Mark 14:1-11
What Is Jesus To You?
What's your relationship to Jesus like? I don't want to get personal when I ask that, but I do want you to answer the question - very seriously - in your own mind and heart. Do you really believe what He said? What would you be willing to give up to have Him as your Friend and Savior? How much of your money, or your time, or even your personal health would you gladly give up for Him?
The incident before us is the account of two people, one who knew Jesus, loved Him, and believed everything He said, and one who didn't. Their names are Mary and Judas. Mary loved her Lord. Judas didn't even really know Him at all.
According to John's account of this incident, there was a supper made for Jesus at the home of a man by the name of Simon the Leper - probably one of the lepers whom Jesus had healed. At the supper were Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, Simon the former leper, and Jesus' disciples.
During the supper, Mary rose from her place and went and got a beautiful alabaster jar of extremely costly ointment. She came to where Jesus was reclining, broke the beautiful narrow neck of the jar, and poured the perfumed ointment on His head and feet. According to John, she then proceeded to wipe His feet with her hair. It was an astounding act. No one present had ever seen anything like it.
Now of course, as one of the disciples, Judas was present. According to John's account, he was the treasurer for the disciples, and he became angry at such a "foolish" act that "wasted" so much money. As the keeper of the money box, though, the real reason he was angry was that he used to dip into the box for his own enrichment.
So we have two people with two very different attitudes. Let's look at each of them for just a few moments, beginning with Judas.
Judas didn't wear a red devil outfit, and there were no horns growing out from his forehead! He probably seemed to the others like an honest, practical, down-to-earth sort of fellow, the sort of fellow you'd like to have taking care of your company's money, because he'd know how to conserve it and make it grow. And he seemed to be right in there with the other disciples, learning wonderful things from Jesus every day. After all, he'd given up his normal life to be a follower just like they had. But his problem was that he was spiritually blind and his focus was upon self.
Whenever people gave money to the disciples, they immediately gave it to Judas. He was supposed to put it into the moneybox. and then, whenever needs arose, he was to supply the money for purchases. He was very shrewd with finances. He knew ahead of time just how much money would be needed for expenses, and when money came in he'd excuse himself to walk away from the others for a few minutes, probably with the moneybox hidden under his cloak. He would then take any amount over the amount for coming needs and put it into his pocket. He probably invested it in stocks or bonds to earn the most interest possible - for himself. He was smart. He was thinking of his future. Besides, he didn't think this Messiah business would last anyway, and he was just milking it for all he could get while it was there. He was focused inwardly, making provision only for selfish things.
But he was spiritually blind. He wasn't convinced that Jesus was really the Messiah (he probably didn't believe in that "messiah stuff" anyway). He probably figured that Jesus' miracles were merely slight-of-hand or something. He didn't really admire Jesus' gentleness, love, and merciful caring - he no doubt thought they were idealistic weaknesses. He didn't know if there was really a God or not. If there was, well, He would expect every man to take care for himself. Besides, if there was a God, He was up there somewhere, not very concerned for what happened way down here.
I venture to say Judas wasn't all that different from the average person you know in the world today. The average ambitious corporate employee is just as willing as Judas to betray a fellow employee, especially if he can thereby get ahead. Besides, the average employer wants ambitious people. Like Judas, though, such people are focused inwardly and they're spiritually blind.
Mary was different. She believed absolutely everything Jesus said. When He spoke of His approaching death and resurrection, she believed it, though some of the disciples had difficulty with tho concepts. When Jesus said of her, "She has anointed My Body for burial ahead of time," He meant exactly what He said: she believed in His approaching death, and she was doing what she was doing out of love and in response to what she knew He would endure.
So Mary knew and loved Jesus. She was the one, during one of Jesus' previous visits to their house at Bethany (Luke 10:38-42), who was so enthralled with Jesus' teaching and with just being in the same room with Him to observe His love, wisdom, gentleness, and goodness. She found it totally necessary to stop helping her sister serve food and wash dishes – so she could just sit at His feet and listen. She believed what He was saying, and she saw His glory. She was no doubt as troubled as the disciples were when He spoke of His death, but the only response she could make was to express all her devotion - to say by means of a beautiful act of worship that she considered Him her Lord. What she had was the most costly burial perfume available! She might even have purchased it with all she had and set it aside for this very purpose, maybe hoping she'd never have to use it.
But then, sometime later, Jesus once again came to their house, and a special supper was served for Him. Mary couldn't stand it any longer. She wanted to worship Him with all she had. She probably ran impulsively and emotionally into the room where she had stored the flask, came back where Jesus was, broke the neck of the flask, and poured the contents upon His head and His feet, wiping His feet with her hair in an outpouring of worshipful love. By her one, wonderful act, she was making it quite plain that Jesus meant everything to her. It's been estimated that the flask of perfume was worth approximately a year's wages - many thousands of dollars in our present economy!
We might easily come to the conclusion that Mary was an emotional fanatic. But that wasn't Jesus' conclusion. He said, "Wherever in all the world this Gospel is preached, what she has done will be mentioned in her memory." Jesus recognized true worship when He saw it.
I think we need to be very direct in saying that we need more of that kind of worship in our own day! It might even be that we need some impulsive, heartfelt, emotional love and worship toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
What we see here is a tremendous contrast in personalities! On the one hand is Judas, entirely focused on himself. On the other hand is Mary, entirely enthralled by the wonderful character of Jesus her Lord. The most obvious cause we can observe for this difference is that Judas believed little or nothing of what Jesus was and taught, whereas Mary believed everything He was and taught. I'm sorry to have to tell you that Judas really just resembles all of natural, fallen mankind, whereas Mary represents all Spirit-led, born-again mankind. Perhaps here, in this incident, we can observe most strikingly the difference between believers and unbelievers.
Having observed, we're then in a position to ask ourselves the all-important question: to which class do I belong? Am I focused inwardly or upwardly? Do I believe all that I read of our Lord's teaching, or do I, if the truth were known, really believe very little of it? More practically, do I listen with eagerness to every message from His Word, or am I really bored, wishing I could be somewhere else? And, if I find that I truly believe, am I moved to full and heartfelt worship? Am I willing to give my all to Him and for Him? Do I really love Him?
I urge you to ask yourself these questions. They might be the most vital questions you could ever ask. Then, having asked, do what you need to do. Pray. Pray that you may be a Mary, not a Judas. Pray for grace to become a Mary if you're not one now.
Oh to be impulsive for His glory and honour, and not to care what others think about me when being a "fool for Christ."
Yea, Lord, and may it be spread to both of us!
Oh to be like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus...