Monday, April 6^th

Mary Pours Out Her Costly Perfume, Matthew 26:6-13

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me. For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

A Note of Context: The anointing of Jesus recounted in Luke 7:36-50 is a different incident from this anointing. This anointing is also related in John 12:1-11 and Mark 14:3-9 (although John 12 states that Mary anointed His feet and wiped them with her hair). Mary is the sister of Martha and Lazarus. It is Monday evening, two days after Lazarus was raised from the dead and the day after Palm Sunday. Jesus enjoyed a very special friendship with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. They offered Jesus warm friendship and their home provided a respite in a world of conflict and escalating hostility (cf. Luke 10:38–42). It is also worth noting that the resurrection of Lazarus was likely one of the main reasons the crowds in Jerusalem were so large and boisterous on Palm Sunday. The word had spread and there was a holy hope and expectation that swept through the city including those who made the trek to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration.

Big Idea: The main emphasis seems to be, don’t waste your life on anything but Jesus.

Dig In: Chinese Pastor and Theologian, Watchman Nee wrote a book in the 1930s entitled The Normal Christian Life. The last chapter of the book is titled, “The Goal of the Gospel” and it addresses this idea of waste from Matthew 26. Nee points out that in the parallel accounts of John (12:1-11) and Mark (14:3-9), all the disciples joined Judas in scolding Mary for wasting this expensive perfume on Jesus when it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Yet we find Jesus defending Mary by replying, “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her” (Matt. 26:13). What does Jesus mean? Nee contends that Jesus is saying, “people should come to Him and waste themselves on Him.”[1] If Jesus is the pearl of great price and the treasure hidden in the field[2] (see Matthew 13:45-46), then it’s not a waste to sell everything we have to buy the field that contains the pearl. To have Jesus is worth “wasting” all that we are and all that we have on Him.

Application: This might seem like kind of an in-your-face question, but I’ll ask it nevertheless—In your mind, what is the difference between a wasted life and an “un-wasted” life? How will you discern whether or not you are wasting your life (or even portions of your life)? I have been wrestling with this question for the last few weeks. Spend some time in this shelter-at-home season and prayerfully reflect on and evaluate your life. How did you get to where you are today? What is God placing on your heart for this next season of life?

Deeper Dive: In Paul’s letter to young Timothy he provides some sage advice…

Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. –1 Timothy 4:15-6 (emphasis added)

The two verses above offer a context for regular moments of reflection and evaluation. First of all, the goal is not perfection, but progress (v.15), and secondly, a consistent and thorough evaluation of ourselves and our message will lead to the furtherance of the gospel (v.16). This requires courage because we must be willing to confront the most brutal facts of our current reality, whatever they might be.

And returning to the idea of waste, on May 20, 2000, in Memphis TN John Piper delivered a message to thousands of college students at a one-day Passion Conference. The message was titled Boasting Only in the Cross. Piper made a passionate plea to that generation to avoid the dangers of a wasted life, calling on them to take risks and make sacrifices that will matter for eternity. Piper called for a single-minded, soul-satisfying passion for the glory of God that seeks to make much of Him in every sphere of our lives. Subsequently, that sermon has been called, a “message that moved a generation” and had a ripple effect through that generation (see below for a 7-minute clip—or the link above for the full message). As Nee wrote in The Normal Christian Life, “A life spent in selfless devotion to Jesus is not wasted, but a life spent on self is totally wasted.”

• John Piper – Don’t Waste Your Life (7-Minutes that Moved a Generation) https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/boasting-only-in-the-cross/excerpts/dont-waste-your-life
• Lecrae – Don’t Waste Your Life (Lecrae was deeply affected by Piper’s sermon) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RWEllqh5J0

[1] Pgs 186.

[2] By-the-way, this “pearl” passage goes both ways. You are also the pearl of great price that Jesus purchased for Himself.