What is Jesus worth to me?

April 9th 2023

Series: Easter 2023

Sermon Title: What is Jesus Worth to me?

Topic: 3 responses to Jesus just before The Cross

Key Passages: Matthew 26:6-16, 69-75; Mark 14:3-11, 14:66-72; John 12:1-11

Sermon Blurb: Every human responds differently to Jesus. Prior to Jesus going to the cross, we see 3 different responses from 3 unique people. Each response demonstrates the worth of Jesus to that person. How will you respond to Jesus and the Cross? What is Jesus worth to you?

Sermon:

FAMILY MOMENT

We are only days away from Easter when we celebrate the greatest news ever!!!

That Jesus came from heaven to earth and He willingly died on the cross for our sins!

That Jesus rose from the grave, offering us eternal and abundant life!!!!!

PAUSE

If you’re newer to Family Church, we are so glad you’re here!

We’ve been in a series walking through the Book of Acts, and today we pause that for two weeks to focus on Easter.

And can I encourage you to bring someone to church with you next weekend that does not know Jesus yet?

Next week we are going to share a VERY clear message that I believe will help people encounter the love of God.

LONG PAUSE

So, let me quickly explain the concept for this week and next week.

Today we are going to ask the question,

What is Jesus worth to me?

Repeat

Then, next week, we’re going to ask the reverse question,

What am I worth to Jesus?

Repeat

Spoiler Alert…..You are worth His very life!!!!

We’re going to talk about how you are worth EVERYTHING to Jesus, and how Jesus extends His love and forgiveness to anyone who would believe in Him!

PAUSE

So, let’s jump in today and ask ourselves this question,

What is Jesus worth to me?

What is Jesus worth to me?

PAUSE

Following Jesus is not always easy.

I admire older Christians who have kept their faith strong throughout the decades.

I admire Christians who go through hardships but stay super-sweet and passionate for Jesus.

I admire single parents who persevere with grace and rely on the Lord for what they can’t accomplish.

I admire young people who boldly live for Jesus in front of their peers and in a culture that is anti-Jesus.

But if you were to ask me, who do I admire the most…

My answer would be… missionaries.

I have the utmost respect and appreciation for men and women who choose to leave everything… to risk it all… to lay down their lives to spread the Good News of Jesus!!

I think missionaries are often the most unnoticed, underappreciated, unacknowledged people in the world…

And the remarkable thing is, THEY DON’T CARE.

Because they realize this life is NOT about them!

They didn’t go into missions for glory or to gain something from this world.

Missionaries are unsung heroes who are absolutely amazing!

PAUSE

At Family Church, we support several missionaries who are making a powerful impact for Jesus.

And if you ask any missionary who has spent their life sacrificially serving others, was it worth it?

Without a moment’s hesitation, they would say, “absolutely”.

It was absolutely worth it!

To leave everything the world considers valuable,

To forsake familiar comforts and be inconvenienced,

To pay a great price in order to bring the love of Jesus to people…

They would all say, “It was absolutely worth it!!!!”

They demonstrate with their lives that Jesus is worth a LOT to them…

SOOOOOOOOO, the question we are asking OURSELVES is the same… “what is Jesus worth to ME?”

LONG PAUSE

Today, I want us to look at 3 people who were with Jesus on the final days of His life on earth, before He went to the cross.

In fact, these 3 individuals were not only WITH Jesus prior to His arrest and crucifixion, but they each KNEW Jesus personally.

All 3 of these characters had a personal relationship with Jesus while he lived on earth.

They had each spent time with Jesus.

They were familiar with Jesus’ teachings, His ministry, His claims to be the Savior, His integrity and uprightness to live sinlessly and selflessly…

These were not random passerbyers.

They weren’t church visitors or people who went to church 2x a year on Easter and Christmas…

These 3 people KNEW Jesus.

BUT each of them responded to Jesus differently as He approached the Cross.

And it is through their response, that they provide insight to the question, “what is Jesus worth to me”?

PAUSE

Turn in you Bibles to Matthew 26

You can also read this same episode in Mark 14 & John 12, if you want to go read those later.

We’re going to first see what Jesus was worth to Mary.

Now, this isn’t talking about Jesus’ mother Mary, but Mary who was the sister of Lazarus.

This was a family that Jesus knew and loved.

Lazarus was the man Jesus raised from the dead…

Mary knew Jesus, and Jesus spent time with her family.

And we know which Mary it is because in the Gospel of John, chapter 12, John tells us.

So, let’s read beginning in Matthew 26 verse 6,

Matthew 26: 6-13 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Stop here.

What was Jesus worth to Mary?

It says that she poured out a very expensive perfume.

The disciples noted that it was worth a “high price.”

John 12 verse 3, indicates that it was “pure nard.”

That probably doesn’t mean much to you, but nard came from the high mountains of India and would’ve been worth about a year’s wages.

So, Jesus was worth quite a bit too Mary.

PAUSE

But it isn’t just the cost of the item alone that is so significant.

It’s what she did with the perfume that also matters.

Look at what Mary did… it says in verse 7…

7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

Here again, this probably doesn’t mean much to you today OR maybe it just seems a little strange that she poured oil all over Jesus’ head.

But what Mary was doing was not strange in those days.

She anointed Jesus with a very expensive perfume.

PAUSE

In the Bible, anointing was significant and symbolic:

It indicated God’s purpose in your life and His Spirit to help you accomplish that purpose.

So, Mary is anointing Jesus… and Jesus tells us the purpose for which He’s being anointed.

Look at verse 12

12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

Mary was anointing Jesus because Jesus was worth everything to her.

Now at that moment, she didn’t realize she was also anointing Jesus for his coming death….

At this moment Jesus was just days away from laying His life down on the cross for the sins of ALL humanity.

PAUSE

And notice the disciples accuse her of wasting… being frivolous.

BUT Jesus commends her for her heartfelt worship!

Write this down:

To Mary, Jesus is worth everything.

Repeat

Mary placed great value on her relationship with Jesus.

She acknowledged Jesus as worthy of everything she had.

The item was likely the most expensive thing she owned.

Think about a year’s worth of your wages placed in a piggy bank… and then you gladly, worshipfully, and entirely give it to Jesus.

Can you imagine giving Jesus 100% of your wages this year?

Mary gave to Jesus far more than most of us could ever imagine!

She didn’t talk like a lot of us and say,

I need my “future nest egg”

I need my “new X-box”

I need a “new car”

She completely, totally, and freely gave it all for Jesus!

And it was received by Jesus as a great act of worship!

Is Jesus

worth

everything

to you?

LONG PAUSE

BUT… there’s another person in this episode.

A second person who also knew Jesus quite well.

In fact, this person wasn’t a distant friend or mere acquaintance… this was one of Jesus’ disciples.

A man who had traveled with Jesus.

Talked with Jesus. Spent time with Jesus.

He even served alongside Jesus.

And despite having a front-row seat to everything Jesus said and did…..

Despite his proximity to Jesus…

The person did NOT respond kindly to what Mary did.

PAUSE

Let’s continue in our passage in

Matthew 26:14-16 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So, they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Pause right here.

Do you see the contrast between Mary and Judas?

Do you see how one responded to Jesus with worship and the other with great contempt?

You see, to some Jesus is worth EVERYTHING…

BUT, write this down:

To Judas, Jesus is worth nothing.

Repeat

It says Judas went to the religious leaders and asked, “what are you willing to give me for Jesus.”

So, what’s our question?

What is the question we are asking today?

We’re asking, “What is Jesus worth to me?”

Judas asked a twisted version of what we’re asking ourselves today.

And this interaction reveals something…

It reveals something about Judas.

It reveals something about the religious people of Jesus’ day.

AND it reveals something about ANYONE who denies Jesus’ Lordship in their life.

To them, Jesus is NOT someone to GIVE to but someone to GET from.

That is a BIG difference.

Give vs take….

Do we see Jesus as someone who has given us everything so we will give him everything.

Or is Jesus just a tool to us….

A tool that we use to get something we want…

PAUSE

Think about it:

Mary’s gift was worth 1 year’s wages, but Judas made a deal with the devil for 30 pieces of silver.

30 shekels of silver was about 2-3 months’ wages

Not 2-3 years, 2-3 months.

So, contrast Mary’s offering of worship and appreciation for Jesus to Judas who betrays and rejects Jesus.

Mary valued Jesus, Judas valued himself.

PAUSE

I want you to write this down,

Don’t cherish earthly things more than Jesus.

Repeat

Clearly, Judas valued wealth.

He valued personal luxuries

He valued money

He valued earthly security

He valued temporary things more than he cared about Jesus…

John tells us that Judas served as the Treasurer for the Disciples.

Judas kept the money bag.

BUT Judas frequently dipped his hand in that money bag.

Look at John 12:6

John 12:6b “…he (Judas) was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”

PAUSE

The Bible says a lot about money… about resources and how we should use them.

Jesus knew that money would greatly influence what we do or don’t do.

If our desire for money becomes too dominant, it will guide us away from pursuing Jesus.

Look at what Jesus said in

Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Greed is a very real struggle.

Inside every human being is a greed bone that shows its ugly head even at the youngest of age…

You probably didn’t have to teach your kids to say “MINE”, did you?

And as we get older, the desire for more and better things doesn’t magically go away.

So, Jesus warns us to not allow our desire for stuff,

for titles,

for prestige,

for earthly comforts,

to become our primary focus.

PAUSE

In fact, Jesus says that if we seek first Him and His Kingdom, then HE will provide everything we NEED.

So, write this down as well:

Jesus is the Source, everything else is just a resource.

Repeat

This one point alone could change your entire life!

When we approach life with this truth in mind, then God’s promises are activated, and our focus becomes more in line with God’s perspective.

However, when we put the resource in front of the Source, then we find ourselves in a bad place.

PAUSE

BUT not only does 30 shekels of silver teach us something about Judas… it also serves as an indicator of the desire of religious people to deny and diminishJesus’ influence.

Remember, the amount was determined by the religious leaders, not Judas.

This was the group of guys who had more Bible knowledge than anyone else.

The group who had all the insight as to Who God was, what God wanted to do, and how to please God.

This group should have been waiting for and welcoming Jesus…….

Instead, they hated Jesus.

PAUSE

You see, that’s the thing about religiosity.

Religious people can go through all the right motions,

say the right prayers,

give the right gifts,

do a variety of good things…

But they fail at the main thing which is giving THEMSELVES fully to God.

It’s the difference between externals and internals.

You can KNOW a lot about God but not KNOW God.

You can do a whole lot FOR God but not please God.

PAUSE

And the reason they hated Jesus was that He didn’t DO what THEY wanted Him to do.

They wanted a Messiah who would be a Warrior and King.

A Savior who would overthrow earthly governments, take out all their oppressors, and re-establish THEIR greatness on earth.

Not only that, but they also wanted the Messiah to uphold ALL of THEIR religious traditions and ideals AND their positions.

BUT Jesus did NOT come to do what they wanted Him to do

PAUSE

In fact, Jesus really upset the religious leaders…

They were so corrupt, so self-serving, so used to their authority over people and all the comforts that came with position……

They didn’t want what Jesus came to offer.

Jesus was dethroning them in order to place God back in His rightful place.

Jesus was ushering in something new!

Something better!

But here’s the thing about religious people…

They just can’t let go of their preferences and familiar traditions…

Even if letting go allows for Jesus to be amplified.

And that’s a point worth mentioning,

Write this down:

Don’t cherish religious tradition above Jesus.

Repeat

If church traditions matter more to you than sharing the Gospel with your neighbor… that’s not okay.

If you can’t worship Jesus because the music isn’t what you like… that’s not okay.

If you refuse to serve because the programs aren’t what they used to be… that’s not okay.

In any case, if your personal preference isn’t met and that causes you to grumble, complain, resist, or divide… that is NOT okay.

PAUSE

To religious people, Jesus is worth nothing.

Jesus was worth nothing.

LONG PAUSE

I want to mention one more character on the scene.

One more person who was with Jesus in these final days of His life on earth.

Just before Jesus went to the cross to die for our sins, we read about one more character who is worth mentioning.

This person is probably familiar to most of us.

If you grew up in church or have been around for a time, you’ve probably heard of Peter.

PAUSE

Peter was one of the closest followers of Jesus when He was on earth.

Peter walked on water when Jesus called to him.

Peter cast out demons, healed sick people, and preached with great boldness for Jesus

Peter wrote 2 books in the New Testament of our Bibles.

AND Peter was commended by Jesus Himself as being “rock-solid” in his faith.

No doubt, Peter is a great man of God.

PAUSE

BUT… Peter wasn’t always so great.

Peter wasn’t always such a rock-solid, faithful, follower of Jesus.

In fact, the Bible tells us that the night Jesus was betrayed by Judas, the night before Jesus goes to the cross, that Peter behaved quite cowardly.

And the crazy thing is, Jesus even told him it was going to happen hours before it happened.

Look at

Matthew 26:31-35 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” 34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same

So, Peter is talking a big game here.

He’s quite convincing.

He’s making some bold statements in front of his crew.

He says, “I will NEVER deny you, Jesus!”

“If someone puts a gun to my head and tells to denounce Jesus or die… I’m ready to die!”

He talks a big game when Jesus is nearby… in fact, hours later, when the betrayal happens, Peter is so bold that he draws his sword and defends Jesus by force!

PAUSE

And a lot of Christians are like that.

A lot of people are very bold when they are around other Christians.

A lot of people are courageous….. WHEN they are around church or other Christians.

But a telling sign of what Jesus is worth to you is demonstrated when you’re NOT around other Christians.

PAUSE

When push came to shove…

When the heat was at its hottest…

When faced with peer pressure…

Peter moved from courage to cowardice.

You see, when Jesus was no longer near, Peter denies Jesus.

Look at

Matthew 26:69-75 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. 70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”

73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” 74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

So even Peter… even The Rock… responded to our question ‘what is Jesus worth to me?’

To Peter, in that moment, Jesus was NOT worth associating with.

…perhaps Peter was intimidated by what might happen to him if he associated with Jesus… maybe he would be crucified.

…perhaps Peter was doubting if Jesus was truly Messiah.

…perhaps Peter was afraid of being rejected by others.

We don’t know exactly what Peter was thinking, we just know that in that moment he demonstrated that Jesus was not fully worth it.

So, write this final point down:

To some, Jesus is only worth it when it’s convenient or popular.

repeat

I think a lot of American Christians fall into this category.

I think we have seen this on display over the last 3+ years.

So many claiming to be Christians but bending to the will of societal pressures and political movements.

When our peers and culture push against our faith, do we bend and bow OR do we stand firm and not compromise?

PAUSE

Now, Peter eventually gets back on track…

We know that his story isn’t over at this point, but Jesus will restore Peter and Peter will become fully committed to Jesus.

And that’s my hope for my friends and Christians who have compromised.

Many who bowed to the pressure of worldly acceptance…

I pray they will return their hearts allegiance back to Jesus…

And the great news is, Jesus will absolutely restore them IF they turn back to Him.

LONG PAUSE

What is Jesus worth to you?

Honestly ask yourself.

Is Jesus worth everything or nothing?

Is He only worth it when everything is going good?

Is He only worth it when others also affirm Him?

OR, is Jesus worth my life… is Jesus worth following every day and sharing with others.

Is Jesus worth everything to me?

LIFE APPLICATION: What is one area of my life that is not fully committed or surrendered to Jesus? Ask God to help you release that to Him and trust Him fully. I will _________________________________.