ß Back to sermons

October 23, 2011

TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Rev. David N. Els

TEXT: Mark 14:1 – 11 TITLE: A Matter of the Heart

INTRODUCTION

In the account before us you are given a rare glimpse into the hearts of two very different people, and in looking at what moved them you are given the opportunity of examining the motivation of your own heart. Both of these people can be identified as followers of Christ. In our modern context they would be called members of the visible body of Christ, or members of a local church. They both claimed allegiance to Jesus Christ, yet what they did and said shows hearts that were very different. The setting of this account is the small town of Bethany, and the home of a certain man named Simon. Bethany was nothing more than a tiny hamlet situated on the side of the Mount of Olives about two miles from Jerusalem on the road to Jericho. And Jesus used it as a place of lodging while He was attending the Passover. It is obvious that Simon must have been known to some of those who originally read this account for he is distinguished from all the other Simons in scripture as being the one who had leprosy. The fact that he was now living in a town, and could actually invite people around for a meal at his table, is an indication that he must have been healed from his disease at some stage. While the meal was at his home, we known from John's gospel that, “They gave a dinner for him there. (That is for Jesus) Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table” (John 12:2). It must have been quite an occasion and can you imagine the table talk. While Martha walked around serving them they must have all been discussing the events of the past few days. There would have been talk about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and the large crowd that had sang hosanna to the king, the cleaning of the temple and the fig tree that dried up after being cursed. They may have talked about Jesus' answers to the Sadducees and Scribes as well as his prediction about the destruction of the temple. Maybe someone might have even questioned Lazarus about the four days he had spend in the tomb before Jesus had raised him to life again. And amongst those gathered in the room were a man and woman who were motivated by different hearts.

DIFFERENT HEARTS

Amongst them there was Judas Iscariot who was a prominent follower of Jesus, who played a very active role in the life of the early core group of Believers. He was the treasurer of the small group of disciples. It was his responsibility to carry the moneybag and received the offerings from the crowd, and then to use those funds to buy what was necessary for the disciple's existence and to give money to the poor. And right up until the very end not one of his fellow disciples suspected that there was anything strange about his behavior or his attitude towards spiritual things. Even after Jesus had pointed him out at the Passover meal they did not suspect that he wasn’t really one with them in heart. When Jesus told him to go and get on with whatever he intended to do they thought that, “Because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor” (John 13:29). They imagined that he was still going about his Master’s business. But what he was doing is what God had ordained before time. God not only ordained the cross but the means by which Jesus would go to the cross. Of him Jesus once said, “I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12). Judas was going about fulfilling the eternal will and propose of God. However, the disciples realized it at that time.

We are told that, “He was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6). What motivated Judas to steal? And what motivated him to betray Jesus to the Jewish authorities? Some have tried to propose that Judas had political aspirations for Jesus and was trying to force Him into a confrontation with the authorities so that He would be forced to make a political stand, however it is clear that his motivation was plain old greed that was born in a heart that was unregenerate and possessed no desire at all for the things of God. He followed Jesus for what he could get. And there are many like Judas in the Church today! His heart had not been made anew by a work of grace. He was still dead in sin, and still living under the control of the sinful nature. Basically, he was living a lie, but that should not be a surprise for his master was the devil who is the father of lies. The lie he lived was so good that he went undetected for three years while he ate, slept and ministered alongside the eleven.

While the people were reclining at the table, enjoying their meal and conversation, the sister of Martha and Lazarus came into the room. Her name was Mary and she loved to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Him speaking (Luke 10:39). You read in John's gospel how that, “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair” (Jn 12:3). Mark adds that, “She broke the flask and poured it over his head.” She took a large jar of nard and after anointing Jesus head and feet with it she wiped his feet with her hair. By the time she was finished it says that, “The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” Nard was a very highly scented ointment or perfume imported from the Himalayas in India, and was made from the root of the Spikenard plant. It was sold in alabaster containers that were supposed to keep the fragrance in. Some of these containers were beautifully ornamented. Alabaster containers were white semi-transparent vials that had long necks that had to be broken in order to release the perfume. And due to its exotic fragrance it was very expensive. In all likelihood the pint container of Mary's was an heirloom passed down to her from her mother, for it cost the equivalent of $25 - $30 thousand at today's prices. That was an enormous amount of money to spend on perfume. And to those reclining around the table it seemed like an awful waste of good money.

It was Judas who began the outcry. “Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’” (John 12:4-5) What an awful waste, was his objection. Would the money have not been better spent on helping the poor? Can you imagine how many meals that could have been bought with that money? And the rest of the people thought that Judas was making a good point. It was the custom of the Jews to make donations to the poor during the Passover feast, and so his objection seemed well founded. Due to the advantage of hindsight John adds the insightful commentary that Judas, "Did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief" (12:6). However, no one realize this at the time and so they joined in with him. The Greek words used to convey their reaction uses the imagery of people snorting their indignation like angry horses. Mark says that they, “Scolded her.” They rebuked her harshly. They became outraged at the waste.

Can you imagine how she must have felt at that moment? When she entered the room her heart was set upon the worship of Jesus her Lord. She was not trying to draw attention to herself in any way. She was not worried about what others would think about her, because her desired was to honor Him with her most precious possession. The last thing that was on her mind was the financial implications of what she was about to do. Her motivation was one of love and devotion that was born of a deep gratitude for Jesus. As John Calvin says, "She was guided by the breath of the Spirit that in sure confidence she should do this in duty to Christ." The Holy Spirit that dwelt in her moved her to do it. She did it with absolutely no thought of whether it was practical or sensible. And as the disciples all imagined that they spoke for Jesus in this matter, you can imagine their surprise when He said to them, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.”

The Lord always looks upon the heart and not the action. While Judas was motivated by greed, Mary was motivated by love and thankfulness. It was not so much what she did that was beautiful, but the way she did it. It was expensive perfume and some might have argued with her that if she put a drop on his head and one on each foot that would have been enough. It would still have been an anointing. His body still would have smelt from its fragrance, and she could have still have had her perfume. However, she did not love Christ by small measures. Her love for Christ could not be measured in small drops while keeping the majority for herself. Hers was an all-consuming love. It was a love of total devotion. A literal reading of the first part of verse eight is very insightful, "What she had, she did." All that she had she was willing give. The only expression for a life that has been redeemed by God's grace is one of complete sacrifice to Him. Anything less than your all will not be enough. Like Mary, you need to give Christ everything you are in your whole being. And just like her your act of worship needs to cost you something. Even as Paul writes in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

What are God's mercies? They are the great blessings of God’s grace as a free gift that we have been looking at in our study of his letter to the Romans. You were once sold into the slavery of sin. By virtue of your being a child of Adam you were condemned to eternal judgment. You were without God and without hope in this world. Yet even while you were an enemy of God and hated Him, in His great love and mercy He sent Jesus Christ to die in your place. He sent His Son to bear the penalty for your sin. By His great mercy He redeemed you, pardoned you, adopted you into His family and made you an heir with His Son. He gave you His Spirit who indwells you and enables you to know victory over sin. He has assured you of your ultimate salvation, and nothing can separate you from His love. He did this, not because you deserved it. Not because you were a good person. He did it simply for His own good pleasure and the glory of His name. By His great mercy He withheld what you deserve and gave you the exact opposite. Therefore, in light of such an amazing display of mercy your response should be the offering of your whole being as a living sacrifice to Him for that is your only reasonable act of worship. Any other response would be unreasonable. It would be stealing from God the worship and devotion that is due to Him. What kind of a living sacrifice is your life? "What she had, she did." Can you say the same, "What I have, I will do!" Notice how that the Lord does not expect more than what you have to give. All He wants from you is all there is of you. When Israel brought their sacrifices to the altar the priest would lay his hand on the animal and then pray over it. After that he would slaughter the animal and then he would take the best pieces of meat to burn on the altar as a sacrifice to God. And God still demands the very best. To Him belongs the choicest cuts of your life. And the sacrifice of your life is given to. That was the heart of Mary. She gave to glorify her Savior from a heart that was moved by God's Holy Spirit.

It is essential whenever you talk about doing good deeds that you refer back to verse six. Jesus said, "She has done a beautiful thing to me." The good that she did was directed towards Christ Himself. He was the one who was to receive the benefit of her actions as well as the glory and honor. Good deeds that are done for any other motive than to benefit Christ and show forth honor and glory to God and actually sinful deeds. Good works that are not done to Him cannot please Him (WC 16:7). Paul said that, "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing" (1Cor. 13:3). The motivation of your life needs to be like that of Mary, and it needs to flow out of a heart of love for the one who loves you and has called you to be His own. Never forget that your ability to do good works is not of yourself, but comes wholly from the Spirit of Christ. It is He who enables you to will and do what is pleasing to God. Scripture teaches that, "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph 2:10). Any good that you might ever do is a work of God's grace prepared for you in eternity past. The good you do is the good He enables you to do. And it is as you are found to be "in Christ" that you are able to do them. Your life is a work of God in Christ Jesus. And He has left no room for you to boast. Mary could claim no credit for her beautiful deed towards Jesus. She was simply carrying out a good deed that God had prepared in advance for her to do. Paul's prayer for the church is; "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word" (2Thes 2:16-17).

If your heart has been made new there ought to be a desire with in you to want to do good. Paul says, "I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good" (Titus 3:8). If you have trusted in God for your salvation you ought to be giving yourself to do what is good. Are you being careful to devote your whole life to doing what pleases God? Again he says that, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness . . . If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work" (2Tim. 2:19&21). Your good works are the evidence that you have truly come to faith in Christ. That is the emphasis of James. If there is no fruit of good works evident in your life then James says that you have not yet come to faith in Christ. Motivated by a love for Christ you should be endeavoring to do that which is good. The writer to the Hebrews goes so far as to say, "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebr. 10:24). Let us encourage one another to a greater love for our Savior and that in turn will result in you being spurred on to more good deeds.

The tragedy is that many times the Lord places opportunities in your way and you fail to make use of them. And some opportunities are only fleeting. At times you may feel moved to do something but shy away from it because you feel awkward, or because on second thought it does not seem like the sensible thing to do. Let’s face it, common sense would have told Mary that she was crazy giving such a priceless possession. The Lord, however does not treasure the sensible sacrifices people make. In the treasure house of heaven God has stored two small coins that belonged to a widow who gave all she had, there is a cup of water given to a thirsty saint in Jesus’ name, and there is a broken vile of perfume. These things may seem insignificant in the eyes of some, they may go against common sense to others, yet they are precious in the Lord’s sight and have earned the givers a great spiritual reward for they were all given from a heart motivated by love and deep desire to honor their Savior. And doing good in Jesus' name can be done in the simplest of ways: How often does someone's name spring to your mind? Why not write them a letter or telephone them to encourage them in their walk with Christ and spur them on to good works. Thank them for being there when you needed them, and tell them that you are grateful for their prayers. The Lord isn’t looking for your possessions, He wants you. At the end of the day you should not ask yourself how much you gave, rather you should ask yourself, "Could I have given more of myself?" Mary gave her all, now that is self-sacrifice and that is what God wants from you.

WHAT MATTERS

Judas and Mary were motivated by different desires that came from hearts that were very different, and the results of their actions were also very different. In verse four Judas complained that Mary had wasted the perfume. It is interesting that the word that is translated "wasted" is exactly the same word used in John 17:12 to describe Judas; "The son of destruction." Destruction and waste is the same word in Greek. Judas thought that Mary had wasted the perfume, but he had wasted his whole life. You read that following this meal, "Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money" (Luke 22:3-5). From the wicked priests he got his heart’s desire, money. For the price of a dead slave, thirty shekels of silver, he sold the Lord of life into the hands of His enemies. What a destructive action! And whenever his name is remember it is associate with the word, traitor.

How different is the name of Mary. Jesus said to the disciples, “And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” That is being fulfilled once more this evening as we remember the beautiful thing she did. Why is it important that her story be told? Not because she was a great woman. It is important that her story be told where ever the good news of salvation in Christ is preached because her act of worship is an example of the impact of the gospel in the life of all true Believer. If you have heard the call of Christ through the preached Word, and by faith you have responded, then you are required like Mary, out of a heart motivated by love and gratitude, to sacrifice your all to Jesus. Your only reasonable act of worship is to lay your all upon the altar for Him. Like Mary you need to give the most precious thing you have, holding nothing back. May you say, “Savior as you gave your all for me, so in gratitude I give my all to you!”