Greed
Notes
Transcript
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.
3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said,
5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.
8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well,
11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
Before we get into our passage, something hit me. Could you image verses 1-2
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.
I know I am guilty of reading this as a fact and not stopping to consider the reality of it. Lazarus was sitting there, the one that was dead for four days. Think about that, how amazing would it have been to be there. To know Lazarus? This leads to our first point about God. Lazarus was proof that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Let’s look at Matthew 22.
29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God:
32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”
33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
What does our passage say about us? Look at verses 3-5
3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said,
5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
I know we have been talking a lot about the drastically different responses to Jesus between those who believe and the religious leaders who had hard hearts because they were jealous, but this morning we see Judas’ real heart. It amazed me as I thought and pondered this point. How two people who interacted with Jesus and were intimate with Jesus could have two totally different responses. Then I realized it comes back to the heart again. The key question this morning for you to ask yourself is your heart tender? Is it soft and pliable for Jesus to mold it into His likeness or is it hard like Judas? Let’s take a closer look at what is going on. On the surface it seems like Judas has a point. Let’s look at 1 John 3 verses 17 and 18.
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
But is this really what is going on here? Is Judas really concerned that Mary and Jesus are ignoring the brother in need and lavishly wasting money? Look at verse 6
6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
What else does it say about us? Verse 9-11
John 12:9–11 (ESV)
When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well,
because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
What hope do we have from this passage? Look at verses 7 & 8
John 12:7–8 (ESV)
Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.
For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
