Love's Aroma - John 12:1-11 (2)

Bruce Goettsche

Union Church of La Harpe Illinois

Gospel of John (2020) • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

0 ratings

· 129 views

Notes

Transcript

©Copyright May 16, 2021, by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

The Gospel of John is 21 chapters long. We are just past the middle of the book yet, as we begin John 12, we move into the last week of the roughly 3-year earthly life of Jesus. John gives significant priority to the previous week and the events leading up to the crucifixion because he recognizes that the crucifixion is the most essential act of our redemption because it paid (or atoned) for our sin.

The various gospels spotlight different things in that last week. Mark and Luke are straightforward. In addition to the expected events, Matthew focuses on the parables Jesus told. John emphasizes the instruction (especially the intimate instruction to the disciples) during the last week. We find some of the greatest passages in John in these words.

In John 11:54, we’re told after Lazarus was raised from the dead, Jesus moved north of Jerusalem to Ephraim. If the chronology of all the events in the gospels is correct (the facts ARE correct, but the facts are sometimes they are grouped thematically rather than chronologically), Jesus then went from Ephraim to Galilee.

In this case between 11:54 and this passage in John 12 Jesus (in a rather short period of time)

• healed ten lepers in the region between Samaria and Galilee (Luke 17:11–19)

• traveled and taught in the region of Judea beyond the Jordan (Matthew 19:1–12; Mark 10:1–12)

• warned his disciples that on this trip to Jerusalem, he would be crucified but would rise again (Matthew 20:17–19; Mark 10:32–34; Luke 18:31–34)

• healed a blind beggar near Jericho (Matthew 20:29–34; Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:35–43)

• helped Zacchaeus, a tax collector in Jericho, learn about eternal life (Luke 19:1–10).

After all of this, Jesus arrived back in Bethany to meet up with his friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. The other gospels tell us they met in the home of a man named Simon who had been healed of Leprosy.

It is easy to get this account confused with the record in Luke 7. In that passage, Jesus is also at the home of a man named Simon and a woman came in and wet the feet of Jesus with her tears (wiping them off with her hair) and put perfume on his feet. It sounds like the same story, but it is not. That Simon was a Pharisee not a leper. The woman was called an immoral woman (rather than a dear friend) and Jesus was criticized for even allowing the woman to touch Him. The Luke account was earlier in the ministry of Jesus.

With this introduction, let’s look at John 12 again,

Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

9 When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

This is six days from the Triumphal Entry, the beginning of the last week of Jesus’ life. Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem to willingly give His life as a sacrifice for our sin. He stopped in Bethany and his friends took the opportunity to have a party. There are several things to see in this account.

First, This Gathering Was Courageous

It was public knowledge that the leaders of Israel wanted to arrest Jesus. Anyone knowing of his whereabouts was to let the leaders know so they could deal with it. It was not a popular move to celebrate Jesus.

It is important to see this because I think you can say the same thing today. Celebrating Jesus, especially publicly, is not popular. It is fine to feel affection for Jesus, but you should keep it to yourself. This is because some believe Christianity is irrational (which we have continually argued is not true).

Some feel Jesus followers are divisive and hate-mongers because we proclaim Jesus is the only way to be saved. They conclude that announcing Jesus is the only way of salvation is to exclude all others from the opportunity to be saved. Of course, this is not true. What is excluded is all other MEANS of salvation. The way of salvation is open to anyone who will embrace Christ.

Still, others feel Christianity stands in the way of “progress.” They scoff at the unchanging nature of Christian morality and ethics. They call such faith old-fashioned, primitive, Victorian. In their mind, the world has evolved, and Christians have been left behind. The idea that there is a God who made us, and holds our destiny in His hands, is ridiculed and deemed foolish.

We, of course, ask in return “What if society is not evolving but devolving? Does not the evidence point to a more selfish, violent, gullible, and dis-engaged world in our present-day? The great ideas that were supposed to help us find utopia have left us with a diminished capacity to think and a perverse reinterpretation of love (now being something you get or demand rather than something you extend to others).

The take-away for us is this: though we need not worry about talk of persecution, we do need to prepare ourselves to take a bold stand for Christ. The Lord will sustain us but we must be faithful.

Second, Mary’s Actions Honored the Lord

This whole event sounds odd to us.

Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

Let’s set the scene. The guests were all at the table eating. Generally, they would be at a very low table reclining on their side with their feet stretched back from the table. In such a case, it would have been easy for Mary to get to Jesus’ feet. We don’t know this to be the case, but it was traditional - especially if you were having a big dinner party.

It was a Generous. If you were to go into a nice store and purchase a 12-ounce container of good perfume, it could be very expensive. But this perfume was even more so because spices and ointments needed to be imported. Sometimes they were even used as an investment because of their value, and it took up little space (like buying gold today). We hear it was valued at around 300 denarii, would be the equivalent of a year’s wages. It could have been a treasure that had been passed down to her, it may even have been given to her to be used as her dowry. The point is: it was of great value.

Scripture continuously challenges us to be generous toward God. This is not because the Lord needs anything we have to offer. It is because “where our treasure is, that is where our heart is.” Many people want to know what exactly they are “required” to give to the Lord.

Let’s ask another question: if your husband, wife, or even child did something because you told them they needed to do it, would you consider that a generous and heartfelt gift? You would not. Why do we think if we could simply fulfill what God required He would be pleased? The Lord is looking for a heart attitude. We show the right attitude,

· When we give a generous financial gift (an investment in a ministry, a project, or simply to ease the strain on a church budget) out of love for Him.

· When we devote a large amount of our “closely scheduled” time gladly (as we might do for our job or children) to Him or to ministry with others.

· When we give a generous donation of your talent to do what you are generally paid to do by others.

· When we get up before we are ready in the morning to spend that time with Him (like we would to meet with friends, or go fishing, or golfing, or head to a child’s tournament).

· When we quietly give to someone in need in some substantial way (and “substantial” is defined differently by each person) to alleviate a need.

In other words, the Lord is honored when we give generously of what we have to give to honor and glorify Him.

It was humble. It was common at a dinner party to put a little perfume on the head of a guest. This had a practical effect. It was often a hot environment. Bathing was not a regular occurrence and deodorant had not yet been invented. The perfume freshened up a person.

What Mary did was much more extensive. Matthew and Mark both say Mary washed his feet and wiped them with her hair she also poured the perfume on his head . . . as if she were anointing a King. Listen to these additional insights from a commentator,

This is noteworthy because it was considered beneath people to wash the feet of others. Even slaves had rights, and one of their rights was that they did not have to touch their master’s dirty and unpleasant feet. But Mary did not hesitate to wash and anoint Jesus’ feet. Skip Ryan comments: “Mary is giving up her rights before the Lord. There is nothing He cannot ask of her. Touching his feet becomes her pledge of unconditional service.”[1]

This also provokes some self-evaluation. Are we willing to likewise humble ourselves to serve the Lord? Are we willing to pick up trash we might see around the church, rake a neighbors yard, pull weeds, transport someone to a destination, go out of our way to help someone else as a way of honoring the Lord? Are we willing to be inconvenienced to honor Him?

It was perceptive. Jesus indicated that Mary was anointing Him for His burial. I don’t know if Mary did this consciously. Either way, she was practically preparing Him for the week ahead that led to the cross. We do know Mary understood who Jesus was and knew she should honor Him in the best way possible. She was honoring Him as her Lord.

Do you perceive who He really is? Do you understand what he has done for you? Do you worship and serve Him in light of what the future holds because of Him?

It was powerful. In the gospel we read, “I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.” What Mary did was powerful as an example of kindness and generosity. It was so remarkable it became her legacy. We are still talking about this extravagant love.

There is something else you might not have thought about. This perfume would have penetrated Jesus’ clothes and his hair. One wonders if the aroma of the perfume lasted through the week known as Holy Week. Could Jesus still smell this expression of love from Mary even as his disciples deserted Him? Could He smell it as he was interrogated and beaten during His mockery of a trial? Could He still smell it in His hair even as He hung on the cross, facing the wrath of God on our behalf? Was this generous act and encouraging reminder of her love giving strength to our Lord in this crucial time?

You will understand this better if someone expressed love to you in some extravagant and unexpected way. Your heart is still warmed when you think about that generous financial gift, or the person who went way out their way to help you, or the one who made it possible to take care of your sick child because they stepped in to care for your healthy children. Bold expressions of love are remembered for a long time . . . this is especially true when they are offered to the Lord.

Third, When You Serve the Lord Extravagantly You Can Expect Criticism

Mary honored Jesus in this wonderful way, but Matthew says, “the disciples were indignant,” Mark said, “some of those at the table we indignant.” John was quite specific,

These accounts do not “contradict” each other, they are complementary to each other. When we put the pieces together, we get a full picture of what took place. It is likely several people thought this was wasteful, but Judas spoke up. For Judas, he could imagine selling this perfume and pocketing some of the money from the sale. Instead, he felt the perfume was all dumped out and “wasted” in a frivolous manner.

This is a common criticism if you do something extravagant. If you give a large donation to your church or other charitable organization there may be family members who object to your actions (sometimes because they feel it is coming out of their inheritance). If someone (say a committee) wants to do something that really looks nice to honor the Lord but is expensive, or do something that is a little “out of the ordinary” in an attempt to reach out to others, there are going to be people who feel it is unnecessary, or too expensive. Likely there were those who criticized those who built the great cathedrals of the world.

There is a line of course, between extravagant devotion and generosity, and recklessness. However, I think that line is different from where we think it is. We tend to look at any action that is way beyond the norm as being “overly extravagant.” However, if it is something you want to do and you have the means to do so, and it is not to promote yourself but designed to honor the Lord . . . it is not extravagant, it is a bold and beautiful expression of love to God. It is right and good to look for ways to draw attention to Him, to honor Him, and to serve in His name.

John does not view Judas with sympathy. He does not see him as a misunderstood man. John views Judas as a man who was selfishly working an angle.

Jesus rebuked Judas, telling him to leave Mary alone. He adds an explanation why this extravagant act was not wasteful, but beautiful : “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” Jesus seems to be saying to Judas (and the rest of the grumblers) “You can help the poor any time you want (and should) but opportunities to honor our Lord come rarely. When we get the opportunity to honor Him, we should.

William Barclay writes,

There is here one great truth about life. Some things we can do almost any time, but some things we will never do, unless we grasp the chance when it comes. We are seized with the desire to do something fine and generous and big-hearted. But we put it off—we will do it tomorrow; and the fine impulse goes, and the thing is never done. Life is an uncertain thing. We think to utter some word of thanks or praise or love but we put it off; and often the word is never spoken.[2]

How many people intended to do something special (as a couple, a family, a business) but they never found time? Maybe it was a trip, a vacation or maybe it was something you always wanted to say to someone, or a visit you felt God leading you to make and you waited so long you missed your opportunity. We should take advantage of opportunities to express extravagant love. By definition, it is a unique, rare, and unforgettable action.

How much more should this be true of Jesus or our relationship with Christ? When we get an opportunity to honor Him in an extravagant way . . . we should do so. This is about stepping out of your comfort zone to do something big for the Lord. You will find it is an exhilarating thing to do.

There is quite the contrast in this story. You have the loving acts done by Mary, Simon, and Martha (who was undoubtedly preparing the food), contrasted with the complaining self-absorption of Judas. The question for most of us is this one: In which camp do you fit most comfortably? Are you the complainer or the person who loves big in wonderfully extravagant ways? Are you going to stand on the sidelines and criticize what others do or are you going to be a person who loves like Mary . . . in practical, generous, and significant ways?

May our love for God and those He loves, abound more and more.

[1] Richard D. Phillips, John, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, 1st ed., vol. 2, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2014), 74.

[2] William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of John, vol. 2, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster John Knox Press, 1975), 112.

Related Media

Related Sermons

Love's Aroma - John 12:1-11 (2)

​