The Book of Mark #84 chapter 14:3-9
The Book of Mark
Players in the Drama of the Cross, Pt 2
Mark 14:3-9
 
We return tonight to the 14th chapter of Mark and we find there the events leading up to the crucifixion.  In particular, we are looking at the people involved.  We keep I mind that God is directing all of the action from behind the scenes. 
 
It may not seem that way.  It certainly didn’t seem that way to those who are involved and at first glance it doesn’t seem that way to us either.  But all of the Bible has led up to this point and all redemptive history, beginning in eternity past with God’s plan to slay His Son as a Lamb comes to its highpoint, its fruition here.
 
The first group we encounter in this chapter are those we called His enemies.  We met them in verses 1 and 2.  They were meeting in the courtyard of Caiaphas to plot the death of Jesus Christ.  And even though we don’t know all the details, we know they didn’t want to start anything during the time of the Passover fearing it might cause a riot. 
 
But in spite of their fears, it was God’s determination that not only would He die that time, but He would die at the exact time the Passover lambs themselves were being killed. They would never have planned to have Jesus arrested, tried, crucified and dying at that time, but that was what happened because that was God’s plan.
 
Tonight, we move from the enemies of Christ to His friends. 
We focus on one in particular who has come to worship Him.  We meet her in  
 
verses 3-9
 
Now here is a woman who is a true worshiper of Christ. She is preparing for Christ’s death by an act of loving worship intended to anoint Him for His burial before His death. 
 
Now even though Mark doesn’t tell us, we know who this woman is because of John.  John tells her story in chapter 12 of his gospel and there we discover that this is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Now elsewhere we read of another woman who anointed the feet of Jesus and that woman was a sinful woman, a prostitute. 
 
But here we have an act of worship by a devout, loving, faithful friend of Jesus in preparation for His death.  Just as the enemies of Jesus have their preparation, as they seek a way to arrest Him and kill Him, here is a worshiper of Jesus who provides preparation for His death and burial in her own way.
 
Verse 3 tells us the event occurs at the home of Simon the leper. Obviously He was a former leper or he wouldn’t be having a dinner party. I think it most likely he has been healed by Jesus and he plans this meal to say thanks.
 
And at that meal, it says, there came a woman, and as I said, John tells us this is Mary.  She comes for one reason and that is to anoint Jesus with this costly oil. 
 
 
It was a common custom at a meal to wash feet. If you were in a reclining position, that would be of great benefit because as you recline your feet necessarily appear in some way. And so, anointing feet, washing feet, even putting perfume on feet was somewhat of a tradition or custom. It was a courtesy.
 
 In this case, this act by Mary is way beyond common courtesy, way beyond sort of normal custom because what she does is lavish. She has an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard. Matthew calls it “a very precious perfume.”
 
It is said here that the value of it was three hundred denarii. That’s a year’s wages. No doubt, it is intended to last a long time and be used sparingly. 
 
But she does something that no one would ever think about doing.  She doesn’t drop a drop out and sparingly and selfishly dab a little on the feet of Jesus.  She breaks the bottle open and starts with the head of Jesus and eventually anoints the feet of Jesus and then wiped His feet with her hair.
 
She has dumped a year’s value of perfume on His head and on His feet. And John adds the obvious when he says the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. This dousing of a year’s worth of perfume all over Jesus would have dominated the environment. So this is an act of lavish love.
 
She is a symbol of all those who love the Savior with all their hearts and hold nothing back.  It’s not enough to just drop a few drops on Jesus.  He’s worth so much more than that!  Her heart loves more deeply than that. 
She look s at Lazarus, her brother who had died and is now sitting there laughing and eating with the Lord and she looks at Jesus who made it all possible and overcome with the joy and gratitutde of that moment, she realizes there is no gift too extravagant and she just pours everything she has out in worship of the Savior. 
 
Now the response that generates is interesting. Some were indignant and so they remarked to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted?” Mark is a little vague when he says, “Some were indignantly remarking.”
 
Well, the truth is, it was Judas. John tells us it was actually Judas Iscariot. John says in the same account that he gives of this event, John 12:6, it was Judas Iscariot who was intending to betray Him.
 
He’s the one who says, “Why has this perfume been wasted?” And then some others chimed in. And there we see what motivates Judas.  It was money.  This perfume could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor..  Not that he would have given any of it to the poor, but it could have been used in that way.  That sounds real spiritual, doesn’t it? 
 
But Judas had no real interest in the poor. John 12:6 tells us he said what he did, “not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief and as he had the money box, he used to steal what was in it.”
 
He was embezzling the money out of the little bit that this group had, money that was provided for them by many of the women in the group.
And at the same time, he is critical of Mary for wasting the money.  What he’s really saying is, “you should have put the money in the collection box so I could have stolen it!” 
 
And notice how gracious is the Lord.  He doesn’t expose Judas at the moment.
 
Verse 6
 
“She’s done excellently. She’s done beautifully. This is not a waste. Lavish love on Me is not a waste.”
 
And then He says this, “For you always have the poor with you and whenever you wish, you can do good to them. But you do not always have Me.” You always have the poor with you.
 
That’s borrowed from Deuteronomy 15:11 which says, “You always have the poor of the land.”
 
So what does that mean?  Is the Lord uncaring about the poor?  Is it an unsympathetic statement that belittles those in poverty? 
 
It is a statement of a simple principle.  There are lots of important things in the world that call for our attention, but the ultimate priority, the most important thing to do, is worship. Adoring worship of Christ is the ultimate priority.
 
Giving to the poor has a place.  You will always have the opportunity to minister to the poor.  Make sure you take care of them.  That’s important. But the ultimate priority is to worship Christ. 
 
While caring for the poor is important, worship of the Lord is more important. And to escalate the urgency of it, Jesus wasn’t going to be there very long.
 
We should give for needs. We should minister to the poor. But far more, we should worship our Lord sacrificially. After all, giving to the poor doesn’t really have a lasting value. But when you worship the Lord, it has an eternal impact. She had her priorities right.
 
Mary is  a very devoted lady. Do you remember the story in Luke chapter 10 when Jesus went to the house of Mary and Martha? What was Martha doing? Martha was serving, serving, busy, busy, busy. What was Mary doing? Sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning, hanging on every single word He said. She sat at His feet.
 
Listen, His enemies knew that He said He was going to die, be buried, rise from the dead. His enemies knew that. I have to assume that Mary also knew it, understood it and believed it. And she would have good reason to believe it because He had raised her brother from the dead. She just had the recent experience of anointing her brother for his death and burial. And he was raised from the dead by Jesus.
 
They responded by killing Him; she responded by worshipping Him. 
 
I think Mary really understood things. And that’s exactly what Jesus says in
 
verse 8
 
 
 
“She’s done what she could.  She can’t stop My death, but she’s anointed Me, My body, beforehand for the burial.”
 
Mary had a firsthand resurrection experience living in her house every single day. She couldn’t stop His death but she could show her love in a lavish way by anointing Him for the burial that she knew was coming. 
 
She must have thought, “What can I do? What can I do for my Lord from whom I’ve learned so much?” By the way, He was in their house a lot and I’m sure she was always sitting and learning. She said, “I could anoint Him,” and that’s what she did. She knew that He would die but she also believed that He would rise. But she did what she could do.
 
verse 9
 
We’re doing it tonight, aren’t we? Two thousand years have gone by and the testimony of her adoring, sacrificial, selfless worship still stands.  Her act of grateful love, looking to the cross and the burial and resurrection of Christ, is a lesson of worshiping love that is extravagant , lavish, unselfish, grateful.
 
So against the ugliness of the enemies of Jesus and against the ugliness of the betrayer of Jesus is the beauty of the love of Mary. I think she saw in the eyes of Jesus and heard in the words of Jesus the cross, the shadow of the cross. And her act stands as a tribute to love.
 
Let’s pray.