"SAVORING THE SAVIOR"
Notes
Transcript
Parallel Passages -
Matthew 26:6-13 - make a few observations
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. 8 But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? 9 “For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. 11 “For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. 12 “For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. 13 “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Mark 14:3-9 - make a few observations
3 While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. 4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 “For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. 6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. 7 “For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8 “She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9 “Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Luke 12:2-8 - make a few observations
2 “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. 4 “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. 8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;
Proposition - As we continue in our study we are going to look at: 1) the act of the woman, 2) the response of the disciples, and 3) the explanation by Jesus.
Interrogative question - How are you responding to Jesus?
1. The Act of the Woman - vs. 6-7
1. The Act of the Woman - vs. 6-7
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table.
Who is Simon the leper?
Do you think that He had leprosy?
Most likely, Simon had been cleansed from his skin disease; he would have been required to live in isolation had it not been healed (Lev 13:46). He might have been among those healed by Jesus. Luke’s parallel account presents Simon as a Pharisee (Luke 7:36–40). Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Mt 26:6). Lexham Press.
Who might “women” be?
a woman. Identified in John 12:3 as Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus. expensive ointment. “Pure nard” (cf. Mark 14:3; John 12:3), a perfume oil used for solemn acts of devotion. More common household oils were used to anoint guests, for medicine, and for other purposes (see note on Mark 14:3–4). Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1880). Crossway Bibles.
What do you think an “alabaster vial” is?
a small, vase-like jar used to hold perfumes; often made of alabaster.
Mk 14:3 at the house of Simon: According to Mark and Matthew, this anointing of Jesus took place at the house of Simon, a man with a serious skin disease (Mk 14:3; Mt 26:6). Luke 7:36–50 recorded a different incident in which a sinful woman anointed Jesus’ feet at the house of Simon the Pharisee. Simon was such a common name at that time that it is unnecessary to explain how the same name could appear in these two similar stories. pure and expensive fragrant oil of nard: The woman’s fragrant oil was made of nard, oil drawn from the root of the nard plant and imported from India (Jn 12:3). Lemke, S. W. (2007). The Academic Use of Gospel Harmonies. In Holman Christian Standard Bible: Harmony of the Gospels (p. 179). Holman Bible Publishers.
2. The Response of the Disciples - vs. 8-9
2. The Response of the Disciples - vs. 8-9
8 But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? 9 “For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
Why do you think that the disciples were”indignant?”
to be indignant - to be or become angered at something seemingly unjust or wrong.
Why might might they think it is wasteful?
How much do you think that the perfume cost?
3. The Explanation by Jesus - vs. 10-13
3. The Explanation by Jesus - vs. 10-13
10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. 11 “For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. 12 “For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. 13 “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
What do you think that Jesus was aware of?
What is that Jesus is calling them out for?
26:8–11 According to Jn 12:4, Judas was the primary critic of the woman. Here the different evaluations of the woman’s act—a waste or a noble thing—shows how little the disciples understood of Jesus. His remarks echo Dt 15:11. Quarles, C. L. (2017). Matthew. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 1546). Holman Bible Publishers.
What is the significance of what Jesus says?
This would be an utter blasphemy for anyone less than God, so yet again he was implicitly affirming His deity (see notes on 8:27; 12:6, 8; 21:16; 22:42, 45). MacArthur, J., Jr., ed. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1444). Word Pub.
26:12 Corpses were perfumed in first-century Palestine to mask the odor of putrefaction. Jesus interpreted Mary’s act as preparation for his burial. Messiah was beginning his reign, but, to the surprise of his disciples, his throne would be a cross and his diadem a crown of thorns. Quarles, C. L. (2017). Matthew. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 1546). Holman Bible Publishers.
SO WHAT?
How are you responding to Jesus?
Are there things happening in your life that are keeping you from Jesus?
Have you ever responded to the calling that Jesus has offered to you?