AN ACT OF EXTRAVAGANT LOVE

 

John 12:1-8

 

We have witnessed the wicked heats of complacent

men who desired to kill our Lord.

 

Chapter 12 reveals a different picture as John demonstrates to us a manifestation of extravagant love and worship for Jesus. Its about six days before Passover when Jesus returns to Bethany and He is invited to the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. This is a “thank you” dinner to Jesus for raising Lazarus from the dead. This is not just an ordinary evening meal among friends. Its focus is on Jesus and His amazing power in raising Lazarus from the dead. And Lazarus is right there, reclining at the table with Jesus. (v2) Martha is in her usual place organizing the meal and making sure it’s well served. (v2) Mary is about to express her heart to Jesus in a lavish way, as Lazarus is quietly watching the one who gave Him life.

 

It is here we see one of the greatest acts of devotion and humility. 

Mary washes Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume.

 

We already now that John the Baptist said, “He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” John 1:23-27

 

A Rabbi’s disciple was essentially a servant to his teacher, but he was never required to attend to his master’s feet. Why? For that was considered the lowest task of all. When John the Baptist said he was unworthy to untie Jesus’ sandal straps he was saying he was lower than a disciple. It is here we see Mary instantly lowers herself at Jesus’ feet making herself lower than a disciple. Its here Mary thought the same way John did when he baptized Jesus in the Jordan. Its here we witness the true heart of Mary, who truly believes in Jesus as she happy to do for Him, what a servant would be required to do. She uses the most expensive ointment that she has, its so expensive this would have been about a one year’s salary that people at that time would have earned. 

She used “a pound” which is equivalent to about eleven ounces, think the size of a Pepsi can or energy drink. And something that would be so expensive Mary used it all in seconds, without hesitation. Why didn’t she use a clean, soft towel? Do we remember how Peter responded when Jesus worked the miracle of the huge catch of fish? ”But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Luke 5:8. The goodness and the power of Jesus made Peter feel utterly unworthy. So, it is with Mary, as for me, dirt and odors suit me. Her hair is the most beautiful and the cleanest thing she had to use. But if it could serve you Lord, to magnify your purity and your sweetness, it would be my honor to turn it into a rag for your feet.

 

This is extravagant love on display.

 

What Mary is doing is, “I am going to give this gift now to show my deepest love for you Jesus.” There is time when this happens even in our lives today, especially those in relationship with the goal of marriage. There were times I would spend every penny that I had to make Julie feel special and important to me. This mindset should be how we approach Jesus, and His grace over our redeemed lives. Anyone who has ever been in love at some point has made an extravagant gift for the one that he or she loved. And the only justification for it was the love that he or she felt. The response of the Christian should be, “If we love Christ, it is appropriate to love Him extravagantly, for He is worthy.” Its here Mary sets the bar for us.

 

Unfortunately, there has to be always buzz killer among those who truly love our Lord. (v4) Judas is really saying, “What are you doing? Don’t you realize how much that ointment is worth? Its here Judas tries to portrays himself to be a humanitarian, but we know John reveals Judas’ heart. (v6) When Mary anointed Jesus’ feet, he saw a lot potential profit for himself being poured out onto the floor. If Judas wasn’t exaggerating, this eleven-ounce flask of perfume was worth about $25,000. Judas’s scheme of values was so deeply different from Mary, Martha and Lazarus, that in a few days he would do the opposite of giving $25,000 for Jesus. He would sell Jesus for a thousand dollars. (Thirty pieces of silver).

 

What does Jesus say to Judas?

 

He defends her actions. (v7-v8) V8b: Leave her alone, because you do not always have me with you. V8a: Leave her alone, because the poor you always have with you. V7: Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. That is, leave her alone and don’t hinder her from keeping her love and wonder and joy in the face of my coming death. First, Jesus says. My presence in the body, for you to see and hear and touch and eat with me, I will be here only for a short time longer. Mary feels the preciousness of Jesus’s presence and what it has meant for her and Martha and Lazarus. Secondly, When Judas refers to the poor, it’s a cover for his greediness. He’s a thief. He wants money, not Jesus. His heart is the opposite of Mary’s. Your heart is wrong, Judas. So leave her alone. What Jesus is saying is this, “I know you. You don’t love the poor. And you don’t love me. You love money.” What Jesus reveals here is that we will always have the poor, we will never eliminate poverty or get rid of the drug traffic, or end unemployment. This is true, because in five days Judas will sell Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

 

Listen to the Apostle Paul as it pertains to poor and our earthly wealth. “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” 1 Tim 6:6-10

 

Remember Judas what Jesus said earlier, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Matt 6:24

 

Jesus would also say, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” mark 8:36-27

 

There is one man who should have been there with the same adoration as Mary. And that was Caiaphas. He should have been a man who said “I don’t care what the Romans might do to me, I am here because you are the One who we have been praying for. Thirdly, relates to whether Mary will be able keep on treasuring Jesus even when he is being buried. Remember, Mary is thrilled with Jesus, He had just raised her brother from the dead. She is showing this lavishly. But will she be able to keep it for the day of his burial. She has exulted in Jesus’s power at her brother’s grave. But will she be able to exult in his power at his own grave? Not if Judas infects her with his worldliness. So leave her alone, Judas.

 

What Mary does is she is demonstrating what each and everyone of us should be doing until we leave this place we call home. Its not about the expensive perfume, or the physical lowering of oneself. It’s the active worship that is pure and genuine before a holy God as we see her with Mary. The word “worship” is a primitive root word meaning that it comes first in importance, or order. It’s also referring to prostrate, depress, crouch or bow down oneself in reverence and adoration, especially mechanically in homage to royalty or God. The Bible says “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship (to prostrate oneself in reverence and adoration) in spirit and truth." John 4:20-24

 

Real worship acknowledges God as He revealed Himself in Scripture. God is calling all of us to authentic worship this morning as Mary demonstrates here on the pages of Scripture. Our great God is calling us to drop our idolatry and business that traps us in this world system, and He wants us, to focus on Him and His glory. We must not miss God’s calling on our lives through the Spirit to abandon our idolatry, because it keeps us away from genuine worship.

 

Worship is way of life!

What does that look like?

 

What you do, say, view with our eyes, walk, touch, and think on; reveals what we truly worship in this life. Begin your time of personal worship by acknowledging that it is only through Christ’s merits that you can come before the Father. Delight in the Lord, expressing your wonder of His greatness. Praise Him for who His is for His character and attributes. Make time of personal repentance, where you reflect on your own sin and shortcomings in the light of the perfect majesty of God. Express your deepest, most personal, most intimate longings to God. Begin by asking the Spirit to illumine the Words you will read and to speak directly to your heart through His Word. “…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…” Eph 1:17-18

WORSHIP POINTS US TO FOCUS ON GOD

All our worship is for His glory and all our songs, and the preaching of His Word is for us to conform and be focused on Him. Think about this! When we gather every Sunday for corporate worship, God our Father is already waiting for us, eager to be with us, to bless us, to remind us of his great love for us, all because of Jesus and the gospel saving grace. He is a generous King; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.” Psalm 103:10-13

This Psalm reveals that our Great God is exalted over the entire universe. He rules over all, and that He is to be worshipped as such. This is where our focus belongs, not just on Sunday but every day. Again, our God and Father is already waiting for us to come together to praise His great name. We should be blown away that our great God is already waiting for us to gather. Especially knowing that God’s unconditional love can only be manifest upon men and woman who do not meet the conditions. 

What do I mean by that? Mercy and grace can only be poured forth from the throne of God upon men and women who don’t deserve it or have done nothing to earn it. This is why Mary is expressing her love towards Jesus in this way. It all of Him, and not of us. God extended mercy towards her brother and that act of grace draws them closer in worship of the One who extends such grace and love.

How does God do that today? He speak to us through His Word, and remind us of His faithfulness in spite of our faithlessness at times by the Holy Spirit. He is not a criticizing Father, but a loving Father who does though on occasion correct us and draws us closer to Him. That is evident when the Hebrew writer wrote, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” Heb 12:6-13 

Whatever is defective we should endeavor to restore to soundness, rather than to suffer the shortcoming to be increased. Whatever is feeble in our faith or hope; whatever evil tendency there is in our hearts, we should endeavor to strengthen and modify, lest it should become worse, and we should entirely fall. Our great God, does this by encouraging and strengthening our weakened hearts, and continues to reveal more of His glory.

WORSHIP’S PURPOSE IS TO BRING GLORY TO GOD. 

What is the chief end of man? Answer. “Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” Our whole existence is to bring and praise God for His glory. What is your earthly redeemed purpose in life? To bring God glory and to enjoy Him forever.

Glorifying God consists in four things:

Appreciation

Adoration

Affection

Subjection.

“Appreciation” To glorify God is to set God highest in our thoughts, and, to have a admired esteem of him. 

“Adoration” Glorifying God consists in adoration, or worship. 

“Affection” This is part of the glory we give to God, who counts Himself glorified when He is loved. As Moses wrote, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deut 6:5 

“Subjection” This is when we dedicate ourselves to God, and stand ready dressed for His service. We glorify God when we are devoted to His service. We are so blessed beyond measure all our praise should be subject to our Lord for what he has done for us. 

John Bunyan said this about worship, “When I worship, I would rather my heart be without words than my words be without heart.”

Mary reveals the true heart of those who are His, and Judas reveals the natural heart of the unregenerated. To really understand what worship truly is we need to make certain that worship Is NOT optional. Is NOT a suggestion. Is NOT a take it or leave it suggestion. Is NOT about what we can get out of it. Is NOT about making myself feel better. 

Worship is and always will be all for the One who gives us life, and air to breath, so that we can glorify the Lord of our salvation to the world. This why Jesus rebukes Judas as she is doing this in preparation of His coming death. If our worship doesn’t come from the heart transformed by the gospel, then it’s vain and empty and it’s not authentic worship. 

WORSHIP IS PRIMARILY A MATTER OF THE HEART.

Mary expresses the right heart where Judas expresses his outward profession which was only hiding his true heart. Which is…. Selfishness, pride and bitterness are all attitudes that will keep us from celebrating God’s presence in worship. If we have any of these wrong heart-attitudes, we need to ask God to take those things away from us. Why? God know our true heart motives. “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Matt 15:8. In order to truly worship God, our hearts need to changed and transformed. We have to ask ourselves, “Where is my heart truly this morning?” Am I, looking at the clock or thinking about my plans for this afternoon, or is it focused on His glory and His great name, for what he has done in our adoption.

What Mary does here should humble us all, and possibly, correct or straighten our attitude when it comes to worship. We need a daily reminder of having a heart of worship focusing in the right direction. The last thing we want to see happen in our lives is a heart of rebellion when we are being tested by God to examine our own hearts in light of His mercy and grace. It is a tender heart that hears God’s voice, and the heart that hears His voice is sure to be made tender.

Our worship of God should be our crowning joy of our every day. It’s not casual chatter. It’s not mumbling of prayers and mouthing of hymns with little thought or effort. It’s not self-magnifying words or boring clichés. It’s grudging gifts or compulsory service. It’s not haphazard music done poorly, not even a great song merely as a performance. It’s not distracted endurance of the sermon. It’s not hurry up and let’s get it done mentality.

 

Our worship is for His great name and glory for His great salvation He gives to undeserving criminals like you and me. That’s amazing that He chose to love us, despite us! God is good and worship is who we are in Christ. Let me leave you with challenge for the week! “So worship Him with a genuine heart of adoration and praise for His sovereign goodness. How through a living sacrifice “ Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name”. Heb 13:15

Can you do that?

Can you show extravagant love towards our Great God, and King?