The Gospel of John - part 29
The Anointing of Jesus
Six days before Passover puts us on Saturday. It is dinner time, and Martha is serving. John lets us know Lazarus is there so that we understand why Mary is about to do what she does. She is giving a thanksgiving offering for having her brother back. This short little story has three big issues that we can address today.
Humility in Thankfulness
Arrogance masked as generosity
Priorities in Ministry
Humility in Thankfulness
Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 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. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
John 12:1-3
Many preachers have focused on the numeric value of the expensive nard, and for good reason, it was expensive stuff. The Roman pound is called a litra and it was about 11 1/2 ounces, so just shy of a cup and a half. So, picture a cup filled with your grandmother’s favorite perfume. Now, picture that cup being poured over someone, and you can imagine the smell that filled the home.
However, instead of thinking like Judas about how much it cost, consider how she anointed Jesus. Foot washing was a common practice in the ancient world on account that most people walked or rode an animal in the equivalent of sandals that came back in style in the late 90s. I had a pair myself that my brother affectionately called “Jesus sandals”. Roads are dirty and so people needed to clean their feet when they were at social gatherings. However, we are talking about feet, so typically, the servant on the low end of the totem pole would have the job of washing feet. Whether it was the youngest servant, or the one who recently caused some trouble, this job was usually not something anyone wanted to do. Thus, Mary has placed herself at the bottom of the social ladder in order to offer thanksgiving to Jesus. Likewise, the servant would have a bowl for the water and a towel for wiping. Now, why did she use her hair? Perhaps, because she wanted to offer her whole self in the process. Or, perhaps it was a way of further denigrating herself so that much could be made of Jesus. Consider again John the Baptist’s words, “I must decrease, so that He can increase.”
She considers herself unworthy of Jesus’ generosity.
Additionally, if we go back to the nard, this was probably one of, if not the most, expensive things in her house. It was a burial ointment that would only be used at someone’s passing. It may very well have been the family ointment for burials. Lazarus may have had some placed on him at his burial. There are several details we don’t know, but we do know this:
The cost of the nard was nothing compared to the love she had for Christ.
It was because of Jesus she had her brother alive and well. It was because of Jesus, she knew her family had eternal life. They had all trusted and believed in Jesus. The eternal rewards of following Christ far outweighed this jar of perfume. She wanted to offer her best to Jesus, because He had given her so much.
Arrogance Masked as Generosity
But 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?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
John 12:4-6
On the other end of the spectrum we find Judas. Judas gives us the monetary value of the nard—300 denarii. If one denarius is an average day’s wage, then we are looking at about a year’s worth of salary for this ointment. Consider it in today’s terms: the average American wage is around $50,000 according to Google, however looking closer about half of Americans make less than $30,000. Statistics are fickle that way. If we consider the state of the first century economy, the $30,000 number is probably more accurate. So, using my trusty calculator, it looks like this perfume was worth about $24,600. Aren’t I so helpful to do that math for you?
Now, isn’t that something arrogant to say?
That’s my point here. Judas attempts to sound generous, but really it is arrogance speaking. He’s already done the calculations in his head and has figured out what he could do with 300 denarii. He’s going to help the poor...and maybe have a little leftover for himself. John even states bluntly, “he was a thief.”
‘Giving’ doesn’t always equal ‘generous’.
Now, is there anything wrong with giving to the poor? Of course not. In fact, one interesting comparison is this verse with Matthew 19:16-30.
The rich young man wants to know how to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, and the young man, being astute, states he has done those, but what else? He has tried to keep the commands from an early age, but he knows he is still lacking something. Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and give them to the poor.
Now, why did the young man need to sell his possessions, but Mary was right in what she did?
The difference is attitude. The young man’s attitude about money allowed him to be controlled by his possessions rather than the other way around. Judas’ attitude was the same: what they could do for themselves. Mary was using the ointment as a thanksgiving, not as a means to gain something. She already had everything she wanted.
True generosity isn’t worried about self; it is focused on others.
Priorities in Ministry
Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
John 12:7-8
This leads us to Jesus’ chastisement in verses 7 & 8. If you read it closely, his point can be summed up with the word ‘priorities’. Judas’ priorities are of course faulty simply based on his thievery. But consider those who would agree with his statement, even if they would denounce stealing. Shouldn’t we give to the poor?
Let’s consider for a bit, “For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
Poor people will exist until Jesus comes back. There are many reasons for poverty, and all of them will remain as long as sin corrupts this world. Some are poor because of oppression from those in authority. Some are poor because of poor decisions they made. Some are poor because of poor decisions others have made. Poverty is how everyone enters this world, and if you think about it, everyone exits in poverty as well. Job 1:21, “Naked I came form my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.” Whatever you gain in this life is lost when this life is over. With that fact comes two implications:
Christians should give aid to the poor, but that is not our first priority.
1) This fact does not allow for us to neglect the poor.
Consider James 2:14-17. Part of acting out our faith is to care for those in need. We just know that the work of caring for those in need will always exist.
2) This fact does mean issues of poverty are so complex that even Jesus says, “it will always exist.”
The second clause is actually more important. Jesus says we will always have the poor, but the disciples will not always have Jesus. The truth is Jesus was going away. He was going to die on the cross, but even after his resurrection, He knew he would not be with the disciples forever. It was more important for them to spend time with Jesus in this final week rather than they go out and sell perfume and give to the poor. Again, it isn’t a matter of what is good vs what is bad, it is a matter of priorities.
It is vitally important for churches to understand this dynamic.
The first priority is Jesus.
Many ministries and causes come across a church’s path any given day. We get a lot of mail and phone calls about needs in the community, needs of individuals, needs of missionaries, needs of schools, and needs of whatever other group. None of these are necessarily bad, in fact, most of them are good causes.
Churches also have their own set of needs. How do we pay for the building? How do we reach out to get people to show up? Are people getting the education, training, or spiritual help they need? Is there parking? Do we have signs? Do guests know where to go? What special events are coming up? Did someone make coffee? Is it drinkable? The list goes on!
I was once at a church that needed more education space. The nursery was too small for the number of kids, and the Sunday School classes were filled past capacity. The leaders of the church decided it was time to build a new education building. It wasn’t going to be anything spectacular, just a building with rooms so that people could move freely and the babies would be taken care of. During one of the business meetings, a man stood up and denounced the building program. Instead of spending money on the building, the church should use that money to go plant another church or take care of the people in the town. It really was a modern day version of this story. The church wanted to expand its physical building so that people could worship and learn more freely. The current building was a roadblock to the church’s ministry. Instead of removing this roadblock, this guy wanted the money to be given to the poor...or some variation of ‘poor’.
Now, I’m all for church planting, but it was readily apparent that this guy wasn’t too worried about starting new churches (he never went and started one himself). I think he was upset about the general idea of spending money and things changing around the church. I’m not too sure, though exactly his problem. But, here’s what I do know:
Whatever a church chooses to do with her time and money, it should be in order for people to meet with Jesus.
That is the priority. It doesn’t matter how much food is passed out, how many bills are paid, or how pretty a building is, if people are not drawn to their Savior. Everyone has a cause—even if it’s just taking care of themselves—but if that cause does not help the cause of Christ, then it is a lower priority for a healthy church.
I would encourage every leader and teacher here to ask this question: How does my ministry or project help bring people to Christ?
The deacons and I are having this conversation now regarding the benevolence fund. We want to continue giving and helping those in the church and community, because that is part of our faith and the church’s generosity. However, what we don’t want is to just give something and then send someone on their merry way. As you know, I read a lot and I think you should to, so here’s your book plug: When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett. The goal is to use the benevolence fund in such a way that people are hearing the gospel and being restored to God’s design.
But, again, anything the church does should be planned according to the priority of ‘getting people closer to Jesus’. If you lead a Sunday School class or any other class, how can we lead in such a way that more people hear and respond to the gospel? In the nursery, we can even ask, how will we plan and use the nursery so that babies and their parents will hear the gospel?
If we ask that question, it will help prioritize everything we do.
And that is how I approach sermons. Of course, I hope you enjoy the sermon. I hope you learn something. But, most importantly, I pray that whatever is spoken from whatever passage we are reading, it helps you draw closer to Jesus Christ. From cover to cover, that is what the Bible is about. It is the story of how God came to us so that we can be saved and have eternal life. Every passage is a piece of that beautiful story of Redemption.
And here, it quite simple. Outside of the ministry implications, which are important, it is most important that we see what really happened here. Mary is responding to the miracle of her brother coming back to life thanks to Jesus Christ, our Lord. She is anointing the Lord’s feet with the perfume that is for the final tribute to a family member being buried. It is a thanksgiving offering, but it is also a foreshadowing. Because, in six days time, Jesus will willingly go to the cross and die for our transgressions and our sin. The One from Heaven who knew no sin, will become sin so that the curse of sin and death will be broken. Then, on the third day, He will rise from the grave, proving He has power over death and life. Now, whosoever will call on His name, whosoever will trust in His work on the cross, shall be saved.
And this brings me to my last point which is really a question:
Is Jesus your first priority?
Outside of Sunday morning, is His will what guides your will? I’m not even talking about church. Of course, I’m going to advocate church attendance and going to Sunday school and other events we have, but you can enter this sanctuary every time the door is open and still not make Jesus your first priority—you just have great attendance.
If you have never prayed to God, confessing that you are a sinner, and asked for forgiveness in the name of Jesus, today is the day. Call on Him now. Turn from your sin, look to Jesus, and be saved. That is the first step. And if you have, then the next step is to match your life to His. Seek the Kingdom of God first, then all the things of this world will find their proper place.