We've Been in a Study - Solely Jesus for Months Now

Solely Jesus John 12:1-11 Devotion

We've been in a study - Solely Jesus for months now We've been going through the Apostle John's account of the life of Jesus.

31 days from now over 1/3 of the world's 7 billion people will gather in all kinds of settings They will celebrate the birth of Jesus The birth of Jesus that happened over 2000 years ago

Think about it ... who else in all of history has had that kind of a birthday party year after year after year ... not for decades but for 2 millennia?

The British Empire goes back 1300 years They don't celebrate the birthday of previous monarchs

Jesus is without comparison in his impact on human history.

I don’t think anyone knows [if there's a God]. You’ll find out or not when you get there, until then there’s no point thinking about it. – Brad Pitt

It won’t be very many days until we have forgotten Brad Pitt and yet the world will just keep on celebrating the birth of Jesus – Life, death and resurrection.

I want to help you see Jesus – Jesus story – as clearly as I can …

We have taken away the living Christ and substituted a bobble head. Len Sweet

Up to this point we've covered about three years of Jesus' ministry Now we are at the last week

Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man He had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with Him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

Jesus left the village he had been in and traveled to Bethany where Mary, Martha and Lazarus had prepared a dinner in his honor.

We don’t know what the honor was … Raising Lazarus from the dead? He was on the way to Passover?

Mary served ... just like the account in the other stories where Martha was serving and Mary was sitting as a student

At a dinner like this people didn’t sit at a table like we do Recline - divan - head near the table - feet away from the table - reclining on one elbow - eating with the other. Matthew and Mark's account have Simon the Leper (ex-leper) also at the dinner. Other writers outside the four accounts have Jesus seated between Simon and Lazarus Can you imagine what that conversation might have sounded like as they recalled the miracles?

One-up-manship Numerous studies have revealed significant differences in how men and women communicate One of the findings that were significant is in what is communicated. Men when they communicate don't often share with each other 'feelings' - that's news. Among men the most often form of communication is competition - or one up-man-ship Oh yeah ... here's one even better Bigger, faster, more powerful, better return... Simon telling all about his leprosy and then Jesus healing

Perfume At some point in the meal - Mary comes in with a jar of expensive perfume made from the root and spike of a nard/spike nard plant Plant grows in India, Nepal, and China Imported from India 12 ounce jar of it This sort of perfume was often used as an investment  It was small  It didn't spoil  It was easily traded on the open market

This could have been a family heirloom This could have been just part of the family's wealth

She anointed his feet and wiped his feet with her hair Matthew and Mark - Poured it on his head Jesus says she anointed his body

Wiped his feet with her hair Married women never let down their hair in public - it was disgraceful and dishonoring to their husbands. Women in general didn't let down their hair in public. Mary undoing her hair and wiping Jesus' feet would have raised more than a couple of eyebrows in the room.

She used so much perfume that the entire house smelled from the perfume

Protracted Smell People down through history have not had the luxury of daily showers/baths like many of us do. Water was scarce

During the days of the plagues, people, especially women would carry bouquets of garlic and dill believing that the scent would ward off whatever was causing the plague

Overtime bouquets of flowers became a regular part of wedding ceremonies as a way to mask the odor from the wedding party - again since bathing was not a common practice. Most likely Jesus would have smelled of this perfume for the entire last week of his life.  When he rode into Jerusalem on the donkey - there was that smell  When he celebrated the Last Supper  In the Garden of Gethsemane when he was arrested  When the soldiers flogged him and when they nailed him to the cross

Not only did Jesus smell of the perfume but the woman also smelled of the perfume Everywhere she went the smell of her devotion lingered.

Someone walks in the room and the perfume is overbearing Causes you to gag At least the first few days that is what it would have been like every time someone came into contact with Jesus

But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray Him, said, "That perfume was worth a year's wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor." Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples' money, he often stole some for himself.

Judas watches this expensive perfume/oil flowing down Jesus hair and feet onto the dirt floor of the house and he is indignant

Judas complains about her waste Matthew and Mark record that the other D join in the complaining. What a waste - this was possibly the most expensive item in the entire village

That perfume was worth a year's wages - Your translation ... certain amount of $ Upwards of 50K The perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor And there were plenty of poor people in Bethany/Bethany area

John - Commenting on motives - Judas didn't care about the poor He was a thief He was in charge of the disciples money and often stole some for himself

What did he spend it on?  Rolex  New donkey  Clothes  Bribes/Power?

I know a man who has stolen tens of thousands of dollars - one question everyone asks is "What does he do with all the money?" Is it gambling, sex, and buying friends?

What is Judas' spending the money on?

In that time - traveling from city to city What did he spend the money on? Jesus replied, "Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for My burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me."

We don't know whether Mary was fully aware of Jesus' impending death or if she was pouring the oil out as a pure act of devotion. Jesus understood though that this was more than an unbelievable act of devotion She was actually anointing his body for burial

Matthew's account says that Jesus said whenever the account of his life was told people would remember Mary.

This is one of those crazy audacious statements - either Jesus was a nut case or the Messiah.  Who would remember the account of Jesus' life?  Why would anyone remember the account of the life of a man who came into the world through a pregnancy out of wedlock - who lived in an obscure village in the remote part of a little tiny piece of real estate - an uneducated son of a carpenter?

Sure enough --- here we are 2000 years later - for 2000 years Mary has been remembered for her devotion to Jesus. She has not been forgotten and neither has her actions.

When all the people heard of Jesus' arrival, they flocked to see Him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus. (John 12:1-11 NLT)

When the people in Bethany and Jerusalem area heard that Jesus had returned to Bethany they came to see him They also came to see Lazarus It was because of Lazarus that many had deserted the leading priests and had become followers of Jesus.

Contrast in devotion Devotion - how I exert/spend/use time, money, resources and energy.  Devoted parent  Devoted employee  Devoted spouse  Devoted/devout Seahawks fan

I want you to think with me for a few minutes about the contrast between – Mary and Judas

Mary's fixation is on Jesus Judas' fixation is on the money or what the money can do for him.

Mary's devotion leads her to give Judas' devotion leads him to take

Mary gives her most prized possessions. Judas wants to take her possession and sell it so that he can siphon off some money. It appears that Judas had a keen sense of the value of money and what the woman' savings/investment was worth

What he lacked was any sense of value of people

Imagine the horror Judas felt as a year’s wages are dripping onto the dirt floor at Jesus' feet Later that day and for the next few days the smell of the waste and what could have been lingered on his clothes.

Principle in life that everyone needs to learn and do --- but many don't.

Love people Use things

Use the word love so loosely --- a couple of years ago a couple of families in the church made it possible for me to purchase this iPad. I don't know how I lived without one. A number of times over the last couple of years I have thanked them And i probably have said - I LOVE MY IPAD.

Really that is the wrong use of the word.

Tendency in life is to get those two ideas reversed. The tendency is to:

Use people Love things

Devotion that honors the Lord must come from something that is valuable to us.

Clear back at the very beginning of recorded history Cain and Abel both brought gifts to God Lesson in Devotion

Cain - In the course of time Cain brought an offering to The Lord of the fruit of the ground. When he got around to it ... Abel - brought an offering of the firstlings and the fat portions to The Lord First animal that was born Abel brought to The Lord

Cain loved the fruit of the ground = things Abel loved God = people

Abraham - God told him to take his son Isaac up Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him on an altar When Abraham had the knife raise to kill his most prized possession - God told him to stop Abraham was willing to give what mattered most

The extravagance of Mary's devotion - pouring out a year's wages on Jesus Reminds me of a couple of events in the life of David The Ark of the Covenant had been taken from the Israelite . David purposed to go and get it back and take it to Jerusalem. As the Ark came into Jerusalem David was celebrating and his wife Michal saw him dancing in the streets and was embarrassed --- foolishness of his devotion When Michal chastised him David responded - Firmly - God choose me ... and not anyone from your family to be king - I wasn't dancing before the servant girls - I was dancing before The Lord

I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes!

Another time David angered God and there was a plague/epidemic that came upon the people David sought to make things right by offering a sacrifice There was a man who owned a threshing tools and an ox and David wanted to use it in the sacrifice The man told David to take it ... Keep it ... Use it. David's response is commiserate with the attitude of Mary

I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing. 2 Samuel 24:24 (NASB)

In both of these events/occasions -- David's devotion to God took precedent over anything and everything.

Which way do you lean? Love people and use things? Love things and use people?

What would other people say? If they were able to look you in the eyes, know that you were really listening Which way would they say you lean?

Where do you spend your time, money and energy?

Missionary Jim Elliot who was killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador

He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. Jim Elliot

Mary gave up what she could not keep to gain what she could not lose.

Judas kept what he could not keep and lost what he could not lose.

 For the businessman, life can be about accumulating wealth.  For the academic, life can be about accumulating knowledge.  For the politician, life can be about seeking power.  For the actor, life can be about fame and having their name known.

For me to live is money and to die is to leave it all behind. For me to live is fame and to die is to be forgotten. For me to live is power and to die is to lose it all.

Which way does the devotion meter lean? Is your devotion misdirected?