Smoke and Mirrors
John 12:1-10
1. The Occasion
Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pinta of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
ü God calls us as His children to honor Him and to honor others.
What a great statement! “Jesus arrived at Bethany where Jesus lived.” It was that much greater because Lazarus had also died in this community. He was duly mourned and then spent 4 days in the grave. The news of a person’s death spreads quickly particularly in a small community. Many had mourned with the sisters and participated in the burial process. No one doubted the fact that he had died. And now he “lived” once again, in Bethany.
There were eyewitnesses to his resurrection as well. They stood there outside the tomb and listened as Jesus called his young friend back to life. It’s so far beyond my ability to conceive.
And Jesus was the reason. Why shouldn’t there be a dinner in his honor. The event was not to be held in the home because it was something that was likely to be far too big.
And everything was normal at the event. Martha served. Mary, now beyond her disappointment and her grieving was about to set a precedent for honoring Christ that would express her gratitude and love. It would please nearly everyone there that day. Anyone who loved Christ as she loved him would become a participant with her that day.
“And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”
When people worship God without reserve, He is honored and everyone is affected. The fragrance of her worship was everywhere. You couldn’t escape it.
When God does His thing, when he works miraculously like this it impacts everyone. What would it be like if something like this took place in our city?
It certainly would create a stir . . . expectancy. It would raise the belief level of a town. What would it do in our church?
The dinner was held in the home of Simon the Leper according to the gospels of Mark and Matthew. We don’t know for sure who Simon was but his nickname is significant. His home was open to honor Jesus. Perhaps he was a leper healed by Christ. He certainly would not have been nicknamed by a current illness, but most likely, by what he was before he experienced healing.
And the scripture tells us that we should all be people who are eager to give honor to God and to others.
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”a [1]
The following scripture relates to church governance. Beyond the pastoral office but inclusive of it.
17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. [2]
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:9-10 (NIV)[3]
This goes against the grain in our culture today. Keith Drury calls it our “spit-in-your-face” culture.
The following is from an old article that he wrote called, “Why Are Christians So Cranky?”
Christians aren't exempt form our world's collapsing manners. Last week as I chugged to work at about 50 mph (hey, that's nearly top speed for my old Jeep) I noted an Audi jerkily following me just a few feet from my rear bumper. The driver had a 'lead follow or get out of the way' attitude. Shrugging my shoulders, I pulled half-off the road so he could pass. As the car came even with me, I noted the driver was a middle-aged woman, dressed in a neat business suit. She reminded me of one of my favorite teachers in elementary school. On the other hand, as she whooshed past me, glaring for a moment, she caught my eye, then summarily gave me the finger. Whaaaaaat? My favorite elementary school teacher? The truth is, we live in a spit-in-the-umpire's-face culture and we're seeing the disappearance of civility. Christians today will say or do to their pastor things that even the ungodly wouldn't have ten years ago. The culture is rougher. So are Christians. That's one theory.
You know what Mom and Dad, every time you bark at an official at a sports game you are propagating this dishonorable attitude and passing it on with less constraint to the next generation. Every time you embarrass a waitress publicly because you feel that you haven’t received what you deserve, you are telling someone that this is normal and acceptable. You are saying that there are compartments of life in which it is not necessary or a priority to behave as Christ might have you behave. Doesn’t mean that you should not plead your cause or state your case but it is sinful and inexcusable to hang your faith on a hook and tear into another human being when things don’t go as you might wish. It is behavior that in incompatible with a profession of personal faith. If faith does not make a difference in the way that you treat people then it is worthless. I have no time for this behavior and no respect for it and no tolerance for the Christian who excuses this in the name of personality, offense, cause-justification, compartmentalization.
2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. [4]
It takes an incredibly large heart to sincerely honor others. Only honorable people are capable of honoring others.
Honorable people:
ü Confront privately.
ü Are masters of their tongues publicly and privately.
ü Give the benefit of the doubt to others.
ü Gain control of their emotions before responding to offence.
ü Are faith-filled optimists because they see the future through the lens of God’s promises.
ü
2. The Objection
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.b” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
ü To extend honor is more than an act but a reflection of a persons’ character.
It would be better if certain kinds of people never attended these kinds of events. Unfortunately, many times they do and they are the most miserable in the room. It is physically painful for a person with a small heart to rejoice in the honoring of others.
Little petty hearts and minds want to hide in the bushes, conceal themselves and throw garbage at someone else who is being honored.
It’s amazing that Judas was ever admitted to such a gathering. He couldn’t tolerate it. In all likelihood, he had no respect for Christ because he looked for someone stronger. He had a hidden agenda and it was different from Christ’s.
But, he was one of Christ's disciples. He had followed farther than the test of riches that had derailed those like the rich young ruler.
He did not leave when Jesus lost the large number who would not hear the harder teachings of John 6.
Something kept him hanging in there. It’s amazing that a betrayer would pay a price to be numbered with Christ when others would run away from such a commitment.
Perhaps hate is as strong a motivator as love. And there are times when it can be confusing to separate the two. Hate, masquerading as supreme love for a false God, took the lives of app. 3000 souls on September 11. 2001.
Love/hate will compel a person to give their life to kill and destroy. Sounds like "wolfishness" to me. You can dress a wolf in sheep's clothing but it's about as difficult as trying to keep a pair of pants free from holes when you put them on a 6 year old boy. And there's nothing that wears off a wolf like sheep. It's not long before the sheep wears thin and the wolf shows through. The same is true in the Christian life. A wolf can't hide in the pen for long. Sooner or later they begin to howl. There are unexplained casualties. Sheep disappear. Casualties mount. Somewhere there is a wolf talking "sheep-talk". He's using the right words but there's something strange about it. There a canine drawl in there and when you are around a wolf you get the distinct impression that this sheep has a different agenda.
We do the same thing in churches today. We couch our objections to this or that in religious language to try to legitimize it but there is a deeper root that we would never want anyone else to see. It’s a smoke and mirrors game. Petty things push people to dishonor Christ.
4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. [5] Colossians 2:4 (NIV)
And Judas had a hidden agenda. He didn’t care for the poor.
“ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”
Unjustifiable detraction always proves the weakness as well as meanness of the one who employs it. To be constantly carping at, and exaggerating petty blemishes in the characters of others, putting an unfavorable construction on their language, or "damning with faint praise" their deeds, betrays, on the part of the detractor, a conscious inability to maintain a reputable standing on legitimate and honorable ground.
-- E. L. Magoon
But who could argue with him. It truly was a waste wasn’t it? To pour something so valuable over someone’s feet when there are “the poor”.
3 The Over-ruling
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. ”It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” [6]
ü There is no good cause that should ever take precedence over this great call to honor God.
Even though the nature of Judas’ objection was contrived, he defends the actions of Mary and justifies the priority of spending.
”It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.”
8 You will always have the poor among you. . .”
The fact that there are poor people in this world is no reason for us to short change our response to God. Many people look for the church to adhere to a more stringent standard than they themselves live by. It is our responsibility as individuals to respond to the needs that we encounter. We cannot shovel them off to the organized church and think that we have done our part. To see a need is to be called to fill it. What needs do you see today. Be careful. If you see it and it really concerns you then it is most likely a cll for you to respond, not to get someone else to do it.
That bread which you keep, belongs to the hungry; that coat which you preserve in your wardrobe, to the naked; those shoes which are rotting in your possession, to the shoeless; that gold which you have hidden in the ground, to the needy. Wherefore, as often as you were able to help others, and refused, so often did you do them wrong.
-- Augustine, "Money in Christian History," Christian History, no. 14.
We spent 65,000.00 on a hardwood gymnasium floor. We could have given this money to the poor. How many of us have hardwood floors in your home? The poor have mud. I suppose we could castigate ourselves if we have anything more than this. But do you suppose, to a degree that in honor to God, it is acceptable to build something beautiful for God, even though the poor are still poor. I believe that this is still acceptable and even honoring to God that we should make sure that the church is as well cared for as we care for our own homes.
2 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house—the Temple.’ ”
3 So the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? 5 This is what the Lord Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! 6 You have planted much but harvested little. You have food to eat, but not enough to fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!7 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! 8 Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord. 9 You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord Almighty, while you are all busy building your own fine houses.[7]
It takes more than money to help the poor.
A little over a century ago, Leo Tolstoy tried puzzling out a plan to rid Moscow of the poor and homeless. The famed novelist and wealthy aristocrat first went to the worst hovels in town and gave money to beggars. He realized, however, that he had been "cheated by men who said they only needed money to buy a railway ticket home" when he spotted them still in town days later. Next, Tolstoy spent several months helping take the Moscow census, searching for the "truly" needy. But Tolstoy saw the homeless could not be helped merely by "feeding and clothing a thousand people as one feeds and drives under shelter a thousand sheep." At last, he sadly concluded: "Of all the people I noted down, I really helped none... I did not find any unfortunates who could be made fortunate by a mere gift of money."
Jesus is truly the answer. As we meet the physical needs of the homeless, let's give them the bread and water of life which will truly set them free.
The fellow that has no money is poor. The fellow that has nothing but money is poorer still.
-- Billy Sunday (1862-1935), American revivalist. "Money II," Christian History, Issue 19.
Often the truly poor are unaware of their poverty. The poor in spirit are always wanting regardless of how much they have.
In the heart of London City,
'Mid the dwellings of the poor,
These bright, golden words were uttered,
"I have Christ! What want I more?"
Spoken by a lonely woman,
Dying on a garret floor,
Having not one earthly comfort--
"I have Christ! What want I more?"
-- Anonymous; quoted by Norman Vincent Peale in My Favorite Quotations. Christianity Today, Vol. 34, no. 15.
I know of extremely wealthy people who pinch every penny as though it were their last. These are extremely poor or pitiable people. For all that they have and all that they may gain they are poor for they will never be satisfied.
Jesus knew that money provides little relief to the poor – God help us, many times it turns people into ungrateful people who expect others to meet their every need. They begin to blame the world for their ills. They expect something from everyone and believe that they are entitled to it all.
One of the most dignifying privileges that the poor can have is to give – many times to give beyond their means. The widow’s mite. No rich man has ever known such plenty. Class is not synonymous with wealth. You can have wealthy low class and the poor upper class.
Mary gave what she could not afford to give. She gave away perhaps what was a part of her former life. The spoils of a former life had provided what she might never regain and she gave it swiftly, decisively. What rich person could ever rival such an act?
There is always a more practical way to spend money.
There is always a place for an extravagant expression of love for God.
One winter's night in 1935, it is told, Fiorello LaGuardia, the irrepressible mayor of New York, showed up at a night court in the poorest ward of the city. He dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench. That night a tattered old woman, charged with stealing a loaf of bread, was brought before him. She defended herself by saying, "My daughter's husband has deserted her. She is sick, and her children are starving."
The shopkeeper refused to drop the charges, saying, "It's a bad neighborhood, your honor, and she's got to be punished to teach other people a lesson." LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the old woman and said, "I've got to punish you; the law makes no exceptions. Ten dollars or ten days in jail."
However, even while pronouncing sentence, LaGuardia reached into his pocket, took out a ten-dollar bill, and threw it into his hat with these famous words: "Here's the ten-dollar fine, which I now remit, and furthermore, I'm going to fine everyone in the courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."
The following day, a New York newspaper reported: "Forty-seven dollars and fifty cents was turned over to a bewildered old grandmother who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren. Making forced donations were a red-faced storekeeper, seventy petty criminals, and a few New York policemen."
-- Jim Danielson, Kingsford, Missouri. Leadership, Vol. 11, no. 2.
----
a Greek a litra (probably about 0.5 liter)
a Deut. 5:16
[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[2] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[3] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
b Greek three hundred denarii
[5] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[6]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[7]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 . Tyndale House: Wheaton, Ill.