07.31.22 - Mark 14:1-9

Open your Bibles to Mark 14:1-9.  •We are continuing our study of the Gospel of Mark. •This morning we will be looking at the account of our Lord Jesus being anointed with perfume while He was in the town of Bethany.  We’ve come to the beginning of the end of Mark’s Gospel.  •In chapter 14, Mark begins his Passion narrative. Passion comes from the Latin that means “to suffer.”  •In this chapter, we begin the narrative concerning the preparation, betrayal, arrest, trial, condemnation, crucifixion, and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.  •This heart of our Faith is Christ crucified for sinners.  •And so, it makes sense that Mark, who is usually pretty quick in his narratives, slows things down at this point.  •Chapters 14 and 15, compared to the rest of the book, are an unusually long account of the events surrounding the death of Christ.  Everything is coming to a head.  •The crucifixion of Christ is soon to take place.  •The purpose for which Christ came into the world, to die for sinners on a cross, is right on the horizon.  •But before His death, a series of events take place.  •And, since they are recorded for us in the Scriptures, we know that God wants us to meditate upon them.  •He wants us to behold Christ in His glory, see the worth of Christ, the wickedness of sin, the sovereignty of Jesus over His own death, the sacrificial love of Jesus, the cost of our redemption, and the salvation that Christ has wrought by His blood.  And this morning we are going to be focusing on the worth of Christ.  •And to do that, we now come to a beautiful portion of Scripture about a woman who anoints Jesus with perfume.  •We will read of a disciple’s act of love and devotion to the Christ who would die for her sins.  My prayer is that, through this sermon, God would show us Christ.  •And that God would show us how we should esteem Him, love Him, and gladly give everything we are and have to Him.  •And, from that, may God remind us that what is done for Christ matters forever because, in grace upon grace, Christ remembers His servants.  If you would and are able, please stand with me now for the reading of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.  Mark 14:1-9 [1] 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,  [2] for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” [3] And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 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.  [4] 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.  [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.” (PRAY) Our Great God and Father,  We come before you now in eager expectation of what you will do through the preaching of your Word.  You love your Word. And you have promised blessing to those who receive it with faith.  And so, we ask that, by your Spirit, you would open our hearts to receive what you have revealed in the text of Scripture.  Teach us and reveal wonderful things to us this morning as we turn to your Word.  Show us your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Show us something of His infinite worth. For we know that if we get even the smallest glimpse of who He is, we will be changed.  Grant that we would behold Jesus Christ with the eye of faith. And, from that, grant that we would give all that we are to Him in love, for He first loved us.  We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.  Amen.  1.) The first two verses of our text tell about the plot of the religious rulers of Israel to arrest and kill Jesus.  •I intend to return to these verses more thoroughly next Lord’s Day, God willing.  •But it is sufficient for our purposes this morning to have this in mind from those opening verses: •Passover is going to take place in two days. It was the most important religious festival for Israel.  •Passover is the celebration of God delivering Israel out of slavery to Egypt.  •On the evening before the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a lamb was killed and eaten by those celebrating. And it was to remind Israel of when God commanded that the blood of a lamb be put on the doorposts of each house so that God’s wrath would PASS OVER the house as God judged Egypt.  •And when this Festival took place, the population of Jerusalem increased greatly, since sacrifices had to be offered at the Temple.  Now, our Lord was a very popular rabbi. We read of that throughout the Gospels.  •Hear me: Not many truly believed in Him. Not many recognized who He is really is. But He was nevertheless very popular as a healer and someone who taught.  •And so, because of His popularity and the increased population in Jerusalem during Passover, the religious leaders thought that it would be best to arrest Jesus by stealth so that a riot wouldn’t break out over a popular figure being arrested.  •The chief priests and scribes knew that the Romans would violently and quickly put down any kind of rioting.  •So, the religious leaders were looking for an opportunity to stealthily arrest Jesus and have Him killed. •In light of this, there is actually a good chance that they hoped to do this AFTER the festival was over.  But that was not God’s plan.  •There is a whole sermon that could be preached from these verses, but let me say this:  •God was sovereignly orchestrating the sacrifice of the True Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. And it was the will of God that Jesus die for the sins of His People during Passover.  •God controlled this whole thing. Not the religious leaders. And Jesus would be crucified on Passover.  But see this very simple truth: Jesus was hated.  •The chief priests and scribes want Him dead.  •And so, they are seeking a way to have Him arrested and killed.  •The first two verses of our text are full of hatred from the enemies of Christ.  But Mark quickly transitions to another scene.  •And the difference could not be greater.  •And we will see that, even in the midst of being hated by some, Jesus is loved by others.  2.) In vv3-9, Mark flashes back to a scene a few days before in the town of Bethany.  •The parallel account in John 12 tells us that this event happened six days before the Passover (Saturday).  •Mark says that this happened “while He was in Bethany.” But he DOES NOT explicitly link it to being two days before the Passover.  •So, there is no contradiction between Mark and John.  •Mark, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has taken this event chronologically out of order. And he has done so to make a couple of theological points. But John records it chronologically.  •Remember, the Gospels aren’t meant to be read like newspapers. Sometimes events are recorded out of order to make theological points. But it is always done in such a way that there is no actual contradiction.  But the text says they are in Bethany.  •This is a town right outside of Jerusalem. It’s where Jesus was staying before His crucifixion.  •And in v3 Mark says that they were “in the house of Simon the leper.”  •Obviously, Simon is a former leper. If he still had leprosy, nobody was permitted by the Mosaic Law to be near him.  •He isn’t a leper anymore. And I think it’s safe to say that, since he had Jesus at his house for dinner, that Jesus had healed him.  •So this is a meal where Jesus is an honored guest. He is among friends.  Mark records for us in v3: [3] And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 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.  •Now, who was this woman? Mark doesn’t name her. But John does.  •In John 12, we read that this woman is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.  •Why does this matter? Why do I want you to know that? Because Mary has heard Jesus teach.  •This is the same Mary that Luke 10:39 says, “…sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching.” •This is the same Mary who has seen Christ’s works. John 11 tells us that Jesus raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead. And she was there to see it.  •Mary believes in Christ. She is no stranger to Jesus. She is not a random woman.  •She is disciple. She is a friend of Jesus. She loves Him. She believes in Him.  And this is important for us to know, I think.  •Mary wasn’t one of the Twelve, but she was a disciple. To speak anachronistically, she was a Christian. She believed on Christ.  •And, as a disciple, in this text, Mary serves as an example for how ALL BELIEVERS are to esteem, love, and serve Jesus Christ.  •Mary is an example of the heart of all who love the Lord Jesus with sincere love and faith.  •Keep that in mind as we consider what she does.  3.) And what does she do? She gives a gift to Jesus. •Now, it was customary to anoint the heads of guests. Especially honored guests.  •But, even by the great standards of hospitality in that culture, what Mary did was EXTREME.  Mark says that she brought “an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard.” •Alabaster is rock that is somewhat soft and was often used for carving. It was especially used for decorative pieces and perfume jars.  •It resembles marble a bit. It can be very pretty. And, considering what was in the flask, I imagine that it was a beautiful piece.  And inside it was “ointment of pure nard.”  •It was a perfume oil. And it was “very costly.” •Perfume didn’t come cheap back then. Especially pure, undiluted perfume. And that’s what Mark says that she brought.  •Mark actually says that the perfume was worth more than 300 denarii. That is roughly a year’s worth of wages for the average person in that day.  •In our day and region, this would be as if someone got you a present that was worth $25,000-$30,000.  •This was an extravagant gift that Mary gave.  •And, considering that women were not generally allowed or able to work consistent jobs like men in that day, it is very unlikely that Mary worked and saved to purchase this.  •There is a good chance that this was a family heirloom of sorts. So there is sentimental value as well as high monetary value.  •This gift was very precious and very costly.  And what does Mary do with it? “…she broke the flask and poured it over His head.” •She broke the neck of the flask and proceeded to pour it out on Jesus.  •She broke it. That means it can’t be resealed. It must all be used at once. There is no reserve. And she intends to give it all to Jesus.  •She pours it ALL out on Christ. Mark tells us she poured it on His head. And John 12:3 tells us she, “anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair.”  •She doesn’t keep any back. She has brought a gift to Jesus and wants Him to have all that she has.  •She gives the most costly and best thing she owns to Jesus Christ.  •And she did it gladly. She wanted to. She wasn’t forced. She wasn’t coerced. It was her idea. She desired to do this for Christ.  See this: She anointed His head and feet. And she wiped His feet with her hair.  •This is an extravagant gift (costly). And this is servant work (she basically washed His feet with perfume).  •This is total self-abasement before the Savior. It is humility before the Savior. This is devotion to Jesus.  •Mary is declaring with her actions, “Jesus is greater than I am. Jesus is worth more than I am. Jesus is supreme over all. He is worth all I can give.” •Mary thinks more highly of Jesus than she does anyone or anything else in her life.  •And so, she gives the best thing she has to Christ. And she gives it all to Him gladly. 4.) Now, why did she do this? •I think there is only one reasonable answer: She recognized who Jesus is.  •At least, more than pretty much anyone else has at this point in Mark’s Gospel.  •That’s the only explanation for why she would do something so extravagant for Jesus.  •She knows that He is more than a mere teacher. She knows that there is more to Him than meets the eye.  Mary knows something of the worth of Christ.  •She’s a disciple, after all.  •But I think that she understands this even more than some of the Twelve.  •Mary understands that she should be washing the feet of Christ. Mary understands that nothing is too great to give to Him.  And based on Jesus’ words in v8, “…she has anointed me beforehand for burial,” we MIGHT conclude that she understood something of His soon coming death and it’s significance.  •She did, after all, sit at His feet and listen to Him teach.  •She believed His words. She understood that all who believe in Him, though they die, yet shall they live. •Maybe she understood something of the truth that He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. That He is the Lamb of God who would be given as a sacrifice for sinners.  •That He is the true Passover Lamb. And that she needs Him as her substitute before God so that’s God’s wrath for her sins might pass over her.  But again, see this: She knows something of the worth of Christ.  •She loves Him. So, she gives Him the best thing she owns. She esteems Him rightly.  •And, because of that, she recognizes that NO GIFT IS TOO COSTLY TO GIVE TO CHRIST.  •She recognizes that He is worthy of her all. And so, she gives all she has to Him.  NOTE: Brothers and sisters, do we not view Him the same?  •He died for us! He has saved us! Our has forgiven us for our sins! Our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed! •He is merciful to us! He is patient with us! He is kind to us! He cares for us! He loves us! •Do we not view Him just as highly and as just as lovely as Mary did?  •Surely, we do! For we understand more and better now, in light of His death and resurrection, than Mary did on that day! •She loved Him in light of what He WOULD DO. And even what she understood must have been somewhat shadowy for her.  •But we love Him in the FULL LIGHT and FULL REVELATION of what He HAS ACCOMPLISHED for us! •Surely, brothers and sisters, our love and esteem of Him is not less than Mary’s! (Perish the thought.) And catch this as well: Mary’s devotion was to Jesus Christ HIMSELF.  •Her devotion and love was for a PERSON. She did this to and for JESUS.  •Her devotion and love were not for a concept, doctrine, knowledge, institution, or tradition. It was for a Person.  •Hear me: I’m not saying that biblical concepts, doctrines, theological traditions, knowledge of the Word, or the institution of the Church is unimportant.  •BUT I AM SAYING that we are to love those things because they are RELATED TO THE PERSON whom we adore: Jesus Christ.  Sometimes, I think that we might get lost in other things and forget that our devotion is to CHRIST.  •And it is only because we love HIM that we care about the other things.  •Let me explain what I mean:  •My dedication to the Reformed Baptist tradition should be because I believe it is the clearest expression of what JESUS WANTS from me and what HE SAID in His Word.  •My love for the Church is to be because Jesus loves and established the Church.  •My love for sound doctrine and theology is to be because I want to see, know, and savor Jesus Christ and better understand His works and ways.  •My love for the Bible is to be because I love the words of JESUS and the Bible is HIS WORD.  Let this be burned into our minds: We love Christ.  •Christ is our all. Christ Himself is our desire.  •Our devotion and love is for a PERSON.  •Mary’s devotion was to Jesus. Her love was for Jesus. And ours is to be the same.  5.) Mary’s gift was great. And it’s a great example to us. But not everyone was pleased: [4] 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.  •The disciples rebuked Mary because they didn’t “get it.”  •They were upset because they thought the gift could’ve been used in a better/more appropriate way.  •They thought that selling the ointment and giving the money to the poor was a better idea.  •John 12 tells us that Judas, the thief, led the charge on this objection. And Matthew 26 tells us that at least some of the Twelve agreed with him.  They thought the perfume could’ve been put to a better use than pouring it on Christ.  •And so, “they scolded her.”  •They rebuked her. They spoke harshly with her. The Greek here is a word that means they were very angry. •“Why would you do that? That was stupid! Don’t you realize that we could’ve done something better with that. That was foolish! You’re overzealous!” •They scolded Mary because, out of her love for Christ, she gave an extravagant gift to Him.  But the sentence that stuck out to me in all of this is in v4: “Why was the ointment WASTED like that?” •Wasted? Are you kidding me?  •Can a gift even be wasted on Christ? Perish the thought! •To say that a gift is wasted is to say that: 1. The receiver wasn’t worthy of the gift.  2. The gift was too precious to give.  3. The gift could’ve been put to better use.  AND ALL OF THOSE ARE FALSE IN THIS INSTANCE.  •Maybe they’re true in other instances. But NOT in this one.  •Jesus is worthy of even more than a year’s worth of wages.  •The preciousness of the perfume doesn’t even begin to match the preciousness of the Lord Jesus.  •And worshipping Christ is the best use of anything you have.  •THERE IS NO BETTER USE FOR THAT PERFUME THAN WHAT MARY USED IT FOR THAT DAY.  •Spending it on Christ was the best thing she could’ve done with it. And Mary knew that. That’s what motivated her to do what she did.  •The disciples didn’t “get it.” But Mary did.  •The disciples undervalued Jesus. But Mary didn’t.  NOTE: See here the surpassing worth of our Lord Jesus Christ! •Jesus is worthy of our most extravagant love and devotion. There is no gift we could give to Him that is too great. There is nothing too big to give to Jesus.  •Nothing is too costly. Nothing is “too much” for us to do for Him.  •HE IS WORTHY!  •Think of the most extravagant thing you could give to Him. That doesn’t even begin to compare to His worth.  •Anything we could do for Him or give to Him pales in comparison to the reality of His majesty! •And the sooner we recognize this, the sooner we will be willing to lay our whole lives down in His service.  In this passage, the disciples seem to think that Mary was being too extreme in her devotion to Christ and her religious practices toward Him.  •She gave a $30,000 gift to Him. And they thought she was wasteful and foolish.  •But, brothers and sisters, there is no such thing as too extreme when it comes to our dedication and love for Jesus.  •The world may think so, but we know better.  •Ironically, the world will chase money, fame, power, status, and other things at all costs but no one calls that “extreme.” They call it dedication.  •But when it comes to religion, to paraphrase JC Ryle, the world demands that religion must remain tame and moderate.  •Brothers and sisters, that is nonsense.  Much of what we do does not make sense to the world: •Our constant fellowship with God’s People, •Consistent attendance at church services,  •Regular sacrifices of time to serve within the Church and its ministries,  •Giving 10% or more of our income to the Lord, •Dedication to read and study the Scriptures,  •Regular times of prayer, •Dedication to biblical ethics,  •Refusal to participate in sinful but culturally acceptable entertainments and activities, •Refusal to compromise when the Lord has spoken, •And many other such things we do, do not make sense to the world.  •Rather, they are viewed as extreme. And we are viewed as religious extremists because we take the Lord seriously and devote ourselves to Him and His will.  But there is no such thing as too extreme. And that is because there is no devotion so intense that Jesus Christ is not worthy of it! •Jesus is worthy of all we can give and much more! •As George Whitefield said, “O, for a thousand lives to spend in the service of Christ!” •Just as Jesus was worthy of Mary’s extreme devotion with the perfume, He is worthy of all we can give.  •The world won’t get it. But that’s OK. We don’t care.  •We don’t believe in moderation in religion because we know that Jesus is worthy! NOTE: While I’m still on the subject of the disciples rebuking Mary, let me say one more thing to encourage you: •It is almost inevitable that when you do something for Jesus, someone is going to criticize you for it. (Even those who also profess to love Jesus.) •There will often be naysayers who say that you could’ve done something better or that you could’ve done what you did in a better way.  •But don’t worry about that. DO SOMETHING.  •If the Lord has stirred you up to do something, do it.  •Those who constantly criticize the actions of their fellow servants usually aren’t doing much or anything themselves for the glory of Christ.  •But Mary did her act out of love for Jesus. And Jesus approved of it. The same is true for us.  •So long as it is not sin, and it is done out of sincere love for Christ, Jesus will be pleased.  6.) And that brings us to a related point in this text: The disciples disapproved. But Jesus approved.  [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.  •Jesus says that what Mary did was BEAUTIFUL.  •And why was it beautiful to Christ? •Because it was a sincere act of LOVE FOR HIM.  •Brothers and sisters, Jesus knows the intentions of our hearts. And what is done out of love for the Savior is beautiful in His eyes.  Do you hear me?  •Whatever you do, so long as it is not sin (for sin can never be committed out of love for Christ), if what you do is out of love for Jesus, it is beautiful to Him.  •The world may think it is foolish. The world may think it is worthless. Even some of your fellow Christians may think that as well.  •But if it is done with a desire to glorify the Savior, HE LOVES IT.    •Just like a father loves the worthless drawings of his child, so Jesus Christ loves the works of His children that are done out of love for Him.  •To paraphrase R. Kent Hughes: There are a lot of things that Jesus finds beautiful that maybe we wouldn’t: two widow’s mites, cups of water given to His disciples, broken alabaster boxes, and anything else that is done out of love for Him.  •Jesus accepted Mary’s act of love. He embraced both it and her. He received it gladly and praised her for it.  NOTE: That’s all that matters.  •Brothers and sisters, stop caring what people think and care only for what the Lord thinks.  •If His smile is upon you, let the whole world frown.  •If He says, “Good,” then let the whole world say, “Bad,” and it doesn’t matter. Because they’re wrong.  •If He is pleased, then you are safe and blessed.  7.) I want you to catch something else about the worth of Christ here: •Notice in v7 that Jesus implicitly shows us something about Himself.  •Notice that He doesn’t disagree that the perfume could’ve been sold and used for the poor.  •He actually commends helping the poor in v7. He doesn’t say that His disciples shouldn’t do that.  •And He doesn’t dispute that the money could’ve been used that way.  •But He DOES SAY, nevertheless, that what Mary did was beautiful. It was good. It was right. It was proper.  Question: How can Jesus say that even though the money could’ve been used for the poor, it was still right to give the gift to Him? •Who among us could say that it is good, or even better, to give us a gift than to help the poor? •None of could say that. That would the height of arrogance. That would nearly be blasphemous considering that God commands us to help the poor.  •But Jesus says it.  •And that tells us something about Jesus: He is God.  The only thing higher on the list than loving your neighbor and helping the poor is LOVING GOD and worshipping Him.  •And here Jesus says that it was right for Mary to give Him the gift instead of selling it and giving the money to the poor.  •Only God could say such a thing about Himself. Only God is worthy of that kind of devotion and sacrifice.  •Brothers and sisters, see in this text that Jesus Christ is God. And God is worthy of our full devotion.  •The poor are not to be ignored. But worshipping God, giving to Christ as He stood on the earth, was more important and better.  I know it is a simple thing to say. But it has enormous implications on how we live and devote ourselves to Jesus: He is God.  •He is worthy of our most costly gifts.  •And the more we meditate on the fact that Jesus is the only true and living God, the more we will begin to esteem Him as we ought.  •The more we see that Jesus is God in the flesh, the more we will see that He is worthy of our giving ourselves wholly up to Him in all things.  •The more we see Him in His majesty as God, the more we will offer our lives as a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to Him.  8.) But as Jesus is praising Mary for her gift, He says another thing that is worthy of our meditation. •In v8, Jesus says, she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.  •By anointing Jesus with this perfume, Mary had done something incredibly significant: She had anointed Jesus beforehand for burial.  •Now, maybe Mary didn’t realize the full symbolic significance of what she had done. And maybe she did.  •But, either way, Jesus says that she has anointed Him for burial.  •Once again, Jesus affirms that He will die.  •As at many times before in Mark’s Gospel, the clock chimes marking Jesus’ approach to His death on the cross.  See this: This Jesus, who is worthy of all love, and devotion, and extravagant praise (like Mary has shown), is GOING TO DIE.  •This Jesus, to whom all men everywhere own their love and praise, for He is God, is GOING TO DIE.  •And He is going to die because He is going to give Himself as a ransom for many.  •He is going to lay down His own life for His sheep.  •He is going to die a substitutionary, atoning, wrath-satisfying, sin-cleansing death for all who will trust in Him.  •He is going to die as the Lamb of God, as the Passover Lamb for all who will believe in Him.  •And, by His death, He will save the People of God from their sins.  This, brothers and sisters, is one of the greatest reasons WHY HE IS SO WORTHY of our love and devotion.  •Show me another supposed God, in all the religions of the world, who took on flesh in order to DIE for those who had sinned against Him.  •Show me another supposed God, who would become a man in order to suffer for sins He did not commit.  •Show me another supposed God, who would lower Himself to the grave in order to give life to the very ones who have offended Him.  •Show me another! I dare you! I challenge you!  •Look in all the false religions of the world and you will not find anyone like this! You will not find any God like this! You will not find any Good News like this! •And you will not find another like Jesus because there are none like Him! •You will not find another like Him because none are worthy like Him! •You will not find one like Him, who is worthy of your love and devotion, for none are worthy but Him! BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP THIS JESUS!  •Give Him your all! He is worthy! NOTE: Mary’s precious gift, which was really an anointing of Jesus for burial, reminds us of how precious the death of Christ really is.  •The value of the perfume is symbolic of the value of Christ crucified and dying for sinners.  •And the value of His death in INESTIMABLE! •His death is our life! His blood our our salvation! •By His wounds we are healed of our sin-sickness! •There is nothing so valuable as the Savior, dead for us! it is our glory! Yes, we glory in a Savior who died! •The death of the One has brought life to all who believe.  And there is something else glorious for us to see here: •Mary anointed Jesus beforehand for burial. And that’s a good thing, too. Because after His death, she would have no opportunity to anoint His body again.  •Why? For He has risen! •As the angel said, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here…” (Mark 16:6) •He died for sinners. But He is alive forevermore. He is risen. Risen victorious, as our Savior, and as our Surety before God! 9.) A final point I want to make from this text is from our final verse: [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.” •Jesus says that what Mary did would be remembered forever.  •Her devotion for Christ, her love for Christ, her worship of Christ will be remembered forever.  •And the fact that we are talking about it today is a fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy here.  •And her actions and view of Christ is still worthy of our imitation today.  But there is a principle here, I think. And it’s really weighty: •Jesus took note of what Mary did. He was pleased with it. It mattered to Him. And He said that it would be remembered forever.  •Brothers and sisters, see this: What is done for Christ matters. And it matters forever.  •What is done for Christ will one day be told and retold for eternity.  •What is done for Christ is all that matters in the end. And it matters because He will remember it.  Brothers and sisters, live in light of the next 10,000 years.  •In millennia to come, nobody will be talking about the money you made, the success you had, the stuff you owned, the sights you saw, or anything else about you.  •But what is done for Christ is REMEMBERED BY CHRIST and, therefore, remembered by His People forever.  What a glorious thing! •The King, who is owed everything by all, takes note of what is done for Him by those who love Him.  •How gracious! How kind! How humble that He would take note of what any of us do for Him.  •After all, we are “unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.” (Luke 17:10) •Though we are unworthy servants, Jesus takes note. And He remembers. And He remembers forever.  Brothers and sisters, live in such a way that the King will speak of you “doing a beautiful thing” to Him.  •Even the smallest thing, if it is done out of love for Christ, MATTERS FOREVER.  •Ordinary living, done in obedience and love for Jesus MATTERS.  •And it will be marked and remembered by the Savior.  •Love for the Lord is what matters in the end.  •As one Christian poet said, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Brothers and sisters, Jesus is telling us, “I will remember.” •And how blessed we are to know that Christ honors those who honor Him.  10.) As I near the close of this sermon, brothers and sisters, please hear me: •Jesus is worth more. More than you think. More than you could ever imagine.  •So give Him everything.  •Nothing is too much.  •No gift you give, no obedience you render, no sacrifice you make is too much.  •He is worthy.  And what you do for Him will be remembered forever.  •It will be remembered by His People as we praise Him for eternity.  •But most importantly, it will be remembered by Jesus Himself.  Think on these things. And live for Jesus.  •For He is worthy.  May God grant each of us to see a glimpse the worth of Christ today.  •Amen.