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Chapter 26. Matthew chapter 26, our focus 
this morning will be on verses 6 to 13, the anointing at Bethany. But I do want to begin reading 
in verse 1 and read to verse 16. Matthew's gospel, chapter 
26, beginning in verse 1. Now it came to pass when Jesus 
had finished all these sayings that He said to His disciples, 
you know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son 
of Man will be delivered up to be crucified. Then the chief 
priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled 
at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and 
plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill him. But they said, 
not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people. 
And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 
a woman came to him having an alabaster flask of very costly 
fragrant oil, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the 
table. But when his disciples saw it, 
they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? For this fragrant 
oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor. But 
when Jesus was aware of it, he said to them, why do you trouble 
the woman? For she has done a good work for me. For you have the 
poor with you always, but me you do not have always. For in 
pouring this fragrant oil on my body, she did it for my burial. 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. Then one of 
the 12, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and 
said, what are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you? 
And they counted out to him 30 pieces of silver. So from that 
time he sought opportunity to betray him. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
this account. We thank you for what we find 
in Matthew chapters 26 to 28. Certainly it is holy ground. It does contain the narrative 
concerning our Lord's death, His sufferings, His resurrection, 
our God, the heart of the very gospel. We pray that you would 
give us wisdom as we study, give us the Holy Spirit to guide and 
direct us in our understanding of passages like these. We pray 
that you would forgive us for our sins and our transgressions 
and help us to learn from this woman what it is to show devotion 
and worship and adoration to so Lovely a king, so great a 
Savior, the one who is, in the language of the Song of Solomon, 
altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand. Certainly, God, 
we have so many reasons to be thankful, so many reasons to 
give praise and worship and glory unto you, our great God. We ask 
that you would just guide us now, and we pray through Christ 
our Lord. Amen. Well, in this particular 
section of Scripture, I think that we see the conspiracy involved 
in our Lord's crucifixion. We saw that in verses 3 to 5 
last week, and then we'll see in verses 14 to 16 the betrayal 
involved in our Lord's crucifixion. Well, right smack dab in the 
middle, there is this account of devotion associated with our 
Lord's crucifixion. And it's here for thematic or 
theological reasons, and we'll see that as we move through the 
exposition this morning. But if you just read from verses 
1 to 5, right on into verses 14 to 16, the narrative would 
flow. I think that what Matthew is 
doing is reminding us as we enter into this holy place, as we enter 
into this record concerning our Lord's passion, we ought to respond 
with love and devotion and adoration and worship in a way consistent 
with what this woman demonstrates here in verses 6 to 13. Now the 
particular section breaks down naturally into three sections. 
We'll note first the anointing at Bethany in verses 6 to 7, 
secondly the complaint of the disciples in verses 8 and 9, 
and then thirdly the response of our Lord Jesus Christ in verses 
10 to 13. But notice the anointing at Bethany. verse 6, and when Jesus was in 
Bethany at the house of Simon the leper. So that's the setting. If you look at other gospel records, 
you will see parallel passages, parallel accounts. For instance, 
Mark chapter 14, verses 3 to 9 is strictly parallel. in terms 
of location in the narrative, in terms of the exact representation 
of what is happening here, though differing in a few small details. 
As well, in John's gospel, in John chapter 12, verses 1 to 
8, I would suggest that that is the same account. And while 
there are differences in terms of detail, it can be harmonized. John's gospel indicates that 
this particular instance happened six days prior to Passover. Matthew doesn't tell us it happened 
on the day that is specified in verse 2. As I said, he's got 
a theological or a thematic purpose for putting it here. It's not 
strictly chronological. I think he moves from conspiracy 
to devotion back to betrayal to show us all the things that 
are at play in our Lord's crucifixion. So John identifies it as six 
days before the Passover. That would have put it the previous 
Saturday night. And what one man says, I think, 
is accurate. The scene is set as we move from 
the conspiracy to this act of devotion. The scene is set. We 
have moved from the courtyard or palace of the high priest 
where evil plots are laid to the residence of a leper where 
kindness shows itself. There's another account, we looked 
at this several months ago in our worship services in Luke 
chapter 7. That's a separate account altogether. So just in summary, the Matthew, 
Mark, John instances concerning this anointing at Bethany I suggest 
are all parallel passages focused upon the same event. What we 
find in Luke 7, that woman which was a sinner comes to a house 
of Simon the Pharisee. Simon was a very common and popular 
name. That's why he's identified here 
as Simon the leper. It doesn't mean he presently 
has leprosy, because if he presently had leprosy, he certainly wouldn't 
be hosting a dinner. Persons were not supposed to 
come into contact with one who had leprosy. But he's called 
Simon the leper to distinguish him from Simon the Pharisee, 
Simon Peter, other persons of note. And so what we find are 
various differences between that Luke 7 account, happens in Galilee, 
this happens in Bethany, Simon the Pharisee versus Simon the 
leper. So two different anointings, the one recorded by Luke in Luke 
7, which was in the north in Galilee, and then the second, 
Bethany, in the Passion Week, recorded by Matthew, Mark, and 
John. As I said, the most differences 
are with John's presentation, but it can be harmonized. In 
other words, where we find in John, she anointed his feet. 
While Jesus is anointed on his head by this woman, it runs down 
his body and certainly would get on his feet as well. So I 
just want you to see that it can be harmonized, but we're 
dealing with the same passage in terms of the anointing at 
Bethany. Now note this woman. It says in verse seven, a woman 
came to him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant 
oil, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. 
Now in John, she's identified to us as Mary. Not Mary, the 
mother of Jesus, but Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. And this act of devotion is consistent 
with what we know of this Mary. Remember in Mary and Martha's 
house when the Savior was there in Luke chapter 10, Martha gets 
upset because Mary's leaving the service to Martha, and the 
Lord Jesus says it's good that she has devoted herself to this 
thing that is needful. So this is a consistent expression 
of a woman's devotion. So it's Mary, the mother of Martha 
and Lazarus. And then note her particular 
activity. A woman came to him having an 
alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil. That's exactly 
what it means. It's like perfume. Now, this 
perfume was far more expensive than probably the perfume you 
have on your shelf at home, ladies. Your husbands might complain 
that you spent 20 bucks on a particular bottle of smell good at the local 
Walmart, but this was worth 300 denarii. We learned that in the parallel 
passages. It could have been sold for 300 
denarii and the money given to the poor. Now, 300 denarii was 
a working man's wage for an entire year. So she took this bottle 
of very costly oil, and she pours it over the head of the Savior. 
Now, when we see oil being poured over the head of the Savior, 
I think that act associates certain truisms to us with reference 
to Scripture. In the first place, it was a 
common expression of hospitality to someone who came into your 
home. Not quite this lavishly. If you or I would have come into 
the home, we would have gotten a 20-buck bottle from Walmart, 
and that would have been dumped on us. So it was a common occurrence, 
but as well, this anointing with oil reminds the reader that the 
anointed one is going into the city for that particular purpose 
for whence he came. As Pastor Porter reminded us, 
he came to save his people from their sins. As well, the association 
of oil being poured upon the head carries royal connotation. In 1 Samuel, chapter 16, remember 
that Samuel, the kingmaker, as it were, finds David and anoints 
him with oil. As well, as Jesus interprets 
the significance of this particular act, it was a preparation for 
his burial. And then the act was a display, 
ultimately, of spontaneous extravagance. I love this. It was just an act 
of spontaneous extravagance. She takes this very costly bottle 
of spikenard, or nard rather, and she dumps it upon the head 
of the Savior. As Davies and Allison highlight, 
the high price contrasts sharply with the low price Judas settles 
upon to betray Jesus. You see, this narrative and the 
following need to be read together. I was hoping to preach them both 
together, but I didn't want to give short shrift to this particular 
woman or the lessons in this passage. But it's obvious, right? 
The devotion of a woman and the betrayal by a disciple. She devotes 
herself in terms of a 300 denarii present to this particular man, 
and then this wretch sells him out for wages for one month's 
labor. There is a sharp contrast between 
this particular woman and this particular disciple. Now notice 
the complaint of the disciples in verses eight and nine. It 
says in verse eight, when his disciples saw it, they were indignant, 
their attitude. They're indignant, they're upset, 
they're angry. That's what that means, kids, 
indignant. It's kind of like if you were 
to start driving at the age of 16 and you backed your dad's 
car into the garage door. He probably wouldn't be happy. 
He would probably be indignant. And that's what these men express 
in this particular instance. It highlights their attitude. 
The extravagance of the woman's act was met with a horrified 
response by the pragmatic disciples. In John's gospel, it's expressed 
by Judas. It's Judas who makes this particular 
argument. It's Judas who gives this particular 
place of opposition. Now John tells us, because he 
was a thief, he was a covetous man, and when money was put into 
the money box, he would pilfer it, he would steal it. But here 
it's ascribed to the entirety of the disciples. And Calvin 
makes this point. that this murmuring of the one, 
Judas, infects the others and they give vent to it as well. 
So their attitude toward this particular act of splendid, extravagant 
devotion to our Lord is that they're upset, they're angry. Now notice their complaint. They 
say, why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have 
been sold for much and given to the poor. Why this waste? It's a direct criticism of the 
woman, right? Why did you waste this money? 
Why did you waste this perfume? Why didn't you take it down to 
the local perfume merchant, sell it, get the 300 denarii, and 
we could spread good tidings among the poor? It's a direct 
assault upon the woman. But I submit that it's also an 
indirect attack upon Jesus. Let me try and illustrate this. 
Let's say I have a family heirloom that's very precious to me. And 
that's probably what this bottle of perfume was in this household. 
She has possession of it. No doubt it was outside the norm 
for this particular family. She's not well-heeled. She's 
not making 100,000 bucks a year so that she can buy such costly 
items. But let's just say I have this 
particular heirloom. and I have five children, and 
I select one of the children to give that heirloom to, and 
the other four say, you gave it to him? What do you think 
him's gonna think? Him's gonna think, what, I don't 
deserve it? I'm not worthy? It's not something 
that's appropriate for my possession? So they directly criticize and 
attack the woman, but I suggest there is a subtle, at least indirect 
criticism of the Savior. It's almost as if to say he's 
not worth it. Why would you waste this? That's 
the precise language that they use in this instance. Why this 
waste? I wonder what they thought of 
Solomon's temple. I wonder what they thought when 
they read 1 Kings chapters 5 to 8, when Solomon is amassing from 
all over the known world at that time, materials to build the 
temple to Yahweh. That wasn't cheap. How is it 
that they read that and didn't struggle with it? What did they 
think of the glory of Christ? See brethren, there is a lesson 
here for all of us. Do we look at religion, do we 
look at the investment of time, the investment of money, the 
investment of energy as a waste in the long run? I mean, we expect 
this from the world, don't we? You expect your worldly neighbor 
to say, why would you go to church twice on a Sunday? Don't you 
know you're missing some of the best games in the afternoon? 
Why, why, why would you show such devotion to that one? Or 
why would you give that kind of money to this particular cause? Or why do you spend energy on 
this particular thing? We expect that from the world, 
don't we? But it's pretty annoying when 
the people of God say, well, why are you like that? Why do 
you give like that? Or why do you present yourself 
in the house of God or under the means of grace like that? 
It's really not right, is it? It's an indirect sort of attack 
on the Savior. It's almost as if to suggest, 
you know, He's not quite worth all that time, energy, and money. 
He's not quite worth that investment. So yes, direct assault upon the 
woman. I submit an indirect assault 
upon the Lord Jesus. So the question, why this waste? 
And then the reason. For this fragrant oil might have 
been sold for much and given to the poor. Now, there's a surface 
level reasonableness to this, right? They knew their master's 
doctrine of good works. They knew their master's doctrine 
of generosity to the poor. They had heard him in Matthew 
19 to tell the rich young ruler to go and sell everything he 
had and give it to the poor. They just came off the Olivet 
Discourse where the Lord Jesus says that We ought to express 
generosity to the least of these, my brethren. So there's a surface 
level reasonableness to their particular complaint. This could 
have been sold, the money garnered, and then it was to be given to 
the poor. But the response by Jesus and 
the narrative itself suggests an important reminder for disciples 
today. As important as generosity to 
the poor is, so is worship. So is devotion. So is adoration. So is an expression of love to 
the Savior. We all want that either or. I'm 
going to be a social justice warrior or I'm going to be a 
pietist. God calls us to be both. He calls us to show kindness 
to the poor and those in need, but to show love and affection 
and adoration and devotion to the Savior. You see, this is 
a necessary lesson, especially for today, because this whole 
idea of social justice warriorism is constantly pressed upon us. If we aren't doing this, if we're 
not doing that, if we're not doing this, we're miserable failures 
of human beings. Now, that might be the case, 
but brethren, we're not to leave off that most meaningful thing. 
We're to sit at the feet of Jesus. We're to take the alabaster flask 
of very costly oil, break it, and dump it upon his head. We're 
to spend time in his word. We're to spend time in prayer. 
We're to spend time in his house. You see, these disciples focused 
upon that particular aspect of Christianity. And I think that's 
the case, maybe it's just because it's hard to find balance. We're 
either or, aren't we? Oh yeah, that person, they're 
really good about helping the poor, but they couldn't define 
the doctrine of justification if their lives depended upon 
it. Or there's the other hand, the guy can recite the entirety 
of the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1677, 
but he never gives the poor a hot dog. I mean, that seems to be 
the challenge is to somehow be a balanced people that are both 
and Christians, not either or, but both and Christians. Their criticism. Now, the text 
here in Matthew doesn't indicate this, but the parallel in Mark 
14, 5 says, and they criticized her sharply. It's pretty sad, 
isn't it? You see the scene? I think it's 
gonna get clearer. Maybe you're not getting it, 
you're just not feeling it at this point. But as we move through 
the passage, brethren, we've got to remember, this is the 
second person of the triune God. He has come taking on our nature. The bigger question as we read 
through the gospel narrative is why isn't everybody constantly 
and always doing this for Him? That's the more puzzling thing. He comes to His own and His own 
do not receive Him. He, by grace, conquers some, 
they become His own, and instead of rejoicing in His goodness, 
they're complaining and criticizing about a woman that has actually 
shown devotion. It's an amazing situation. Notice, 
the criticism of others concerning our use of time, money, or energy 
in the service of the Savior ought not to deter us. Right? Well, I don't want to 
be looked at as weird. I don't want to be looked at 
as a freak. I don't want people to think 
I'm really that involved. I'll go once and I'll read a 
little bit, but I want to maintain this reality that I'm not a zealot. 
Oh, that God would raise up more zealots for Jesus. I don't want people to think 
I'm one of those, you know, wing nuts, those religious fanatics. Oh, that God would raise up more. 
And I'm not saying C4 fanatics wander into the local bank and, 
you know, allahu akbar. That's not the fanaticism I'm 
talking about. I think fanaticism today looks 
like this. You show up in church, you lead 
your family, you're faithful. So I think fanaticism as a Christian 
means being faithful, being disciplined, being consistent. I think that's, 
at this point in our history, fanaticism. You see, these persons 
did not deter this woman. The approbation of the Savior 
is the one thing needful. Listen to Spurgeon. She did well 
to take counsel with her own loving heart, and then to pour 
the precious nard upon that dear 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. That's what's at stake. Imagine 
you're Jesus. Why would you waste this? Gee, 
thanks, fellas. I'm not worthy of 300 denarii 
worth of nart poured upon my head. I'm the one who made this 
world, I'm the one who upholds this world, and I'm the one who's 
coming to save your miserable, wretched selves from damnation 
and hell. I realize that 300 denarii is 
a lot of money. I realize that a yearly wage 
is not chump change, but come on. We're talking about God here. We're talking about the Savior 
here. Why is it that we cheap out when it comes to the service 
of God? Not just with our money, but 
with our time. Our other pursuits get a lot 
of time, but boy, to come to a meeting for prayer, oh, like 
it's pain or drudgery or punishment. Brethren, we really try not to 
make it that way. I can testify on behalf of all 
those who attend the prayer meeting, there's no physical pain involved. There's no, you know, wear this 
on your head until it really hurts and squeezes. There's none 
of that. You're not handed a whip, a la 
Roman Catholicism and the flagellation. There's none of that. Why is 
it that every other pursuit gets plenty of our time? or every 
other pursuit gets plenty of our money, but when it comes 
to God, I don't know, seems like an unwise use of resources to 
me. Look at this woman. She saw that 
Christ was altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 and worthy 
of the best of the best. It's beautiful. It's devotion, 
it's worship, it's adoration. Note the response of the Lord 
Jesus. He's aware of this in verse 10. But when Jesus was aware of it, 
he said to them, now this awareness according to his deity, of course 
he would know what's going on in their hearts. But it could 
have been according to his humanity. He heard the murmurings and he 
saw their faces. Parents, you all know what your 
kids are thinking more often than they know what they're thinking 
based on their faces, right? Right? Am I nuts here, parents 
or kids? I didn't do it. You know exactly 
that they did it. You know what the tells are, 
I guess is the word. You know that when they, like 
that, you're lying or whatever it might be. Christ knew. He 
knew what they were thinking. He knew what they were suggesting. 
He knew what was in their hearts. Now notice his response, and 
it's fourfold. He first gives praise to the 
woman, secondly highlights the presence of the poor, thirdly 
interprets or gives the prophetic significance of the act, and 
then fourthly points to the perpetual memorial to her act. But note 
first the praise of the woman. He says, why do you trouble the 
woman? I love that. I love the parallel in Mark too. 
You know what he says there? Leave her alone. You know the best thing we can 
do sometimes is to leave people alone. Why do we always feel 
that it's our place to share our hearts? No evil fool is counted 
wise when he holds his tongue. I just have to say, no you don't. There's no law in scripture that 
says you just have to say this. I love Jesus. Why do you trouble 
her? Leave her alone. Back off. Don't do that. Why do you trouble 
the woman? For she has done a good work 
for me. The act they called a waste is 
received and commended by Christ. The act they called a waste. Remember, why this waste? The act they call a waste, he 
calls a good work. I like the way the ESV and the 
NIV render it. A beautiful thing. What was for 
them a waste for Christ was a beautiful thing. The act demonstrates that 
it is lawful to show devotion and worship to Christ in a very 
costly way. Now, I agree with Calvin. Calvin 
made this observation. Please follow along. I think 
this is all very important stuff. Calvin says, this must be carefully 
weighed, this lavishness and the extravagance of it, and the 
cost involved. He says this must be carefully 
weighed, that we may not fall into the air. of contriving expensive 
modes of worshiping God as the papists do. For hearing it said 
that Christ was pleased with being anointed by Mary, they 
suppose that he took delight in incense, wax tapers, splendid 
decorations, and pompous exhibitions of that nature." You see what 
he's saying? We can't come to this passage 
and say, well, therefore, empty your pockets, because this place 
has got to shine. No, we don't want to abuse the 
passage that way. But as well, at least in most 
of the commentators that I checked, they're always busy to make sure 
to qualify. He's not saying, and you're gonna 
hear me qualify as well, he is not saying forget about the poor. 
But as they comment on this reality concerning his commendation of 
this particular woman, they suggest something along those lines. 
This was an out of the ordinary event. This was a non-normal 
sort of a situation. No doubt the Holy Spirit prompted 
her to this particular expression of devotion and adoration. It 
occurs to me, however, that that kind of a qualification has more 
sympathies with the disciples' complaint. Why do we have to 
qualify it? He's God of God, isn't he? He's light from light, he's true 
God from true God. He is worthy of this expression 
of lavish praise and worship and adoration. No qualifications 
necessary, but he does a very fine job of qualifying himself. Don't forget the poor, that's 
of course. But in terms of this particular 
statement, he calls it a beautiful thing. I agree with this sentiment 
that we want to make sure that we don't engage in this sort 
of lavishness and extravagance. But you know, that's typically 
not our temptation. I don't think most Christians 
today are challenged by spending too much money towards God. I 
don't think our tendency is, you know, you're really spending 
too much time in scripture and in prayer. You really go to church, 
that's typically not our temptation. Probably a qualification that 
doesn't even need to be made. Let's just read it without qualification 
and realize that the Son of God accepts worship, accepts devotion, 
accepts adoration, and that through extravagant expense. He is altogether 
lovely, and He is chief among ten thousand. How do you express 
that love to Him? You husbands know, you wives 
know. It's by those things that you 
do for your husband or wife. Yes, our words are good, aren't 
they? But it's those tangible expressions. It's the flowers, it's the candy, 
it's the jewelry, it's the whatever. You're not buying their affection. 
You are showing them that they already have your affection. 
You are showing them that they are valuable to you. So our tendency 
is not, wow, he spends so much money in the service of Christ, 
he really needs to back it down. He spends so much time in the 
service of Christ, he really needs to back it down. No, we 
need to learn from this woman what it is to break open that 
alabaster flask of costly oil and dump it on the head of the 
Savior. That's what we need to learn from this passage. Why 
is it that we feel the need to cheap out when it comes to God? 
Notice Jesus' second point the presence of the poor. If it's 
the poor you're concerned about, Jesus says, they'll always be 
with you. Much to the chagrin of communists and socialists, 
they'll always be with you. Interestingly enough, communism 
and socialism produces more poor. As Churchill said, they share 
misery equally. This is right out of Deuteronomy 
15.11. You know what Deuteronomy 15.11 goes on to say? The poor 
you will always have, therefore be generous to them. Open your 
hand to them. That's what Christ is saying. 
Christ is not suggesting, take everything you have and pour 
it on my head. No, he says, the poor you will 
always have, you'll always have the ability to do them good. 
Deuteronomy 15, verse 11, be generous to them. Parallel in 
Mark chapter 14, he says, you can do good to them whenever 
you want, but Jesus says, you'll not always have me. Now certainly, 
Matthew 28, Jesus promises, and lo, I am with you always, even 
to the end of the age. That's his spiritual presence, 
isn't it? He's with us now, spiritually. But in terms of his physicality, 
in terms of, or rather, his incarnation and his mission on earth, he 
wasn't going to be with them forever. And he acknowledges 
that. That acknowledges His death, 
His impending crucifixion, which He's already specified in verse 
2, but notice the language. For you have the poor with you 
always, but me you do not have always. So when Christ says this, 
He is acknowledging that the people of God are to express 
goodness and kindness and generosity to the poor, but not at the expense 
of Christ. The statement underscores His 
foreknowledge, doesn't it? He's already said that He's going 
to Jerusalem, He's going to be crucified, verse 2. Here He knows, 
He acknowledges, me you do not have always. He sees the cross 
through foreknowledge. But as well, I think it highlights 
something of His deity. Christ has a high Christology. He's not only the meek and lowly 
one in Matthew chapter 11, but he is the altogether lovely one 
and chief among 10,000 that is worthy of this expression of 
lavish praise. You see, Christ receives it. Christ commends her. Notice thirdly, 
the prophetic significance of her act. For in pouring this 
fragrant oil on my body, she did it for my burial. You see, 
it's all the cross at this point for Jesus. As I said, we've crossed 
over into this holy of holies. We've crossed into holy ground. 
Not that everything prior to Matthew 26 wasn't holy ground, 
but it certainly has stepped up the pace. But notice the language, 
for in pouring this fragrant oil on my body, she did it for 
my burial. Do you think when a man was executed 
by the civil state for a notorious crime, they treated his body 
with dignity after that? Now, thankfully, Joseph of Arimathea 
steps up and some godly men get in there and do something nice 
for his body, but my brother is reminding me that the body 
of John Knox, where it was buried, there's now a parking garage 
over it. And that's terrible, isn't it? 
No esteem, no respect, no reverence for what a worthy man he was. Well, the same sort of thing 
was true here. Crucifixion wasn't garden variety execution. This 
was as bad as it got, said before, and you'll hear it again as we 
move through the Passion. Rome wouldn't execute via crucifixion 
their own citizenry. Imagine if you were a citizen 
of the Roman Empire and you committed a capital offense, they'd still 
execute you, but not by crucifixion. Now, they could appeal to the 
emperor, and if it was a particularly notorious crime, he could make 
a concession and send you to crucifixion. But it was reserved 
for the most roguish sorts, the worst political and criminal 
offenders. You think after they take the 
body down, they prepare it with spices and oils and do all those 
niceties in order to prepare it for burial? No! What's this 
woman doing? Whether she knows it or not, 
Christ interprets it this way. As the Spirit leads her, as she 
pours this upon his head, she is preparing his body for burial. I love what France says here. 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. See, I started 
off this morning by saying we see the crucifixion associated 
with conspiracy in verses 3 to 5. We see the crucifixion associated 
with betrayal in verses 14 to 16. But we need to see the crucifixion 
through the eyes of faith with reference to worship, with reference 
to praise and adoration and devotion to the one who hung for us on 
that cross. And then notice, fourthly, the 
perpetual memorial to her act. Verse 13, assuredly. This is 
underscored. Amen, he 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." Now, in this, we see Proverbs 10.7 and Ecclesiastes 7.1 fulfill. Proverbs 10.7 says, the memory 
of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will 
rot. Ecclesiastes 7.1 says, a good name is better than precious 
ointment. A good name is better than precious 
ointment. Gil says, this woman got a good 
name and obtained a good report by her precious ointment. And 
if this woman's action was to be told for a memorial of her, 
much more what Christ has done and suffered should be told as 
a memorial of Him. The truth of this statement is 
seen in the early church. Turn over to John chapter 11. 
John chapter 11. We'll first look at John chapter 
12. There's the parallel I mentioned. Same anointing at Bethany. John 
chapter 12, verse 1. Then six days before the Passover, 
Jesus came to Bethany. And then notice in verse 3, then 
Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the 
feet of Jesus, wiped his feet with her hair. The house was 
filled with the fragrance of the oil. Beautiful. The house 
was filled with the fragrance of the oil. That house was filled 
with the fragrance of her devotion and her adoration and her worship 
and her praise. But the aroma, or the stench 
rather, of Judas' hypocrisy and his impending betrayal filled 
that house as well. But notice in John 11. 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. Now, you see, it's not mentioned 
until John 12. John, you know, isn't written, you know, real 
time. And John was written after Matthew. Let's John assume that everybody 
knows this Mary because she's that woman in Bethany who took 
that very costly flask of perfume oil or nard and poured it on 
the head of the Lord Jesus. You see, this act that she has 
done will be remembered whenever this gospel is preached in the 
whole world. And then we see the truth of 
this statement throughout the ages. We're still talking about 
her, aren't we? Imagine being memorialized on 
the pages of Holy Writ. It's a good thing. I mean, it's 
a bad thing if you've been memorialized for being a wretch. I mean, verses 
14 to 16 for Judas really don't make us feel longingly and lovingly 
toward him. But for this woman, we got a 
place in our hearts for her. Ryle makes this observation in 
the 18th, I'm sorry, the 19th century. The deeds and titles 
of many a king." Interestingly, Chrysostom in the early church 
had a similar statement. I just thought I would pick Ryle 
here as he says essentially the same thing. But listen, 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 
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." Kids, listen. If you have not heard anything, 
listen to what Ryle says. The way to lasting honor is to 
honor Christ. You want to grow up and make 
an impact in this world and do something amazing so that history 
will report on you? You could do the most amazing 
things in the world. And I mean, there have been wars 
fought, and generals fought them, and strategies waged that maybe 
none of us would ever even have known about unless we found it 
in some history book somewhere. What Ryle says is accurate. What 
kings have done, what generals have done, it's forgotten as 
if it were written in the sand. But because it's been written 
by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, this lives on. And what was it? One singular 
act of devotion. Yes, it was a lot of money, but 
in the grand scheme of things, she wasn't conquering empires, 
she wasn't conquering kingdoms, she wasn't riding into battle 
on some stallion to wage war against Philistines. Certainly, 
she did a great and commendable thing. But I think the point 
that I want to leave with us all is simply this. It's not 
necessarily the size of the achievement. I think we think that, don't 
we? It's the size of the achievement. No, it's the devotion expressed. It's the love expressed. It's the worship expressed. I'm 
going to be honest with you. Most of us are never going to 
be C.H. Spurgeon. Most of you young ladies are 
not going to be Elizabeth Elliot. Most of you are going to live 
in regular, normal, ordinary lives. You're going to go for 
60, 70, 80 years, drop dead. Nobody's going to remember you. 
I'm sorry this is getting us into politically incorrect. That's 
going to affect their psyche and make them feel that. But 
in the grand scheme of things, if my wife shows up to my funeral, 
praise God, as long as I haven't offended her from attending that 
most sacred thing, great. The point is, it's not the size 
of the achievement. This is a pretty insignificant 
act when you think about what's gone on in world history. We certainly wouldn't, you know, 
put her on the circuit today for popular female speakers. 
You just dumped oil on his head? You know, we like the homeschooling 
moms that have, you know, all these children and do this right. We like the, you know, the ladies 
who are able to work. You just dumped oil on his head? You know, come back when you've 
done some other things. This is good! It's a beautiful 
thing, Jesus says, that she has done for me. What you call a 
waste, she calls, or he calls, a beautiful thing. Well, let's 
conclude by a few lessons. In the first place, the function 
of the passage in the context. I said, it's not chronological. 
This didn't happen on the same Tuesday. This happened the previous 
Saturday. Why does Matthew put it here? 
Because Matthew wants to remind you there's more to the crucifixion 
than betrayal and conspiracy. There's worship, there's praise, 
there's adoration. This is how you respond with 
reference to the holy ground that you are now treading upon, 
dear reader. It is with love. Secondly, we 
learn some practical lessons from, in the first place, the 
disciples. The tendency to judge and criticize 
the actions of others is real, isn't it? Oh no, not me, man. I never criticize anyone. Good. You can tune out for the next 
30 seconds. The rest of us probably need 
to hear this. We can be far too critical of 
other people, can't we? Well, they don't do it like we 
do. They don't sing it like we sing it. They don't engage like 
we engage, brethren. We have a confession of faith, 
we have particular doctrinal distinctives, we have a particular 
confessional bent and a doctrinal bent, but that doesn't mean we 
don't recognize the reality of God's grace outside the second 
London Baptist confession of faith. Right? Why are we so critical? Did you 
see what she did? And you can kind of see those 
disciples. Again, this isn't the world. The next door neighbors 
aren't looking at Mary going, why is she doing that with that 
costly alabaster flask of precious perfume oil? Why? These are disciples. Why this waste? They didn't say 
it so the Savior could hear it audibly. They were saying it 
like, why is she doing this? And then they criticized her 
sharply. You know, maybe you and I just need to close our 
mouths at times. We need to realize that life 
is messy even in the church. That sometimes when a person 
does something, even if it's not as orthodox, as particular, 
as proper as you and I might do it, our Lord Jesus might say, 
shut up, they did a commendable or a loving, a beautiful thing 
for me. Just don't criticize them. The tendency to insult 
the Savior and the brethren is real. Now, maybe I'm missing it, but 
it does seem indirectly. Why this waste? What am I, chopped 
liver? I don't get precious oil on my 
head. You gave him a hundred bucks? 
You gave him that amount of time? You spend two hours in church? Come on. Yeah, it's a direct 
attack on the one spending two hours in church, but indirectly 
on the God who is worshipped in the church. As if to suggest, 
you know, two hours is going overboard. Well, I suggest the 
opposite. If He is the God revealed in 
Scripture, if He is the God revealed to us as Father, Son, and Spirit, 
the God who made the universe, the God who sustains the universe, 
the God who predetermined who would be saved, sent His Son 
to redeem them, and the Spirit to apply that, if He is indeed 
that God, we should be living here on the Sabbath day. Bring 
your yoga mats and roll them out, and we'll sleep in the afternoon 
and carry on. Why is it such a drudgery? He's 
altogether lovely and chief among 10,000, but I can't be bothered 
to get out of bed? I can't show a little self-denial 
from my creature comforts to spend time with the master? Yes, 
we are indirectly insulting the master. As well, the tendency 
to practice an either or Christianity rather than a both and Christianity. Our studies in James have illustrated 
that as well, pure and undefiled religion. In the sight of God 
and the Father is this, to visit widows and orphans in their trouble 
and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. You see, there's 
the external application of generosity to those in distress and the 
internal necessity for sanctity, keep oneself unspotted from the 
world. In other words, be devoted to Christ, be in the presence 
of Christ so that you'll be inoculated against the world when you go 
out into it. But in our, whatever, maybe, 
and I'm not saying it's easy. You know, I'm not Mr. Balance 
Guru up here. I got it all figured out. Give 
out hot dogs on Tuesdays and Thursdays and spend time with 
Jesus on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and then everything will be fine. 
I'm not suggesting it's that simple, but it has to be doable 
to be concerned externally with the needs of others and to be 
concerned internally with our need for communion with the Savior. We don't jettison one for the 
other. We try and have both. Secondly, from this woman, we 
learn that she spared no expense in her devotion to the Lord. 
What a great example. They're complaining. I'm saying 
we ought to applaud. She could teach us on what it 
is to show devotion. I mean, a year's wages. You think 
that was easy then? You think she said, well, you know, 
nothing. I got, you know, plenty more of these alabaster flasks. I'll just go down into the basement 
and, you know, fetch a few more. No, this was money, real tangible 
money. in a day and age where they probably 
didn't get approved for a line of credit or a new credit card 
over the phone. Or, we don't even have to talk 
on the phone anymore to people. You know that? We just get on 
the internet. We can effectively live our lives without ever seeing 
another human being and do all our business. Isn't that great? 
Just kidding. Making sure everybody's awake. 
I don't ever have to see anybody. I can do my banking, I can do 
my bills, I can do this. That's not the world she lived in. I 
think she highlights to us something concerning sparing no expense 
in her devotion to the Lord. Secondly, the parallel in Mark 
14. You know what Christ says? She 
did what she could. We're not going to be judged 
on what we can't do. Well, you weren't Spurgeon. You 
didn't make me an 18th, 19th century, you know, plump man in Britain that had the gift 
of oratory. He's not going to judge us for 
not being Spurgeon. He's not going to judge you ladies 
for not being Elizabeth Elliot. I love the way Jesus says that. 
She did what she could. You see, that finds us all out. 
There's something we can do. You may not be a pioneer missionary. You may never split the atom. 
You may never heal somebody of an infirmity or a disease, but 
if you can take an alabaster flask of oil and pour it on the 
head of Jesus, she did what she could. It's a beautiful statement, 
she did what she could. Thirdly, she did not seek man's 
approval, but Christ's approval, and she received it. Who are we striving to please? 
Mentioned last Sunday night, you know, if a tree falls in 
the forest, does it make a sound? If a good work is done and we 
don't post it on Facebook, does it count? My friends are gonna 
think I'm great when they see that I did this today. Is that 
what our hearts are resonating with? I hope that I get, you 
know, 15 likes. It's the approval of God that 
we should be seeking. A passage that really speaks 
to me as a pastor is found in 1 Corinthians 4-2. Moreover, it is required of stewards 
that they be published. No. That they preach at the next 
conference. No. That they blog. No. Moreover, it is required 
of stewards that they be found faithful. Praise God for 1 Corinthians 
4.2. Praise God that he calls me to 
be faithful where I'm at and not calls me to do something 
I can't or I'm not supposed to. Isn't he good? Isn't he gracious? Isn't he kind to us? And then 
she was memorialized in scripture for her actions. Again, it's 
not great accomplishments, but great devotion to Christ. And 
then we learn from the Savior. First, he receives her devotion 
and worship. Again, I think Jesus had, not 
I think, Jesus had an impeccable Christology. The one, according 
to his humanity, or according to the form of a bondservant, 
could say, I'm lowly and I'm meek. It's the one who could 
say, I'm worth 300 denarii of money poured on my head. See, 
even there I want to qualify it. Not in some, you know, the 
drive to qualify when we're talking about our God being worshiped 
and praised through a visible expression of something He made. 
She didn't, you know, manufacture the plants from whence this nard 
oil came. It's his, it should be on his 
head. He made it. Secondly, he defends 
her from the criticism of the disciples. You know, if anybody 
ever has this idea that, you know, Christianity is a chauvinistic 
pig religion. You know who fares very well 
in the rest of the narrative are women. I'm not trying to 
be a feminist on, yeah, well, there you go, empower women. 
Let's go out and do these nasty things. No, no. But you know 
who fares well from here on out? It's the disciples who bail. 
It's the disciples who leave. It's the disciples who aren't 
present. But there's the women. There's the women. And he defends 
her from the criticism of the disciples. Thirdly, he acknowledges 
her contribution based on her ability. She did what she could. So you're not going to stand 
before the Lord on the day of judgment and say, but I couldn't 
be Spurgeon. I don't care if you could have 
been Spurgeon or not. You could have dumped some oil 
on my head. Everybody can do that. I think the activity, you 
know, is pretty simple from a mechanical basis, but the heart that is 
willing to part with that sort of money is something that is 
supernatural. Fourthly, he confirms ongoing 
generosity to poor. When he says, for the poor you 
have, or that you have the poor with you always, again, this 
is Deuteronomy 15, 11. Be generous to them, open your 
hand to them, be kind to them, they're always around, go help 
them. Sixth, I'm sorry, fifth, he confirms his crucifixion and 
his resurrection. Now you say, well, it doesn't 
say resurrection. Well, the good news isn't the 
good news if Christ stays in the tomb. He acknowledges that 
as this gospel is preached, so will this act be memorialized 
by this particular woman. He confirms, sixthly, a worldwide 
mission marked by gospel preaching. Doesn't he? Look at the language. 
Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world. 2414, we 
saw it as the oikumene, the inhabited earth, the particular region 
where the gospel would be preached as a witness before the end of 
Jerusalem came. This is a cosmo. This is in the 
whole world. Every tribe, tongue, people, 
and nation, that'll be clear as we move to Matthew 28. Seventhly, 
and finally, and something we ought to consider before we part 
today, he confirms why he is worthy of such extravagance. He confirms why he is worthy 
of such extravagance. Look at his grace and mercy in 
the passage. Look at his kindness expressed 
to this woman. Look at his acceptance of this 
devotion to himself. He is indeed altogether lovely, 
chief among 10,000. If you want to write that down 
for later, Song of Solomon 5.10, he is chief among 10,000. He 
is altogether lovely, Song of Solomon 5.16. Now I know the 
trend in modern evangelicalism is to take the Song of Solomon 
and make it a manual for couples. It's about God and his bride. 
If we have a problem with it being about Jesus and the church, 
then it was Yahweh in Israel. Not that I think we should have 
a problem with Jesus in his church. Doesn't God express that he's 
married to Israel on several occasions? And yet we come to 
the Song of Solomon and that's somehow, well, we just can't 
do that. That's allegorical. No, it's Christological. It points 
us to the Savior who is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. 
He takes on man's nature. He tabernacles among men. Everyone, everywhere, always 
should have been doing the same thing. The fact that this wasn't 
happening every step of the way for the Savior indicates how 
sinful man is, right? He is worth this. He is worthy 
of this. I want to read just a quote from 
Dale Ralph Davis. This is on the temple in First 
Kings. Kind of an interesting thing, 
going through First Kings in conjunction with Matthew's gospel 
and seeing a lot of similarities. As I said earlier, when these 
men said, this is a waste, what did they think of First Kings 
5 to 8? Again, we'll cheap out. In our house, boy, we got to 
have the nicest crown molding. But at the church, eh, just get 
something that we can shove up there. Now, I'm not saying let's 
go home and have a new church. I'm not, I'm just giving examples 
here. All right, this is kind of how we do it. Now, maybe you 
don't. Maybe, you know, the best for Jesus. Praise God, good. 
But when you look at 1 Kings and you see that they used gold 
for the door hinges. Gold door hinges. What's the 
function of a door hinge? Not huge in the grand scheme 
of things, right? You probably get away with brass 
or, I don't know, whatever other metal that is used for door hinges 
today. I should ask Doug or Cam who 
have knowledge of such things. But gold door hinges, does it 
ever rise up in us and say, it's a little overboard, isn't it? 
because we got a little bit of these disciples in us. I mean, 
there's nothing wrong with being good stewards of our money. There's 
nothing wrong with, you know, regulating our bank accounts. 
There's nothing wrong whatsoever. But when we cheap out on God, 
that's indicative of something that maybe isn't right. We spare 
no expense for our kitchen remodel, but boy, can't believe that missionary 
needs, you know, five extra bucks a month, wow. We're really being 
nice to him. It's a fundamental disconnect, 
isn't there? You see, where your treasure 
is, Christ tells us, there your heart is. And it may be the case 
that you don't have all this money, but time. I think time 
is right there alongside of money. What do we spend our money on? 
What do we spend our time on? I suggest that if you answer 
that question, where does my money go? Where does my time 
go? The answer will be, that's what's most important in your 
life. I know you're at work for 10, 
12 hours a day, and certainly nobody would say, oh, you're 
worshipping that job. That's just the way it is. But 
as a general rule of thumb, where do I spend my time? Where do 
I spend my money? The answer will show what is 
most important to me. I don't think that's a bad metric. I don't think I'm out to lunch 
on that. Listen to Davis when it comes 
to the beauty of the temple. He says, 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, and there is, there 
is an extravagance that is godly." And he appeals to this passage. 
And 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. Perhaps that's what this alabaster 
flask of very costly fragrant oil is to leave with us as well. The splendor, the excellence, 
the beauty, the majesty, and the glory of Jesus Christ is 
commensurate with an extravagant display of devotion. In other 
words, he is this one the Bible presents. So believer, don't 
be critical of this woman, but rather imitate this woman, emulate 
her, see her as a model, see her as a pattern, see her as 
a hero and a champion, because she did that, which she could, 
that our Lord receives and calls a beautiful thing. Even when 
the disciples are saying, why this waste? Christ says, this 
was a beautiful thing. And if you're not a believer 
here this morning, take your cue from this woman rather than 
from Christians. I don't mean any, you know, there's 
great examples in this place. But it's these kinds of things 
that ought to speak to you. Why should I go to Christ? Why 
should I believe the gospel? Why should I turn from my sin? 
Why should I give up all this life of grandeur? Because Christ 
is the best. Christ is the glorious. Christ 
is the most excellent. Christ is, in the language of 
the bride, altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. He will 
forgive you. He will cleanse you. He will 
wash you. He will purify you. He will commend 
you to God. He will bring you into glory. 
You will receive an inheritance that will never fade away or 
pass. This Christ is worth believing 
in. This Christ is worth living for. This Christ is worth devoting 
ourselves to, even if it means a year's worth of wages. No object is too good for my 
Savior. That's what I think Matthew communicates 
to us, so that while conspiracy is tied up with the cross, and 
while betrayal is tied up with the cross, so is devotion and 
adoration and worship and praise to the one who went to the cross. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your glory. We thank you for this good example 
of this devotion in this woman and how our Lord receives it, 
how our Lord rebukes the disciples, and how we see that he is indeed 
altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. I pray for any and all 
here this morning that don't know Jesus Christ as Lord and 
Savior. May today be the day of salvation. 
God, we don't appeal to their free will. We appeal to your 
sovereign grace and pray that they would have heard and would 
think through the reality that God is a holy God, that we are 
sinful people, and that Christ lived, died, and was raised so 
that sinners might have life in His name. Go with us now and 
help us to apply these things in our own lives, and we pray 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.