Title: John 12
By: Todd Bevins
I was thinking. Brother Dan said something this morning that I have thought about more and more recently. I can’t remember if it was in class, or when he was preaching; anyway, it was talking about the closer and the more our relationship grows with the Lord, the less we really care about the things that are here in this life, and the materialism and things like that. It just doesn’t appeal to us. The older I get and the closer I get in my relationship with the Lord; I find that to be very true. There is not anything that really matters to you much. I had this same conversation with someone not long ago, and told them; if you come to my house, it is still not finished. It is still under construction. It has been for five years. It will probably be for another five. I can say that since Kate isn’t here and I don’t have to worry about her getting on to me about that. Things just don’t have the appeal that they used to. Those things don’t really matter.
However, what does matter is that my life is a good reflection of Jesus Christ. My life and those around me know whom I love, who matters and what matters most in my life. That becomes more important to me than anything else. Nothing else seems to be as equal value.
I was thinking about—this actually takes place prior to, as brother Dan preached this morning, again, did an outstanding job; talking about Palm Sunday and the triumphal entry. This takes place just prior to that. I wanted to look at it tonight for a certain reason. I want to talk about Mary and some things that takes place here and what she does. In the beginning of John’s Gospel, chapter 12.
John 12
1 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.
2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.
Intro
Here they are. They are gathered. John tells us that they are meeting together. They are having a supper that some said or some theologians think that maybe it was a gathering there in regards to Lazarus and rejoicing over that. I don’t really know the reason, but I do know they were together. I know when the guests would enter a home; they would have their feet washed with water. Their heads would be dabbed, or anointed with oil and some sort of perfume. Here we find out that Mary uses this precious ointment. It tells us here that she is going to anoint Jesus’ feet.
I want us to get in our minds and think about—here they are. They are gathered together. Again, John will tell us this is six days before the Passover comes at Bethany. We know that there is a lot that is transpiring. We also know that Jesus knew what was ahead. Didn’t He? He knew the cross; even though, the disciples and nobody else understood what was coming. Jesus did. Yet, even though that is the case; His mind is not necessarily focused on those things. Yet, I love the fact that He still has time, and takes the time to sit down and have a meal with those He loves. The fact that He is not so consumed with what lies ahead. Why is that? Again, He knew what He was about ready to face. He knew what about ready to happen; yet, He cared enough to take some time and spend with them. That says a lot about our Lord. Doesn’t it?
The fact that He loves us—as I have said so many times—more than we could ever possibly understand, or even fathom. The fact that here He is and knows what is going to happen. The lashings. The beatings. The rejection and all the things that are going to come with that. The weight of sin that is going to placed upon Him, yet, He cares enough to stop by, hang for a little while, and sit down and eat a meal with them. Rejoice and talk about some things; again, fellowship one with another. How great and wonderful our Lord really cares about us.
John 12;2
2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
Again, there is a lot of conversation going on about that event and what happened. This is where we want to focus and it is this. Here is what happens. It is one thing to anoint—as I was reading about some things and reading after different theologians—to anoint one’s feet and so forth, and to wash their feet and this and that. It is one thing, but to do it during a time of suffering is something totally different.
Look what takes place. Here all this is going on. No doubt they are sitting back and they are relaxing and eating. It says here:
John 12:3
3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
I want to talk about that just for a few moments. Mary’s gift was remarkably, extreme, as one theologian wrote. She used a lot. She used a whole pound, a very costly of oil, or spikenard. Spices of ointment were often used as investments. Something that again, they might get, they might have and store up for a while. Then they would sell it. It would be something, again, that you might put some investment in and be able to get some back. Judas would tell us in the next few verses, as we read this, three hundred pence. He would tell us that this is the cost, or the value is almost a man’s years wages, as he would work an entire year. This is how much it would cost.
Now Judas, when he sees this—and we are already jumping the gun—Judas in his mind, “Why would you do something so ridiculous? Why would you do something so silly?” We must understand something. When Mary is sitting here; she is looking at the One and Only true God. When she is looking at Him—again, I’m not saying Mary understands all that is going to transpire, but I do know this—there was something that was going on in the heart of Mary that she understood enough, when she looked at Him; this was her Lord. When she looked at him, nothing else really mattered. My mind immediately goes back to the scene. We know they were having dinner and He was there. Martha was upset at the fact of where was Mary? She was at the feet of Jesus. Why? She was focused in on everything He was saying. She was drawn in by His voice, by His words, by the authority that came from His words and knowing that something about this man is stirring her on the inside. Knowing that as she was sitting and soaking it all in; Martha was cumbered about with much serving. She goes to Jesus, “Hey, I need her help. What is she doing here?” Do you know what Jesus said? She has chosen the good part. She has done what is most important. The most important thing in mine and your life is not what we can obtain, not our investments, not what we can sink our money in, or what will last—we think—when we are old.
I had a conversation the other day with some folks. We were talking about things. We were looking at things. I said, “There are some things that we might want to consider that as we get older, you might have some sort of income coming in.” There are times that we have to think about things like that. Our lives must not be hinged around all of that.
Our entire focus must not be on all of those things. Why? Because those things—one of these days, they are going to put this old body in the ground. One of these days, I am going to die. Yes, we must plan and have investments. I say that because I don’t want to be misunderstood. Absolutely, there must be planning, but it cannot be one’s entire focus. It cannot be that one is so consumed with all of that where they forget what is most important in life. That is this. We are not here forever. This is not our home. We are just pilgrims passing through. A pilgrim is someone who sets up his tent for a little while, hangs out for a while to a few years. Then he will pack up and move on somewhere else. One of these days we are leaving here. We are going somewhere else. The next stop you and I have will be for eternity. That will be our home. Here is not our home.
We go back to Mary. We go back to the scene. Here she is, once again, doing something involving her and her relationship with the Lord. That is this. Understanding and giving example of how much she really loves Him is seen by what she is going to do.
I tell people all the time; I say it here. I listen to sister Mable and others as they testify and talk about their love for God. I say it all the time. I talk to different folks; I say, I can talk about the Lord all day long. I could because I love Him so much. Do you know what? Saying that we love the Lord, and living our lives out that proves that we love the Lord is two different things.
Mary is going to do something here that it is seen that she really loves the Lord. What she has—again, as I think about things—not necessarily does she fully understand, something is coming up. Something is ahead here. Regardless of how much this ointment cost, regardless of how much this perfume cost, regardless of what amount of money it was, or what she might have been able to gain from it, in years to come, as its price may have gone up in value; none of that mattered to her. None of it mattered to her. Just one thing mattered.
We find out what she does. It was very costly. I like what Spurgeon said. It was very costly but it had not cost a penny too much that it could be used upon Him. There was a pound of it, but there was none too much for Him. It was very sweet, but none too sweet for Him. It was just right for our Lord.” Mary’s gift was remarkably unselfish in an act of unselfishness. Not only did she give the gift of the expensive oil, but she also wiped His feet with her hair. You will find out among the Jews this means she let down her hair in public which is something Jewish women did not do. We are going to talk about that in just a moment. Mary takes this and no doubt—I don’t know again, how much it might have been worth in days to come. None of that mattered. She breaks it. She pours it upon His feet. As she washes His feet, it tells us this in the latter part of verse three. She wiped His feet with her hair and the house was filled with the aroma. She wipes His feet with her hair.
Hair of a woman is fairly delicate. Isn’t it? Thank you, I’m glad that you agree. What I mean by that is this. If I go messing with my wife’s hair, I had better be able to get away a lot quicker, and run very fast. Thank God, I can do that when I am running against her. I can out run her.
What I am saying is this. I am thinking about the fact of all the energy and all of the effort—now I will talk to you in a moment about the Jewish women and their hair—I was thinking about all the effort that one puts, lady, I should say. Men, we don’t spend that much time on our hair. Maybe some, but I don’t know. I know Emory doesn’t, but he’s not here and I can’t say anything about that. The point of the matter is this. They spend so much time on their hair and the preparation of it. They do so much.
To Mary here, and I know times are different now than they were then. Mary, here she is and she let’s her hair down. Here is the best thing about that. Not only as we look at the fact that it is her hair and she doesn’t care what anybody else thinks. She doesn’t care the fact that this is what she has to dry with. Also, for the Jewish women it is this. As you look at it, the act is, it is all the more striking in that a Jewish lady never unbound her hair in public. Here is why. That apparently was a mark of loose morals. Mary did not stop to calculate public reaction. She didn’t. Her heart went out to her Lord and she gave expression to something of her feelings in this beautiful and touching act. Mary never once thought about what will think when I let my hair down. As I just read to you, it talked about for a woman to do that would maybe represent to loose morals. Mary never gave any thought to that, nor what anybody else thought in that room. She did not care about the amount of money that the spikenard may have been able to, not only what it was worth at that moment, but also, what it might have been able to gain in years to come. She did not think about any of those things. As far as, her use of that, nor of the letting down of her hair; she cared nothing about what anybody else thought around that table. She was focused on one thing and one thing only. She was focused upon worshiping the Lord of glory, of anointing His feet; without understanding completely what lie ahead but knew enough that He deserved everything that she had.
The same thing is true in mine and your life. There is nothing greater than getting to the place in our lives in saying the Lord is worth everything I have. He is worth all my time. He is worth all my energy. He is worth all my thoughts. He is worth all my money. He is worth all these. He is worth all that I think I have. It all belongs to Him and He is worth it all. There is nothing we have that is too much that we could say; He is worth this much, but not so much—NO! He is worth more than anything you and I could ever have. He is worth all of our praise. He is worth all that we can give unto Him. Do you know what? There should never be a time in our lives that we should care or worry about what anybody else thinks. That’s because we know this much. If nobody else, or nobody else will fully know, but you and I know will know; that is this. Nobody knows what He has done for us. Nobody else really knows that. Praise God!
As brother Dan mentioned this morning, or someone did; if not he is going to get the credit for all of it because he is the only one I can remember talking. That is this. That is we ought to be able—everybody we come in contact with, we should tell them about what the Lord has done for us. We should be just as enthused about it today, as the day we got saved, and the day He came into our heart and lives. Why? Because we are just as saved today, as we were then. He is just as much King today, as He was then. He is just the same as Lord now, as He was then. He has the same amount of power now as He had then. As He changed our lives, He can still yet change the lives of others today. Why? Because He is God Almighty.
Mary’s Devotion to Jesus
In all of this, Mary is a study of devotion to Jesus. Think about this. The life of Mary is painted for us, in three memorable pictures. In each of which she is at the feet of Jesus.
· Luke 10:39, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and learned.
· John 11:32, Mary fell at Jesus’ feet and surrendered.
· John 12:3, Mary anointed Jesus’ feet and she honored Him.
Mary is a good, as we look at her and follow her leadership, and look at her life; we can find her multiple times, where? —At the feet of Jesus. I don’t know of any place I would rather be than at the feet of our Lord. Why is that?
· At the feet of our Lord is where we learn.
· At the feet of our Lord is where we become humble and surrender unto Him.
· At the feet of our Lord is where we can honor Him with our praise and adore Him for all He has done for us.
· You must sit at His feet, or you will never anoint them.
· He must pour His divine teaching into you or you will never pour out a precious ointment upon Him.
You must take in His learning. You must take in His Word. In so doing, as you take in His Word, and His Word cultivates your life, works in your life, does what needs to be done in your life; do you know what it does? It brings about a life that wants to praise Him and honor Him. Do you know why? It is because we find out His Word is true. His Word is powerful. His Word is quick; the Bible tells us. Do you know what it will do? It will work within us. It does what is needed inside of us to bring about a life that will bring glory unto Him. In doing that, as we look about the changes that He has made in our lives, not only that He saved us; but as we look back and we see all the things and how God brought us through, but how, as brother Shannon talked about our conduct, behavior and how that it is changed. How God works. How that at one time it was so difficult to forgive or to love. We have found ourselves sitting over the years at the feet of Jesus. We have listened to Him speak. When we have listened to Him speak; you say, “You have heard Him audibly?” No. I have never heard him audibly. I will tell you this. I have heard Him speak to our heart, through His Word. I have felt the Holy Spirit of God working in my life; taking the authority of His Word and doing the work inside of me that I could not do on my own and allowing Him to do that. Do you know what it does? It brings us right to His feet. Why? What do we want to do? We want to worship Him. We want to praise Him. Why? It’s because we understand there is no way I could have conquered that spirit of unforgiveness; or I could have conquered that spirit of anger, or frustration. We couldn’t have conquered that time in our lives of whatever we were going through without Him, without His power and ability, without His Word; I could not have done it. Therefore, in recognizing that, it brings us to a place that we want to praise Him and worship Him. We want to put ointment, as we might say, as Mary did upon His feet. In other words, we want to give Him all that we have and say God, here I am. I belong to You. I don’t care what anybody else thinks. I don’t care what the rituals, or what everybody else’s ways of doing things are. What I care about God, is that you know that I love you more than anything else in this world; and I want the world to see it. I want them to know it. Not by what they hear come out of my mouth, but by what they see come out from my life. I want them to see a life that honors you and you alone.
We find out here, as He goes on. It says this in the later part that the house was filled with the ointment, the fragrance, the smell, the scent of the smell. I like what one theologian writes about this. “The sense of smell makes for long lasting memories. John remembered how Mary’s essential oils made the whole house smell good.” It is something that triggered John’s mind. As I think about the act Mary did here and performed; not only did John remember it, but I’m certain Mary never forgot it either. It was special time that Mary gathered as Mary was here, again, anointing His feet.
Do you know what? The same is true in mine and your life. There are special moments in my life that I had with the Lord. No. They are not a lot, but there have been a few that I will never forget. I am so glad that I was able to experience them. I am so glad that the Lord loves us enough, that there are moments, marks and times in our lives that things happen. Do you know what? We just can’t explain it. We don’t know how to tell it. We just know we are thankful for it. We are thankful for Him.
John 12:4 & 5
As we go on and he says this:
4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
It simply tells us this was the value of a man’s yearly wages. It tells us how much it was. It takes a man a whole year. I remember dad saying one time and made this statement; when he was talking about buying some things, and this and that. The amount of money that you spend. He said, “I will tell you what son. Do this. Before you go to buy it, before you do that, think about how long it is going to take you to get that money back that it is paid for, or that you are able to pay for it. I thought that’s a good way to look at things. I never did follow that, but that is a good way to look at things. Do you know what? When you think about a whole year’s time out there working day in and day out; an entire year—Mary says, “He’s worth more than that. This is all I have.” To some, they would think that is something you could really make some money with. Mary says, no, it belongs to the Lord. It is not mine.
Everything you and I have belongs to Him. I will say it. I have said it before. I will say it until I leave this world. Nothing I have belongs to me. It all belongs to Him. God has given me everything I have.
John 12:6-8
He says now, in the next few verses he says this.
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
John was explaining Judas’ feelings and why he makes the statement that he does. “…because he was a thief…”
Listen to some of the things theologians said that I had read, that I would like to share with you. It talked about letting her alone. If we are extreme in our love for Jesus, He will not criticize us. That is what Judas did. It is much better to be like Mary, extreme in our love for Jesus, than to be like Judas criticizing others who showed such great love for Jesus. Love Him with all you have got. She has done this to the day of my burial and the same way that it would be rude to loudly object the funeral expenses at the service for the deceased; so it was inappropriate for Judas or anyone else to put a price on Mary’s love and devotion for Jesus while He was still yet alive. It would be absolutely ludicrous, silly, wrong for anyone to go to a funeral, to bark on someone, or to gripe to someone about the amount of money that they have spent on their deceased. This theologian here is saying this. Not only would that be silly, just as much as it would be silly for anyone to say He isn’t worthy of all that we can give Him. He isn’t worthy, especially here, while He is still yet alive. Unusual expenses at a funeral were not regarded as unseemly. Why should anyone object if the ointment, which would have otherwise been used to anoint His dead body and due course was poured over Him, while He was still alive and able to appreciate the love that prompted the action.
There is coming a day—let me take a moment to say this before I read the last thing and that is this—there is coming a day that we are going to be able to worship and praise Him throughout all eternity. We are going to give Him a perfect praise. We are going to give Him a praise that is not interrupted by sin, or marred by sin or anything else. We are going to give Him a praise that He so deserves. However, while we are here, while we are still yet alive, while we are here upon the earth; there is nothing better than praising the Lord amongst all those that are unsaved. You say what do you mean by that. I am saying on our jobs and in our houses take time—I love doing this—family meals and wherever you are at, when you gather together at functions. Easter is coming up. A lot of times families will gather together. They will have Easter dinner. Sometimes, family members that are unsaved, take time to pray and thank God for what He has given you. Take time to pray amongst the meal and those that are around may be able to hear you worshiping God and praising Him. Thanking Him that He would send His Son to die in your place. Not only that but on the job site taking time to bow our head and pray before our meal.
I remember a time at the coal docks; I was sitting in a shanty—if you will—we were down for a little bit. I never thought anything about it. Anytime we were down-time, I would pull out my Bible or I would spend some time praying or something like that. I will never forget sitting in there all alone, I was praying and all of sudden the door opened, there was only one way in but the door opened; all of the sudden it shut back quickly. As I finished up, and hurried up, and looked; I saw one of the guys, a coworker walking on down through there. I have never forgotten that. I don’t know when he got saved but I know this. We did some work for him recently and he been saved. He goes to church, him and his family. I often think about whether we had anything to do with that or not; I have no idea. I do know one thing. He knew I loved the Lord whether anybody was around me or whether they weren’t. There is nothing like praising the Lord.
There will come a time we will give Him that perfect praise. However, I say, let’s praise Him while we are here. What do you say? Not only here in His house; praise Him on the job, praise Him among family and praise Him wherever you are at in ways that your heart glorifies God. Let Him have praise.
Mark 14:9
9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
The evangelists who records the promise, does not mention Mary’s name. John who does mention Mary’s name, does not record the promise. It matters little whether our names are remembered so long as Jesus bears them engraved on His heart.
Jesus knows our hearts. He knows whether our worship is true or genuine.
When Mary was there that very day, when she poured the ointment upon His feet and washed His feet with her hair; He knew this very act she was doing was genuinely from the heart. She loved Him.
The things you and I do, let Him know that it is from our heart. We love Him with all of our heart. We don’t care who sees it. We don’t care who knows about it. As a matter of fact, we want anybody and everybody around us to know that we love our Lord. He is wonderful. Isn’t He?
Come and pray.