Sermon Tone Analysis

The Anointing at Bethany

by \\ J. Hampton Keathley III \\ hamptonk3@bible.org

! Introduction and Background

Palm Sunday is the day we traditional­ly remember the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusa­lem--the Sunday before His passion and resurrection.

The triumphal entry was a formal presentation of Jesus as Israel’s King.

Relentlessly the events of the Savior’s life had moved toward His death on the cross.

Following Peter’s confession of Christ as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus “began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”

As He left Galilee for the final time to go up to Jerusalem, Luke tells us, “And it came about, when the days were ap­proaching for His ascension, that He reso­lutely set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51).

He was committed to the cross.

However, a number of events occurred the week before which were preparatory for the momentous event of Christ’s death for us on the cross.

Jesus reached Bethany (only two miles from Jerusa­lem) six days before the Passover (John 12:1).

Each morning He would journey to Jerusalem and then return in the evening to Bethany.

He did this all week until His arrest.

Let’s briefly review the events of this week.

*Sunday:* This was a day of *Messianic Presentation*, the day of Christ’s entry when, in accord with Old Testament prophe­cy, He openly de­clared Him­self as the Son of David, the King, but not the regal King the Jews were look­ing for or wanted.

He came as a lowly and suffering King rid­ing of the foal of a ass as foretold by the prophet Zechariah (Zech.

9:9).

*Monday:* This was a day of *Messianic Power*.

Two things occurred that demonstrated His authori­ty and power as King.

In one He cursed a fig tree and in the other He cleansed the temple for a second time.

As the Lord made the two-mile journey, He cursed a fig tree that was full of leaves.

It gave the appearance of fruitfulness, but it was barren of figs and basically useless.

The fig tree served as an emblem of the Jewish nation and this act of cursing the tree served as a symbol of Christ’s rejection of barren Israel.

It was a fit emblem of religious hypocrisy where external semblance is a delusion and a sham, a fit picture of the nation with all her ostentatiousness, yet lacking in real spiri­tual fruit.

(/The Words and Works of Jesus Christ/, Pentecost, p. 378).

On this day “the Lord then proceeded to the city and entered the temple.

Some three years before He had cleansed the temple (John 2:13-16) from its corruption because of Annas’s bazaar.

That corrup­tion had now returned and the temple again was a place of merchandise” (Pentecost, p. 378).

So again, Jesus drove out the money changers.

In this act the Lord was demonstrating His authority over the temple and the religious life of the nation.

*Tuesday:* This was a day of *Messianic Polemic*, a day of challenge and controversy from the reli­gious crowds who reacted to His authority.

On this day He taught in parables, He solemnly denounced the religious leaders as blind guides and hypocrites.

After leaving that afternoon, Christ sat on the Mount of Olives and gave the Olivet Discourse concerning the destruction of Jeru­salem and end time events.

On this day also, the rulers were plotting His death.

*Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday:* These were days of *Messianic Preparation*.

Our Lord’s public ministry was over and He was further preparing His disciples for His death and for carrying on in His absence.

·         Wednesday was probably a day of rest in Bethany.

·         Thursday He sent two disciples into the city to prepare for the Passover.

·         Friday at sunset He ate the Passover with His disciples, instituted the Lord’s supper, washed the disciples feet, gave the upper room discourses of John 13 and 14, gave the discourses on the way to Gethsemene, John 15-16, prayed the high priestly prayer of John 17, and ago­nized in the Garden.

Later that evening, He would be betrayed with a kiss, apprehend­ed, tried before the Jews and the Romans, be­fore Annas, Caiaphas, before Pilate, Herod, and the before Pilate again.

He was then condemned and crucified.

But before all these events began, an event occurs that sets the stage for what was to follow.

It is an event that has a great lesson for us by way of our insight and response to the Savior.

I am speaking of the anointing of Jesus by Mary in the house of Simon the leper.

This act of Mary’s is recorded for us in Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; and John 12:2-9.

!

Scriptural Passages

Matthew 26:6-13 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it upon His head as He reclined /at the table.

/8 But the disciples were indignant when they saw /this, /and said, “Why this waste?

9 “For this /perfume /might have been sold for a high price and /the money /given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman?

For she has done a good deed to Me. 11 “For the poor you have with you always; but you do not always have Me.

12 “For when she poured this perfume upon My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial.

13 “Truly I say to you, wherever this Gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of in memory of her.” (NASB)

Mark 14:3-9 And while He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining /at the table, /there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; /and /she broke the vial and poured it over His head. 4 But some were indignantly /remarking /to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted?

5 “For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and /the money /given to the poor.”