Extravagant Worship (or, “Crazy Love”)
Mark 14:1-11
Introduction: One newsletter that I read always has a December
issue with a cover article, “Your Ten
most important moves…” for the new year. The idea is, that even small
changes, if we can integrate them into our lives and our routine, can make a
big difference over time. Really, it is just another take on the idea of “New
Year’s Resolutions.” Most of us begin a new year with good intentions, but by President’s
Day (or maybe even MLK day!) half of those resolutions have fallen by the
wayside! What is your top priority for 2019? If you were to make a “Top Ten”
list for the new year, would any of those resolutions impact your spiritual
life? That same newsletter began it’s “Top
Ten” article with a quotation from the late Eugene Peterson,
“The main difference between Christians and others is
that we take God seriously and they do not. We really do believe that He is the
central reality of all existence…” [And
so,] “…we order our lives in response to
that reality and not some other…” (A Long Obedience, quoted in Sound Mind Investing, Dec. 2018).
I heard a
sermon by a well-known pastor this week lamenting the fact that he had gone for
his annual physical, and, to his chagrin, his height was 5 feet and ten inches.
The problem was that last year he was 5’ 10 ½”! He had
lost a half inch in height! He was shrinking! He then made the point that physically
speaking, that will happen, it is pretty much inevitable. But what about
spiritually? Have you plateaued in your spiritual life, or even worse, are you
shrinking? Even into old age, we can, and we should, continue to grow. At
the heart of spiritual growth, is to know Christ more intimately, because to
know Him is to love Him. What would it look like in our lives, in our church,
and in our community, if together we really determined to love the Lord with
all our heart, mind, soul, and strength? Can we really give our best to the
Master? Will we? As we return to our series in Mark, we’ll see in our
passage today, an example of whole-hearted devotion to Christ.
The Maine* Idea: Whole-hearted love for Christ is a proper response
from a heart taken captive by the love of God, and by the awareness of how much
we have been forgiven.
The Context: Passover had arrived, and the leaders were planning
to kill Jesus at an opportune time (1-2).
It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast
of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to
arrest him by stealth and kill him, for
they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the
people."
Being the shortest of the Gospels, Mark may not get the attention of the other accounts of the life
of Jesus, but he is an inspired story-teller. Once again Mark serves us a literary “sandwich”
as he has the “bread” of the treachery of the leaders (vv. 1-2) and Judas (vv. 10-11)
surround the “meat” of an exemplary act of devotion, even worship, as an
unnamed woman pours out on Jesus what must have been a treasured possession
(3-9). We looked at the first two verses back in November before we began our
Advent series. We saw that Jesus came as the Passover-King, the Lamb on the
throne, who alone could shield us, by His blood, from the wrath we deserve.
Now, as we return to the Gospel, Passover is at hand, and the evil intentions
of leaders are coming front and center in the story.
But Jesus will be no victim. He came
willingly, to give His life so that we could be reconciled to God. That is how
God showed His love among us (I Jn 4:9). God the Son giving His life for sinful
humans. How do we respond? Wholehearted love for Christ is a proper response
from a heart taken captive by the love of God, and by the awareness of how much
we have been forgiven.
The Setting: 14:1 begins, “And
while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper…” We know from the
parallel account in John that when this happened in the house in Bethany, Mary,
Martha and Lazarus were present (see John 12:1ff). Mark gives us an additional
detail, mentioning the house of “Simon the
leper.” For a dinner party on the eve of high holy day to be happening there,
we must assume that Simon was a former leper,
perhaps someone who had been healed by Jesus. Was he the father of Mary, Martha
and Lazarus, or just a friend and neighbor in who’s house they all gathered? We are reminded by the mention of “leprosy”
of why Jesus came. All is not right in the world. Since the Fall, sickness,
spiritual separation, the consequences of sin are all around us. He came to
undo the Fall, to make possible the reconciliation of fallen humans with Holy
God. By His stripes, we are healed,
spiritually, and one day, physically. That is grace that requires a response! Whole-hearted love for Christ is a proper
response from a heart taken captive by the love of God, and by the awareness of
how much we have been forgiven.
I. The Devotion
of a woman: Extravagant,
Crazy, or Whole-hearted devotion (3)?
…as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an
alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask
and poured it over his head…
Some of you will
recognize in the alternative title of the sermon the title of the best-selling
book by Francis Chan, Crazy Love. He
tries in that book to give us a glimpse of the majesty of God, and the wonder
that such an awesome God would so love us. When we try to describe God we use
words like “omniscient” (all-knowing) and “omnipotent” (all-powerful) so casually
we are hardly impacted by what we are saying. The Hubble telescope now has expanded
our view of the universe, “astronomically.” Billions of galaxies? I can’t even
think about numbers like that. The God who made all of that, who spoke it all
into existence, knows my name? And loves me? He even knew me from before the
foundation of the world? Can it be that I
should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me who caused His
pain, for me who him to death pursued? You get the idea? How should we respond
to Him? Listen to David’s heart in Psalm 63:1-7,
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul
thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where
there is no water. 2 So I
have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is
better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will
lift up my hands. 5 My soul
will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with
joyful lips, 6 when I
remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and
in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
That is the kind of love and devotion that this unnamed woman
seems to express in Mark 14. From the other gospels we can conclude that this was
Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She takes this precious possession, a
sealed flask of precious perfume, something worth a year’s salary for a
day-laborer, so valuable that it was perhaps a family heirloom, and she breaks
it open, and pours it over the head and body and feet of Jesus. We don’t have
any information about her motives, no explanation of this extravagant, seemingly
worshipful act. From John’s Gospel we know what this family has seen and heard
of Jesus. Lazarus was dead and buried, four days in the grave, and Jesus raised
Him to life! Jesus said on that occasion, “I
am the resurrection and the life…” “I AM?” He had used that phrase before! And
who has power over life and death? Could it be that she was grasping something
about who Jesus is, and even why He came?
And so, she
did what she could, she gave Him her best. And John tells us that when she
poured out the perfume, the house was filled with the aroma. Everyone knew what
she had done. We’ll see that not everyone understood her motives. Whole-hearted
love for Christ is a proper response from a heart taken captive by the love of
God, and by the awareness of how much we have been forgiven.
II. The Dullness
of those at the table:
Or, a pragmatic concern (4-5)?
There were some who said to themselves indignantly,
"Why was the ointment wasted like that?
5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three
hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her.
We are not told by
Mark who those were who were indignant at the wasteful action of the woman—just
some who were there at the table. John gives the detail that one who took
exception was Judas (we know his
motives [cf. Jn 12:6!]), but since Mark says “some” it seems likely that some
of the other disciples had the same reaction! They were just trying to be
practical, right? After all, think of all the good that could have been done
had the unopened flask been sold, and the proceeds used to help the poor. They
were indignant! What a waste! Or was it? What would we give to Jesus? Would we
give Him our lives, willingly putting Him and His mission ahead of our comfort
and security?
Some of those who were raising objections
were being practical, perhaps, at least from a human perspective. The Bible
says a lot about the poor and about the need for showing compassion and seeking
to help. After all, giving to the poor is one way of giving to God. So, this
expensive perfume, poured out all at once on the teacher seemed wasteful. Couldn’t
it have been put to better use? If He was just a teacher, they probably
would have been right.
Who is Jesus, after all? Who was this rabbi who
reclined at table with them? They still didn’t understand—not even the
disciples (at least not fully). Oh, they had moments when they were almost
there it seems, when they were getting a glimpse of His messianic identity. But
what did that mean? They still did not understand fully His identity, His dual nature
as the God-Man. This was the great I AM reclining at table, God the Son, the
Word made flesh, the Redeemer, our promised Rescuer, our Creator. God,
incarnate! If they had understood, would
any act of devotion to Him seemed too extravagant, too extreme, too “crazy”? Wholehearted
love for Christ is a proper response from a heart taken captive by the love of
God, and by the awareness of how much we have been forgiven.
III. The Direction
of Jesus: Leave her alone, she has done a beautiful
thing (6-9)!
6 But Jesus said,
"Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing
to me. 7 For you always have
the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you
will not always have me. 8
She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for
burial. 9 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."
“Leave her alone, why do you trouble her…”
Remember when the parents were bringing their children to Jesus for blessing,
and the disciples tried to stop them? Jesus’ response: let them come, don’t forbid them! Here this act of devotion, this
response of worship, seems too extreme, too extravagant to some. And so, they
are indignant about the waste. But if they really understood who it was that
reclined at the table with them, would anything be too extravagant?
Jesus says, “She has done a beautiful thing to me…”
There will be ample time and opportunity to do good to the poor. But Jesus
would not always be there, at least not physically. The time of His departure
was fast approaching. Jesus says, “She
has anointed my body for burial…” He had been telling His followers
repeatedly that He would soon be betrayed, handed over, and put to death. But even
His closest disciples didn’t seem to understand what He was talking about. That day was drawing near. It is not clear if
Mary understood what would soon happen, but in effect, Jesus said this anointing
was for His burial. It does seem she had begun to grasp that this Jesus was
more than a prophet and teacher. He has more than a “son of David.” This “crazy
love,” this extravagant worship, was offered to Him who was, and is, the Son of
God. So, she gave Him her best, perhaps her most precious and cherished possession.
She broke open the flask.
Jesus made a
point of saying that this woman’s act of devotion would be recounted, told over-and-over
again through the ages, in her memory. The idea seems to be that this is what
devotion to Christ should look like… total commitment. Think of who He is, and
what He came to do. Whole-hearted love for Christ is a proper response from a
heart taken captive by the love of God, and by the awareness of how much we have
been forgiven.
IV. The Decision
of Judas: the last
straw (10-11)?
10 Then Judas
Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to
betray him to them. 11 And
when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he
sought an opportunity to betray him.
We are not told
by Mark that there was a specific connection, but you can’t miss how the woman’s
action, and the words Jesus, led immediately to Judas going to the religious
leaders with his plan to betray Jesus. As the fragrance of the costly perfume filled
the room, it seems a stench, treachery, welled up in the heart of Judas. This
was the last straw. Judas goes out to chief priests. Think of the contrast! The
beautiful act of devotion by Mary, the fragrance filling the house, and the
lack of understanding from others at the table, and worse, the evil in the
heart of Judas. But God had a plan. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16,
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in
triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of
him everywhere. 15 For we are
the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who
are perishing, 16 to one a
fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who
is sufficient for these things?
For three years
Judas had walked with Jesus and the other disciples. He had heard the teaching.
He had seen the miracles. Still, it seems, Jesus did not live up to his expectations.
Instead of worship, as expressed by Mary, it seems Judas’ disappointment leads
to rejection and betrayal. Judas’ unbelief is exposed. Among those who
are perishing, a fragrance of death to death. But some hear the truth and
believe, and His Word, and our testimony of His grace, becomes to them a
fragrance of life to life! Remember the response of Michal as David danced and
celebrated as the Ark was brought into the city (2 Sam 6)? She despised him. We
shouldn’t judge the heart of another worshipper. After all…
What is God saying to me
in this passage? Wholehearted
love for Christ is a proper response from a heart taken captive by the love of
God, and by the awareness of how much we have been forgiven.
What would God have me to do
in response to this passage? It may be a good exercise to think about, maybe even write
down, your top five or ten “moves” for the new year. Resolutions about fitness
and diet are good things, and probably most of us could do a little better in
those areas, but what about your spiritual life? The apostle Paul said “…for while bodily training is of some value,
godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life
and also for the life to come…” (1 Tim 4:8, ESV). One of the best ways we
can grow spiritually is to intentionally spend time in the Word. I would
recommend adopting a reading program that can guide you through the Bible in a
systematic way.
Monday night we’ll read aloud the Book
of Revelation – I think it takes us about an hour and a half or so? No
preaching, no commentary. We will sing to Him! We have some reading plans in
the back of the church that will take you through the Bible in a year – in about
15 minutes a day. If you miss a day just pick up where you left off. No
pressure! Is that too extravagant? After a while, you’ll really look forward to it—and
over time, you’ll realize that your relationship with God is deepening, you are
coming to know Him better. To know Him is to love Him. Let’s seek Him in 2019. Let’s
give our best to the Master. Crazy love—He has shown us what it looks like. A Roman scourge. A crown of thorns. A Cross. I
urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
service of worship. And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and
perfect. Amen.
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