Jesus: Creator, Savior, Lord, King # 19 Jesus and Mary’s Memorial Text: Matthew 26:6-13, John 12:1-8, Mark 14

 

Jesus CLSK 19 Jesus and Mary’s Memorial
Text: Matthew 26:6-13, John 12:1-8, Mark 14:

Introduction: 

Tomorrow is the official government day for the celebration of Memorial Day. Originally, Memorial Day was called Decoration Day. It was a day of remembrance when the families of those who had died in our nation's wars would decoration their graves with flowers, flags and wreaths.  There are many theories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day.  There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L.  Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). 

Officially, Memorial Day was proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No.  11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.  By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states.  The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I, when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in all wars.  It is now celebrated on the last Monday in May.

When you think of the monuments and memorials, things like the Great Pyramids, the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson Memorials, or our own San Jacinto monument, you realize that great events and great acts of history are marked by these memorials. These memorials were made so that those events would not be forgotten. So then, when you consider that, how great is the memorial that Jesus Christ the Son of God declared would never be forgotten. Turn to Matthew 26:6

Mary’s Message - Matthew 26:6-9

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor.

Parallel passage John 21:1-6 Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.  There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

Mark 14:3 (NCPB) And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious, and she broke the box, and poured it on his head.   

Mary’s Message, I Love You, Lord.”

This event begins what we call the Passion week, the last week of Jesus life on earth. He once again drives out the money-changers from the Temple at the beginning of the week. The Triumphal Entry that fulfilled the best known Messianic promise of Zechariah 9:9.  Jesus removes any doubt that might have remained. He is the Messiah, meek and lowling riding in victory into Jerusalem. Lastly, he will be  arrested, falsely accused, illegally tried and then cruelly crucified on a cross at Golgotha.

But before his arrest, He spends one very long day teaching and debating in the Temple. So intense are the discussions, the attacks and the attempts to trap him that when the Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees finally run out of attacks they quit trying to debate with Jesus and instead determine to simply kill Him using Judas as their inside man.

After that very long, intense day in the evening, a dinner is given for Jesus at the house of Simon the leper, probably a man that Jesus had healed and definitely no longer a leper for it was forbidden by the law to have company with a leper until he had been declared healed by a priest. We know nothing else about him except what these scriptures tell us.

John tells us that Jesus’ friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus are at the dinner and that once again Martha is serving while Mary stays closes to Jesus. Now, It was often the custom in Jesus’ day for the guest of honor to have his head anointed with perfume, but Mary's anointing goes far beyond the ordinary custom. Mary not only anoints the head of Jesus, but also his feet as He reclined at the table and then washes his feet with her hair.

There is another anointing in Luke 7, but it is not the same one. Just as there are two feeding of the multitude and two cleansing of the Temple, there are also two anointing of Jesus when he sat to eat. There are many differences besides the timing that sets these events apart but mostly it is Simon the Pharisee in Luke, but Simon the leper in Matthew, Mark and John. Also, it is a sinful woman in Luke, meaning probably that she was a notorious woman of ill repute, while Mary of Bethany has only the reputation of sitting at Jesus feet to learn.

The Bible tells us that the ointment was oil of spikenard, a plant that had to be imported all the way from India at great cost. It was held in an alabaster bottle or box because alabaster is a non-porous marble and the ointment would not leak or lose its fragrance.

The cost of the perfume is given at 300 pence, which is a translation of the Greek  word denarius. In the time of the New Testament a denarius was a day’s wage and so the spikenard poured upon Jesus in this one act of love was equal to about a year’s wages. If we convert that to today’s wages her anointing of Jesus would be worth around $45,000 to 60,000 dollars.

The disciples, instigated and inspired by Judas, murmur to each, “What a terrible waste. What was Mary thinking.! The perfume could have been sold and given to the poor!"  John makes sure that we know, Judas has his own motives and reason for wanting to sell the perfume instead of giving it to Jesus. The word indignation used here in the Greek means to snort in contempt. But the Lord understands and accepts the gift, and to Mary, No one else at that table matter, but Jesus.

You might wonder where this money came from? Were Martha, Mary and Lazarus rich? How did Mary come by so much money for this extravagant gift, this message of love that shouts to all in the room without even a whisper from her, “I love you, my Jesus. I love you, my Lord." I believe that the money came from Mary’s dowry, this was usually a necklace of coins that was carefully saved by the parents so that they could arrange a good marriage for their daughter. In this case the parents of Mary seem to be gone and it is Mary’s choice to take her dowry, her assurance of a good marriage and a secure future and instead sell it, that she might buy this costly ointment. Then take that gift and pour it out in one incredible, beautiful, never to be forgotten, gift of love on her dearest friend and Saviour Jesus.

What message do my actions say about my love for Jesus?

He is not here physically, that I might do as Mary did. How can I today show my devotion, my love for the One who loved me, and paid for my sin by his suffering and death on the cross? What are my actions, my words, my sacrifices saying about how much I really love the Lord?

Is the message of my actions saying, I love you, Lord or are my actions more like those of Judas who is saying, “I love the things, the work, the trappings of being a disciple, a Christian. So, let’s not waste anything on Jesus directly, but instead lets use it on the things about the Lord, about the church, about Christianity, rather than about Christ.”

Yet, if your motive is like Mary’s, then your love is for Jesus. If you are doing it for Him then that is all that matters. It is never wasted, no matter how extravagant the gift, if it is done for Jesus, who did all for us. How could it be? But, if we are more like Judas then we must always count the money before we are sure we can  give the gift.

Watchman Nee and Mary's Memorial

Watchman Nee was a Chinese Christians, who grandfather was an Anglican and his mother a Methodist. He was a very influential preacher and established many churches and an institute for training Christian students in China. He worked for 30 years and then was arrested after the Communist Revolution and spent the last 20 years of his life in a communist prison doing hard labor and often being beaten daily by the guards. When he died in 1972 his family was not notified and only after the cremation were they allowed to come and see the ashes. One guard who had be sympathetic to Nee showed the family a note that Nee had written and kept under his pillow in the cell. It simply said, “Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ. - Watchman Nee.”

Watchman Nee wrote many books but his most famous is the Normal Christian Life and the last chapter is dedicated to the story of Mary and her anointing of Jesus.

“The idea of waste only comes into our Christianity when we underestimate the worth of our Lord. The whole question is: How precious is He to us now? If we do not think much of Him, then of course to give Him anything at all, however small, will seem to us a wicked waste. But when He is really precious to our soul, nothing will be too good, nothing too costly for Him; everything we have, our dearest, our most priceless treasure, we shall pour out upon Him, and we shall not count it a shame to have done so. – Watchman Nee

Mary was willing to face criticism and to sacrifice because what she was doing was worthwhile, it counted for something greater than the moment. She knew what she did and why she did it and that was enough.

Mary’s Motive - Matthew 26:10-12

When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

Mary’s Motive was Sacrifice For Her Lord.

Mary did it for her Love of Jesus. Jesus said, she hath done a good work upon me. The Greek word for "good" is kalon and can be translated as appealing, and beautiful. To Jesus it was beautiful because it was such a true expression of her deepest love.

She did it knowing he must die. Mary had sat at the feet of Jesus and knew that believed that He had returned to Jerusalem at such a dangerous time for one reason. He came to die. Jesus said, she has done this for my burial.

She poured out this valuable gift, she poured out her future upon Jesus, because she did not dare wait to lavish her love upon her Savior.

Do you realize that Mary was the only one who was able to anoint the body of Jesus for his burial. The other women who came the first day of the week were too late, Jesus had risen from the grave, only Mary and her love were able to anoint him, because her love for Him would not let her wait.

What Is Motivating Us?

What is motivating us as Christians to do the things we do? What is motivating us to give what we give? Is our motivation to get to heaven? Are we making a deal with God or others? Are perhaps we are motivated by a fear of punishment for not doing what we should? Is there a fear of failing or of displeasing our parents, the Pastor, our peers?

By the way, let me assure you that fear of Pastor as a motivation is way overrated. 

Joke:  Pastor eating after revival up in the mountains.  “You sure have an affectionate little pig there.”  “Yeah, I guess that’s because you’re eating out of his dish.”

Those kind of motivations will never build a lasting memorial. Never shout, I Love You, Lord.  If your life will count, if your message will be heard, if your love would show, then you must serve with sacrifice. Sacrifice for the love for Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:13 Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love).

John 15:13-14 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends…

Jesus was telling them and telling us, my love will be my life given for you.

When do I die?

There is a story told of a very young boy who had a little sister who was very sick. The doctors told the parents the only thing that could save the girl was a blood transfusion from a sibling. The parents went to the little boy and told him, your sister is dying but if you would be willing to give her your blood she could live. The little boy looked very serious and asked, “Can I go to my room to think about it?” The parents were a little surprised that it should be such a hard decision but said yes. About dinner time the brother came down and said, “I’ve thought about it and prayed about it and I think I should give my blood.” The parents thanked him and told him he was doing the right thing. Though they couldn’t understand why he seemed so sad and serious.

The day of the procedure arrived and the boy was taken to the hospital, placed on a bed and a IV needle put into his vein to draw blood. In a few moments the nurse smiled and said, “There, all done.  Now your sister can get better.” The little boy, with tears in his eyes then asked the nurse, “When will I start to die?” You see the little boy didn’t realize that his giving blood would not cost him his life. He went to the hospital that day fully ready to die for the little sister he loved.

The boy was mistaken in his understanding of transfusions, but he was not wrong in his understanding of love. When you love someone, really love someone, no cost is too high, no sacrifice is too great and when the one you love is the Lord, Jesus Christ, then no gift can be considered too much, and no sacrifice too great. 

 Now let’s look at what Jesus said about Mary’s gift and why it still stands today as a memorial to her and her love for Christ.

Mary’s Memorial - Matthew 26:13

Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

Mary’s Memorial Was About Jesus’ Death

Jesus the Son of God, the One who lives in eternity, the one who better than anyone else would knew what a memorial should really be, said this about Mary and he never said it about anyone one else.

“Wherever the Gospel is preached this gift, this sacrifice by Mary will be remembered.” Mary kneeling at the feet of Jesus listening, Mary running to meet him in times of sorrow, Mary anointing his head and feet with the gift of her love.

In millions of Bibles copied and printed since the time of Christ, the story of Mary is recorded. In thousands of nations across the old and new world, the story of Mary has been heard. In millions of sermons preached in a millions of churches the story of Mary is proclaimed. If ever we inhabit Mars or another planet and they have a Christian who shares the Gospel then even there Jesus has promised, the story of Mary will touch hearts and stand as a memorial to of her love for Him and His love for us. Both a memorial of the death of Christ for us.  

What Memorial Are We Leaving?

We will never leave a memorial such as Mary did that day. We did not live in her time, we did not have her opportunity. But that does not mean we cannot build a memorial today in the same way that Mary built hers.

We build our memorial with our words, our love, our actions, our choices, and especially with our sacrifices. With these we build our memorial, not to ourselves, but as Mary did to Jesus.

If it would be a lasting memorial, if it would be one that touches the lives of our family and friends, if it would be a memorial that will even touch eternity, then it must be built like Mary’s, built at the feet of Jesus Christ.

Edinburgh Castle Memorial

   Towering over Edinburgh, Scotland, is the Edinburgh Castle. And in the midst of very old buildings is the World War I memorial. It carries a quotation from Thucydides: “The whole earth is the tomb of heroic men, and their story is not graven only on stones over their clay, but abides everywhere, without visible symbol, woven into the stuff of others' lives.” - Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows

If we would desire that our memorial would be “a story woven into the stuff of other’s live” and if that memorial would truly be a lasting one, then it must be woven with the threads of eternity, and like Mary’s memorial, woven on the loom of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Great deeds may be remembered for generations, but most are forgotten in a matter of a few years, but what we do for our Lord, what we lavish upon Him lasts for eternity.

God’s Word says, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.” (1 Corinthians 3:11-14 AV)

Conclusion:  Watchman Nee and the Value of Life

Watchman Nee - Let me give a personal instance. In 1929 I returned from Shanghai to my home town of Foochow. One day I was walking along the street with a stick, very weak and in broken health, and I met one of my old college professors. He took me into a teashop where we sat down. He looked at me from head to foot and from foot to head, and then he said: ‘Now look here; during your college days we thought a good deal of you and we had hopes that you would achieve something great. Do you mean to tell me that this is what you are?’

Looking at me with penetrating eyes, he asked that very pointed question. I must confess that, on hearing it, my first desire was to break down and weep. My career, my health, everything had gone, and here was my old professor who taught me law in the school, asking me: ‘Are you still in this condition, with no success, no progress, nothing to show?’

But the very next moment, …the thought of being able to pour out my life for my Lord flooded my soul with glory. Nothing short of the Spirit of glory was on me then. I could look up and without a reservation say: ‘Lord, I praise Thee! This is the best thing possible; it is the right course that I have chosen!’ To my professor it seemed a total waste to serve the Lord; but that is what the Gospel is for—to bring us to a true estimate of His worth. …If the Lord is worthy, then how can it be a waste? He is worthy to be so served. He is worthy for me to be His prisoner. He is worthy for me just to live for Him. He is worthy!