By Dr Jerry Horner
Mark 14:3-10
You’ll notice in here, that Jesus was being anointed. We have a way among us of highly esteeming things that God thinks are abominable. We value things totally opposite to how God evaluate things. We think something good is something big, like a big church. We need to look at what Jesus says is good, not what man says is good. That which is abomination to God is that which is highly esteemed unto men.
When this woman broke this alabaster box, it was an extreme sin. She does this thing so out of the ordinary, such a social no-no, so that the people murmured against her. She breaks this bottle and pours the contents on the head of Jesus. They were saying it was such a waste; she could have given the money to the poor. If you think about it, it was a stupid thing to do. Of what use was it? She wasted that costly perfume; it was useless. They were right to criticise her; but what does Jesus says about it.
He says something that we can hardly believe: ‘Let her alone. I think so highly of what she has done, I’m never going to forget it. Wherever the gospel is spoken, this story will be spoken of as a memorial to her.’ This just shows that Jesus is always surprising us.
John 12:1-8
Sometimes I want to ask the Lord, "What did you think about the sermon today?” We may think it was a wonderful message but he might think differently.
The criteria by which our lives are judged, it’s not what you think about it or what others say about it; it’s what Jesus says about it, how he evaluates it? I would like him to say about me “he has done a good work”.
I want to talk to you about how you can have these kind of commendations from God.
What do I have to do to make Jesus say what he said about this woman? How big a sacrifice to I have to make for the Lord to say “I'm pleased for what you’ve done.”
There’s three simple statements that Jesus made and in these, we are told the necessary requirements for having our Lord’s approval and commendation.
1) Do what you can
What is it that constitutes good service? What is a good preacher, church member? Jesus says ‘do what you can’. He was pleased with what this woman did. “She has done a good work in me, leave her alone".
Mark 14:8
She did what she could. That’s all it took! No one else was impressed; they all thought it was a waste of time and money. Jesus said, I do not judge people by how much or what they do, I judge them about the opportunity that is placed in their hands.
It was easy for Martha to express what God had done in her life; she was very efficient. But Mary was the younger sister, her heart filled with love and gratitude just like Martha’s was. She sees Lazarus raised from the dead and the man who did it.
Love has to express itself. Service for the Lord is nothing more than a heart overfilled with gratitude for him. Suddenly Martha remembers the alabaster box. Maybe she was saving it for her marriage or for some financial security. But it’s all she’s got, her treasure. She takes it out and she is commiting a social error but this doesn’t occur to her; she’s totally oblivious. All she sees is Jesus having raised her brother from the dead. Then she anoints Jesus’ hands and feet and he liked this, knowing she did what she could.
All he demanded from her was what he had given her in the first place. He demands nothing more than what he has already given you. I know that in this contemprorary Christianity, we lift up those with many talents. But if we aren’t careful, that will rule the church. The majority of Christians sit in the congregation and think, “But what is there that I could do”. The only thing God expects from you is, “Do what you can.” If you wait to try and do what someone else has achieved, you won’t ever get there.
As it says in 1 Corinthians 12, the body of Christ is made up of all the different parts: the members. Not everyone has the same role to play, but all are just as important.
All Christian service is simply giving back to God what he has already given you. What God has placed in your hands, that’s all that he demands! God will never demand more than he provides. And he will always provide what he demands. You do what you can, even if it may not seem much to you.
2) You do that much
Jesus said, ‘This woman has done what she could’. She had not only done what she could, but ALL that she could. Make sure you do that much. She broke that box. That’s significant. When she broke it, she had to pour it all out. She didn’t come out with a measuring spoon. Love is extravagant. Not a drop left in the alabaster box. I want to ask you, are there any drops left in your alabaster box?
You say, I’ve prayed...but have you done all that you know to do? I am convinced that God judges me on what I could and should have done, not on just what I have done. I believe that the greatest sin is that I have not done all that I can do. It’s easy to settle for just a little bit, as long as the people are satisfied. No that is not enough, if Jesus is not satisfied.
Don’t be content with being mediocre, which is settling for less that the best. The failure to do all that we can do and develop our abilities. A mediocre person is one who has searchlight ability but is shining like a penlight. It’s one who just gets by. Don’t be feeble when you can be strong. Don’t be content with paddling when there is a whole ocean to explore. Do all that you can do. Everyone wants to be successful, but what is success? It’s not a comparison of what we have done to what someone else has done. It’s coming up to the level of our best and making the most of our abilities and possibilities. We don’t compare ourselves with ourselves. Do all that you can.
3) Do it now
Jesus said, “Let her alone, she did what she could.” Then he said, ‘she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.’ Why would he say that when he isn’t even dead yet?
If Mary had not anointed his body a week ahead of time, the body would never have been anointed for burial. Whatever you do, do it now. Next week may be too late.
Mary was surprised at what he said. She didn’t know he was going to die in a week’s time.
It teaches me, that sometimes, if we do what God does asks us to do, we don’t have the complete idea of what we are doing. Mary had no idea of what she doing and yet far beyond that simple act of obedience was a meaning known only to God. And someday when we stand in his presence, we are going to be highly surprised at the significance and thne outcome of the simple things we did.
There may be some things you do in the service of God, that you may never know the results of. Some life that you touched, you don’t even know about it. Something that God uses. Now, you notice that Mark says, that Mary anointed the head of Jesus; John says she anointed his feet. I want you to notice this...John gives another detail: that she wiped his feet with her hair and the place was filled with the scent. What she had poured out on Jesus, came back on her. Whatever you pour on Jesus will always come back on you. You can tell when you are around someone who has poured out their life to Jesus, because there is a certain perfume on their life. Jesus says, ‘you do what you can, do that much and do it right now’.
Amen
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