“Expensive” [Matt's Messages] ~ Matt Mitchell

“Expensive”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

April 21, 2024 :: John 11:54-12:11

So, one day, you go to the bank.

Maybe tomorrow. You pull in. You go up to the teller, and you say, “Good morning. I’d like to make a withdrawal from my savings account.”

“Ok. I can help you with that. How much do you want to take out?”

And you say, “I’d like to take out $40,000. I’ve been saving up. That’s approximately a year’s wages for me. And that should close out my account.” [For some of you, this may be stretch! You don’t have that much saved up. You don’t make that much. Or, on the flipside, that isn’t even close to a year’s wages for you or how much you have saved up. Bear with me in this story. Let’s make it $40,000 for today.]

And the teller says, “Oh. Okay. We can do that. I’ll have to get the branch manager. She may have a question or two. I’ll be right back.”

And the teller goes back in the back room and the branch manager comes out and says, “We’re going to get that check for you. I was just wondering if you were dissatisfied with our service or our rates here? That’s a big withdrawl. You say that’s an entire year’s wages for you? Are you taking your business somewhere else?”

And you say, “No, I’ve been perfectly satisfied with the service and the rates here. Thank you. No, I’m just going to use the money today. All of it.”

“Oh, I see. Are you buying a house? Or a piece of equipment?”

“No, I’m buying some perfume.”

“Oh, I see. An investment in a perfume company?”

“No, just one vial of perfume. It’s worth a year’s wages.”

“Oh, I see. That’s going to be quite an expensive vial of perfume! Are you going to put it in vault or will it get used?”

“Oh, I’m going to use it today. Yes, it is expensive. It’s only about 11 ounces. So that’s like $3600 an ounce. And I’m going to use it all up today. I’m going to pour it out. I’m going to pour it all out on one Person today.”

And she says, “Who could be worthy of that expense?” ...

You and I have an answer to that question.

Maybe not in that story going the bank tomorrow, but in this story when Mary of Bethany poured out this expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet.

That word “expensive” jumped out at me again and again as I read this passage for this message this week.

This perfume that Mary poured out on Jesus’ feet was incredibly expensive. The in-house appraiser, Judas, estimated the cost of this exotic pint of pure nard as 300 denarii which was the equivalent in that day of a year’s wages for a laborer.

That’s a big chunk of change! An entire year’s worth of wages in one little jar. And she just pours it out on Jesus’ feet.

Expensive.

To understand what this truly means, we need to back up and get a sense of the situation. We should actually back up all the way to verse 54 of chapter 11. That’s where we left off last week.

This spot marks a new section in the Gospel of John. From here on out we’re entering into the crucial events directly leading up to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We’ve reached the critical moments of the “endgame.” Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. He was “four days late” and still on time.

And while some people put their faith in Him and began to follow Jesus, others ran to the Jewish Religious Authority to get Jesus into trouble.

And they have decided to arrest and kill Him. Jesus is now “a wanted man.” They have put His picture up on wanted posters around town. Look at verse 54.

“Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover.

They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, ‘What do you think? Isn't he coming to the Feast at all?’ But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him” (vv.54-57).

What do you think? Do you think Jesus will show His face in Jerusalem?

The high priest Caiaphas has met with the Sanhedrin and said that they must kill Jesus or they are going to lose their nation and their place in that nation. So Jesus must die for the nation.

And John has said that’s a prophecy. Jesus is going to die for the nation and not just for the nation but “also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one” (John 11:52). That’s us.

What do you think? Do you think Jesus will show His face in Jerusalem? Or will He stay far away?

It turns out that He will come, in this story, as close as Bethany. Remember, that’s just two miles away from Jerusalem! He’s not scared. He’s strategic, but He’s not scared.

In fact, He’s in the suburbs at a public party! On day before He rides in on the donkey. Palm Sunday Eve. Chapter 12, verse 1.

“Six days before the Passover [Palm Sunday Eve], Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him” (vv.1-2).

Can you imagine what that dinner party must have been like? It’s in Jesus’ honor. Everything is centered around Him. Martha is serving. Which we know she loves to do. Making sure everybody’s glasses are filled. Everybody’s got enough to eat. Martha is the one who said last week, “Yes, Lord, I believe!” And here she is bustling around, serving everybody and smiling from ear to ear at her brother Lazarus who is reclining at the table with Jesus.

Lazarus is alive! He’s telling stories. Maybe he’s saying what it was like to stumble out of the tomb wrapped in all of that graveclothes. And how the kids gathered around to see what his face looked like when they took the headcovering off of him. Was it all green and grey and decomposed?

No! He isn’t a zombie. He’s alive! Fully alive and filling his belly.

Everybody is rejoicing. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. And Lazarus is the proof. Look at him there reclining there with Jesus. Not that long ago, Lazarus was dead.

And Jesus knows that, not that long from now, He will be dead Himself.

But the mood right here is festive. Lazarus is alive!

Now, it says “reclining” because in that day and place, they often lay on benches or mats facing out from a small table in the center like spokes on a wheel. So Jesus is reclining too. His head towards the table, and His feet towards the outer wall of the room.

And at some point in the banquet, the other sister, Mary, enters the room with an expensive perfume. Look at verse 3.

This was a calculated move. This was a decision she was making. It’s very intentional. Verse 3.

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (v.3).

I really can’t imagine what this was like, but it was clearly a dramatic moment. This nard was bought from India. It was an exotic import from a faraway land. It was about 11 ounces or half a liter of an “expensive” perfume. The King James says, “costly.”

This was perhaps their family’s greatest heirloom, their most prized possession. It might have represented their most important asset. We don’t know how rich they were, but this was by any measure an expensive act.

She poured it on Jesus’ feet.

The whole thing. The other gospels tell us that she broke the container. There was no turning back. And they also tell us that she covered Jesus from head to feet with this oil.

John emphasizes the feet, probably to emphasize the humility of Mary as she unbinds her hair and uses her hair wipe the nard all over His feet.

This is a picture of abject humility and unashamed intimacy as Mary pours it all out on Jesus and wipes His feet with her hair.

“And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (v.3c).

You can just about smell it.

I don’t have a great sense of smell. I broke my nose in junior high wrestling in gym class. But I can still smell a strong smell:

Bacon frying in a pan.

A skunk goes off in the yard.

Somebody’s perfume bottle breaks in their purse.

The fresh mown grass.

Wood-smoke from a fire.

“And the house was filled with the fragrance of the [expensive] perfume.”

The smell of sacrifice.

The smell of worship. Right? This is worship. Our English word “worship” is short for “worth-ship.” Worship is saying that something is worthy. And that’s what Mary was saying.

She was deeming Jesus as worthy of her expensive sacrifice.

She was so thankful for what Jesus had done in raising her brother from the dead that she filled the house with the fragrance of worship.

She was treating Jesus as a King, wasn’t she? This kind of anointing is something you see in the Old Testament for royalty. Priests and Kings get this kind of anointment treatment. And that on the national dime not just out of a family’s household wealth.

But here she is treating Jesus like a Messianic (anointed) King!

She is saying with her expensive sacrifice, “This one is worthy!”

But not everybody saw it that way. The gospels tell us that the other disciples objected to Mary’s actions. John tells us that Judas was the ringleader. Look at verse 4.

“But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ‘Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.’ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it” (vv.4-6).

John told us back in chapter 6 that Judas was going to betray Jesus. He reminds us of that again here.

Judas was trusted with the money bag. He was the treasurer, but he was a thief. So it wasn’t a legitimate concern for him to bring up the poor. He didn’t care about the poor! He wanted a piece of that 300 denarii for himself.

And what he is basically saying is that Jesus is not worth what Mary just did.

The expensive sacrifice was wasted.

“Good job, Mary. You just wasted a year’s wages. Gone like that. It could have gone to a good cause. A worthy cause. And you just poured it all out at once. What were you thinking?”

And that’s when Jesus speaks. And He says, “Leave her alone!” Look at verse 7.

“‘Leave her alone,’ Jesus replied. ‘ It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.’”

That’s amazing to me. Probably the most amazing thing is what Jesus does not say.

Jesus does not say, “Oh, Mary, Mary, stop. Not so much. Don’t pour out all of your wealth on Me. Keep some of that for yourself. Keep some of that for your family. Judas has a point. Sell that and give some of it, at least, to the poor. I really care about the poor, too. Don’t waste your expensive sacrifice on me.”

He doesn’t say any of that. He doesn’t stop her.

He stops Judas. “Leave her alone.”

“You are saying that this is a waste. I am saying that I am worth it.”

Nobody cares more about the poor than Jesus. Verse 8 is not saying that we should neglect the poor. The rest of the Bible says that we should have compassion and meet needs and relieve poverty.

But Jesus says, “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

There He goes again making everything about Him! (Maybe because everything is about Him?!)

Jesus was saying that Mary was right. He is worth it.

Two points of application from this story. Here’s the first one:

#1. VALUE JESUS AS WORTHY OF EXPENSIVE SACRIFICE.

In other words, we should be like Mary.

We should be willing to pour out our worship on Jesus. We should recognize the infinite worth of Jesus and act accordingly.

Now, of course, it’s going to look different for us than it did for Mary. She was present with Jesus in the flesh on Palm Sunday Eve. So her expensive worship looked a certain way, and ours will look differently, but it’s the same Jesus that we are valuing.

What in your life shows the value of Jesus to you?

What do you do with your money, your time, your reputation, your energy to say to Jesus that He is worthy?

It could actually be what you do for the poor! Jesus tells us in other places that we do for the “least of these [His] siblings” we are doing for Him (see Matthew 25).

What we put in the offering plate for missions in places troubled by poverty (like Haiti or Malawi) is one way of valuing Jesus as worthy.

But it’s not just our money. We aren’t like Judas just always counting the money.

How about our time? We worship with our time, don’t we?

What you give your time to is what you worship. Randy was saying yesterday when he gave his testimony that a temptation for many in his circles is to make racing your addiction. It consume them. All of their discretionary money and all of their extra time.

Sports can be like that. Work can be like that. Family can be like that. Travel can be like that.

All of those are good things! But do we put Jesus first in our time over all of those things?

Or do we think, “Oh, time for Jesus? I don’t want to overdo that! That would be a waste.”

What in your life shows that you truly value Jesus?

How about reputation? Mary put her reputation on the line. She was willing to be thought of as crazy because of her actions.

What are you and I doing for Jesus that other people would shake their heads at and say, “I think that’s bit much.” ?

I don’t know about you, but I would love it, if I could hear King Jesus say to others about me, “Leave him alone.” “Leave Matt alone.”

“He’s doing that for me. And I am worth it.”

I’m not trying to put a guilt trip on us today. I’m trying to help us all to see just how worthy our Lord Jesus is so that we act accordingly.

Some of you may be called soon into full time missionary service.

That seems like a big waste of time and money and energy to many people in our world.

“You are so gifted. You are so talented. That’s such a lot of money. Why would you do that?”

Because Jesus is worthy. Pour it out.

A number of years ago, I preached this passage, and I passed out little pieces of paper that kind of looked like checks. And I encouraged everybody to write down something that they thought the Lord was calling them to pour out like Mary did. It wasn’t necessarily money.

What would you put in that blank right now? Hopefully, you could put everything or anything. But what is it that you think you be being called to pour out soon in worship of Jesus?

For some of you, it means volunteering your time. Maybe showing up on Saturday for the workday here on our campus. Your one day of the week to do something fun and you’re going to pour it out for Jesus with shovel and a rake.

It might be something completely different for you. Maybe it’s establishing an early morning devotional time. You are going to get up and read your Bible and pray. You haven’t prioritized that, but you’re going to start doing it now.

I don’t know what it might be.

I just know that Jesus worth it.

Pour it out.

One last thing before the choir comes to sing to us.

Notice that Jesus connects this anointing with His burial. I don’t know that Mary did. She was just expressing her love for Jesus. Her thankfulness for His power in Lazarus’ life. She was treating Him like the king that He is.

But Jesus saw her as preparing Him for burial. Look again at verse 7.

“‘Leave her alone,’ Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.’”

Do you feel the ominousness of that statement? “You will not always have me.” In other words, “I’m going away. I’m going to be taken from you. I’m going to die. This expensive perfume has been saved for my burial. This perfume prefigures and anticipates and prepares Me to be buried."

Jesus knew what was coming. By this time next week, He was going to be His tomb.

And we know why He was going to do that. Out of love, Jesus was going to give His life for you and for me. Application point number two:

#2. PRAISE JESUS FOR MAKING HIS EXPENSIVE SACRIFICE.

Because the One Who was worthy of all of this worship turns around and gives up His life for us, His sheep!

Talk about an expensive sacrifice. The One Who is:

The Bread of Life

The Light of the World

The Gate for the Sheep

The Good Shepherd

The Resurrection and the Life.

The Word of God

The One and Only Son of God

One with the Father.

That Worthy One died for you and me.

The Prophet Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would poured out his life unto death, and be numbered with the transgressors. “For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isa. 53:12 NIVO).

“Poured out His life,” like a vial of expensive perfume.

Do you believe this? His sacrifice was greater than any we could ever make. And He invites us to believe.

Verses 9 through 11 tell us that many more people were believing at that time. V.9

“Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him” (vv.9-11).

Poor Lazarus! He just came back from the dead once. Now, he’s got people gunning to kill him again just to keep people from hearing about his resurrection and believing in Jesus.

As if that could stop Jesus! Jesus could have just raised Lazarus again, I believe.

But you can see how things are heating up. Because Jesus is clearly being seen and known as the Resurrection and the Life, and many are putting their faith in Him.

How about you? Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus? If you do, then you will have life. Life now and life forevermore.

Because of Jesus’ expensive sacrifice.

Praise Him!

Trust Him!

And Worship Him.

Pour out your worship on Him like Mary did with that expensive perfume.

Let’s fill our houses, and workplaces, and our neighborhoods, and our world and our church with the fragrance of extravagant worship.

Because we know Someone that is worth it all.

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