Being fully committed to Jesus may not be met with the approval of others.
There will always be some who think you're wasting your time or your talent. But how does God see it? Today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg examines one woman's act of wholehearted devotion and the lasting impression it leaves. We're in Mark chapter 14. Places anchor events in our lives. And if we had the opportunity to be in the company of anyone who was present on this particular occasion recorded here by Mark, it is very difficult to imagine that they would say that of all the things they remembered in terms of their following and being in the presence of Jesus, this one was not right there at the top.
I would be surprised if that were the case. And what Mark tells us in this little section is that the ongoing drama which is taking place as described in verses one and two of the Pharisees, the scribes, the religious leaders moving now inexorably to the place where they're going to finally get a hold of Jesus of Nazareth and from their perspective be done with them once and for all. Against all the darkness and blackness, if you like, of that agenda, we have the magnificent light that shines out from there from the house of Simon the leper.
But I want to look at it just by noticing the way in which the story unfolds. First of all, we'll consider just one little phrase there in verse three, a woman came. A woman came.
And in looking at that, we'll consider her actions. And then in verse four, some of those present were saying indignantly to one another. In the English Standard Version, which I was reading in preparation for this, it actually says they scolded her. A woman came. They scolded her. And then thirdly and finally, the explanation and the commendation of Jesus. She did what she could. So it's very straightforward.
Even for an intelligent group such as yourselves, you need something to hang your hat on and here you have it. First of all, then, a woman came. Let us consider her action. Why did she come? Because she wanted to.
She comes carrying something. She comes with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. And it would be foolish for me as well to try and impress you with the the depth of my understanding of the way in which the plants of the foothills of the Himalayas were used in the production of this. Because you would say to yourself, you must have got that out of a book. Of course I did.
Where do you think you got it? Unless you were just wandering around the foothills of the Himalayas and did your own research. No. So be a complete waste of time.
This is just a sidebar for those of you who want to teach. Don't waste your time on stuff like that. Everybody knows you don't know anything about it. So you're not impressing them.
You're annoying them. So believe that. All we need to know is it was very expensive. That's all. We don't know where it came from really.
And they did. It's suffice it to say it wasn't something that the average lady would have had in her purse. It's not something that she would have picked up in Nordstrom on the way for an evening at the house of Simon the leper.
And he is very very careful to describe for us both the container and the content and the cost. It's an alabaster jar or an alabaster flask. Translucent material that in itself would be fragile and important and relatively precious. Not as precious as what was inside it.
What was inside it as we see is this ointment, this embalming oil, this perfume, whatever you want to think of it. And that is established as significant on account of its cost. So it was the cost of what was taking place here that was the occasion for the disapproval of some who were present. Perfume that costs a year's wages certainly could never be regarded as ordinary.
The monetary value was probably the least part of this. Because an item like this would be something that may actually have been a family heirloom. The kind of thing that may have been in a home from one generation to another. Or something that had been secured by a father and given to his daughter for a very very special purpose. So that as she looked at that alabaster jar, let's say in her bedroom or in a place of prominence in the house, she looked at it and imagined using it hopefully on the occasion of her wedding as a dowry, or perhaps on the occasion of her death used by someone to prepare her for her burial. In other words that alabaster jar represented her future in some measure. Represented her destiny in some measure. Represented in some measure her security. The kind of thing that you could actually say, well if I use my job and everything goes south I always have the alabaster jar.
Because I could live for a year on the strength of that. So to purposefully remove that jar from its location and take it with her on this occasion to the house of Simon the leper was a significant decision. Is it wrong? Is it too elaborate to suggest that by this action she was pouring away her future on the head of the Lord Jesus? That by her action she was surrendering in some measure her own personal plans and ambitions, her aspirations for the future? And judging from the reaction here she was also sacrificing her social acceptability in the present. What a strange thing for this lady to do. Oh it was customary for anointing to take place.
It was routine for hosts and hostesses to be extending this kind of courtesy to their friends. But this was far more dramatic than anything they had ever known. Because you will notice that we're told that she chooses not to pour out a little drop of it but she actually broke the jar. It's almost as if it's an expression of complete abandonment isn't it? I mean it would be one thing if you took along and you took the little top off if there was one and then you said now I've got to be very very careful this because this is this is very important for my future. I don't mind giving a little bit of this to Jesus but I certainly don't want him to have too much of it. I certainly don't want to break off for goodness sake. Well I suppose so.
No. No it's an act of extravagant generosity. It's an expression of peculiar commitment. Having served its purpose the jar would never be used again.
The archaeologists tell us that these jars are often found in the tombs where people have embalmed bodies preparing them for their entombment and then they have left the jar lying or the broken pieces of the jar were actually laid out on the bodies of the deceased as an expression of what has taken place. And that is the kind of framework that is for us here. It is an act of peculiar commitment. It is an impulsive gesture of self forgetfulness that emerges from a decision that was premeditated. Did you get that? So in other words it's not that she has abandoned her mind.
No. Let's put it in Romans 12 one and two terms. Therefore I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice to God. So if you like in the privacy of our own thinking she has already considered who Jesus is. I think this lady has an understanding of who Jesus is that is beyond even the fatheaded disciples who are present in the room. She moves to this appointment in the privacy of her own heart recognizing that for her to make this commitment in full view of others may well incur their displeasure as it does.
But the premeditation that has given rise to the action does not diminish the fact that she gestures in such an extravagant fashion. Now here's a thought. Jesus received this. When you read John or Matthew or Luke you read the parallel passages you realize that some says that it was on his feet or whatever. It just it just descended on Jesus. Now remember outside in the dark Jesus can no longer move around freely before the Jews. That's why in the next section he's going to have this strange direction to his disciples to find a guy carrying a water pot. The secrecy that is attached to that is not because Jesus is fearful but because he is moving according to God's predetermined plan and he is making plans in that way and outside in the darkness all of this plot is unfolding. And here as Jesus faces what he knows is is the giving up of his life. This lady comes and blesses him.
This is conjecture on my part. I imagine Jesus because he quotes the Psalms so much saying, Father you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil.
My cup runs over. As a result of the engagement of this woman who is anonymous in Mark and identified by John taking the extreme risk of incurring the disapproval of those who are present on that occasion because in the secrecy of her own life she has determined I am going to give my future. I'm going to give my everything to this Jesus of Nazareth. So we leave her action in the awareness of the fact that it was unique in its thoughtfulness. It was generous in its bestowal.
It was timely in its provision. How well did it go over? Well we're told and some of those present were saying indignantly to one another. There are a lot of harrumphing and snorting going on. A lot of growling.
You'll notice these people they always talk to one another. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another. They scolded her as the ESV puts it.
Now John is careful enough to tell us that Judas was the leader in this charge and you can see that for yourselves if you read there the record in John. But the group together engaged with him grumbling to themselves and growling at the lady. An expression of their anger and displeasure. Now she becomes the occasion of angry glances and the whispers of shocked disapproval because they regarded her action as extravagant which it was and as wasteful which of course it wasn't and they regarded it as a misuse of resources which it wasn't either. Their expressed concern for the poor was disingenuous.
It was a thin disguise for the fact that he had cold hearts and that he had tight fists. The disciples are now once again making it clear that they haven't understood the values of the kingdom at all. Judas in particular was following Jesus for what he could get.
He had no concept at all of what it might mean to give himself away to God like this. Jealousy combines with their stinginess. JC Ryle in the 19th century has a wonderful quote and I'm going to use it now so pin back your ears. The spirit of these narrow-minded fault finders is unhappily all too common.
Their followers and successors are to be found in every part of Christ's visible church. There is never wanting a generation of people who deny what they call quotes extremes in religion and are incessantly recommending what they term quotes moderation in the service of Christ. If a man devotes his time, money and affection to the pursuit of worldly things, they do not blame him.
If she gives herself up to the service of money, pleasure or politics, they find no fault. But if the same individual devotes themselves and all they have to Christ, they can scarcely find words to express their sense of folly. They're besides themselves. They're out of their minds. They're an enthusiast. They're a fanatic. But you see, the broken jar and the fragrance which John tells us filled the entire house.
The fragrance and the brokenness testified against their calculated pragmatism. If this lady had waited for the approval of the group, she would have never done what she did. If she'd come in and said, now listen guys, I've got with me an alabaster jar. I was thinking it might be a nice time. Jesus is here. Simon the leper.
It's a nice evening. And so on. I was thinking I'm just gonna smash it and anoint Jesus.
It had a hundred reasons to tell her. No, that's not a smart move. Don't be doing that now. Few people who have amounted to anything for God have amounted to something for God as a result of sitting down and waiting for their friends on the misty flats to get the picture. If you're gonna go for it, you're gonna have to go for it.
And there is no alternative but to go for it. Think about it. The philanthropy of Gates and Buffett, which is wonderful to give away all that money, the ecology that is concerned for the welfare of the world in which we live, is understandable too.
Cleveland is littered with medical facilities bearing the names of generous people. No one has a problem with that. But the idea that a lady would give it all up for the sake of Jesus of Nazareth?
I never heard of such a crazy thing. And so realize this. If we, like this woman, do our best and with proper motives seek to serve Jesus, don't be surprised if you meet with the disapproval of your friends. But remember this. At the end of the day, it's not what we say about ourselves or what others say about us that matters.
It's what God says about us. It's for that reason that we know the name of Jim Elliott. He was like all his classmates, like you, seeking to get a good education at a good college. Admittedly, not as good as this one, but nevertheless a good college.
Wheaton's pretty good. I say that just so it can go back to my friend, the president, Phil Reichen. He'll send me a note.
But that's, by the way, I've just been facetious. But remember he writes in his journal. He says that that he wasn't really trying to get a Bachelor of Arts.
He was trying to get an AUG, studying to show himself approved unto God. Well that brings us to the third and final phrase, and I'll just note it for you, and then we're done. Jesus says, listen, leave her alone.
She's done what she could. The disciples, you know, are quite a group, aren't they? I mean, they are just such... I don't mean to be smug or anything, but they really are. They're a hopeless bunch. I know they were chosen by Jesus, but they're a hopeless bunch. I mean, they're on the wrong side of the equation almost every afternoon.
Go through the Gospels and look at Jesus. We saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we told him to stop. He said, don't tell him to stop. One of them's going, see, I told you not to say that.
That's so stupid. What do you mean we told him to stop? I was telling him do it.
No, you were not. You said stop as well. Oh, be quiet. Jesus says, what a bunch, and could you move the kids? Please get the kids out of here.
We're trying to do evangelism with Jesus of Nazareth. Get them. No, just move them.
Just move them. That's all we're saying. Pardon?
Pardon? Oh, oh, you, oh, you want to bring them up so they can sit on your knee? Oh, yeah, see, I told you that. I told you that. That's what he wants.
He wants that kind of thing. I would just beg from a Samaritan village, Jesus, didn't go very well. Not a good response. Not one of our better campaigns.
In fact, they were downright nasty. Would you like us to call down fire from heaven? No, I don't think so. Not this afternoon, at least.
No. And now here they are. They scolded Jesus. And Jesus says, guys, leave her alone. She's done what she could. And he explains, the poor are our responsibility. They're our obligation all day, every day. But this, he says, is a one-off.
She either does it today, or she doesn't do it. She's done something beautiful. The word there in Greek is kalos. It's not agathos. Agathos is intrinsically good.
Kalos is beautifully good. She's done something that is beautifully good. She's anointed my body, an act of costly and humble devotion. All the commentators, without exception, say that when Jesus says she has anointed my body for burial, she was doing something that she didn't know she was doing, because she couldn't.
I'm not convinced by that. Why couldn't she know? Why couldn't she have an insight that others didn't have? How did the thief on the cross finally say, we're up here getting what we deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong?
Where did that come from? Isn't it possible that a tuned-in lady with a huge, big heart and a generosity of spirit saw something that these disciples never got? God does that for people.
He may do that for you, but know this. The self-contained people, the sensible people, the scolders, will fade into obscurity. It is the rash extravagance of the humble that will be remembered whenever the gospel is proclaimed. And long after human eloquence and human brilliance are forgotten, when the deeds and the titles of emperors and kings and presidents have been buried in the dust, Jesus says this beautiful, significant, timely act will be remembered. The pathway to lasting honor is to honor Christ. Her gesture was unique in its thoughtfulness, costly in its bestowal, timely in its provision, challenging in its impact, and lasting in its memory. And the very fact that we're thinking about it here in this beautiful place in the 21st century is testimony to what Jesus said. We have heard today the story of one woman's extravagant devotion and generosity. This is Truth for Life with Alistair Begg.
Please keep listening. Alistair will return in just a minute to close with prayer. Our messages this week are part of a series called Lessons For Life. These are messages originally delivered to college students, so to go along with Alistair's teaching we want to offer you a book that will be particularly helpful if you have high school or college students in your family. It's called Surviving Religion 101, Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College. This is a book written by a father who wants to prepare his children for college knowing that their Christian beliefs will be put to the test. Each letter is filled with advice and caution about interacting in a world where Christianity is countercultural. Request your copy of the book Surviving Religion 101 when you donate. Online giving is easy. You can just click the image you see in the app or visit our website truthforlife.org slash donate.
You may also want to let your college student know about the Truth for Life app. The app provides access each day to this program and a daily devotional, plus it includes a complete ESV Bible along with access to Alistair's entire teaching archive. Now let's join Alistair in prayer. Father thank you that the Bible is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. Confirm in us all that is of yourself. Banish from our recollection anything that is untrue, unhelpful. Pour out your spirit upon this place in increasing measure. Meet with us in the secret places of our lives so that our public displays of affection and commitment to you may not be acts of hypocrisy but may emerge from the reality of a life wholly given over to you. Thank you for this day which we now commend to you in Christ's name. Amen. It's unthinkable that one of Jesus' disciples would betray him. How could a devoted follower of Christ choose such evil? Tomorrow Alistair delivers a chilling warning to all who profess faith in Christ. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living.
