← Back to sermon library

Turn with me in your Bibles to 
the book of John. We're working our way through John's gospel. 
Remember, it's broken down into several sections. After the prologue 
in chapter 1, verses 1 to 18, we then see what's called the 
book of signs, Jesus' public ministry, beginning in chapter 
1 at verse 19 and continuing here to the end of chapter 12. 
At the beginning of chapter 13, it's then called the Book of 
the Passion. And so basically, from this point 
on, all that occurs in the remainder of the Gospel of John takes place 
in that last week, leading up to the cross and then the resurrection 
from the dead. So our focus this morning will 
be on the anointing at Bethany in chapter 12 at verses 1 to 
11, but I want to read the first half of the chapter up through 
verse 26. So beginning in John 12 at verse 
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. There they made him a supper, 
and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the 
table with him. 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. But one of his disciples, Judas 
Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray him, said, Why was this 
fragrant oil not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor? 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. But Jesus said, 
let her alone. She has kept this for the day 
of my burial. For the poor you have with you 
always, but me, you do not have always. Now a great many of the 
Jews knew that he was there and they came, not for Jesus' sake 
only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom he had raised 
from the dead. But the chief priest plotted 
to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him, many 
of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. The next day, a great 
multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus 
was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went 
out to meet him and cried out, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes 
in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Then Jesus, when 
he had found a young donkey, sat on it, as it is written, 
fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your King is coming, sitting 
on a donkey's colt. His disciples did not understand 
these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they 
remembered that these things were written about Him and that 
they had done these things to Him. Therefore, the people who 
were with Him when He called Lazarus out of His tomb and raised 
him from the dead bore witness. For this reason the people also 
met him, because they heard that he had done this sign. The Pharisees 
therefore said among themselves, you see that you are accomplishing 
nothing. Look, the world has gone after 
him. Now, there were certain Greeks among those who came up 
to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who 
was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we 
wish to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew, 
and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered 
them, saying, The hour has come that the Son of Man should be 
glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat 
falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, 
it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose 
it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for 
eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him 
follow me. And where I am, there my servant 
will be also. If anyone serves me, him my father 
will honor. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
gracious God and Holy Father, we thank you for the Word of 
God. We thank you for what we find here in the anointing at 
Bethany, just how glorious our Lord Jesus Christ is. May that 
be clearly communicated here and throughout the world. We 
pray that the Spirit of God would attend to the preached Word. 
We pray that those who are believers would have their faith increased 
and their love for the Lord Jesus Christ increased. And for those 
dead in their trespasses and sins, we pray that today would 
be the day of salvation. We pray the Holy Spirit would 
produce or provoke that conviction for sin and set forth Christ 
and all of His offices to save. And may it be the case that sinners 
all throughout this earth would look unto Him and be saved. that 
they would believe on Him and know the joy of being found in 
Him. Forgive us now for all sin and all unrighteousness, guide 
us by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit, and we pray 
in Jesus' name, Amen. Well, as we come to this particular 
section, we notice that it's demonstrable of the fact that 
Jesus is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. In other 
words, that's why this woman, Mary, takes this costly oil and 
breaks it over his head. And then it runs down to the 
entirety of his feet. We see that he is the blessed 
one of Israel. You see that testimony as he 
goes triumphantly into Jerusalem. So here we have sort of a demonstration 
of who Christ is, and that's supposed to guide our thoughts 
or govern our thoughts when we continue in the Passion Week 
to see Him ultimately exalted, not on a throne of glory on this 
side of heaven, but on a cross. And so the one that goes to that 
cross is the altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. In fact, 
the cross demonstrates that most of all, it shows us of a truth 
that he is the one who has come to save us from our sins. So 
as we look at this anointing at Bethany, it sort of functions 
in a manner of taking off your sandals. You're entering into 
holy ground. We're having dealings with the 
blessed word became flesh for us and for our salvation. Now, 
when we look at this particular section, there is a parallel 
in both Matthew and Mark. I believe they're dealing with 
the same event. There's another situation where a woman pours 
oil on the Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 7. That's not the same. That's a different one. But what 
we find here is consistent with Matthew 26, verses 6 to 13, and 
then Mark 14, verses 3 to 9. Now, John tells us that this 
takes place six days before the Passover. So this would be the 
Saturday night. The Passover would be the following 
Friday, when Jesus, of course, was crucified. If you compare 
Matthew and Mark, you'll see a reference to two days. But it shows us that Matthew 
and Mark are not writing chronologically. Their purpose is theological 
in nature. John gives us the specific chronology 
here. And then again, or as well, when 
we look at the accounts in Matthew and Mark, we see that it takes 
place in Simon the leper's house. Now, if you look with me at verses 
1 and 2, it says, then six days before the Passover, Jesus came 
to Bethany where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom he had 
raised from the dead. There they made him a supper 
and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the 
table with him. How do we square that with the 
reference to Simon the leper's house in Matthew and in Mark? Well, it's Simon the leper's 
house. Martha and Mary and Lazarus happened to be there. I think 
we just assume that it's at their house when we read verse two. And when we assume things like 
that, it produces contradiction in the text. And we know that 
the word of God is without contradiction. So we square that simply by noting 
that Simon the leper had this particular dinner, Martha, Mary, 
and Lazarus attended. Now some suggest that Simon the 
leper could have been married to Martha, that there was some 
other familial connection, but the text doesn't get into that. 
He's called Simon the leper, not because he presently had 
leprosy, he had been healed, he had been cured, but Simon 
was a very common name. So Simon the leper would contrast 
him with other Simons that would have been extant at that particular 
time. So just want to kind of deal with that background information 
so that we can see the harmony between Matthew and Mark and 
John as they come to present to us the anointing at Bethany. 
So we'll lean on Matthew and Mark as well in terms of the 
exposition. So first of all, we'll notice 
the devotion of Mary in verses one to three. Second, the corruption 
of Judas in verses four to six. Third, the exhortation of Jesus 
in verses seven to eight. And then finally, the intention 
of the leaders in verses nine to 11. And true to form, they 
continue to express their abject wickedness and their enmity with 
the true and living God. But notice the devotion of Mary. 
We have the time frame, verse 1, then six days before the Passover. I mentioned last week at the 
end of chapter 11 that John's gospel has three Passovers. This 
particular Passover is the most significant because Jesus is 
going to be crucified as the Lamb of God who takes away the 
sin of the world. He is our Passover sacrifice 
according to the Apostle in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. And so it's most imperative 
that he fulfills this on this particular occasion. The location, 
as I said, it's Simon the leper's house. He's got a dinner and 
there's Martha and Mary and Lazarus present. And then notice, we 
see the conduct of the sisters. We're going to notice this tonight 
in our Lord's Supper meditation in Luke chapter 10, where we 
see Martha and Mary. Martha is given over to service, 
and Mary chooses that path of devotion and worship. Now before 
we're too hard on Martha, we need to serve. We need to engage 
in those sorts of works. But there is a contrast between 
these two sisters as it's presented to us in these various narratives. So that's the scene, that's the 
setting. Now notice the actual act of 
anointing. Verse 3, it tells us, 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. So this was a very 
significant offering in terms of monetary value. If you look 
down at Judas Iscariot's complaint, notice in verse 5, why was this 
fragrant oil not sold for 300 denarii? That's a lot of money. This was an extravagant and very 
lavish gift that she offers to our blessed Savior. When it comes 
to this specific rate, a year's salary for a working man. So 
this family obviously was well-to-do, we don't know how she came across 
it, but she had this very costly oil, and what does she do with 
it? She sacrifices it to the Savior. She takes a pound of 
very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus. Matthew 
and Mark tell us that she anointed his head. If she anointed his 
head, she anointed his feet. Because it was such a lavish 
offering, it would have flowed down his body, covering not only 
the head, but the feet as well. Notice also that what she does 
with her hair. This brings a bit of similarity 
to that account in Luke 7. There it was a notorious sinner. 
a woman that most likely had been engaged in prostitution, 
who takes the tools of her trade and sacrifices them at the feet 
of the Lord. But in this instance, Mary was 
not a former prostitute. Mary is just humbling herself 
and showing her regard for the King of Kings and the Lord of 
Lords. She perhaps understands the reality that Christ is the 
fulfillment of the Song of Solomon. The Song of Solomon is not a 
marriage manual. It's not for lovers. It's rather 
about God and Israel and about Christ and his church. And in 
the Song of Solomon, Christ is described as being chief among 
10,000, Song 510. And then he's described as being 
altogether lovely in Song 516. Mary understood that, Mary saw 
that, Mary appropriated that, and so therefore Mary takes this 
very costly oil and pours it lavishly all over the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Now in terms of the significance 
of this particular activity, Christ will interpret it for 
us in just a moment. He says that she does this in 
terms of his burial. So he announces, heading into 
the Passion narrative, beginning in chapter 13, he announces that 
this is coming. He knows the purpose for which 
he has come. He knows that the cross looms large. He knows that 
he must go and he must die on that cross. So he interprets 
it for us as her engaging in sort of a burial ritual. Later on in John chapter 19, 
you'll see the same thing. After Jesus is dead, after he 
is in the tomb, we see men bring spices and we see men bring this 
oil in order to anoint the body. So Christ interprets it that 
way for us, but the rest of the Bible helps us as well. Who's 
going to that cross? We just sang of the wondrous 
King, all-glorious. Jesus is the King of kings and 
Lord of lords. And this idea of anointing harkens 
back to 1 Samuel 16. Remember, Samuel anoints David 
with oil. What's the significance there? 
It is to set him apart as the king. It is to distance him from 
Saul and to indicate for Israel that David is the man after God's 
own heart, and David will be the one who ushers in peace in 
the kingdom. And then his son Solomon will 
build the temple. So this idea of anointing, yes, 
connected the burial, but yes, with the larger biblical reference 
in our mind, he is being anointed for his function as the king 
of kings, and the Lord of Lords." The anointing of the head in 
Matthew 26 runs down to his feet here in verse 3. And then notice 
the pervasiveness of the influence of this spikenard. The end of 
verse 3, it says, "...and the house was filled with the fragrance 
of the oil." It's a really beautiful scene, isn't it? It's a really 
blessed scene. We're coming to the passion. 
He's going to be treated like worse than a criminal. We're 
coming to that point where Judas offers up Jesus Christ for 30 
pieces of silver. And yet this woman who has 300 
denarii worth of this oil, pours it all over the Savior. So again, 
I think that John wants us to understand, I think that Matthew 
and Mark want us to understand that the one upon whom or the 
one in whom the wrath of God comes is this one who is altogether 
lovely and chief among 10,000. So that's the devotion of Mary. 
Notice the corruption of Judas. Always on the heels of something 
good, you've got something bad. Every time the kingdom advances, 
the devil rages. And when Christ is recognized 
as altogether lovely and chief among 10,000, there's got to 
be a Judas in the mix that tries to destroy this, that tries to 
bring it down. See, it's not just Judas. It 
was the disciples in general. Now John is going to focus primarily 
on the betrayer, Judas, but the other gospel writers, Matthew 
and Mark, tell us that the other disciples had a problem with 
this also. So as we survey the various gospel 
narratives, we notice the disciples in general make this observation. It says, when his disciples saw 
it, they were indignant. That means they were really angry. 
They were really upset. This act of devotion, which should 
have been extolled by them, which should have been participated 
in with them, nevertheless calls from them this anger. They're 
irritated. They're upset. They also say 
this in Matthew chapter 26 at verse 8. Why this waste? Now, brethren, if I came to your 
house and you served me your last cookie and your kids came 
down the stairs and said, why did you waste the last cookie 
on him? That would be a twofold dig. 
You're making a dig at your parents for wasting the last cookie, 
but you're kind of making a dig at me because I'm not worthy 
of that last cookie. I mean, whatever I may be, I 
shouldn't get that last cookie. That's what they're doing here. 
Why this waste? Why this 300 denarii poured out? Why this 300 denarii not used 
profitably for the service of the poor? And on the surface, 
that's a good consideration. The Bible is all for commending 
kindness and good deeds toward the poor. But in this particular 
instance, it's sort of like subterfuge. It's sort of like virtue signaling. 
It's sort of like hiding behind something rather than just coming 
out with it. So the disciples complain about 
the waste. And one wonders if those disciples 
reading 1 Kings would say it was a waste for Solomon to use 
all of that gold and to use all of that silver in the construction 
of the temple. When you read the temple narrative 
and you see that no expense was spared, everything was going 
into this project. Why? Because of the worthiness 
of God. So here, the worthiness of Christ 
is met by rebukes in the hearts of the disciples. Why this waste? As well, in Mark's gospel, it 
tells us they criticized her sharply. So they not only say, 
why this waste, a diss at her and at Jesus, but they criticize 
her sharply. Don't do that. Don't waste your 
time. Don't sacrifice that offering. 
Don't give up that money. Don't engage in this particular 
activity. Spurgeon, I think, captures it 
well. He says, she did well to take counsel with her own loving 
heart. She didn't ask these guys, should 
I do this? But rather, she did well to take 
counsel with her own loving heart, and then to pour the precious 
nard upon that deer head, which was so soon to be crowned with 
thorns. She thus showed that there was at least one heart 
in the world that thought nothing was too good for her Lord, and 
the best of the best ought to be given to him. May she have 
many imitators in every age until Jesus comes again. Again, brethren, 
we're not condemning this desire to do good things for the poor. 
You see, the Bible tells us it's a both-and proposition. It's 
not just go out and serve the poor and forget about God. No, 
we are to worship, we are to express devotion, we are to engage 
in contemplation, we are to be caught up in the glory that is 
our God, and from that vantage point, we then go out and do 
the good things. We don't separate what God has 
joined. Well, that church, they're all 
about orthodoxy and theological precision, but they don't engage 
in any good works. Or that church, all they ever 
do is engage in all kinds of good works, but they couldn't 
define the doctrine of justification by faith alone. We want soup 
or salad. When the Bible commands both 
to us, we need to be about theological orthodoxy, and we need to be 
about practical Christianity. And so with reference to these 
men, they hadn't sat at the feet of Jesus. They hadn't thought 
through the implications. Rather, they're indignant with 
her and they criticize her sharply. And again, praise God she didn't 
seek their approval. Praise God that what was most 
important was service to the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that 
scene when David is victorious and they bring the Ark of the 
Covenant into Jerusalem, and then David goes and he's dancing 
before the Ark. He's filled with joy and with 
thanksgiving. He's expressing praise unto his 
great God. What's the attitude of his wife, 
Michael? She despised him in her heart. She thought he was 
making a fool out of himself. She thought this was ungodly 
behavior. What does he answer in reply? 
Our God is great. Our God is worthy. Our God is 
to be glorified with the very best offerings and the very best 
gifts that we have. We don't bring the lame. We don't 
bring the maimed. We don't bring the mangy and 
the blind. We bring the very best of the 
true and living God. And that's what this lady demonstrates. Now notice in our text it speaks 
specifically concerning the betrayer in particular. The emphasis is 
on Judas here. And in Matthew's narrative, it's 
after this that he goes to betray the Lord Jesus. John doesn't 
record the actual betrayal, but he gives us the fruit of it in 
Gethsemane in John 18. Remember, Judas knew that Jesus 
liked to go to Gethsemane. He's there with the disciples. 
So, of course, he brings the troops to that holy place to 
seize upon Jesus and to start the wickedness that will undertake 
on behalf of the Savior. So the emphasis is upon Judas 
here specifically. Notice back in chapter 6, we 
already have foreshadowing that he is indeed the betrayer, and 
John reminds us of that here, because John is going to do theological 
explanation. He's going to show us that Judas 
was not saying this out of altogether lovely, sort of virtuous position. He's not altruistic. He's not 
about the downtrodden and the poor. He's a thief. He's a criminal. And oftentimes thieves and criminals 
like to try to hide behind sanctimony and virtue signaling, and that 
is precisely what we have in the text. But back in John 6, 
notice at verse 70, Jesus answered them, did I not choose you, the 
12, and one of you is a devil? He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the 
son of Simon, for it was he who would betray him, being one of 
the 12. And then in the upper room discourse in John 13, specifically 
at verse 18 to 30, Jesus identifies Judas as the betrayer. He identifies 
this man as the one who's gonna give him up, who's gonna sell 
him for 30 pieces of silver. Chump change for the very son 
of God. In contrast, this woman takes 
300 denarii worth of oil and pours it lavishly upon his head 
and it runs down his body onto his feet. It is her that has 
the right appropriation of who she's dealing with, who she's 
in the presence of. It's not the disciples at this 
point. I'm not saying they're reprobate. I'm not saying they're 
pagan. I'm not saying they're unsaved. Judas was, yeah, but 
the other 11, no. but they had a misstep there, 
they were misguided in terms of their criticism of her and 
in terms of their indignancy about the whole situation. So 
notice, back to the text, verse four, but one of his disciples, 
Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray him, said, why 
was this fragrant oil not sold for 300 denarii and given to 
the poor? Again, it's good to give to the 
poor. It's good to serve the downtrodden 
and the poor. It's good to be loving. It's 
good to be kind. It's good to let your light so 
shine before men that they may see your good works and give 
glory to God. That assumes that the people 
of God are engaged in those sorts of good works. But that's not 
his point. That's not what he's about. So 
the reasonableness of the question is assumed. Why was this fragrant 
oil not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor? In a moment, 
Jesus is going to respond and say it's perfectly appropriate 
for her to do exactly what she has done. But before that, John 
theologizes. John explains. John tells us 
why all of a sudden, This man announced in 670 and 71, who's 
gonna betray Jesus, now expresses this fastidiousness about religious 
good works. Why was this not sold? And why 
was not this, the proceeds from the sale of this, given to the 
poor? It sounds right, it sounds good. But then notice the interpretation 
of that by John in verse six. This he said, not that he cared 
for the poor. He didn't care. Brethren, just 
because somebody says, I care about the poor, or I care about 
this people group, or I care about that people group, or I 
care about this particular, that doesn't make it so. The proof 
is in the pudding. I would argue that a lot of the 
do-gooders in our age that are out there for the downtrodden 
and the poor really don't care for them one bit. They're kind 
of like Judas Iscariot. They have other intention. They 
politicize the poor. They politicize certain people 
groups. They politicize certain things 
so that they themselves can look better. Certainly when Judas 
says this, why wasn't this costly oil sold and the 300 denarii 
given to these poor people? Wow, he's right. That makes sense. All these poor people out here, 
and this woman is lavishing this gift all over this one man. It 
just doesn't seem right. Well, lest we think that the 
betrayer got religion, or that the betrayer got repentance, 
or that the betrayer now actually believes the gospel, John says, 
no, he's a fake. There's an absence of concern 
for the poor with this man. He doesn't care one bit. Not 
only does he not care, his actual purpose or his actual intention 
or his actual concern is the money box. See, he wanted that 
300 denarii to go into the money box so that he could pilfer some 
of it. Probably not all of it. I'll 
just take this for me. I'll just pad my wallet. I'll 
just hide this under my mattress. I'll just steal from the Lord 
Jesus and from these disciples. But I'm not going to just come 
out and be that brazen. I'm not going to actually demonstrate 
my criminality. I'm going to hide behind my virtue 
signaling. What about the poor? Brethren, 
the proof is in the pudding when it comes to the poor, when it 
comes to the downtrodden. This man, who will betray Jesus, 
has already stolen from Jesus and the disciples, and he has 
the gall to put on this sanctimonious facade that his religion is superior 
to hers. The Geneva Bible says an horrible 
example in Judas of a mind blinded with covetousness and yet pretending 
godliness. Do you ever find that? You'd 
almost just rather they're honest and open about their wickedness. 
They're honest and open about their rebelliousness. Don't try 
to fake it. Don't try to pretend. Don't try 
to make it seem like you're actually concerned with others. You're 
not! You're a thief. You've already stolen, you plan 
to continue stealing, and you're going to sell the Savior for 
30 pieces of silver. This is a godless man. He is 
a wicked man. And this contrast between her 
and him is what the gospel authors want you to see. That brings 
us thirdly to the exhortation of Jesus. Notice this in verse 
7. Don't you love this letter alone? How often do we need that counsel? How often do we need to hear, 
leave her alone? How come we want to busy ourselves 
in other people's matters and not look after our own? They've 
got enough issues to deal with. They've got enough problems. 
They've got enough challenges in their own heart without having 
to police her. Policing oneself is a full-time 
job. I don't know how busybodies make 
time to police everybody else. The worst thing about busybodyism 
is that it's so prevalent. And so Jesus says to these busybodies, 
specifically Judas Iscariot, leave her alone. Don't bother 
with her. Don't be all wound up. Don't 
stress or fret about something that Jesus is going to interpret 
as a good thing. It's not like she was out shooting 
people. She didn't shimmy up the clock 
tower in Jerusalem and start picking people off as they were 
walking into the bank. She lavished oil upon the Savior. Leave her alone. Don't get in 
her way. And again, I think this lesson 
needs to be repeated throughout all ages of the church. Listen 
to how Paul puts it in 1 Thessalonians 4. You can turn there. It's a 
very neglected theme in our Bibles, I think. Not saying the Bible 
neglects it, I'm saying we neglect it much to our own chagrin. Notice in 1 Thessalonians chapter 
4, specifically at verses 11 and 12. We'll pick up in verse 
9. But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that I should 
write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one 
another. And indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are 
in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that 
you increase more and more. The love for one another is present, 
but the exhortation stands. Increase more and more. Can any 
of us say, yep, you know, I've filled my quota, I've loved as 
much as I can possibly love? No, there's always an increase 
more and more. There's always an abound more 
and more. And then notice what he goes on to say, that you also 
aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and 
to work with your own hands as we commanded you. that you may 
walk properly toward those who are outside and that you may 
lack nothing." Isn't that interesting? A nice big cup of mind your own 
business. A nice big heaping spoonful of 
mind your own business. This is how Jesus responds to 
Judas Iscariot who shows his sanctimony only to cover up his 
criminality. Jesus says, leave her alone. 
Don't mess with her. Don't upset the apple cart. What 
she has done is a good thing, and notice how he interprets 
it. The command of Christ to leave her alone is, in fact, 
a great one in and of itself. But the command of Christ also 
demonstrates the validity of her actions. Notice he doesn't 
get on that bandwagon. He doesn't say to the woman, 
Mary, why did you do this? Don't you know that good works 
are primary in the Christian life? Don't you know you could 
have got a lot of truck with 300 denarii in terms of the downtrodden 
and poor? The fact that he accepts this, 
the fact that he receives this, the fact that he interprets it 
in conjunction with his cross, shows or demonstrates that he 
himself knows that he's altogether lovely and that he is indeed 
chief among 10,000. So in this particular instance, 
he simply says, leave her alone. We'll return to that next bit 
in just a moment. Turn to Mark's account, Mark 
chapter 14. Mark chapter 14, just to see 
another dimension of what we have in this particular narrative. Mark chapter 14. specifically at verse three. 
We'll just repeat it. 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. But there were some who 
were indignant among themselves and said, why was this fragrant 
oil wasted? For it might've been sold for 
more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. And they criticized 
her sharply. Notice verse six, let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has 
done a good work for me. She has done a good work for 
me. They think it's waste. They think 
it's worthy to criticize her sharply. They think that this 
is just folly on the part of this woman, Mary, and yet Jesus 
commends her. She has done a good work for 
me. Notice, for you have the poor 
with you always, and whenever you wish, you may do them good, 
but me, you do not have always. Notice that next bit. She has 
done what she could. She has done what she could. 
Do you ever get discouraged as a Christian because you can't 
do a lot? You can't do everything. You can't go be a missionary 
on the island of Timbuktu. I don't think Timbuktu is an 
island, but you get me. Well, I can't go out and, you 
know, preach the gospel like Hudson Taylor, so I'm gonna do 
nothing? Brethren, the kingdom of God is made up of a bunch 
of little things. It's made up of a bunch of ordinary 
things. Isn't that Paul's point? Mind 
your own business, work hard with your hands, don't call attention 
to yourself. You don't have to be the star. 
You simply have to be faithful in the little things. He acknowledges 
she's done what she could. She couldn't go preach to Chinese 
people. She couldn't be a preacher or 
a pastor. 1 Timothy 3 tells us it must 
be men. But she could take this oil and 
lavish it upon her Savior. So he commends her for the good 
work that she has done. It confirms what we have in Scripture 
in terms of Old Testament passages. Proverbs 10.7, the memory of 
the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot. 
And Ecclesiastes 7.1, a good name is better than precious 
ointment. Turn back to Matthew's account, Matthew chapter 26. 
Matthew chapter 26, specifically in verses 6 to 13. We won't read 
the whole section, but notice the bit in verse 13. It says, 
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. It's a memorial in perpetuity 
as long as gospel preaching goes on. So as far as she was concerned, 
yeah, she's not going to be a pioneer mission to the Chinese people. 
She's not going to be a pioneer missionary to the North Koreans. But she's going to give this 
act of devotion and pour out this costly oil upon her Savior's 
head and feet, and it's going to be told what she did in subsequent 
church history. Go back to John's Gospel, John 
chapter 11. Remember when we get to the family 
in Bethany, we're already told what she does according to John 
chapter 12. So notice in John 11 at verse 
one, now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town 
of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed 
the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair, 
whose brother Lazarus was sick. Before John comes to record it 
in chapter 12, as he's identifying the family in Bethany, he says 
this, What does that indicate? It indicates the validity of 
gospel preaching that includes the fact that this woman did 
what she did. She did what she could, and it 
was commendable by our blessed Savior. Don't get discouraged 
because you can't do everything. Don't let that stop you from 
doing anything, but do something for the cause of our blessed 
Savior. God sees it, God knows it, and God approves of it, and 
God receives it. This woman is being spoken of 
even now. So the truth of this statement 
in the early church and the truth of this statement throughout 
the ages. Listen to J.C. Ryle. He says, the deeds and 
titles of many a king and emperor and general are as completely 
forgotten as if written in the sand. I know we all like to think 
of our legacy. Well, I don't know that we do, 
but politicians, they've got to have legacies. They've got 
to have a library that's their legacy. They've got to make sure 
succeeding generations know just how wonderful and awesome they 
were. It's not enough for us to traffic 
in our narcissism here. We've got to traffic in it in 
subsequent ages. We've got to make sure everybody 
knows how glorious we are. Listen to what he says. Do you 
know the emperors who ruled in Rome at the time of the New Testament? 
You've probably heard of Nero, but there was a series of them. 
Can you name another? Can you name those who engaged 
in the various wars and leadings of troops and strategies and 
tactics all throughout the history of the world? Can you name one 
battle that took place in the 20th century? Do you remember 
any of those significant figures? This is Ryle's point. Listen 
again, the deeds and titles of many a king and emperor and general 
are as completely forgotten as if written in the sand. But the 
grateful act of one humble Christian woman is recorded in 150 different 
languages. Remember, Ryle's writing in the 
1800s. So that number of languages has 
grown exponentially and is known all over the globe. The praise 
of man is but for a few days. The praise of Christ endureth 
forever. The pathway to lasting honor 
is to honor Christ. That's the point. So while they 
complain, while they're indignant, and while they criticize her 
sharply, Jesus says, leave her alone. She's done a good work. 
She's done what she could. And as a result of that, Christ 
receives it. Christ commends her. Christ holds 
her in commendation in perpetuity through the gospel narratives. 
It is actually a most significant thing that underscores there 
is nothing in vain done for our Lord. In fact, look at 1 Corinthians 
15. 1 Corinthians 15, the great resurrection chapter. Paul expounds 
the resurrection of our blessed Savior in a whole host of ways. 
And then notice his practical application. 1 Corinthians 15, 
58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, 
Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the 
Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. We're 
kind of like that, aren't we? Nobody appreciates what I do. Nobody sees what I do. What a 
thankless job. What a thankless people. What 
a thankless life. Nobody sees what I do. We're 
not supposed to think that way. That's not a godly principle. That's not a righteous principle. We'll see that with the sisters 
tonight. Martha to Jesus, Lord, don't you care that Mary isn't 
helping me serve? Lord, this isn't right. One of those sort of preaching 
prayers. Lord, change her. Change her 
in the way that I want her to be changed right now, because 
it's not right that I'm doing all this work and she's sitting 
at your feet, devoting herself to the teaching of your Word. 
It's just not right. See brethren, that is a principle, 
and I'm not condemning Martha, and I'm not condemning service, 
I'm not condemning good works, I'm commending them as Jesus 
does, but I'm suggesting that the purpose for them is not our 
notoriety. The purpose for them isn't plaques. When I was in the Air Force, 
they gave you plaques when you did good things. And then you'd 
have what you called a love me wall. You'd have all your plaques 
about how awesome you are. Brethren, that's not supposed 
to be in the church. We're not supposed to have love 
me walls. We're not supposed to call attention 
to how great we are. We're not supposed to whine and 
murmur and grumble and complain because nobody appreciates what 
I do. We're simply to serve our blessed 
God. In the language of the apostle 
Paul, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable. Why 
do you think he says that? Because if you're a whiner, and 
a grumbler, and a complainer, and you're doing it for the approval 
of men, guess what you're not going to keep doing? You're going 
to say, well, nobody appreciates me. Nobody loves me. Nobody cares 
about me. Nobody recognizes me. So why 
bother? You see, the focus has shifted. The focus is now on you. And 
if you don't get something out of it, you're just as quick to 
say, well, forget it. I'm in this for me, and if I'm 
not getting anything for me, then I'm not gonna do it anymore. 
So he says, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work 
of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 
That's the point. Knowing that your labor is not 
in vain in the Lord. The Lord sees it, the Lord approves 
of it. The Lord doesn't necessarily 
write in the clouds, good on you today, Jimmy, you did a good 
work. That's not what's gonna happen. 
But on that day of judgment, when we stand before that throne 
in glory, everything we've ever done, the Lord knows. The Lord 
knows our hearts. The Lord knows that we can't 
necessarily be president, but we can possibly do something 
to help in a place that's less prestigious than that. So back 
to our text, the Lord Jesus says to leave her alone. And then 
he interprets the significance here in 7b. She has kept this 
for the day of my burial. Turn to John 19, just to see 
this. John 19, specifically at verses 
39 and 40. And Nicodemus, who at first came 
to Jesus by night, he also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and 
aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus 
and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom 
of the Jews is to bury. So when she comes to do this, 
Christ interprets it in light of the cross. Leave her alone. She's done what she could. She's done a good work. She's 
anointing my body for burial. She understands all too well 
the significance of those things that are going to follow. And 
as a result, she responds in kind. She is marking out the 
holiness of the ground upon which we stand in the Passion narrative 
by setting apart the Savior in terms of this anointing, so that 
we may see Him the way she sees Him, and that we may worship 
Him and adore Him and devote ourselves to Him in like manner. It ought not to come into our 
heads. Well, you know, this could be, you know, much better spent 
over here. I'll just give a little bit to 
God. I'll just do a little bit for the Lord. That attitude, 
that mindset, again, it's not something that you should approve 
of. It's that sort of thing you ought to be seeking to kill. 
You ought not to be like the Israelites of old who took the 
maim, who took the lame, who took the blind animal, and said, 
let's schlep this to the temple, and let's present this to Yahweh. 
Because these other ones that are without blemish, we're going 
to get more money out of them. We're going to get more meat 
out of them for ourselves. We're going to get better pedigree 
out of them when we breed them. We don't want to waste it on 
God. That mindset of wasting things on God is what's being 
condemned in this particular passage. So the Lord Jesus says, 
let her alone, she has kept this for the day of my burial. France 
says, the woman's extravagant loyalty offsets the shameful 
horror of crucifixion. That is why it must always be 
remembered, not simply as a model of uncalculating devotion, though 
it is certainly that, but as an affirmation of the value of 
his death from the point of view of faith. She saw what was coming, 
she understood the significance, and therefore, nothing, nothing 
would be spared, nothing would be kept back. When we consider 
the fact that Christ has gone to the cross on our behalf, let 
that affect the way that we praise, the way that we worship, the 
way that we engage in devotion. When we consider that reality, 
the response ought to be consistent with that reality. And then notice, 
Jesus says in verse eight, but for the poor you have with you 
always, but me you do not have always. The me you do not have 
always means according to his humanity. It's a reference again 
to his death. The whole passage is charged 
with the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's been anticipated 
throughout John's gospel. It comes into clear sight now 
and in clear focus. And so Jesus refers to that. 
The poor you have with you always. He commends serving the poor. He commends doing kind things. 
Behind the scene is Deuteronomy 15, 11. You shall open your hand 
wide to your brother, to your poor and needy in your land. 
After it says, the poor you'll always have. Intriguingly, some 
don't see this. They don't get this. They don't 
understand this. And they think we can ameliorate 
the downtrodden and poor through political power. No, you can't. In fact, when you attempt to 
do it through political power, you typically just spread the 
misery farther. So at Churchill's set of socialism, 
it's the equal spreading of misery to even more people. So the socialist 
and the communistic scheme to try to ameliorate this only exacerbates 
it. What's the response? The poor 
are going to be with you. Who's supposed to engage in charity 
toward the poor? The church of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, the people of God, the blood bought children of God 
are supposed to engage in those particular acts. So he commends 
that, he's all for that. In fact, in the parallel in Mark 
14, he says that, for you have the poor with you always, and 
whenever you wish you may do them good, but me you do not 
have always. So he is commending. The good 
work's done to the poor, but he's commending devotion to God. That's the twin things that happen. I mentioned it earlier. Super 
salad. It's a both-hand proposition. The history of the church is 
littered with monkery on the one hand. Let's just withdraw 
ourselves and go live out in the wilderness and contemplate 
God. Well, that's imbalanced, brethren. You're not supposed 
to do that. You're supposed to have babies 
and bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. You're 
supposed to work. You're supposed to engage in 
society. So, mongering, a withdrawal from 
culture, is bad. but only being about cultural 
amelioration is bad too. Social justice without the gospel 
is simply Marxism. We need the gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. We need both and. We need to 
be a people that contemplate, a people that devote, a people 
that worship, a people that spend time in the presence of God and 
then go out and let our conduct be worthy of the gospel. Shouldn't 
be both and. shouldn't be sort of extremes 
on either side, but it should be both of these things. He commends 
service to the poor, he commends devotion to the God of absolute 
glory. And that brings us finally to 
the intention of the leaders. Notice the Jews, the non-leader 
Jews. Verse 9, now a great many of 
the Jews knew that he was there, and they came, not for Jesus' 
sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom he had 
raised from the dead. They wanted to see Jesus because 
he performed signs. They wanted to see Lazarus because 
he was the most significant of those signs. I mentioned that 
last week, you know, when some of us were kids, there were circuses 
and there were people, oddities that you wanted to go see. I'm 
not suggesting that Lazarus and Jesus were oddities, but I am 
suggesting it was out of the norm. I mean, guys don't go into 
the grave and four days later get called out by another man. So of course they want to see 
him. Of course they want to see exhibit 
A. They want to ask questions of 
Lazarus. What happened? What was going 
on? What was it like there? They want to know those things. 
So verse nine doesn't surprise us. There's fame spreading about 
our Lord Jesus and they want to see him. They want to see 
this man whom he's raised from the dead. But then on the heels 
of this, notice the intention of the leaders. Their plot, verse 
10, the chief priest plotted to put Lazarus to death also. The also there reminds us of 
chapter 11 and how they want to put Jesus to death. So it's 
not just Jesus they want to put to death, but they also want 
to put Lazarus to death. And then the rationale is verse 
11, because on account of him, many of the Jews went away and 
believed in Jesus. What did the resurrection of 
Lazarus confirm? It confirmed his power, it confirmed 
his authority, it confirmed his identity. As well, that then 
evoked from persons belief in him. It's the purpose of the 
signs in John's Gospel. These are written that you may 
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing 
in his name you may have everlasting life. And so, neutralize Lazarus, 
and we stop up faith in Jesus. Isn't that just diabolical and 
foolish, brethren? You know how many martyrs there 
have been in the Christian church? Has it stopped the conquest of 
the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? Every time they cut 
the throat or feed a man to the lions, do they stop the progress 
of redemption? The apostle Paul underscores 
the reality in 2 Timothy that he's in prison. He's in chains, 
but the word of God is not chained. These men were as foolish as 
they were tyrannical. Remember, they've already set 
up the city in such a way that everybody would rat out Jesus 
if he came into the city. You see that at the end of chapter 
11. Well, now this man, Lazarus, Lazarus has become a conduit 
for Jesus to gain followers. If that's the case, then we ought 
to kill Lazarus so that we stop up the conduit so that Jesus 
may gain followers. This is the lengths to which 
wicked men go to expand their kingdom. This is the lengths 
wicked men go in order to increase their lawlessness. The church 
needs to learn from them and not do likewise, of course. But 
that kind of zeal, that kind of mindset, that kind of a desire 
to stop the forces of wickedness on our part and in their part 
is to stop the forces of goodness and righteousness. Let's kill 
Lazarus and we'll stop up or we'll deal with the Jesus problem. 
So the text ends there, underscoring these wicked men. So you've got 
the contrast between Mary and the disciples. You've got the 
contrast between Mary and the betrayer, Judas, who's going 
to dime out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. And then you've got 
this constant reference to the cross that is coming for our 
Lord Jesus Christ. In conclusion, the doctrinal 
emphasis, it functions in a manner similar to Matthew 20, 28. The 
Son of Man has come not to be served, but to serve and to give 
His life a ransom for many. So from that point on, Jesus 
goes to Jerusalem. Why? Because He's come to give 
His life as a ransom for many. Why is Jesus now coming to the 
city of Jerusalem? Why is He doing so six days before 
the Passover? This is the Saturday night. Sunday 
is the triumphal entry. The events of the week, as I 
said, are all recorded for us, and it's as if John now prolongs 
the narrative so we can see our blessed Savior every step of 
the way to that cross. So the doctrinal emphasis is 
to show the coming of the death of our Lord Jesus. But in terms 
of practical lessons, the disciples in general and the betrayer in 
particular, what do we learn from them? Well, I hope we learn 
to mind our own business. I mean, if somebody's in sin, 
brethren, then rebuke that. If somebody's in sin, rebuke 
that. I know that seems odd. I know 
that seems outlandish. What do you mean, rebuke that? 
That's what we're commanded to do in the scriptures. But if 
somebody's not in sin and they're doing things a bit differently 
than you, then try a big cup of mind your own business. Don't 
bother yourself with everybody else's activities. Do you know 
how Solomon puts it in Proverbs 4? He says, keep your heart with 
all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Notice 
what he doesn't say. Keep everybody else's heart, 
and if there's any time at the end of the day, then look at 
yourself. It's a full-time job to keep one's own heart. We don't 
have the wherewithal, the ability, or anything necessary in order 
to keep the hearts of others. I'm not suggesting fathers don't 
look after their children and their wives, and mothers don't 
look after their children. I'm not saying that. But this 
tendency to meddle in other people's business, we ought to hear the 
words of our Lord Jesus Christ, leave her alone. If they're not 
sinning, leave them alone. If they're not rebelling against 
God, leave them alone. Better learn from them. If they're 
being approved by God for a particular course of action, put that in 
your notebook and try doing it sometime. Put that in your mind 
and perhaps invoke it on another occasion and go thou and do likewise. So the tendency to judge and 
criticize the actions of others is real. And then the tendency 
that we find here in Judas Iscariot to cover one's own wickedness 
with sanctimony. It's wretched, isn't it? Oh, 
what about the poor? He doesn't care about the poor. 
He cares about the money box. And if we don't give him what 
he wants, he's not going to take what he wants. And that's the 
mindset that we find in Judas the betrayer. Secondly, the woman. The woman's great, isn't she, 
Mary? I mean, what a family. Lazarus is raised from the dead, 
Mary is devoted to the Savior any chance she can get, and Martha, 
like a good foot soldier, is always serving, always making 
sure everything's conducted and in order, everybody's needs are 
taken care of. It's a great family. She had great pedigree. She expresses 
this devotion to Jesus, brethren. Again, she's not living in a 
hut or living out in the wilderness. She's a real-life person in a 
real-life situation that is able to capture that devotion to her 
Lord in the ebb and flow of daily life. We're not supposed to be 
monks and withdraw, but at the same time, we're not supposed 
to never contemplate, never speculate in terms of the Scripture and 
theology. Never, and I don't mean speculate 
in some sinful sort of way, but contemplate, review, think through 
Scripture. There needs to be some moments 
with the Savior each and every day. There needs to be some moment. 
I don't want to make that legalist that somebody's going to say, 
I'm not scolding here. You should try every single day. 
We should have a time that we try to spend in the presence 
of our blessed God. Yes, go out and be good. Yes, 
go out and do good. But make sure you spend time 
with the Savior King. She spared no expense in her 
devotion to the Lord. She did what she could. You don't 
have to be a superstar in the church to do what you can't. 
You really don't. As I've thought about the scriptures 
and as I've thought about Christianity and the church and that sort 
of thing for a few years now, it's the ordinary and the normal 
that's the majority. It's not the extraordinary. How many Pauls in the history 
of the church has there been? How many Spurgeons in the history 
of the church have there been? How many Luthers, Calvins in 
the history of the church have there been? Not many. How many 
regular, ordinary, everyday, salt-of-the-earth people that 
get up, that serve their master, and do what they're supposed 
to do? How many of them? No man can number, it's the ordinary. The epilogue is amazing too in 
John 21. The book formally ends in John 
20 on that high note confession of Thomas, my Lord and my God. And then the purpose clause stipulated 
in chapter 20, 30 and 31, here's why I wrote John says. And then 
the epilogue, Jesus comes to the disciples and guess what 
they're doing? They're fishing. You know what 
Jesus doesn't do? He doesn't shake his finger at 
them and say, how dare you fish? Haven't I taught you more nobler 
and more mighty things? Go to the various cities around 
here and preach the gospel to them. That's not what he does. 
He says, throw your net on the other side of the boat and you'll 
draw a big haul. He doesn't condemn the ordinary. 
He doesn't say, sell your business. He doesn't say, shave your head. 
He doesn't say, get an orange cloak and go live at the airport 
with a tambourine. He doesn't do that. The normal, 
the regular, and the ordinary. There's that bit when the children 
of Israel come into the land of promise. The manna no longer 
comes. What comes now? You plant seed, 
put water on the seed, make sure the sunlight gets to the seed 
and food will grow. We look at that and we say, well, 
that's not, you know, supernatural. That's not the extraordinary. 
But God is every bit as much involved in that as he is in 
manna coming down from heaven. We like the super. We like the 
extraordinary. I think a good dose of the ordinary 
is probably a fitting thing for each and every one of us. And 
then finally, with reference to the Lord Jesus, He receives 
our devotion and worship. He doesn't shake her off, doesn't 
cast her down, doesn't say, I can't believe you're wasting this money 
on me. He receives her worship. He receives her devotion. He 
defends her from the criticism of her fellows. Leave her alone. He's defending her. He's telling 
them, don't bug her, don't mess with her, what she does is good. In the passage, he commands kindness 
to the poor. And in some, he demonstrates 
that he alone is worthy of these things. Dale Ralph Davis makes 
this observation about the temple. I've mentioned that earlier. 
We're about to end here. The temple. Anybody? I don't 
want a show of hands. That's weird. But if you've read 
through the section in First Kings, the hinges of the door 
were made of gold. Why? What do you think's the 
takeaway message? God is worth it. That's the takeaway message. 
Listen to Davis. I suggest that the splendor of 
the temple is meant to reflect the splendor of Israel's God. That the temple's gold points 
to Yahweh's glory. It was a world in which kings 
built or refurbished lavish temples as appropriate tributes to their 
gods and goddesses. In such a world, why should Yahweh 
look like a discount store deity with a government loan house? 
If there is an indulgence that is sinful, which there is, there 
is an extravagance that is godly, which there is. And he points 
to this particular passage. He says, perhaps the message 
of the temple gold is that nothing cheap should be offered to Yahweh, 
but only what is a tribute commensurate with his splendor. I suggest 
he is bang on. Christ receives it because Christ 
is worthy of it. And if you are a believer today, 
I don't want to scold, I don't want to shake the finger, but 
I want to encourage all of us to consider this kind of devotion, 
this kind of worship, this kind of adoration. May it affect us 
in the way that we live. May it not be the case that we're 
too busy, or we don't have enough time, or we just can't be bothered 
with theology, or Bible reading, or contemplation, or consideration 
of God's holy word. Brethren, we get that privilege. We get to enjoy the knowledge 
of God. We get to enter in by the presence 
and the power of the Holy Spirit to learn the very things of God. It is a privilege in the Christian 
life. That's not the curse, I gotta go to church, I gotta read my 
Bible, I gotta pray. That's not the gotta in Christianity. That's the get to. And if you're 
not a believer, let Christ Himself commend Himself to you by showing 
you in this passage how worthy He is of this kind of adoration, 
how worthy He is of this kind of worship. And the means by 
which you enter in as a worshiper is to believe on Him. to trust 
in Him, to look away from yourself, to look away from your deeds 
and to look to that one in whom alone there is forgiveness and 
one in whom alone there is a righteousness. Christ's death on that cross 
is absolutely crucial to cleanse us from our sins, but Christ's 
life in terms of obedience to the Lord is absolutely crucial 
so that we may be clothed in His righteousness. So come to 
Him, and then you will find that He is indeed altogether lovely 
and chief among 10,000. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank You for Your Word, we thank You for this passage 
of Holy Scripture and what it does teach us concerning our 
blessed Savior and Lord. We ask God that You would help 
us to think clearly concerning these things, help us to be engaged 
on the one hand with good deeds and kindness toward those in 
need, Let as well help us to spend time with you in the secret 
place and as families and in church. And we ask that you would 
go with us and bless and strengthen us and help us to glorify you 
in all things. And we pray through Christ the Lord. Amen. Well, 
we'll close our service by singing number 568, doxology of praise 
to our triune God. We'll stand as we sing together. Praise God from whom all blessings 
flow. Praise Him, all creatures, hear Him call. Praise Him above, ye heavenly 
hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost. Amen. The Lord bless you and keep you. 
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 
Father, thank you for your goodness and your graciousness to us. 
Go with us now and may these things be true for each of us 
and may we glorify and honor you. And we pray through Christ 
Jesus, our Lord, amen. You may be seated for a brief 
time of meditation.