← Back to sermon library

Matthew chapter 26, our focus 
will be verses 6 to 13, the anointing at Bethany. But I did want to 
read verses 1 to 16. So beginning in Matthew chapter 
26 at 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 
priest 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. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for the written word of the living and true God. Thank 
you for this passion narrative and what it tells us concerning 
our Lord Jesus Christ. And certainly it answers questions 
concerning how he would save his people from their sins and 
what he meant in chapter 20, 28, when he says, the Son of 
Man gave his life to ransom many. God, we thank you for this great 
act, this great act of redemption brought out by the Lord Jesus 
Christ for us men and for our salvation. We pray now that your 
Spirit would guide and direct us. We pray that your Spirit 
would draw from us further devotion and worship and love and adoration 
to our Lord Jesus Christ. May we see and may we admire 
this woman and may we indeed engage in likewise. And again, 
forgive us now for our sin and we pray through Christ the Lord. 
Amen. Well, as I said in prayer, this 
Matthew chapters 26 to 28 is the passion narrative, and it's 
the description of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And 
as we embark on that, we're not going to go through the whole 
thing, but I thought over the next several Lord's Supper services, we would 
take our sermon material from this section of Matthew's gospel. 
But as we look at this particular passage, it is intriguing because 
we have conspiracy in verses 3 and 4. There's a conspiracy 
on the part of the religious leaders to destroy Jesus. And 
then you have betrayal by Judas Iscariot in verses 14 to 16. 
So sandwiched between this conspiracy and betrayal, you have an act 
of devotion. And when we look at the parallel 
passages, there's a parallel in John's Gospel in John 12, 
1-8, and there's a parallel in Mark 14 at verses 3-9. John tells us when this occurred, 
and Matthew doesn't give us any indication concerning the timing, 
which suggests that Matthew's sort of insertion of this narrative 
here is more thematic and theological in nature. Some have suggested 
that it sort of sets the stage or sets the tone for how we approach 
the passion narrative. Devotion, worship, adoration, 
appreciation for our Lord for what He has done for us in terms 
of salvation. So I want to look at the devotion 
of this particular woman under three considerations. First, 
the anointing at Bethany in verses 6 and 7. Secondly, the complaint 
of the disciples in verses 8 and 9. And then finally, the response 
of our Lord Jesus Christ in verses 10 to 13. It's a very instructive 
passage on the way that we should appreciate and go toward our 
Savior, but it's also instructive with reference to discipleship. 
We can have some issues, and we can have some challenges, 
and I think it's represented here by these disciples and their 
response to this woman. But in the first place, we ought 
to appreciate the setting. As I said, the parallel passages 
in Mark 14, we'll refer to that a little bit. There's a couple 
of details in there that are not given to us here in Matthew, 
and then John 12, one to eight. Now, what differences exist, 
especially in John, can be harmonized. We're not going to spend a lot 
of time on that. There's another instance of a similar type of 
an anointing in Luke chapter 7. That woman, which was a sinner, 
comes and anoints the Savior. But those are different accounts. 
That happened in Galilee. This takes place in Bethany. 
Bethany is just outside of Jerusalem on the east side. And in terms 
of the chronology, up to this point, we've been on the Tuesday 
of the Passion Week. Not a lot happens on Wednesday, 
but then on Thursday, all sorts of things happen. But as I said, 
this particular instance took place the previous Saturday, 
and that's what John indicates for us. So again, that Matthew 
puts it here. He wants us to spend some time 
reflecting on the glory of the Savior and on the devotion requisite 
to what the Savior's undergoing in terms of His cross work. Now, 
the reference to Simon the leper here in verse 6, he had been 
healed. If he had not been healed, then 
they would not have been allowed to be near him. And the leper 
doesn't sort of tar and feather him for life, but it distinguishes 
him because Simon was a very popular and a very common name. 
So they're in the house of Simon the leper. Now, in terms of the 
setting, we ought to appreciate the woman, her identity. She 
is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. We see that again 
in John's gospel in John chapter 12. They lived in Bethany. This 
is that Mary that we've seen, or that you see in Luke, that 
is Bethany. busy worshiping the Savior, while her sister Martha 
is busy serving the Savior, and Martha sort of complains about 
that. So what we find here is characteristic of this woman. She is devoted to the Savior, 
and she will spare no expense in demonstrating that devotion. And then note the particular 
activity, what she does. Verse 7 tells us, 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 this 
was a practice that was done in certain contexts. As I've 
already said, Luke 7, that woman which was a sinner does a similar 
thing. As well, the act is consistent with the anointing of kings. 
1 Samuel chapter 16, Samuel anoints David as king. Also, the act 
is interpreted by Christ as a preparation for his burial. And thus it confirms 
what he's already announced in verse two. Look at it 26 too. He says, you know that after 
two days is the Passover and the son of man will be delivered 
up to be crucified. He interprets this act on her 
part as preparation for his burial. So he's affirming the reality 
of his own death. And this woman seems to understand 
that as well. And therefore she pours out this 
very costly and fragrant oil. But in the final analysis, what 
this was, was a spontaneous act of extravagance directed to the 
Lord of glory. It was a spontaneous act of extravagance 
in terms of cost, in terms of value, in terms of price, such 
that it causes these disciples to recoil with horror and even 
severely or sharply criticize her. But it's an expression of 
her worship, it's an expression of her devotion, it's an expression 
to her evaluation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The oil, according 
to John 12, 3, was worth 300 denarii. That is a year's salary 
for a working man. Davies and Allison make this 
observation. The high price contrasts sharply 
with the low price Judas settles upon to betray Jesus. In the 
following narrative, he bargains for 30 pieces of silver. Well, 
she takes this 300 denarii worth of costly and fragrant oil, and 
she pours it on his head. Now, that then dripped down onto 
his body, which ultimately reached his feet. Because in John 12, 
it tells us that she put the oil on his feet. Some say, well, 
here it's head, and there it's feet. That's a contradiction. 
No, typically oil is subject to the laws of gravity, just 
like every other created material, such that if you put it on somebody's 
head, it does naturally, and with that appropriate tendency, 
go down the body and ultimately end up on the feet. So there 
is no contradiction, there is utter consistency between the 
narratives, but oftentimes what the authors are doing are highlighting 
theological and thematic concerns. Now let's look secondly at the 
complaint of the disciples. Notice what we have in verses 
8 and 9. 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. Their 
attitude, the extravagance of the woman's act was met with 
a horrified response by these pragmatic disciples. Think about 
it for just a moment. You're Jesus and you're sitting 
there and this woman pours this costly oil upon your head. It 
drips down to your body and ends up on your feet. And the people 
that are closest to you say, why this waste? What do you mean, 
why this waste? That is an indirect criticism 
of the Lord Jesus Christ and a direct criticism of this particular 
woman. Any devotion that we express 
to the Savior is never a waste. Any extravagance that we spend 
relative to the Savior is never a waste. Now, we need to be wise, 
we need to be prudent, we need to be planners, we need to be 
all of that, but this woman displays to us as well the reality that 
we need to be abandoned with reference to the worship of our 
Christ, that nothing is too good for Him, that nothing is too 
glorious for Him, that He far surpasses any creaturely thing 
that we can ever do in terms of our appreciation toward Him. 
One wonders what these disciples would have thought in 1 Kings 
6-8. 1 Kings 6-7 is the building of 
Solomon's temple. As we went through that particular 
narrative in our Wednesday night Bible study, we saw that the 
very hinges of the door were made out of solid gold. Would 
the disciples say, why this waste? Of course they wouldn't, because 
they know Yahweh of Israel is worthy of such extravagance. 
They, unlike this woman, had not yet appreciated that with 
reference to Christ. They certainly loved him, they 
were certainly followers of him, but in terms of giving up this 
sort of a monetary gift to him, they weren't at that particular 
place yet. So they, in their pragmatism, 
they ask, why this waste? Now the parallel in John 12, 
4 and 5 indicates that that came from Judas Iscariot. But from 
Mark and from Matthew, we see that Judas' poison seeped into 
the veins of these other men, and they are hypercritical of 
this particular woman. Now note their complaint. The 
question why this waste, as mentioned, is an indirect criticism of Jesus 
himself and a direct criticism of the woman. Imagine if you're, 
you know, somewhere, you go to somebody's house and you're sitting 
at their table and, you know, the Persons of the house offer 
you a piece of pie, and some of the family come later. Why 
did you waste the pie on him? That would be a bit of a dig, 
wouldn't you? You probably wouldn't want to munch that pie if you 
thought you were the object of waste with reference to that 
pie. I mean, this is subtle, brethren, but it's very poignant. 
It's very pointed in terms of a dig, not only at the woman, 
but at the Savior as well. And then note the reason or rationale 
for their concern. Verse 8 tells us, 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. Again, this is not altogether 
out of line. In fact, Jesus teaches in the 
gospel records that we should remember the poor. Jesus indicates 
that in Matthew chapter 19. Remember when he preaches the 
law to that rich young ruler, he says, go sell everything you 
have and give to the poor. Matthew 25, the Olivet Discourse, 
and the very end, there's the sheep and the goats. Well, what 
distinguishes the sheep and the goats in that particular situation? Sovereign grace. Before you answer 
their works, remember sovereign grace. They were sheep and goats 
when they appear before God Almighty. They were already sheep and they 
were already goats. The external manifestation of 
their choice having been chosen by God is good works done to 
the least of these my brethren. So Jesus commands care for the 
poor. Jesus commands that sort of kindness 
to try to ameliorate the downtrodden and the poor, so there is a surface-level 
reasonableness to their suggestion, but ultimately, they misunderstand 
the scenario. And I think at this point, it's 
very helpful to remind ourselves that Christ is not anti-social 
justice. Now, those two words are very 
powerful and very often employed in modern society. Perhaps you've 
heard the words, social justice warrior. Well, if we ask the 
Bible, is God concerned about justice in society? The answer 
is yes. But the modern social justice 
warrior, as they go about their good deeds, tend to have little 
concern for the death of babies at the hands of abortionists. 
They have little concern for the death of the elderly and 
the infirm at the hands of murderous doctors and legislators. Social 
justice today has more affinity, at least in some contexts, with 
Karl Marx than it does with Jesus Christ. but just accepting for 
a moment that Christ sanctions the practice of social justice, 
which he does. He doesn't say, don't ever give 
to the poor. He says, go ahead and give to the poor. The thing 
that we as God's people need to keep in mind, that on the 
one hand, yes, we have that second great commandment. commanded 
to us that we love our neighbor as ourself. And an expression 
of that oftentimes is engaging in what we'll call social justice, 
trying to protect those who are defenseless, trying to help those 
who are vulnerable, but not redistributing wealth and trying to sort of 
form a utopian society. That's an odd, strange variant 
of social justice-ism. But the point is, if we are engaged 
in those sorts of doings, and we're not Forbidden from doing 
that, we mustn't neglect devotion to Christ. You see this happen 
with churches. Churches need to be relevant. 
Churches need to speak to society. Churches need to go out and do 
wonderful things. That's all good and well, as 
long as the churches don't abandon the place of worship. They don't 
abandon the place of the sacraments. They don't abandon the place 
of the preaching of the word. That's our chief calling. The 
other expressions of our love to fellow men are embedded in 
us as well, but we ought never to do the one at the sacrifice 
or expense of the other. And I think the tendency is extant 
among Christians to be an either or. Either I'm gonna be the social 
justice contender, or I'm gonna be engaged in acts of piety. Well, the Bible enforces upon 
us, not an either or, but a both and. We're supposed to worship. 
We're supposed to express extravagant displays of love and affection 
for our Jesus. We're also supposed to try and 
help people along the way. So they criticized this particular 
woman. In fact, according to the parallel 
in Mark 14, 5, they criticized her sharply. They were not pleased 
whatsoever that she took this costly oil, worth 300 denarii, 
and broke it over the head of the Savior. That upset them, 
that provoked them, that evoked from them this complaint. Now, 
the criticism of others concerning our use of time, money, or energy 
in the service of the Savior ought not to deter us. Notice 
that this woman doesn't say, okay, I'll never do that again. 
No, Mary is a devotee to the Lord Christ, notwithstanding 
the severe criticisms of her fellows. She continues, and the 
Lord Jesus Christ ultimately shows his approbation for her. 
The approbation of the Savior is ultimately the one thing needful, 
not what do everybody else think of this particular thing. Spurgeon 
said it this way. 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. So the disciples didn't 
quite see it the way that C.H. Spurgeon saw it. And I think 
the way that C.H. Spurgeon saw it is the way we 
ought to see it. Christ is worthy. The bride says 
he is altogether lovely. He is chief among 10,000. He is most high, most glorious, 
most wondrous. Certainly he is worthy of 300 
denarii of this costly oil broken over his head and dripping down 
his body. And as we move on in the text, 
we see that Christ affirms this. So we've seen the anointing at 
Bethany. Second, the complaint of the disciples. Let's look 
thirdly and finally at the response of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 
10 to 13. Christ was aware of it. And we 
might argue he was aware of it according to his divinity, because 
he knows the hearts of men. But he was aware of it according 
to his humanity, because he heard them complain. He heard them 
criticize her. He heard their sort of offers 
of resistance in terms of this particular act on their part. 
So he is aware of it. And notice how he praises the 
woman. Verse 10, he says, why do you 
trouble the woman? For she has done a good work 
for me. What did they say? Why this waste? Why did you give this last piece 
of pie to him? Why did you break this costly 
oil on his head? Why this waste? Look at how Jesus 
frames it. Why do you trouble the woman? 
For she has done a good work for me. What they interpret as 
a waste, Christ interprets as a good work. The act they call 
a waste is a good work, or in the ESV and NIV, it's a beautiful 
thing. And this was, in fact, a beautiful 
thing. Consider the particular scene 
as well, in a sort of society where men were you know, a bit 
above the women. I'm not trying to be mean or 
vicious or anti-social justice. I'm just simply suggesting that 
for her to do what she did in this context was an expression 
of great faith in the Savior and an expression of great devotion 
to the Savior in that she does this notwithstanding the criticisms 
of these men. The act demonstrates that it 
is lawful to show devotion and worship to Christ in a very costly 
way. Now, the text does not necessitate 
that. The text doesn't say, okay, in 
order to truly honor God on the Lord's Day, you should go buy 
the most expensive Italian suit that you can find in Vancouver, 
because after all, God is great and God is worthy of that. That's 
not what the text is expressing. But the text is expressing that 
when we do devote time, energy, money, resources, wealth, or 
whatever, in the cause of God Most High, as expressions of 
devotion to Jesus, that's not a waste. See, the church is often 
criticized for doing things that builds up her ability to worship, 
to praise, and express devotion. Well, in a world filled with 
downtrodden and poor, you can hear sorts of the criticisms 
outside. Why would you spend new hymn 
books when you've got a whole raft of homeless people living 
just down the street? Why would you maintain a sanctuary 
that looks decent when you've got all these people in this 
community that could use some help? Again, we're not denying 
the place of offering help and assistance, but we also ought 
not to shrink back from expressing love and affection and adoration 
and devotion to the Savior. And now please, hear what I'm 
saying. There's no monetary value, there's no sort of qualification. 
If you spend this much, then you're really worshipping Jesus. 
The point of the passage is, is that Christ is altogether 
lovely, Christ is chief among 10,000, and that whatever service 
we spend on Him can never be a waste. but he calls it rather 
a good work. It's a beautiful thing, according 
to other translations. Now, he addresses their concern 
for the poor. Notice what he says. For you 
have the poor with you always, but me you do not have always. So he says something contrary 
to commies and socialists. He says there will always be 
poor people on earth. Intriguingly, that communism 
and socialism actually creates more poor people. As Churchill 
says, it's the equal distribution of misery. And this reality that 
the poor will always be on earth is something we need to take 
into consideration. That doesn't mean we step over 
them and we mock at them and we don't try to help and we don't 
try to ameliorate the downtrodden and the poor. But brethren, this 
will never be a utopia on earth. There will always be sin, there 
will always be curse, there will always be the presence of the 
effects of sin in this present world. And so Jesus makes this 
statement, for you have the poor with you always, but me you do 
not have always. Now, the wording seems to be 
that of Deuteronomy 15, 11, which there calls for generosity to 
the poor. As Israel is prepared to go into 
the land of promise, as Israel is being prepared by Moses on 
the plains of Moab to enter into the promised land, we see, you 
shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and 
needy in your land. So there was that mandate, Deuteronomy, 
that they were to tend to the poor. Jesus affirms that. Jesus is not either or-ing here. He's not saying, well, devotion 
to me is everything. No, he is simply saying that 
you'll always have the poor. You can always give 300 denarii 
to them, but me, you will not always have. He's speaking about 
and he's confirming what he's already said in verse two, that 
he's going to die. Now, we have the promise of 2820 
that He is with us even to the end of the age, but that is a 
spiritual presence of our Lord with His church. In terms of 
His physicality, He would ascend on high, He'd lead captivity 
captive, and He'd give gifts to men. He would go back to heaven. 
So He says, you're always going to have the poor, you're always 
going to have the ability to go out and to give them 300 denarii. You're always able to do that, 
but me, you don't always have. In other words, seize on the 
opportunities that you have for devotion, for worship, and for 
these expressions of affection to your blessed Lord. So he's 
not denigrating kindness to the poor. In fact, in the parallel, 
in Mark 14, 7, and whenever you wish, you may do them good. In 25, 41, he said that he is 
honored when good is done, to the least of these my brethren. So Christ isn't anti-poor, Christ 
isn't anti-Deuteronomy, Christ affirms those passages, but he's 
simply saying, leave the woman alone. And that's precisely what 
he says in the parallel in Mark. She's done or she did what she 
could. This is her expression of devotion. This is her expression of faith. 
This is her expression of adoration to the Lord. This morning in 
our confession study, I referred to that instance in Samuel, when 
David in 2 Samuel 6 whirls about in front of the Ark of the Covenant. 
Now I made the connection that just because David does that, 
it doesn't legitimize or authorize or sanction dancing in the church. My encouragement to all of you, 
as I encouraged them this morning, when you're King David of Israel, 
and you've secured military victories, and you're with the Ark of the 
Covenant of the Lord, go ahead and whirl about it. Go ahead 
and dance until your socks fall off, because that's never going 
to happen. You cannot take that passage 
and argue, therefore, we ought to have dance in the public worship 
of God. At any rate, when David does 
that, what's the response of his wife? She hated him in her 
heart. The only woman that I know of 
in the Bible where it says she loved someone and then hated 
that same someone. She despised it. She thought 
it was a compromise of his royal dignity. She thought that it 
somehow jeopardized what everybody else might think of him. What's 
David's point? God Almighty is in the midst 
of us. God Almighty has vindicated us. 
God Almighty is worthy of me whirling about that Ark of the 
Covenant. You see, brethren, these men 
make the same observation in this context, and Jesus tells 
them essentially, back it down. So he praises the women, he highlights 
the presence of the poor, then notice he highlights the prophetic 
significance of the act. Verse 12, for in pouring this 
fragrant oil on my body, she did it for my burial. Again, this confirms verse 2. You know that after two days 
is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered to be 
crucified. The statement points to the inevitability, 
not only of his death, but of his resurrection. It not only 
points to the reality that he's going to go in that grave, but 
the disciples would have remembered the several instances prior when 
he not only pointed out his death, but his inevitable resurrection. 
And this anointing is consistent with what's going to happen in 
terms of Jesus, the Messiah, doing what he does for the salvation 
of sinners. The statement interprets our 
actions according to the messianic overtones. specifically the fact 
that the Messiah had to die in order to save his people from 
their sins. So Christ not only praises her, 
Christ not only recognizes the place of the poor, but he also 
highlights the prophetic significance of what this woman had done. 
Listen to R.T. France. He says, the woman's 
extravagant loyalty offsets the shameful horror of crucifixion. Again, you're not supposed to 
just jump in and forget everything else around this in a few moments 
or in few verses down. Jesus is going to be betrayed 
by Judas, or this plan will be concocted. They've already conspired 
in the first section, and then there's this devotion, extravagant 
devotion by the part of this woman, and then there's this 
betrayal concocted by Judas with the religious leaders. Christ 
will then institute the supper, Christ will then go to Gethsemane, 
and Christ will then stand before the Jewish Sanhedrin. So all 
of this stuff is confirmatory of what is going to transpire 
relative to his mission. He goes on, France does, 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. Us knowing 
Jesus the way we know Jesus, we now know and we are convinced 
there is nothing too good for him, right? 300 denarii is chump 
change. We should give every bit of denarii 
in light of what he's going to do on the cross, in light of 
the redemptive work that Christ undertakes on our behalf. Is 
there anything that we could ever offer up To even begin to 
repay him? Absolutely, positively not. This 
is an attempt on the part of the woman to try and repay him. 
It's an attempt on the part of the woman to praise him, to adore 
him, to express that devotion to him. Worship, brethren, is 
our response to what Christ has wrought on behalf of sinners. But then notice, He highlights 
a perpetual memorial to her. This is beautiful. Verse 13, 
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. Proverbs 10.7 says, the memory 
of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will 
rot. Ecclesiastes 7.1, a good name is better than precious 
ointment. You see, Christ is saying that 
wherever this gospel is preached, what this woman has done needs 
to be told also. So they severely criticize her, 
Christ praises her. They severely chide her, Christ 
wants to memorialize her. You see, Christ approves of this 
kind of worship. Christ approves of the type of 
worship that isn't restrained by the thoughts of others. What 
will somebody think if they hear me sing just a little bit louder? Remember when one of our sons, 
it was Josh, he was a little guy. Boy, he would sing loud. 
I mean, just loud. He was like... Just a little 
kid sitting back there and just belted out. And I remember his 
sisters would kind of, kind of, I'm not picking on his sisters 
here, but you know, this kind of, kind of, kind of a little 
bit, a little bit too much. It's not too much. Christ is 
altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. Christ is worthy. That's 
the point of the passage. John Gill 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. We see this already fulfilled 
in the early church. John writes later than Matthew. John 11 too says that this Mary 
is the one who took this costly oil and poured it on the head 
of Christ, even prior to John 12, where the actual record is 
given. So in the early church, it was 
already known. Throughout the preaching of the 
gospel, the ages of the church, it's known. What Mary does here 
was perpetual, it was memorialized. The truth of this statement throughout 
the ages. Listen to Ryle. Ryle says the 
deeds and titles of many a king and emperor and general are as 
completely forgotten as if written in the sand. That's not even 
like us, right? Once we go, it's as if our names 
were written in the sand. I think our wives and our husbands 
will remember, well, not think, they will, right? And our kids 
will remember us fondly, I hope. The grandkids will remember us 
fondly. But generals, world leaders, emperors, czars, presidents, 
prime ministers, those names were, as it were, written in 
the sand. He says, 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. That's the emphasis of the passage. Devotion, sandwiched in between 
conspiracy and betrayal. We, the people of God, ought 
to appreciate what this woman does for the Savior as He's about 
to embark on the redemptive task of saving us from our sins. Now, in terms of the practical 
lessons afforded by the passage, I want to bring out a few. In 
the first place, with reference to disciples, with reference 
to you and I, there is a tendency to judge and criticize the actions 
of others. Now, if you're going, what? Really? You haven't reflected accurately 
upon an open Bible in your own heart. The tendency is there 
to judge others. In this context, they have the 
gall to say, why this waste? It's a terribly belittling thing, 
both indirectly to the Savior, the recipient of the thing, but 
as well to the woman, the doer of the thing. We need to guard 
our hearts. If someone isn't transgressing 
God's law, shut your mouth. If somebody isn't lacking conformity 
unto God's law, then be quiet. If somebody goes about it in 
a manner that's just a little bit different than you, then 
keep your mouth closed. As well, there is a tendency 
to insult the Savior by this act. Now, I don't think these 
men were malicious. I don't think these men were 
evil. I don't think these men were pernicious, but they weren't 
thinking. When they say, why this waste? Again, if I was Jesus, I'd probably 
be thinking, what am I, chopped liver? I mean, come on. He's 
the second person of the triune God, come down for us men and 
for our salvation, took on our humanity, submitted himself to 
the law, always did what was pleasing to the Father, is about 
to embark on crucifixion for the sins of his people. He is 
going to suffer in a way that you and I never will have to 
because of what he's done. And they say, why this waste? And then the tendency, as I've 
already said, to practice an either-or Christianity rather 
than a both-and. Brethren, we have two great commandments. Love the Lord your God with all 
your heart, soul, mind, and strength. That's our worship. That's our 
devotion. That's our expression of faith 
and praise and adoration to the true and living God. but we're 
also governed by the second, which is like unto it, love your 
neighbor as yourself. Those are our acts of kindness, 
our acts of benevolence, our acts of goodness. See, there 
are two that regulate the conduct of God's people. When we do an 
either-or, we're not being responsible. We need to be about both and, 
the worship of God and a reasonable attempt to help those around 
us who are in need. Secondly, in terms of a practical 
lesson, the woman. The woman spared no expense in 
her devotion to the Lord. The question has been asked, 
and I don't think it's wrong, where'd she get this oil? I mean, 
300 denarii, an entire salary for a working man? Where did 
she get it? you know, ideas or options or 
possibilities. It could have been a family sort 
of a thing, could have been an heirloom that you pass down from generation 
to generation. Whatever the situation is, she 
takes this very costly oil and pours it on the head of the Savior. 
According to Mark's gospel, secondly, she did what she could. Don't 
you love that? We're not going to be judged 
on what we couldn't do. We will be judged on what we 
could do. Some of us can't afford to build a temple. That's just 
not gonna happen. But most of us can afford to 
show up. We do what we can, and that's 
what's underscored. In fact, look at the parallel 
for a moment, just so you can see it. Mark 14. Mark 14, there's 
a couple of dynamics that come out that are absent in Matthew. Mark 14.3, 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 have been sold for 
more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. And they criticized 
her sharply. But Jesus said, let her alone. 
That was my previous application. Leave him alone. Unless somebody's 
breaking God's law, leave them alone. Don't mess with them. Don't... you know, intrude upon. Don't be the worship police. 
Don't be the devotion police. Don't be the Pharisees that regulate 
the conduct of your fellows based on your personal preferences 
or whims. He says, leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? 
She has done a good work for me. For you have the poor with 
you always, and whenever you wish, you may do them good. But 
me you do not have always. She has done what She could she 
has come beforehand to anoint my body for 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 turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 15 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 
where you see a general principle set forth by the apostle in terms 
of our service unto the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15.58, therefore, 
my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in 
the work of the Lord. Notice, knowing that your labor 
is not in vain in the Lord. Christ doesn't say, what, 300 
denarii? You couldn't have bought that? 
You couldn't have done better? She did what she could. She didn't 
have any more wealth. She didn't have any more resources. 
The very best that she has, she pours it out on his head. And 
then as well, she did not seek man's approval, but rather Christ's 
approval, and she received it. He commends her. He memorializes 
her. It's in the gospel. We're talking 
about her right now. She was memorialized in Scripture 
for her actions. And I want to underscore this 
by saying, it's not necessarily great accomplishments. but rather 
great devotion to Jesus. You know, some people are useful 
in the kingdom in ways that others aren't, but the ways that others 
aren't are still ways. You do what you can. You seek 
to honor the Lord, consistent with what you have and what you 
are under God. This woman sets forth that glorious 
example. And then finally, relative to 
the Savior. lessons with reference to the 
Savior. In the first place, he receives her devotion and worship. We're in Acts 14. At Lystra, 
the folk are going to try to worship Paul and Barnabas. They're 
going to think that the gods have come down. You've got Paul 
as Hermes because he's the speaker, and you've got Barnabas who's 
Zeus, and as a result, these pagans want to bow and want to 
worship in their presence. What do they do? They say, don't 
do that. Remember when Simon Peter shows 
up at Cornelius's house. Cornelius wants to worship Simon 
Peter. Peter says, no, I'm a man just like you are. When you get 
to the book of Revelation, John wants to bow down to an angel 
and the angel says, don't do that. What does Jesus do? Does 
he say, don't do that? I'm not a glorious being. I'm 
not altogether lovely. No, he receives this act of worship 
and devotion, underscoring. his dignity as the God-man. Secondly, he defends her from 
the criticism of the disciples. Isn't that beautiful? Don't let 
anybody ever tell you, oh, Christianity is a bunch of chauvinistic pigs. 
Christ is a defender of this woman. Christ says to them, leave 
her alone. She did what she could. He gave 
voice to her actions and he calls off the dogs and tells them to 
quit barking up her tree. And then thirdly, he acknowledges 
her contribution based on her ability. That's good news. You know, people say, well, I 
don't have that. Well, what you do have, you should 
be willing to part with for the cause of God and truth. Remember 
that widow's mites. She gave from everything she 
had. Certainly there's others giving 
more money, but she felt that pinch when she gave it. I think 
I've said before that sacrifice really is sacrifice. If sacrifice 
doesn't cost you anything, it's not a sacrifice. You see sacrifice 
costing Jesus everything, and yet when it comes to believers 
giving, we oftentimes try to cheap out. We try to be misers. We try to say, well, that woman 
only gave two mites. Yeah, because that's all she 
had. When you only have two mites and you give them, praise God, 
from whom all blessings flow. But if we're sitting on a pile 
of mites, hiding behind her two mites, then we've misinterpreted 
the thrust of the passage. Sacrifice should pinch. Sacrifice 
should hurt. Fourthly, he confirms ongoing 
generosity to the poor. He doesn't say, look, it's all 
about me. It is all about him. And part of what he says is to 
go out and look after the poor. He confirms his crucifixion and 
his resurrection from the dead. He confirms a worldwide missionary 
outreach. to proclaim the gospel. 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." He confirms, in Psalm, why he is worthy of such devotion 
and extravagance. He is chief among 10,000. I mentioned 
that earlier, Song of Solomon 510. Over the last few years, 
it's become sort of Christian, in the popular Christian realm, 
to interpret the Song of Solomon as a marriage manual between 
a husband and a wife. It's between Yahweh and Israel. It's between Christ and the Church. 
That's who the Song of Solomon is about. So we have this statement 
concerning Christ. He is chief among 10,000. He 
is altogether lovely. I'm reminded of a particular 
passage or comment on 1 Kings chapter 8. Earlier I said, what 
would they have said about the extravagance in the temple? What 
would they have said about those gold hinges? If this was their 
response, would they have been down with the temple? And I think 
they would have been, they're just not thinking consistently 
here. But Ralph Davis comments on the extravagance of the temple 
in the Old Testament. And if you haven't read 1 Kings 
6-8, you should read it sometime. You should get it in your head 
to see how Israel approached her God under the Old Covenant. But Davis 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, Luke 12, there is 
an extravagance that is godly, Mark 14, our woman who poured 
out this oil. He says, 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. I think that's 
consistent with what we find here in Matthew chapter 26. This 
oil reflects the splendor of this Messiah. Well, praise God 
Almighty that we have one who is altogether lovely and is chief 
among 10,000. If you don't have this one, you 
need to. You need to look to Him in faith. 
You need to believe the gospel. You need to quit looking to your 
own works or your own accomplishments, or somehow arguing yourself out 
of the kingdom because of some perceived ideas that are imbalanced 
with reference to God's sovereignty. The gospel is preached, and the 
gospel is simply this. Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners. We might suggest it this way, 
in Romans 5a, God commends His own love toward us in that while 
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The reality is that He 
lived and died and rose again, and all those who look to Him 
in faith will have everlasting life. And then it's the hope 
and prayer of all of us, or it should be, that we express this 
kind of devotion and affection and adoration to this kind of 
Savior, because He's worthy. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you so much for this blessed Christ. We thank you 
for the wonder of the incarnation. We thank you for the wonder of 
His mission on earth. We thank you especially for that 
life, that death, that resurrection on the third day. And God, we 
know that He came to save His people from their sins. That's 
in Matthew 1. Matthew 26 to 28 demonstrates 
how that is the case. And I pray that everyone here 
would be looking unto Him in faith, For those of us who by 
grace are believers, may we express that devotion, that worship, 
and that adoration in ways that are consistent with his dignity 
and with his glory and with his majesty. And for those who aren't 
believers, we pray that you would grant them grace to see that 
he is chief among 10,000, to see that he is altogether lovely, 
to see that he is alone the one who is able to save sinners. 
And we ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.