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great God we are so glad that we can say it Is Well with My Soul and that’s all because of Jesus it’s all because of his robes for ours oh Lord Jesus show us more of your worthiness this morning so that we might be drawn even more deeply into worship loving worship of you and yes walking in even greater Holiness because of it in Jesus name amen something that I’ve always found fascinating is the etymology of words that is the process for how a word we use today has come to have its meaning or meanings because you see words are not static it’s not like they have one definition and then that one definition remains unchanged across time rather words often evolve or they acquire additional meanings as people use old words in new ways take for instance the word radical if you were born before the year 1990 there’s a good chance you’ve heard someone use the word radical as a compliment radical they might say about your outfit or even simply that’s rad such usage doesn’t seem to fit with the main dictionary definition of the word or how maybe it’s commonly used now so what is the atmology or history of this word radical well the English word radical comes from the Latin word radics meaning root root is the main idea of the radics word stem as we can still see in plenty of English words a square root in math is called a radical a radish is a root vegetable and to eradicate means most literally to tear out by the roots or to completely eliminate thus originally by about 1650 or so the word radical in English meant relating to the root or figuratively speaking essential going to the origin by the 1780s however the term radical had often become paired in political discussions with the word reform politicians championing championing radical reform we’re looking for fundamental change change at the roots and such political Advocates soon became known as radicals thus by the 1920s the word radical had come to mean unconventional or extreme something fundamentally different even from the roots and in the 1970s the word became picked up by American Surfers to describe extreme surfing moves moves at the limit of a surfer’s control to attempt and pull off such difficult moves what considered worthy of admiration so if your Surfer technique was called radical well then that was a compliment you were cool and due to the popularity of surfing in American culture at that time this complimentary sense of radical soon appeared in youth slang but late 1970 American young people were using the term radical and its shortened form rad to mean that something was simply excellent extraordinary or wonderful you say that’s all very interesting what’s your point Pastor Dave I bring the history of the word radical to your attention this morning because what we’re going to see in our next passage in the Gospel of John is radical and in multiple senses of the word we’re going to see a woman perform a clearly unconventional Act of devotion for Jesus even something that everyone else present at the time would have considered extreme we’re going to see that this unconventional gesture was nevertheless extraordinary truly wonderful excellent worthy of imitation we’re also going to see from where this extreme Act of devotion came from a deep rooted love and fundamental conviction that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and in reporting this event to us our author the Apostle John speaking by the spirit of God he will teach us that such radical Devotion to Jesus is in fact essential to being a Christian that’s what it means to be a Christian that’s at the root of being a Christian thus in similar way John exhorts us to the same kind of joy-filled faith that perseveres even amid hardship and opposition take your Bibles and open to John 11:55 today we’re looking at a radical anointing a radical anointing John 11:55 to 1211 is our passage you can find it on page a, 75 if you’re using the Bibles we’ve provided 1,75 John 11:55 to 121 or 1211 before we read the passage remember the preceding context just a couple of months before his crucifixion Jesus returned to hostile Judea to raise his friend Lazarus who had been in the Tomb 4 days from the dead while this was a spectacular miracle that caused many to believe in Jesus it also hardened the resolve of jesus’ enemies to destroy him we saw last time we were in John in John 11:47 to 54 how the Sanhedrin that’s the governing Council of the Jews in Judea made up of the chief priests the Pharisees and the elders and led by Wicked Caiaphas the high priest the Sanhedrin officially agreed to kill Jesus yet since Jesus knew of the sanhedrin’s resolution he withdrew again from Judea until the proper time but now the proper time has arrived we pick up the narrative in John 11:55 let’s read down to John 12:11 to see our new section now the Passover of the Jews was near and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves so they were seeking for Jesus and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple what do you think that he will not come to the Feast at all now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was he was to report it so that they might seize him Jesus therefore 6 days before the Passover came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead so they made him a supper there and Martha was serving but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair and the house house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume but Judas a scariot one of his disciples who was intending to betray him said why was this perfume not sold for a 300 dener e and given to poor people now we said this not because he was concerned about the poor but because he was a thief and as he had the money box he used to piler what was put into it therefore Jesus said let her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial for you always have the poor with you but you do not always have me the large crowd of the Jews then learned that he was there and they came not for jesus’ sake only but that they might also see Lazarus whom he raised from the dead but the chief priests plann to put Lazarus to death also because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus with this account we’ve nearly arrived at Jesus passion week the week that culminates in his crucifixion already in this text though we’re not quite at that week we see a gathering storm as if it is about to break the Jewish leaders are preparing imminently to seize and execute Jesus and perhaps some of jesus’ followers but like a calm before this storm we also have this scene of radical Worship in Bethany almost spoiled by Judas the betrayer but in the end protected and Vindicated by Jesus himself so that we might learn from it here’s our passage’s main idea John records Mary’s radical Act of devotion so that despite opposition you also will radically love pursue and serve Jesus it’s pretty straightforward John records Mary’s radical Act of devotion so that despite opposition you also will radically love pursue and serve Jesus the passage divides into three main parts but I’m going to break down the middle part the second part into some sub points because it is the most important P part of the passage so you’ll see all of that in my sermon outline let’s take a look at the first main part as we walk through the passage and that part appears in John 11:55 to 57 what do we see number one the Jews gather while they’re leaders order murder the Jews gather while their leaders order murder let’s reread verse 55 now the Passover of the of the Jews was near and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves notice here that we are told that the Passover of the Jews is again Drawing Near this is the third Passover mentioned explicitly in John’s gospel and it is probably the fourth in Jesus three and a half year public Ministry once again because it’s Passover all Jews are all Jewish males I should say are required by Torah to celebrate this feast in Jerusalem and as a Jewish male Jesus is included notice in verse 55 that many of the Jews have already left their various towns and villages in the countryside to arrive early in Jerusalem why we’re told so that they might make sure that they are ceremonially clean and pure to celebrate the Feast this was required in God’s law but cereem ceremonial cleansing isn’t the only topic on these Gathering Jews Minds as we can see ourselves as we move into verse 56 so they were seeking for Jesus and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple what do you think that he will not come to the Feast at all notice that though these Jews are coming from different areas they’ve all heard much about Jesus and they want to see him remember that though the religious leaders have pretty much cemented their hatred their murderous hatred for Jesus Jesus Still Remains popular with the common people and they still want to see him and be with him unable to find him immediately the gathered Jews take to speculating about whether Jesus will show up for Passover even suggesting he may notice from the form of their question that he will probably not come he probably won’t come at all why not well verse 57 gives us a strong hint now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was he was to report it so that they might seize him it’s not entirely clear in verse 57 to whom the chief priests and the Pharisees have given orders concerning Jesus do they give orders to just their own ranks and Associates or did they give this order to all the people either way the people even the pilgrims arriving in Jerusalem from various places they quickly become aware of their religious leaders orders and thus suppose that Jesus will not obey the law to save his own skin he’s not going to come to Jerusalem for Passover but as we’ll see Jesus is coming to Jerusalem he’s not even going to be secretive about it this time and why not because Jesus is on a mission he knows the hour of his glorification through the cross has come and he will not evade it yet before his big reveal in Jerusalem even his triumphal entry Jesus makes a pit stop in Bethany where a profoundly beautiful event takes place we now move to the second part the most important part of this passage in verses 1 to8 of chapter 12 this is where we see number two Mary expresses radical Devotion to Jesus by anointing Mary expresses radical Devotion to Jesus by anointing and we can break this section into four mini parts and the first mini part covers verses 1 to two and that is to a Bethany’s honoring meal Bethany’s honoring Meal look at verses 1 and two again Jesus therefore six days before the Passover came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead so they made him a supper there and Martha was serving but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him well what do you know Jesus is back in the village of Bethany where he had just been in John 11 and he’s back again with that family that he loves Lazarus Martha and Mary now John tells us that Jesus arrives in Bethany six days before the Passover as the Passover would begin at sundown on Thursday and run to sundown on Friday day in the Jewish Reckoning the phrase 6 days before the Passover most likely means that Jesus arrives in Bethany on Saturday or the Sabbath of the previous week notice in verse one at the mentioning of Bethany again we are immediately reminded that this is the town of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead you say well why did he include that detail didn’t we just read about that did the author think that we forgot no he knows or suspects you probably haven’t forgotten but this is for emphasis John wants to reemphasize that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and this is the town where that happened because it was such a such a stunning miracle and it had such an effect on the community and those who visit it in fact that Resurrection Miracle probably has something to do with the supper offered in verse two notice verse two says that they made him a supper there who’s the they the only person introduced in Beth so far has been Lazarus so who’s the they John doesn’t tell us specifically but the answer most likely is the whole village or at least several prominent families in Bethany since we quickly learn that Martha herself is serving in verse two we might expect that this dinner is taking place at Mary’s Martha’s and Lazarus home but Matthew and Mark tell us in their parallel accounts which are in Matthew 26 and Mark 14 we read the mark 14 account earlier in the service that this dinner in fact takes place in the home of Simon the leper Simon the leper you say who’s that and how is this group going to eat in a lepers home well we don’t really know anything about Simon except that he Host this dinner but as for his leprosy Simon was probably an ex leop as Jesus had a habit of casting out and healing leprosy anyways this Simon of bethan whoever he was he’s hosting the dinner probably in honor of Jesus considering what he did for Simon and what he did for Lazarus but Simon invites the Bethany Trio Jesus disciples and others to join in Martha somewhat unsurprisingly volunteers to serve without any complaining this time Lazarus meanwhile is one of the invited guests who reclines at the dinner table along with Jesus but where’s Mary now she’s preparing something radical as we find out in verse three this is to be Mary’s worshipful anointing Mary’s worshipful anointing verse three Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with their hair and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume without any additional background to verse three we probably quickly understand that what Mary does here with the perfume is special and a clear Mark of her devotion and love for Jesus her Messiah but allow me to point out how some of the details that are mentioned here make this active worship even more significant Mary as you can see from verse three anoints Jesus with perfume or more specifically perfumed oil so this is a liquid but it’s a thickish liquid and it’s very aromatic and notice how much perfume she uses a pound that is a Roman pound which would be about 11 oun in our American System notice what kind of perfume she uses nard also called Spike nard it’s a type of Honeys suckle plant that grows in China India and in the Himalayas of Nepal it has spikes or root stems that can be crushed and distilled into a thick aromatic oil a perfume basically considering its distant origin Mary could only have obtained this nard if she or more likely someone else brought it back to her from the Far East or if a merchant from that area made it available locally either way as an exotic good and as a perfume this aromatic oil must have been very expensive and that’s what John tells us explicitly notice verse three says it was very costly how costly well in a moment we will see Judas scariot value the perfume at 300 dener e or even more which in those days was about a Year’s wages for a day laborer if you think about a Denarius it’s like a day’s wage and then a year if you take out the sabbaths and other holy days maybe 300 days of Labor that’s how much you would earn 300 ner e now I’m not exactly sure of the modern equivalent of this but if we do a simple calculation and this country a Year’s worth of work at the federal minimum wage of of $725 cents an hour would earn a person about $115,000 in a year if you’re a day laborer this my idea of an equivalent you would earn $115,000 in a year this little jar of perfume 11 o of this nard would have been worth at least as much today if not more Matthew and Mark additionally tell us that this perfumed oil was in an alabaster vial or jar or bottle ancient Middle Eastern Alabaster it’s probably calite it’s a soft white lustrous Stone well suited to small carvings such as perfume bottles no doubt the beautiful container only contributed further to the value of this perfume notice also that this nard in verse three is said to be pure which is the most likely meaning of an otherwise inscrutable Greek word hardly appears anywhere it was appar common in those days for genuine nard oil to be mixed with false nards and other herbs to make production of the perfume a little bit cheaper but Mary’s perfume is apparently not such a mixture it is highquality unadulterated nard it is pure nard now we might ask what is Mary doing with such nard in her possession $155,000 perfume why would she have such an expensive object good question it could be that this Bethy family was relatively welltoo and had some extra wealth to acquire certain exotic Treasures like this one to be personally used and enjoyed now and then we did see in John 11 that upon Lazarus death many Jerusalem families came to visit the sisters which is highly surprising unless this Lazarus family was relatively prestigious and perhaps wealthy it could be that this perfume was acquired in anticipation of family funerals as we saw last time it was the Jewish custom when a beloved family member died instead of embalming the body you heavily perfumed it this is the way that you honored your loved one upon his death therefore many Jewish families because of this custom because of this expectation if they had the means they would buy yes even expensive perfume for just such a purpose so perhaps that’s why Mary has the nard though if that’s the reason it is curious that the perfume was not used up already at Lazarus funeral though then again maybe they had more perfume they used up some this is more that they had more that Mary had it could also be that this nard is a family heirloom and a personal security of Mary’s that was not obtained for any particular purpose or for daily use but to be honored as a family treasure or to be utilized as an emergency resource kind of like stored up wealth ready to be given away or sold if the circumstances required it in the end we don’t know why she had it but the nard appears to have been her own and not merely the family’s object since Mary apparently determines its ultimate use without consulting anybody else anyway so Mary has this clearly EX exotic treasure this $15,000 perfume and she brings it out at the dinner honoring Jesus what does she then do with it does she show it off everyone so that they might oo and a does she let all the guests have a sniff maybe a little dab on their wrists no what does she do she pours the whole thing on Jesus notice verse three says she took the pound of perfume and anointed Jesus feet with it that phrasing implies that she used up the entire pound on him otherwise why tell us the amount Mark tells us that Mary broke the neck of the bottle before pouring it which you would only do if you intended to pour out the oil quickly and you did not intend to seal it up again Matthew and Mark say that she anointed his head with it while John here says that she anointed his feet wait that’s different is that a contradiction between the accounts no it’s just different emphases because what is Mary doing she’s anointing his whole body head and feet notice verse three says that she anointed his feet and wiped his feet with her hair wait a second why would she wipe his feet if she’s pouring out the this precious oil on him to perfume him why would she then try and wipe it off isn’t that counterproductive well consider if she just poured out this whole bottle of perfume and put in especially large amount on jesus’ feet there’s a strong possibility that she may have put too much in the feet area and then Mary thought that she would wipe away the excess and this is not too hard to imagine have you ever put on too much lotion on yourself or another person what do you do when you realize that you put on too much do you just leave it there no that would be potentially uncomfortable but what do you do you get something to wipe off the excess not all of it but the excess or you spread the extra somewhere else even on your own body and this is exactly what Mary does but notice what she uses to wipe away the excess it’s radical she uses her own hair you might ask what’s so radical about that well first Mary is putting her hair and consequently her head and face by using her hair to wipe off this oil she’s putting all of that right next to Jesus feet and the feet in those days were considered one of the dirtiest parts of the body and not just considered they actually were one of the dirtiest parts of the body the feet became dirty from all the sweaty walking around on the dusty roads and such feet got really gross no one would ever choose to wash your feet unless they were ordered to as slaves a nobody want to touch that get those out of here wash your own feet that was the attitude but Mary doesn’t recoil from jesus’ feet she not only perfumes them then but she wipes them with her own hair there’s another reason why this is radical and those days a woman letting down her hair in public was considered scandalous people commonly felt that a grown woman’s loose let down hair was way too intimate and alluring in other words publicly Loose Hair was taken as a sign of loose living according to the respectable the only persons who should see a woman’s let down hair with a woman’s husband and perhaps her closest family members her parents and siblings otherwise a woman should have her hair covered or bound up on her head yeah what do we see Mary doing here she unbinds her hair or she uncovers her hair and lets it flow Loosely so that she May readily use it to wipe the excess oil from jesus’ feet now was that a planned move or spontaneous move on Mary’s part we don’t know all we know is that she did it so what does all this mean what is Mary communicating to Jesus and to the onlookers by this radical anointing it’s not too hard to see is it is it not that Jesus is the most special person in the universe and that she loves and adores him you know in those days to anoint someone with oil especially perfumed oil was one of the highest honors one could bestow on another Mary does this readily to Jesus and with the most precious perfume that she has as if to say Jesus you’re worth way more to me than even my greatest treasure I want you and I want everyone else here to know that I want you to have the highest honor among all because you deserve it you are that great furthermore the method in Mary’s anointing it stresses her own sense of grateful unworthiness yes she pour perfume on his head according to Matthew and Mark because he is the king he is worthy of even Royal anointing but she spends more time at his feet because she feels keenly her own loneliness before him but actually taking the lowly position before Jesus is not a difficult and odious thing to her it becomes for her an honor she’s not even scandalized by using her own hair to wipe his feet though others might be a Gass at that she clearly has the same attitude as John the Baptist does at the beginning of this gospel you remember what he said the one coming after me I am not fit to even untie his sandals I’m not fit to go near those feet and do even the lowliest task the one fit for slaves it would be too much of an honor if I were granted to serve Jesus that way that is Mary’s own heart to her no sacrifice no service for Jesus is too great no honor too much to bestow on him why is that is it because she expects that Jesus will save her if she shows him enough appreciation is it because she expects that Jesus will give her all her heart’s desires in this world and in the next if she just does enough for him no it is not those reasons rather it is because Jesus has saved her and she knows that and it is because he himself self is her heart’s desire in this world and in the next now don’t misunderstand we’re not talking here about some mere romantic infatuation Mary has with Jesus no this is the heart of true faith and worship that really all Christians should have and grow in Mary like the different Psalm writers in the Bible if you read the Psalms read the Psalms of David you’re like man this guy loves the Lord Mary is like that too why because the psalmist Mary they come to behold God in his eternal glory they see it so clearly and they know that they not only know that the proper response is wholehearted worship but they are glad to offer it Lord Jesus I see that you deserve this and I am so glad to give it to you Devotion to Jesus is not a Hal to issue for Mary it is a get to issue and God is showing that it should be for us as well now was Jesus pleased by Mary’s radical display of devotion yes as we’ll see more in a moment but notice how verse three ends with the description of the house being filled with the smell of the perfume that kind of seems like an odd detail why is that included it doesn’t really Advance the story in any way well for one it it helps emphasize the amount and the quality of the perfume it’s not that Jesus merely smelled good as a result the whole house did some I me perfume and that was a lot of it but I can’t help also seeing along with many other Bible interpreters that there’s an overtone of symbolism in this description just as true worship is often described in the Bible as a pleasant Aroma even wafting up the God and being appreciated by God’s people so is Mary’s worship here her devotion her radical devotion is like a pleasing fragrance spreading through the whole house to the glory of God but there is at least one person present at this worship scene who doesn’t like what he smells and that’s what we hear about next in verses four five and six this is 2C now Judas hypocritical rebuke Judas hypocritical rebuke look at those verses but Judas a scariot one of his disciples who was intending to betray him said why was this perfume not sold for 300 dener e and given to poor people now he said this not because he was concerned about the poor but because he was a thief and as he had the money box he used to piler what was put into it I don’t know about you but I can’t help see what happens here as being so true to life when someone offers beautiful obedient courageous worship to God what usually happens someone else often a religious person comes along and says your worship is all wrong I believe this is ultimately Satan the great spoiler trying to discourage radical devotion true worship among God’s people and we can see here how Satan’s Pawn Judas the scariot is doing just that he’s trying to ruin this wonderful worship scene by a spoken objection and by the way this is the only time in the whole Gospel of John that Judas speaks by himself this is all that he has to say Judas wonders why such an expensive treasure was wasted on Jesus and not sold to give money to the poor and on the surface that seems like a pretty Pious objection doesn’t it just think about all the good we could have done in the world if you hadn’t been so extravagant so Reckless and your Express Devotion to Jesus how could you according to Matthew and Mark many others at this dinner including Jesus own disciples they joined Judas in condemning Mary’s act of worship butless we think that Judas was merely well-meaning but a little misguided John our author quickly clarifies where Judas object came from not love for the poor but from greed in verse six we learn a surprising truth a truth not known to anyone else among Jesus group of disciples except Jesus and that is Judas was a thief though he put up an impeccable display of righteousness on the outside Devotion to Jesus to the point that the other disciples see no problem in trusting the groups Money Box to Judas Judas is in fact full of rottenness on the inside he is an idolator to wealth and to what wealth can bring him no doubt Judas joined up early with Jesus in the hope that this Messiah would lead to a big payday I mean if he’s the king he’s going to be rich if I’m there with him I’m going to get a cut Jesus couldn’t wait to see all the money that following Jesus would bring but Jesus wasn’t going to Simply wait around for that cash he thought he’d skim off a bit off the top meanwhile you know just reach into the money box and take a little bit for himself scratch that greedy itch now and then but he was careful about this he made sure none of the other disciples detected his pilfering as we’ll see when we get to the upper room when Jesus actually makes it clear that he’s the betrayer nobody else understands nobody else suspects Judas but Mary’s radical display of devotion is too much for Judas he can’t see so much wealth wealth that he would love to have had access to he can’t see it go down the drain without saying something so he voices an objection with just enough spin though to make it seem like Judas loves the poor rather than loves himself this is a hypocritical rebuke of Mary’s beautiful devotion and it nearly ruins the moment but Jesus knows what’s really going on and he steps in to defend and vindicate Mary in verses 7 to8 it’s the last mini Point under the second main point 2D Jesus poignant Vindication Jesus poignant Vindication therefore Jesus said let her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial for you always have the poor with you but you do not always have me notice that Jesus commands Judas and everyone else to cease their rebuking their scolding their condemnation of Mary let her alone he says she’s not the one in the wrong you are for rebuking her what Jesus says next as a reason for letting her alone is a bit hard to understand let her alone Jesus says so so that she may keep it for the day of my burial by the way the word translated burial here more specifically refers to the preparation for burial which as we know by now usually was performed on the same day as the burial itself so you can see where the translation comes from but more literally it is she so that she may keep it for the preparation for my burial but what exactly is Jesus saying what is saying in Mary’s defense the traditional view is that Jesus is saying that Mary has done right to anoint him but she should keep or save the rest of the perfume to anoint him on his actual day of death She’s got the right idea let her keep the rest from my day of burial main problem with this view is that as I’ve already pointed out many details of this passage as well as those in Matthew and Mark strongly suggest that Mary does does not now have any perfume left to save she’s already poured it all out on Jesus furthermore saying that she should save the oil for his actual burial seems itself to be an implicit rebuke of Mary’s action as if she had done too early what would have been right another view is that the it Jesus refers to here so that she may save it is not the perfume but the credit for showing Jesus proper worship before his death in other words Jesus would be saying you guys are making her feel bad stop so that when I die she may appreciate the credit do her for anointing me well before then okay can see that view but the main problem is the idea of credit is nowhere mentioned in the text are we really justified in inferring it a third view is that Jesus per statement doesn’t refer to the future but instead the past that is we are to infer some left out words from Jesus saying words along the line of this was so that she might keep it for the day of my burial or she intended to keep it for the day of my preparation for burial actually this is the way the verse is translated in the NIV in the King James version and the ESV list it’s as a possible alternate translation main problem with this view is that it is not literally what the text says we must infer a decent amount to make Jesus words about the past rather than the future this is not impossible but is it likely ultimately none of these views are without problems but I would say the best view is the third one Jesus is actually talking about what she’s already done in the past this is probably the best view because it makes it parallels Jesus words in Matthew and Mark as the end of this scene Matthew 26:12 when Mary when Jesus defends Mary he says for when she poured this perfume on my body she did it to prepare me for burial so he’s not talking about the future he’s talking about what the past what she’s already done and Mark 148 Mark 148 Jesus words there are recorded as she has done what she could she has anointed my body beforehand for the burial so if the third sense is indeed Jesus meaning in John then Jesus First Defense of Mary’s Act of devotion is that such is particularly appropriate considering Jesus approaching death it’s like Jesus says to the reclining group don’t rebuke Mary for pouring perfumed oil on me this is what you do for a loved one who’s about to be buried friends this evening is like my day of preparation for burial so she fittingly saved this precious perfume as a funeral gift for me and she has devoting poured it on me so you can see how Jesus is justifying and vindicating Mary with this First Defense a second defense in Mary’s action comes in verse 8 where Jesus points out that the disciples will always have the poor with them but will not always have Jesus my won’t they always have Jesus because as we just said he’s going to die and be separated from them and even when he rises again he won’t be with them forever but he will Ascend bodily into heaven in other words Jesus says time is running out for acts of radical Devotion to Jesus in his body and in his physical presence now you might ask with his words in verse 8 is Jesus saying that serving the poor is not important no that’s not the takeaway we are commanded in other scriptures to remember the poor especially the poor and needy among our Christian Brethren the least of these as Jesus calls them in Matthew 25 however we cannot miss in verse 8 that Jesus is establishing a clear priority of service and devotion who is more important Jesus or the poor Jesus is why because Jesus is God and the poor are not now serving Jesus will include serving the poor as many other scriptures clarify but serving Jesus comes before serving the poor and serving Jesus must be at the heart of serving the poor it is possible to serve the poor without serving Jesus and whatever temporal good that may accomplish the scriptures are clear that accomplishes nothing before God he sees no lasting spiritual good from that by the way didn’t Mary know that figuratively speaking she was anointing Jesus for burial Jesus says that’s essentially what she’s done but did she know that did she plan that did she realize that Jesus was going to die soon and so determined to honor him in this radical way while she could perhaps though probably not even though Jesus constantly foretells his death during his Earthly Ministry the Bible repeatedly shows that those around Jesus do not fully understand and we even saw in the previous chapter when Caiaphas said his Wicked counsel about Jesus he said more than he knew we may be seeing a similar thing here where Mary was accomplishing something with more significance than she knew then again Mary does seem to behold Jesus more clearly than even his own disciples do in this instance so it is possible maybe she had some sense as Jesus says that his time was drawing to a close and so that she wanted to express Devotion to him in a special intimate way in his physical presence she needed to do it now maybe she did have some sense of that well John doesn’t tell us any more about this scene in Simon’s house but he instead closes the section by reminding us of the potential cost of even this beautiful appropriate radical Devotion to Jesus not just persecution and slander from the religious but even death we come to the final part of the passage in verses 9 to1 11 this is number three we see the Jewish leaders resolv to kill Lazarus also the Jewish leaders resolved to kill Lazarus Also let’s ReRe those verses the large crowd of the Jews then learned that he was there and they came not for jesus’ sake only that they might also see Lazarus whom he raised from the dead but the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and we believing in Jesus well we see the Curious crowd finally finds out where Jesus is word reaches them of his arrival in Bethany so many of them leave Jerusalem to go visit Jesus and not Jesus only but also Lazarus notice again John identifies Lazarus with the description whom he raised from the dead I mean this miracle is so stupendous you cannot even say Lazarus name without also mentioning that Jesus raised him from the dead it’s like a new title or new epithet for Lazarus oh here comes Lazarus the one that Jesus raised from the dead that’s apparently what’s happened in thisy and it makes sense he’s a living breathing testimony of Jesus divine messiahship and he’s attracting a lot of people to Jesus even to belief in Jesus notice the way verse 11 frames the matter verse 11 on account of him that’s Lazarus many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus going away from what well not merely going away from Jerusalem to Bethany I believe again we have a shade of double meaning here these Jews these former allies and adherents of Jesus enemies the religious leaders these Jews are now switching sides and they’re going away from their leaders and going over to Jesus they’re leaving the false religious system of rabinal Judaism to join the true flock of God under God’s true Shepherd now this is a wonderful development especially for these people they are now beholding Jesus in Saving Faith just like Mary does they now know the true God and they’ve received eternal life in Him Praise the Lord but that’s not how the religious leaders see it all these people going over to Jesus because of Lazarus that is a troubling development especially for the chief priests we notice they’re mentioned specifically in verse 11 we’ve already learned the chief priests they are quite willing to be brutal if holding on to money or power requires it and so a shocking Revelation appears in verse 10 the chief priests decide they resolve that they will kill Lazarus also almost appears matter of factly in the text and no doubt it was a matter OFA issue for them how out horrendous one innocent life is not enough for them they’re going to add another how many more apparently they’ve got to kill his followers too if those followers prove to be effective Witnesses of that Jesus and what a contrast in the middle of our passage we have Mary who out of love for Jes Jesus is willing to sacrifice anything and everything for him and at the end of our passage we have the chief priests who out of hatred for Jesus out of hatred for the light of God and out of love for themselves and for Darkness are willing to sacrifice any and all innocent people who get in their way ultimately as we know Jud will align himself with the chief priests and literally sell out Jesus sell out Jesus life for money in fact Mary’s radical Act of devotion seems to have been the turning point for Judas you may notice from The Mark reading right after telling us about this anointing it tells us about Judas going to visit the chief priest asking how much money they’ll give him to betray Jesus Mark and Matthew are showing us there’s a connection between those two things it’s like Judas realized that Jesus was not going to be the cash cow that Judas hoped so Judas thought he’d at least get something out of Jesus by turning in former and by helping the murderer San Heder accomplish their Aim so we finished the text and it’s time to ask ourselves what about us where do we stand with Jesus where do you stand with Jesus is Jesus an obstacle to you to be ignored or removed is Jesus a temporary asset for you that hopefully you can use up to get what you really want and then you can move on or is Jesus your life and treasure the one that is worth who is worth getting radical for sacrificing whatever is required so that he may be pleased and he may be glorified this passage was given to us today so that we might take this third stance and deepen in it John records Mary’s radical Act of devotion so that despite hardship and opposition John is not painting a rose filled path the believer he’s letting you know it’s going to be hard look they’re going to kill Lazarus now so despite hardship and opposition though look at Jesus Glory look at someone who recognized it look at her radical Act of devotion and worship and will you not also now be moved to radically love pursue and serve Jesus that’s the exhortation of God’s spirit let just not be afraid to get radical for Jesus in this way for it will be worth it and Jesus is worthy of it and you might ask well I’d like to follow Mary’s example of radical devotion but I don’t have any precious oil and Jesus isn’t here anymore so I can’t do what she did well it’s true that you and I don’t have the exact same opportunity as Mary because Jesus is not with us bodily on the earth anymore though his spirit is with each one of us but we can still show Jesus the kind of fundamental radical love and loyalty that Mary does and let me suggest three ways three ways as we conclude that each of us should get more radical for Jesus first go all out in your striving for holiness go all out in your fight against sin so that Jesus might be pleased and you might become more like him if you’re looking for what you can worly give up for Jesus give up your sin give up your Idols give up the things that are hindering you in your pursuit of him get radical in putting them to death pull out all the stops utilize every spiritual resource that you have been given in God’s spirit in God’s word and in God’s Church put off sin put on righteousness seek the Lord in his word and prayer and in the ministries of the church the Bible says we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God none of us do this perfectly but we can all do this more we can all also help each other more to do it Paul says in Philippians his attitude the very one that we should also adopt as believers is to forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead pressing on for the upward call of the prize in Christ Jesus let us go all out in our pursuit of Holiness for jesus’ sake second let us preach the gospel boldly to a Dying World there is much temporal good that we Christians can accomplish in the world we can help the poor we can help fight oppression and Injustice we can help make sure that there are good and righteous laws in the land and Christians will indeed be part of these things but first and foremost the commission that we have been given as Christians in the church is to preach Christ it is to proclaim the gospel it is to make disciples of Jesus it is to call upon Sinners to repent and believe this is the greatest gift and good we can offer to anybody in the world because in preaching the gospel we are giving them Christ and as we’ already seen he is the greatest treasure so before our Mercy Ministries and in our Mercy Ministries let us preach the gospel being Not Afraid Being Sober being not afraid of the persecution and slander that such devotion will earn because Jesus is pleased and then third spend yourself on behalf of Christ Church spend yourself on behalf of Christ Church you and I may not be able to pour aromatic oil on Jesus literal body but figuratively speaking we can pour out our precious perfumes on his spiritual body and what is his spiritual body it is his people it is the church Jesus died for rose again and continually intercedes for his church the church is his beloved bride is the church beloved to us yes there are hard aspects of the church there are imperfect people in the church you and I are both those people but do you love the church for Jesus sake are you willing to be poured out on behalf of the church for jesus’ sake that’s what this passage is calling us to the church is not to be an afterthought for us but a treasured priority for it is Jesus J treasured priority and just as Jesus vindicates Mary for her displayed devotion he will vindicate and reward us for our devotion to his church so to rehearse those three ways get radical in your fight against sin and your pursuit of Holiness get radical in your commitment to preach the gospel and make disciples and get radical and spending yourself on behalf of God’s Church all of this is to be born really out of the Same Heart attitude of Mary which is humble gratitude for who Jesus is and what he’s already done for us really we get radical because God has already gotten radical for us by sending his son by pouring out his love by sending his son to die on the cross and exchange his robes for ours just as we sang earlier that is UN fathomable incomprehensible radical love from God and we can’t do anything to pay that back or earn it but we can respond in thankfulness and in obedience so how would the Lord have you get radical for him and how can we as a church get radical for the Lord together I hope that’s something you’ll continue to think on today let me close in prayer Lord you are wonderful ultimately Lord this passage that we’ve looked at today it isn’t for us to make much of Mary and her devotion it’s to make much of you she also is pointing us to you and how wonderful you are and that’s why we should respond in the same way that she did Lord you know how easily we get distracted we get discouraged we go astray by sin even Lord sometimes when we’re looking to get radical for you it’s not according to your word it’s According to some idea that we came up with which is actually not pleasing to you we need you to set us straight and we need one another but Lord we believe that you’ve given us this passage today so that we might truly be changed by it we might respond in belief and in obedience so Lord do the necessary work in our hearts as the psalmist prays search us and try us oh God and see if there’s any unclean way in us because we don’t want anything to hold us back from you oh God create in us a clean heart and a pure mind Give Us Clean Hands to serve you Lord Jesus we adore you for all that you are and all that you’ve done Lord we know that our love isn’t as deep as it ought to be but we thank you for what you’ve already done in our hearts we pray that our love would deepen our devotion would deepen our obedience would deepen and that you would get even more honor from our lives because you’re worthy of it Lord as we go to communion now we want to continue to thank you for the amazing salvation you’ve accomplished for us in Jesus name amen