Matthew 26, beginning in verse 6, “Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.”
And here we are over 2000 years later, and we’re talking about this woman. Why? Because she made a decision that it would start in her. She made a choice. And I want us to look at that choice this morning. Let’s read verse 13 together and then we will pray: “Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.”
This passage is taking place in the historical life of Jesus here on this earth, and it is taking place during a period that we know as “The Passion Week.” This is the week where the physical life of Christ is coming to a climatic end here on Earth. We are just a few days away from Calvary. In fact, verses 1 and 2 says:
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.”
So once again, we have come to that place where Jesus is telling His disciples that He is on the verge of “becoming sin for us, He who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God.”
The greatest act of love that has ever been demonstrated on this earth is when the Sinless Son of God, was born to a virgin in a manager, then died a substitutionary death on Calvary’s Cross to redeem us from our sins, to rescue us from a death to hell, so we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven. There has never been a greater demonstration of love than that!
But in light of that act, there is recorded for us, THIS ACT.
This woman comes to the place where Jesus is, and she takes this very precious ointment, and anoints the body of Jesus for His burial. And after she did it, the Lord said, “Wherever the Gospel is preached, this will be told as a memorial of her.”
That word “Memorial” means, “A permanent monument.”
And though she didn’t do it for the media, and she didn’t have a youtube channel or a tictok account, or a Instagram or twitter account . . . she did this in front of just a few people, but Jesus said, “This story will be told everywhere.”
And here we are 2000 plus years later talking about this story. The reality this morning is that everyone of us is going to be remembered. The question is this: “How will YOU be remembered?”
Let me show this story to you in three sections:
FIRST, NOTICE THE DEMONSTRATION
V6, says that Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper. Jesus was often found in Bethany. It was a place not far outside the city of Jerusalem itself. We know Bethany mainly because of three people that were precious in the life of Jesus: Mary, and Martha and Lazarus.
But we don’t find Jesus here in their home, we find Him in the home of Simon the Leper. Now, let me tell you what that means – it means that Simon was no longer a Leper! If he were still a leper, he would have been banished from the city and from his family.
- Some people suppose Simon to be the husband of Martha, as she will be found in the kitchen;
- Some have supposed him to be the father Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
- But I am thinking he is the one of the 10 who turned back to thank Jesus for healing! Though the other 9 did not, this one did.
Folks, I believe this morning that if you are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, every once and a while we ought to just say to God – THANK YOU!
Thank You Lord, For Saving my soul.
Thank you Lord, for making me whole.
Thank you Lord for giving to me,
Thy great salvation, so rich and free!
John chapter 12 is a parallel passage to Matthew 26. In Verse 1, John tells us, “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.”
So notice with me that Mary comes in, they are all sitting around having dinner, and she breaks open this box of oinment and begins anointing Jesus with it. What is Mary doing?
I think what Mary is saying is, “Jesus, you are more precious to me than anything!” That oinment is called “spikenard,” which was very costly according to John chapter 12, and Matthew says it was very precious. In fact, one of the disciples says in John 12:5, “Why wasn’t this oinment sold for 300 pence?” 300 pence was equivalent to an entire years wages!
She took what had taken her an entire year to buy and gave it freely in DEMONSTRATION of her love for Jesus.
Interestingly enough, spikenard was used in those days to anoint the bodies of the dead.
Now I believe Mary had probably bought this spikenard for her own burial. In fact, she didn’t even use it in the preceding chapter where her own brother Lazarus had died, and they proclaimed to Jesus, “He stinketh.”
She didn’t break it out for her brother, she didn’t even save it for herself, but when she understand that the Son of God was going to die on the Cross, she broke the box and anointed the body of Jesus while he was alive!
- What an act of love.
- What an act of sacrifice.
- What an act of adoration.
That she would give to God’s Son that which was very precious to her. Folks, do you know how we demonstrate our love for Jesus?
- It’s not by talking the talk. but walking the walk.
- It’s by DOING and not SAYING.
- It’s by taking what’s precious to you, your future, your plans, and breaking the box and saying, “Here’s the best that I have Lord, and I give it to You.”
When I joined the Army, I did everything I could to make the best career I could. I attended the right schools and did the right things. I was dead-set on doing 20 years and retiring. After 14 years, I had to make a decision to either follow Christ or go my own way. At first I made the wrong decision. I reenlisted to take me to my retirement date. That was a costly decision for me that nearly cost me my life. But even after my body being broken, I still didn’t make the right choice. The Army was holding a position for me back in the Ranger Regiment, a position I wanted since I was a private, and they were giving me one year to rehab my body. About a week after that, I nearly bleed to death internally. I remember laying in my bed and the doctor saying, “We can operate now under controlled condition, or take your chances of not having surgery.” I remember saying to God, “Lord, I really got this one wrong. Lord, if you make a way, I will go.” Within minutes, blood work came back that prevented me from having to have surgery. A week later, God made a way for me to leave the military. Folks, that was my “Alabaster Box.” Can I say this morning, I have no regrets about that decision to follow Christ 30 years ago. And now, all these many years later, this church is a benefactor of that decision to break open the alabaster box!
Let me ask you, What’s your alabaster box? The DEMONSTRATION.
SECONDLY, NOTICE THE DISCOURAGEMENT
Look at Matthew 26 verse 8, now this isn’t talking about the Pharisees or the Sadducees, if it had, I could kinda understand it. But it says, “But when His disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?”
Of all the people to discourage Mary, it was the disciples. Folks, listen to me, sometimes the discouragement in your life to do something for Christ isn’t going to come from the source you think it’s going to come from. “WHEN THE DISCIPLES SAW IT, THEY HAD INDIGNATION.” They were very displeased; they were very angry. And they voiced it, “To what purpose is this waste.”
So here is Mary, demonstrating that she loves Jesus more than anyone or anything – and here are the disciples being indignant, being hateful.
Listen, I can’t understand for the life of me why anyone that claims to be a part of the family of God would ever do anything to discourage someone else from giving their best to the Lord. And honestly, I think you need to examine the heart of someone like that! And as a church, we shouldn’t have any tolerance for it. I can’t tell you the number of people that have left church, not because they didn’t love Jesus, not because they didn’t want to give Him their best – but because “church folk” doing everything they can to DISCOURAGING them from giving their all to Jesus.
So, here’s Mary, Demonstrating her love for Christ, giving her all for Christ, You think she couldn’t hear those indignant disciples snorting their venom?
Many of you have heard it before to, haven’t you? In fact, I’d go as far as to say that’s why many of you are here in this little church.
I’ve heard it before:
- Why in the world would you leave the Army after 14 years and go to that Bible College?
- Why would you try to pastor again after being broken in the ministry? After being a failure?
Some of you young preachers have heard it to haven’t you? What makes you think you can be a preacher – you didn’t go to Seminary?
The Discouragement from others. But let me show you one final point:
NOTICE THE DEFENSE
Let at verse 10, “When Jesus understood it . . .” Now this doesn’t mean that it just all of a sudden dawned on Him what they were saying, he already knew that. But what He is saying here is “When SHE had heard enough.”
Listen to me, sometimes you and I don’t have the same timetable that God does, but I can assure you that God has a timetable. And when Jesus understood that they had said all that needed to be said, He said:
“WHY TROUBLE YE THE WOMAN?”
That word trouble there means that their words had been so harsh and cruel that they have brought Mary to the point of tears.
“Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath brought a GOOD WORK upon me.”
Did you notice the contrast? What the disciples considered a waste, Jesus considered a good work!
What Jesus was saying was this: “Mary, what you have done was wonderful, it was beautiful, it was exceptional.”
Folks, what the world may call a waste, God may call wonderful, beautiful, exceptional.
“She hath brought a GOOD WORK upon me.”
Jesus said, “. . . she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.” Do you know what Jesus was saying here:
“Mary is doing what she can, where she can, while she can, with the best she has to offer.”
Folks, can I say, the opportunity to serve God, to praise God, to give God your best, to give your heart to Christ – it may not come not come back for a repeat performance!
I’m not trying to scare anyone into doing anything. I’m simply telling you this, if you look in the obituary section of the Spartanburg paper on any given day, I almost guarantee, you will find somebody YOUR age, regardless what age you are.
The Bible says, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”
Mary seized her opportunity, and because she did, we are speaking of her in this service over 2000 years later. She is forever recorded in the Book as a memorial.
Fighting for My Pea Patch 