Not Riches, but Sacrifice

Introduction

This week we have been considering worship and what it means for us in our daily lives. We talked last time about what it means to worship, and why it is important for us to do so, but what does sacrificial worship look like? The ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate love is demonstrated for us with Jesus on the cross. In a moment, we will break bread and drink juice in a sacrament visually built around this tremendous sacrifice. There are a number of places, one of which we will look at tomorrow, that describe the Christian life as one of sacrifice and death when it comes to our sins, but what does it look like to do this with our lives?

Matthew 26 shows us a very tangible expression of sacrifice to Jesus that I think we can draw a lot of lessons from in our short time together this evening.

Let’s set the scene.

Jesus is going to be killed in a matter of days on the cross, and I think Mary has some idea that this is coming. She is known as the one who sits at the Master’s feet listening to what He says. Jesus has said multiple times that He is going to die, and I think Mary believes Him. It would be difficult to imagine why, in this moment of all moments, to anoint Jesus in this way. It could also be that she believes He is about to ascend the throne and is doing this for His kingship, but either way, this is a big sacrifice.

A perfume bottle like this, as we will see in other passages, was worth a years wage for a worker at that time. To put it in our terms, this would be worth somewhere between thirty and forty thousand dollars! In order to keep perfume like that from evaporating, it would have been kept inside a sealed vessel with a long, delicate neck that would be broken to be used. This was a one-time use, which leads the disciples to think that this was a waste. The word used there literally means “destruction,” and that is a pretty apt word from their perspective. There is no putting that perfume back in the bottle, so this is a significant asset that is being “wasted” on Jesus. It is frivolous! Could not this money have been more practically spent on the poor?

Here the disciples are hopeless pragmatists here who clearly aren’t seeing what Jesus is about to do. Mary knows what time it is and gives accordingly. Such is one who has listen closely to what Jesus says and has a heart formed to be ready for such a moment.

Jesus isn’t dismissing the poor here, as He has taught in multiple places to care for the poor, but He is seeing the heart of Mary here. Mary clearly doesn’t have a generosity problem, and when Jesus ascends to heaven later, I am sure that she provided for many needs of the poor. But notice what Jesus says about her actions. This is a “beautiful thing.” Another way to translate that is a “good work.” In other words, this isn’t a bad waste, but a good work to give to Christ.

So what does this look like practically for us? Obviously, Jesus isn’t physically present for us to go out and buy expensive perfumes to pour on Him. Obviously, we would all line up to do that if He were physically present, right? But He’s not.

Or is He?

If you back up just a few verses, you will see a passage that has terrified many, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is good for us to take our salvation seriously. The passage in question begins in verse 31, showing us a scene of the final judgement. This is moment where Jesus separates those who are Christians versus those who are only pretending. He sorts them out on what seems at first glance to be how they have treated others, specifically, how they have treated the marginalized. Jesus tells the true Christians that they have fed Jesus, clothed, Jesus, and ministered to Jesus. The Christians are actually surprised because they don’t remember doing any of that to Jesus. Last they checked, Jesus was already in heaven by the time most of them became Christians, so this doesn’t seem possible. But Jesus says that while they didn’t minster to Jesus’ physical body, they did good works to the least of Jesus’ brothers. They looked out for the needs of the little people, the background people, the people who often get ignored.

Why do they get ignored? Well, we often operate in a scarcity mindset when it comes to our time and money. We want investment, not sacrifice. We want to get a return personally for what we do. So we feed people who can feed us back. We give time to people who can give time to us. In other words, we think very pragmatically.

Now, I’m not saying that you empty your bank account and hand the full cash value to the first person that you pass on the street. We aren’t called to be foolish or random. Mary didn’t crack open the perfume and pour it on the first person to walk past the door. She directs it towards ministry to Jesus. And that is how we should think. There are a lot of people planting churches in New York. New Yorkers need to be reached, too, but so does Eldridge, Alabama. We need missionaries in Rome, but we also need them in Togo.

Maybe there are some here for whom the sacrifice of their lives is going to be in ministry in a small town where they will need a side job to make money work. Maybe there are some here who will be called to missionary work in small places for a long term work that may not see any real results for another couple generations. Don’t take yourself out of that category. God could be calling you to that. It might look like setting aside some time in your week to have your neighbors over for dinner in order to spread the gospel.

God could also be calling you to joyful parenting, knowing that it means getting up before they do to prepare yourself for the day. It could be a calling to Sunday School, it could even be an increased tithe or faith promise.

As yourself, as I have been this week by a commentator, how much is Jesus worth? (Keener). Is He worth the effort to do what you need to do to greet your kids with joy? Is He worth the effort to rework the budget so that you can be generous with others while fulfilling your obligations of bills and the future?

To do this well and with joy, it requires sitting at the feet of Jesus and really listen to what He has to say. It requires the understanding that what you are giving is actually giving to Jesus Who has already given all to you.

So how do you figure this out practically? I’ve given a few examples but there is no way that I could list out every sort of possibility that is represented in our crowd tonight. Each of you are in different seasons with varying levels of time, money, and ability. Aside from coming to talk with me individually, I would encourage you to sit down and list out the things that God has given to you, which is everything you currently have. Think about the things that you have that you enjoy using for others. Do you like cooking? Well, why not you cook for others beyond your household? Are you good with construction? Why not use that gift as a ministry to others? Do you have a passion for something? Use that! A life of sacrifice doesn’t have to mean a constant, unsustainable output until you collapse out of sheer exhaustion and pain. God gives you gifts and interests for a reason. That is one explanation I heard once of the confusion of the Christians in Matthew 25. The giving to others was such an automatic part of their lives, it never really occured to them that this was a special work. When motivated by the Spirit, it becomes more and more natural.

If you have a hard time analyzing these things, ask other wise people in your life what your strengths are. Be prepared for different answers than you might think!

For me, I had a love of study, a mind that can communicate decently, and a passion to teach. I had other people tell me that I wasn’t totally insufferable to listen to. That led me here to the pastorate.

As we said yesterday, worship is a fundamental reorientation of your life towards God. Sacrifice is the tangible expression of that. It is using your resources for another’s use. Contrary to what our culture tells us, you just can’t do everything you could want to do. You have to prioritize, and if you are going to live an obedient life to Christ, there are just more limiting factors than without Him.

However, when the day comes for us to see our Lord face to face, we will see that it was no sacrifice at all. And this is part of the reason that we come to this table now and remind ourselves that we are simply giving back what has already been given to us.