Mark 14:3-9

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Most days
We come
With expectation
Joy
And a measure
Of openness
Today some of us
Are feeling
The shadow of overwhelm
Dampening our spirits
And the string of upsets
Pulling us under
And how the,
(Somehow)
still surprising,
Disappointments
Sap our faith

Afraid that we sit
on the brink of nothing
With only ourselves
And not much more
We have learned
that more money
doesn’t cure this
Nor does power
Over others
To get them to do
What we wish
Nor some new distraction
To pull us away
From our own lives

We ask for ourselves
For our friends
The grace to feel your
Good great love
Today
A flicker
A reminder
A connection
A gentle swelling of hope
Just what
We aren’t sure
Still
Join us here today Lord,
Please
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: What we’re looking at this morning is an “in between” story

It comes after Jesus’ final day of public ministry and prior to the last supper
– what happens in this narrative is not a significant factor in the central plot of Mark’s Gospel
• it doesn’t add momentum to what’s already underway
• however, if Mark had not included this intimate scene,
◦ we would have lost more than an intriguing vignette,
◦ because this is one of the loveliest events in the life of Jesus
– Mark takes us to a home in Bethany,
• where a dinner was prepared for the Lord and his disciples
◦ what happens here is unique in the life of Jesus
◦ if we look carefully, we see a dark cloud hanging over this event
• like book ends, before and after the main event we see a theme:
◦ in verses 1-2, the “before,” where priests and scribes are plotting Jesus’ death
◦ in verses 10-11, after the dinner, Judas strikes a deal with the same men who want to destroy Jesus
▫ and embedded in the story itself, Jesus himself mentions his burial
– in fact, death is stalking Jesus through the entire chapter

Jesus had friends who lived not far from Jerusalem
“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 Mark 14:3

Bethany was a village on the backside of the Mount of Olives
– there is speculation about “Simon the leper”– who was he?
• but we don’t have to worry about that right now
◦ he had a home large enough to host Jesus and the disciples
◦ in fact, it may have been able to accommodate other guests too
• it would not be unusual for neighbors to gather in Simon’s courtyard, for a chance to see and hear Jesus
◦ “reclining at table” was quite literally dining etiquette at that time
◦ guests would lie on cushions or couches, resting on their left arm with their right arm in reach of the food
– so here’s the gang having dinner and the normal table conversation,
• then this woman enters with an alabaster flask of perfumed ointment
◦ John identifies her as Mary, the sister of Martha,
◦ but neither Matthew nor Mark mention Mary and Martha
• so for Mark, she remains anonymous
◦ and I believe this enhances the story
▫ she doesn’t have to be someone we know,
▫ someone who has a history with Jesus
◦ she could be any woman and every woman

Later on, in chapter 15, after Jesus has been crucified,
– Mark will tell us
“There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James . . ., and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem” (vv. 40-41)
• these women have been present all along, but in the background
• I wonder why Mark introduces them this late in the story
◦ was it safer for women than men to be near the cross?
◦ is it to set up the fact, women were first to the tomb?
◦ or do women have a special role in the life of Jesus?
▫ one that involves them more than only his birth and death?
▫ the woman in our present story is also connected with his death
– during dinner, she approaches Jesus, perhaps surreptitiously
• then she pours this fragrant oil over his head, in his hair and dripping down into his beard
◦ she takes liberties with Jesus, she doesn’t ask permission
◦ she acts as though she is his beautician
• I think she is pouring out her love on Jesus
◦ that in itself would make some people uncomfortable

“There were some who said to themselves indignantly, ‘Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.’ And they scolded her” Mark 14:4-5

Public demonstrations of affection tend to evoke different reactions
One person will say, “Oh, how sweet” – another will grouse, “Get a room!”
– Matthew says it was the disciples who were indignant
• maybe they were offended by her bold intrusion,
◦ and quickly came up with a reason to criticize her
◦ but what throws me was their question,
“Why was the ointment wasted like this?”
• how could they think that any gift given to Jesus was a waste?
– there is a mentality that is obsessed with monetary value
• it is a mind that is constantly calculating the cost of things
◦ the wise teacher warns us,
“Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;
do not desire his delicacies,
for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you,
but his heart is not with you” (Pr. 23:6-7)
◦ that type of person can’t comprehend the worth of intangibles
◦ the value of mercy, charity, generosity, love
• how can we measure the value of one who gives his life for another?

Now here’s a deception we can learn to recognize:
– when a person masks a bogus criticism with a thin veil of piety
“For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor”

Matthew and Mark spread blame for this protest over the other disciples or at least “others,” whereas John lays it squarely on Judas. It would be easy to see how Judas could raise this practical concern regarding finances and the pious possibility of helping the poor, and because his protest made sense and assumed a philanthropic motive it would immediately win the approval and agreement of others. It is doubtful that they were very often so close to something like the ointment which was of such great value.
When someone raises an angry (or emotional) voice of protest, as if deeply moved and therefore concerned to address a wrong action, the sentiments expressed instantly move others to the same furor, and their plausible arguments sound valid, until calmer and more enlightened minds prevail.
At any rate, John exposes Judas, explaining, “He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the money-bag he used to help himself to what was put in it” (Jn. 12:6).
– “and they scolded her”
• this woman did something that was exclusively for Jesus,
◦ and the disciples got upset
• Jesus had always been the giver – rarely the receiver
◦ I’ve been guilty of having a negative reaction toward another person for loving Jesus extravagantly
◦ now it is clear to me that I’m not in a position to measure anyone else’s love for Jesus

Here is one of the most wonderful things Jesus ever said:
“‘Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She had done a beautiful thing to me. 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” Mark 14:6-7

“Leave her alone” – Jesus rushes to her defense
– his first sentence is a command, “Stop!”
• his second sentence is a question, “Why do you trouble her?”
◦ if I put myself there, I see the disciples intruding into a private encounter,
barging into Jesus’ personal space
◦ he has this rare moment, and they’re ruining it
• is it even possible to love Jesus too much?
◦ to give him too much?
– what the disciples missed, was this was a rare opportunity
• the woman saw it – and jumped on it
“For you always have the poor with you . . .”
• everyone that evening had the opportunity to express their love
◦ some opportunities return every day
◦ other opportunities have an “expiration date”
• Jesus was there for the evening, and then he moved on
◦ perhaps we’ve wanted to do something for Jesus; we made plans or promises,
◦ but time passed and we never got around to it
“You will not always have me” – he warned them
– and that always burns a hole in my heart

Jesus explained, for their benefit, what her gift meant to him
“She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial” Mark 14:8

“She has done what she could”
– as a woman in that culture, and Jesus being a holy man, her options were limited
• earlier he said, “She has done a beautiful thing to me”
◦ passionate love creates beauty
◦ she did what she could, and it was beautiful
– she could not protect him from the cross
• she could not heal the sick or preach to the crowds,
◦ but she could give what she had
• God will never ask more of you than what you can give
◦ but I also think, he will never expect less
“she has anointed my body beforehand for burial”
– no one else saw that!
• I doubt she even knew what she was doing
◦ Jesus would be dead and in the tomb before his body was properly prepared
• is it possible she noticed something about Jesus that no one else did?
◦ a sadness of expression? a different look in his eyes?
– if we care about others, we pay attention, and we notice

Why does Jesus say wherever gospel goes, her story will go also?
– perhaps because she reflects what happens to a person who opens their heart to Jesus
• and give him whatever they can
• Mark could speak of her future fame, but without mentioning her name
◦ that way she would be remembered for what she did rather than who she was
◦ I don’t doubt that John had another reason for identifying her as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus

Conclusion: I’m going to take from this story just one thought for us to consider

This week, do a good thing for Jesus
And just for him,
because you love him