The Cost (John 12:1-11)

The saying goes, nothing is free. Everything comes with a cost. It’s not always financial & it’s not always considered but somewhere along the way, it costs. But sometimes we take for the cost for granted when it’s not us that’s paying (Example: Kids may take the cost for granted because their parents pay for it...but even adults can easily do the same).

In this text, Jesus is back in Bethany. In John 11, we see the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. But afterwards, He had to leave Bethany because the Jews were concerned that if Jesus kept doing miracles then people would believe on him & if that was to happen, the Romans would come & take away their temple. So they plotted to kill Jesus so Jesus didn’t walk openly with the Jews & left for the country near the wilderness because it wasn’t time for His death. But now, in John 12, He’s back in Bethany.

Jesus is with Lazarus & his sisters, Mary & Martha. They prepare supper. Some suggest this was a celebration for Lazarus but we do know that if it wasn’t for Jesus, this dinner could’ve easily been a repast cause Lazarus was dead.

The first thing I want us to see is the respect & honor that the entire family has for Jesus. Look in verse 2, Martha is serving, Lazarus is communing & Mary is about to Worship. The whole family is honoring Jesus. That’s what the family of faith & Believers should look like, everybody playing a part in devotion & service to the Lord.

But in this devotion, it came with a cost.

It cost Mary the best she had:

*In verse 3, Mary took a pound of spikenard, which is an expensive perfume & anointed the feet of Jesus. A pound is about 12oz. She takes a pound of the most expensive perfume & she anoints the feet of Jesus.

Mary is demonstrating that Jesus is worth it all, not just any perfume, not estee laudee or brut or whatever fragance you can find on sale in bath & body works but this was the best. & Jesus wasn’t worth just a little of it but He was worth all of it. Watch this, when you really come to Worship, you realize that Jesus isn’t worth just a portion, He’s worth all of it. Some of us may only give God just a little & you hold on to the rest but when you realize that without Him, I can’t have the rest.

Mary takes this perfume & anoints His feet. Look at how she came to Jesus, to wash his feet was something of a low servant. Mary did this from an humbled position. She assumed the place of servant to pour the best she had on Jesus.

Then she took her hair, not a towel, but her hair & wiped His feet. A Jewish woman couldn’t let her hair down in public. But her hair is down & she’s honoring Jesus with the best she has. Sometimes to get in a real place of Worship, you need to let your hair down. You been coming to Worship to uptight & leaving without Worshiping....you got to let your hair down & give God what’s due to Him & you can’t do that trying to be uniform. So if I need to let my hair down, wear some flats & not heels, get out of some to tight suits & be comfortable, then you do what you need to do but don’t miss the chance to Worship trying to keep up with protocol. Mary was violating Jewish women protocol so she could be in devotion with her Lord.

The house was filled with the odor of the perfume. But watch this, Mary anointed Jesus with the perfume, used her hair to clean His feet with the perfume. So now, Mary smells Jesus & Jesus smells like Mary & everybody can Mary & Jesus cause the house was filled with the scent. Jesus said if you abide in me then I’ll abide in you, therefore, when folks see me, they see Jesus cause I smell like Jesus (Example: here’s a story about a man who would go visit his Aunt May every week in a nursing home. She had so much joy seeing him & when he would leave, she would give him the biggest hug & make him commit to coming back. Twice a month, the nursing staff would take his Aunt May out shopping. & when she would get to the store, she would always buy her favorite perfume, White Diamonds. Every so often, his Aunt would dress herself in the mornings & when the nurse would leave, she would spray herself down with her favorite perfume. One day, he went to see Aunt May & just like any other visit, when he got ready to leave, she gave him the tightest hug & made him commit to coming back. On his way home, he stopped at the store to buy a gift for his wife. When he got home, he walked in the door & his wife said you went to see Aunt May today didn’t you? He said yes, I went by there. He was amazed because she didn’t acknowledge the gift, but she knew he’d seen Aunt May. When they went to bed, he asked her how did she know he’d been to see Aunt May? She said because Aunt May the only woman I know that wear White Diamonds & you smell like you been over there....when you been next Jesus, when you think nobody knows, you smell like Him & Jesus is the only One that smells like a forgiver....like a healer...like miracle worker...like shed blood that makes me white as snow...so I can’t hide that I been with Jesus cause when you look at me, you see a sinner that’s been saved, a sick person that’s been healed, an addicted person that’s been delivered, a liar that’s been forgiven so I can’t help that I smell Him but I keep finding myself around Him giving Him praise & honor because He’s done something for me.....I wish I had some folks that didn’t mind smelling like Jesus this morning.)

2. It cost Judas his hidden agenda

Judas couldn't take it, why would you waste that perfume? That was a year worth of pay just poured down the drain.

See, if you want to see real folks, Worship the Lord & they'll either get with you or separate. When you start honoring the Lord, some folks wish you'd hush…it don't take all that…you doing to much….. listen just because you didn't come to honor Him don't mean you gone stop mine. See you got to be careful because some folks think you crazy for giving the best you got to the Lord…. You crazy for going to Church & giving that preacher all your money…you crazy believing it's a God that cares for you & you got to be careful not to let them influence you.

Judas was the one holding the money. But since she didn't sell the perfume, he ain't got no money. Look at how the devil works, Judas complained about Mary giving her best to the Lord but wouldn't have been complaining if she had given him money. Judas says we could've took this money & given to the poor. But he said this not because he cares for the poor, he was gone steal the money.

This is the first time we see Judas’ greed. He was about money & money showed his true colors. In fact, Judas was able to hide his dark heart from everybody but in the text, he saw a money opportunity & showed his heart, he betrayed Jesus for a money opportunity.

Be careful, because Judas will draw a crowd too. Judas won't be the only mad about money…. Mad cause you don't do things a certain way…in fact, it's some Judas’ that call you crazy for bringing your best to Jesus…that crowd criticize what you do while they do nothing at all.

Jesus steps in & says leave her alone because this was done in preparation for my death but since you do concerned about helping the poor, there will be opportunities because they will be here but I won't be here.

3. It costs Lazarus a life threat