offer You my life, Lord. It is Yours to make into whatever you want it to be."
ILL. As a part of an assignment for a doctoral thesis, a college student spent a year with a group of Navajo Indians on a reservation in the Southwest. As part of his research he lived with one of the Navajo families, sleeping in their hut, eating their food, working with them, & generally living the life of a 20th-century Indian.
The old grandmother of the family spoke no English at all, yet a very close friendship formed between them. In spite of the language difference, they shared the common language of caring for others, & they understood each other.
Over the months he learned a few phrases of Navajo, & she picked up a little of the English language.
When it was time for him to return to the campus to complete his thesis, the tribe held a going-away celebration. It was marked by sadness since the young man had become close to the whole village & all would miss him.
As he prepared to leave, the old grandmother came to tell him good-bye. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she placed her hands on either side of his face, looked directly into his eyes & said, "I like me best when I'm with you."
Isn't that the way we feel in the presence of Jesus? He brings out the best in us. We learn to see ourselves as worthy & valuable when we're in His presence. The hurts, the cares, the disappointments of our lives are behind us when we look in His eyes & realize the depth of His love.
CONCL. God loves you more that you can ever love Him. And when we extend His invitation it is always an invitation of love. You see, I can never pay Him back, nor can you. I can do anything & everything in the way of sacrifice, but I can never repay the debt of love that I owe.
God doesn't require the debt to be repaid. He just wants us to accept what He has done, & to love Him for it. He has given His only begotten Son. Do you love Him for that?
Then express that love this morning, & show God that you really do love Him. It may be in a decision that you need to make. If so, we extend that invitation, & pray that you will respond as we stand & as we sing.
