Why this Waste?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Text: Matthew 26:1-16
1 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”
10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.
12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
Introduction: A while ago I saw a mother complaining on social media about an interaction that she’d had with a man who made a comment about her son. Her son was unusually tall for his age, over 6’, and had what most would consider to be an ideal basketball player stature.
While she was out and about, someone took notice of her son and asked if he played basketball. She replied that he did not, he was more interested in other activities and never cared much for basketball.
The man, who had left his verbal filter at home that day, instinctively replied, “What a waste!”, shaking his head as he walked away.
The mom was pretty incensed about this, and rightfully so. Her son was very talented in many other ways, a good student, a believer in Christ, and so on. How dare this man assume that the boys’ life was a waste simply because he didn’t play basketball! The man hadn’t meant to be mean, of course, he was just like many of us and didn’t think through the implications of what he was saying. By his comment, he had reduced this boy’s value to merely what he could contribute to a basketball team by virtue of his height. As if his value as a human could simply be measured with a tape.
In this passage in Matthew, we see a similar perspective revealed in the hearts of some of Jesus’ disciples. As a woman gives an extremely costly gift to Jesus, someone says, “What a waste!”
And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?
And we might at first think that this disciple just forgot his verbal filter that day. But, Matthew makes it pretty clear in this passage that this comment stemmed from a heart that saw the world through a materialistic lens. And what we learn from this passage can teach us a lot about our own hearts and what we treasure and value in this world.
Unbelievers treasure the world and view God’s Kingdom as waste. (vv. 1-5, 14-16)
Unbelievers treasure the world and view God’s Kingdom as waste. (vv. 1-5, 14-16)
The Jewish leaders treasured their position more than their King. (vv. 1-5)
The Jewish leaders treasured their position more than their King. (vv. 1-5)
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
All that has restrained their hand thus far is Jesus’ popularity with the people and their fear of an uprising.
During feasts, especially the Passover, hundreds of thousands of Jewish pilgrims would flock to Jerusalem to celebrate.
We see in Acts 2:5 that for the feast of Pentecost there were Jews present from “every nation under heaven.”
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
If you were an observant Jew, there really wasn’t any other option. Sacrifices like Passover could only be offered at the temple in Jerusalem. So, based upon historical records from Josephus and others, we can say that on the low end, there would have been around 600,000 people present in and around Jerusalem for Passover, and possibly as many as 2-4 times that figure.
Anytime you draw that large of a crowd, there’s going to be security concerns. But, especially so when passions are high for a religious festival like Passover.
Passover celebrated God’s salvation of his people from slavery in Egypt. It was a reminder of God’s provision of a way of escape from foreign oppression. So, nationalistic sentiments ran high, and this provided a unique opportunity to concentrate rebel forces to stage an uprising against Rome.
So, the Roman rulers were nervous and on edge any time the Jews had a large festival. And, the Sadducees—who oversaw the temple and many of whom were priests and had a vested interest in keeping the peace and not having their temple invaded by Romans—also were on edge.
They didn’t want a Jewish Messiah. They didn’t want someone claiming to be King, drawing a crowd, and possibly inviting the wrath of Rome. It was a threat to their wellbeing and their positions.
At the end of the day, their position was more important to them than their king. They were more concerned with what was going on in their lives at that point than they were with what was going on in God’s Kingdom. They didn’t want to rock the boat.
So, they quietly schemed to do away with Jesus before he could cause them any further trouble.
Judas treasured his pocketbook more than his King. (vv. 8, 14-16)
Judas treasured his pocketbook more than his King. (vv. 8, 14-16)
8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?
14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?”
And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
It’s no accident that Matthew arranges this story in this order. John arranges his account more chronologically, as we’re accustomed to, and puts Mary’s anointing of Jesus as happening on Saturday evening, several days before Judas’ betrayal.
But, Matthew wants us to connect the dots. He doesn’t say exactly when these events happened, but by arranging them in this order, he makes his point clear.
When Jesus accepted the costly anointing, that seems to have been the tipping point for Judas.
John gives us a few more details in his gospel account:
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.
So, apparently, Judas had a money problem. Perhaps he signed on to Jesus’ band of disciples, much like James and John, thinking he’d end up a wealthy, powerful governor in a mighty kingdom.
Maybe he grew more and more disillusioned with Jesus’ Kingdom as he slept outside, traveled away from home for weeks at a time, and instead of rubbing shoulders with the well-to-do and gaining prestige he witnessed Jesus shut down and shame all the wealthy and powerful people that could have advanced his agenda.
Perhaps he viewed what he stole out of the disciples’ moneybag as his rightful dues, compensation for his labors and sacrifices. Then, Jesus comes into the Temple and flips tables, angers the most powerful Jewish leaders in the land, and tells everyone that they should pay their taxes to Rome.
And then, this woman wastes a bottle of expensive perfume that could have easily funded weaponry for a small army—or made life a lot more comfortable for him and the other disciples—and Jesus praises her for it. It was too much for Judas.
Because at the end of the day, Judas loved money. He loved what money could buy. He loved the comforts, the security, the prestige and power, the luxury.
Jesus had warned his disciples:
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
And Judas made his choice. He chose to serve money. And John tells us of the dreadful consequences of that choice:
27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Not just a demon, Satan himself indwelt Judas and led him to commit this horrible act.
Judas is paid thirty pieces of silver. In Exodus, this is the price that is set as restitution for a slave that is accidentally killed. It’s the value of a slave—about four months wages for a laborer, roughly $7,500 in todays money.
32 If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
Not only did Judas value money more than Jesus, but he put the price of his betrayal so low as to be an insult.
And of course, we all say, “I would never do such a thing!”
The essence of Judas’ sin was treasuring something else more than God.
The essence of Judas’ sin was treasuring something else more than God.
This is why Jesus, when he’s asked to name the greatest commandment, says this:
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Because if you get that right, everything else will fall into place. And if you get that wrong, your entire life will be nothing but sin.
All the way back in the Garden of Eden, this was the temptation. When Satan tempted Adam and Eve, he offered an exchange:
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Adam and Eve were deceived into valuing something that would sate their temporary hunger, something that looked desirable, something that promised to make them wise, more than God’s presence.
We think Judas’ sin was terrible—and it was—and we think we would never do that—but we do. We withhold tithes and offerings from God because we value other things more highly than him. We skip church because of sports because we value sports more than we value being in the presence of God with the people of God. And what’s worse, we teach our kids those values, too.
We pursue wealth and advancement in our career with passion and dedication but can’t be bothered to give ourselves to pursuing God with the same level of dedication and passion.
We hold our tongue when the Spirit prompts us to share the gospel because we value our popularity or reputation more than we value God’s glory. It’s all the same. We make a trade based upon what we value.
Jesus tells us:
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
But, since we value the praise of man more than the praise of God, we we make sure we get the credit when we do something good.
Jesus tells us not to lay up earthly treasures but to focus on heavenly rewards, but we do the opposite. We focus on our net worth, our retirement account balance, our checking and savings accounts, our creature comforts, always accumulating more and more and more and yet give no thought to what our heavenly bank account looks like.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Why? Because that’s where our heart is. That’s what we truly love. That’s what we treasure.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
We trade the Kingdom of God for the kingdom of this world.
What is it in your life that you value more than God? I’ve counseled with many unbelievers over the years, and I don’t think I’ll ever understand this trade. Many people know in their heart that they’re not saved. They know that if they were to die today, they’d go to Hell. They know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. They know in their head that judgment is coming for all who reject him. But, at the end of the day, they just love their sin too much. They don’t want to let go. They believe a lie, that their sin will bring happiness and fulfillment. But it’s a mirage. And just as it lead to death for Adam and Eve, and just as it led to death for Judas Iscariot, it will lead you to the grave as well.
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
But there is another path...Instead of delivering up your King in exchange for the world...
Disciples treasure their King and view the world as waste. (vv. 6-13)
Disciples treasure their King and view the world as waste. (vv. 6-13)
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”
10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.
12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
The woman’s costly gift points to the priceless value of our King and his Kingdom.
The woman’s costly gift points to the priceless value of our King and his Kingdom.
a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
“Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
We find out in the other gospel accounts that this “expensive ointment” was worth about 300 denarii, which would be roughly a year’s wages for a laborer—about $30,000 in value!
She sacrificed both her pocketbook and her position to worship Christ. She gave a lavishly expensive gift, and (as we see in John’s gospel) she humbled herself to the position of a servant by wiping his feet with her hair.
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.
What’s more, is that in Mark we’re told that this was a special kind of flask that had to be broken in order to be used.
And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
Alabaster flask
So, once it was broken, it all had to be used up. This gift—like discipleship—is all or nothing.
Discipleship is an all or nothing proposition.
Discipleship is an all or nothing proposition.
A lot of people approach discipleship as if they’re going to try on a pair of shoes. They’re going to “try Jesus” to see if he “fits” their life, if he makes a difference in their life. But that’s not how it works. You don’t just try Jesus on like a pair of shoes and then discard him if he doesn’t “work” for you.
This kind of person is the kind of person who would say, “Why don’t we figure out a way to put a stopper in this flask so that we don’t have to break the neck? Then we can just give Jesus a little bit of our time, a little bit of our money, a little bit of our devotion.” They keep back the rest for themselves. They come to church when it’s convenient, they give only a pittance compared to what they make, they don’t serve, they don’t do anything that really costs them anything. They’re happy to be with Jesus as long as it isn’t costly.
But discipleship is not like trying on a pair of shoes or pouring out a few drops here and there. It’s like breaking the neck of the flaks and pouring it all out. It’s like jumping out of a plane and trusting that parachute will save you. It’s like carrying your cross and giving up your life and trusting that Jesus can raise you from the dead. It’s all or nothing.
If Jesus is not your Lord, he will not be your Savior. If Jesus is not your treasure, then Heaven will not be your reward.
Why would this woman give such an extravagant display of devotion? Because she treasured Christ! She loved him more than anything in the world. He was worth everything to her.
True discipleship looks like a waste in the eyes of the world.
True discipleship looks like a waste in the eyes of the world.
The way a true disciple of Jesus uses his money looks like a waste in the eyes of an unbeliever.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal...
Giving 10% or more of your income to the church? Can you imagine how much that would be worth if you invested it into an IRA? If you make $50,000 a year and give a 10% tithe to your church, that’s $5,000 annually. If you instead invested that in an IRA making 10% interest, after 30 years, you’d have over $1million in your retirement fund. If you give it to the church and you’re faithful in tithing, you’ll probably have nothing tangible to show for your investment here on earth, certainly nothing you own as an “asset.”
So, when Jesus tells the rich young ruler to go sell his possessions and donate the proceeds, it sounds like foolishness to the world. “What a waste!” they say.
21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
But Jesus says “you will have treasure in heaven.” And Jesus tells us that in heaven our investments never spoil.
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
When we look at the greatest Christian thinkers, people like C.S. Lewis, John MacArthur, Jonathan Edwards, and other theologians that have invested their lives in studying Scripture and theology, the world says, “What a waste! All that intellect and intelligence could have been put to use in Science or Medicine or Business.” Even the most wealthy Christian thinkers could have, no doubt, been far wealthier had they invested their talents and skills in the secular world for their own benefit. But, Scripture tells us that it is not a waste...
23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
It’s not a waste!
John Chau
I think of missionaries like John Chau. John Chau made international headlines in November 2018, when he was killed trying to take the gospel to the unreached people of North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean.
From all accounts, he was an intelligent, well-educated, good looking young man. He probably could have been successful at many things. But, he felt a tremendous burden to reach the North Sentinelese people, one of the handful of tribes in our world that are still completely untouched by the outside world. They are known for their hostility towards outsiders, and there had never been a successful attempt to establish a relationship with them. The Indian government had declared it illegal to come near the island, because anyone who had tried to do so was inevitably killed.
But, that didn’t stop John.
After years of preparation, John set out to reach the Sentinelese people. The first attempt ended with him quickly paddling away as the people strung their bows.
His second attempt was one of the most successful attempts on record. He landed his canoe, managed to speak to the North Sentinelese people a little, and even preached a little bit. But then a boy shot an arrow at him which buried itself into his waterproof Bible. John pulled the arrow out, handed it back to the boy, and quickly retreated.
That night, he wrote in his journal:
“You guys might think I’m crazy in all this,” he wrote to his family, “but I think it’s worth it to declare Jesus to these people.”
—John Chau
That night, he prayed and wrote in his diary. He was scared. He knew the risks and didn’t want to die, but he considered his life a worthwhile trade for the Kingdom of God.
As he watched the sunset, he wrote in his diary,
“...wondering if it’ll be the last sunset I see before being in the place where the sun never sets.”
—John Chau
The next morning, John returned to the island where the day before he had been shot at. It would, indeed, be his final sunset on this earth. He was 26 years old.
His body remains on North Sentinel Island with the people to whom he gave it, a perpetual reminder of the gospel he tried to share with them.
For the most part, John was not hailed as a hero. He was publicly ridiculed in his death by the media. The media lambasted him as foolish, deluded, and reckless. Even some Christians tried to distance themselves from his efforts. His own father blamed what he called “extreme Christianity” which pushed his son to “a not unexpected end.”
In the eyes of the world, John wasted his life. But, at the end of the day, all John did was take Jesus at his word:
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
If you think that this world is all there is, then John’s critics are right, and his actions were reckless, foolish, and a complete waste.
But, if Jesus can be trusted, then John did not waste his life that day, he found it. And right now, he is walking the streets of heaven with Jesus, and joining the other martyrs and heroes of the faith like Paul, Peter, and James who died before they could see the outcome of their faith.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
So, the question is...
What do you treasure?
What do you treasure?
If we focus on the kingdom of this world, these sacrifices look like a waste. But, if we see with Jesus’ eyes and focus on the kingdom of Heaven, everything else is a waste except for what gains us Christ! The true waste is settling for something less than what Christ has offered us.
What is so interesting and astounding at Judas’ betrayal is the backdrop of righteousness and love and devotion that it occurs on.
We have Jesus in the home of Simon the leper.
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper...
Lepers were required by Jewish law to live separated from healthy people. They were unclean. So, if this meal is happening in Simon the leper’s house, it’s clear that he is no longer a leper. Most likely, this is someone that Jesus had healed of leprosy. This is a visible reminder of Jesus’ power over this world.
What’s more is that in John’s gospel, we find out that this isn’t just any old woman that anoints Jesus, this is Mary, sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus has just raised from the dead a few weeks ago!
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.
Lazarus himself is sitting there at the table, alive and well. Can you imagine for a moment sitting at that table—with a relative that you had buried for four days and with Jesus who had raised him from the dead before your very eyes?
We’re talking about the most definitive proof that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and has the power and favor of God resting upon him.
And Judas was there to witness it. He saw it with his own eyes. Before him sits the giver of life and the proof that he is so, and Judas trades him for a measly $7,500. What a waste!
And yet, that’s exactly what our first father and mother did as well.
Remember that in the Garden of Eden, God planted all kinds of trees that Adam and Eve were free to eat of. Good, healthy trees that would sustain life.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
And this is even more profound when we realize that this apparently included the Tree of Life:
9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God said that they could eat of ANY tree in the garden except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
So that means that they were free to eat from the Tree of Life. And that means that they walked right past the tree that could have given them eternal life and instead chose the fleeting pleasures of eating from a tree they knew would bring death. They passed up the Tree of Life and instead chose to eat from the Tree of Death. What a waste!
And here, in front of Judas, sits the Giver of Life who just weeks prior had said...
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
And he had backed up his claim by raising Lazarus from the dead four days after he’d died.
And yet Judas chooses the path of death.
In front of Judas sits the Well that Never Runs Dry:
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
And Judas chooses to go thirsty.
Before Judas sits the solid rock, the firm foundation:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
And instead, like a foolish man, Judas builds his house on the sand.
And what about you? What well are you drinking from? What foundation are you building your life upon? Are you choosing to eat from the tree of life, or the tree of death?
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live...
You say, “Well, who in their right mind would choose death over life?” And yet, people do it every day. And maybe you’re sitting there right now and that’s the choice you’re making.
By not fully surrendering your life to Christ, by hedging your bets and playing both sides, by living for this world and putting your faith in your retirement fund and your bank account instead of Christ, by living with no thought to your eternal rewards and focusing on what other people think of you, you are wasting your life.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
The good news, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, is that everything in this life is a waste except for Jesus and his Kingdom! Nothing else is worth living for.
So, as I look at America, I see all the wealth and privilege and status and power that we have, and I see countless millions of people chasing after money, sex, power, and toys while countless millions more perish without hearing the gospel.
I see self-professing Christians who live lives that look no different than than their unbelieving neighbors’ and chase after the same things and give no thought to their eternal destiny or heavenly rewards.
I see self-professing Christians who drive brand new cars but can’t afford to tithe; they spend countless hours watching TV, checking social media, and doing travel ball and they don’t have time to read their Bibles or go to an extra Bible study.
I see self-professing Christians who will sacrifice their time, energy, and even their families to climb the ladder and get the praise of man who can’t be bothered to invest a little bit of that time, energy, and effort to reach their neighbors for Christ.
I see all this potential and all these resources that God has given us that we could be investing into his Kingdom, and I have to say, “Why this waste!?!?”
