Deep Discipleship--Costly Devotion

Matthew 26:1-13

Deep Discipleship—Costly Devotion

Intro: Last week we saw that deep discipleship is going to need to grow in soil of humility.

Pride will always be a barrier in our spiritual growth.

There is no such thing as a mature disciple who has not learned deep lesson of humility.

—One of the things we can appreciate about the Gospels is that they don’t pain the disciples as heroes;

*There is One hero—The Lord Jesus.

—The Gospel narratives seem to be written intentionally to show the faults and flaws of the disciples

—When it comes to looking at the actual disciples, the pictures we get are very real and raw; with the warts.

Today’s text shows us discipleship at it’s best and worst moments

We can relate; as disciples we are not always at our best.

Deepening discipleship is a willingness to admit: I’m not at my best…and even when I am—it’s only by the grace of God

DISCIPLESHIP AT ITS WORST (6-9, 14-16)

Discipleship at its worst—critical and compromised

Setting:

We are within the final week of Jesus’s earthly life.

This is the anointing at Bethany (small village outside of Jerusalem)

This account is also in Mk 14; Jn 12—Luke 7 is a different account in my opinion.

Note the host: Simon the Leper.—

It’s implied that he was formally a leper—healed leper.

But he is out of quarantine—so his house is open to hospitality!

In an act of pure devotion, a woman (who we know to be Mary of Bethany from John’s account) pours a very expensive jar of perfume on Jesus. The text says “to prepare for his burial”

But for now, our focus is on the disciples reaction.

1) Critical Discipleship

Criticism—

There is a healthy criticism—for the benefit of the person. It’s said in hopes that the person can become better, do better

(Prov 27:5-6)

But then there there is just the nasty stuff—what we have here; marked by them becoming “indignant” and troubling (cf Gal 6:17)

Now John’s account tell us that this criticism was led by Judas Iscariot (Jn 12:4-5), but that other’s join in. Mark’s account tells us that other joined to the to point “and they scolded her” (Mk 14:5)

**This is clearly not a humble—“let me help you be a better disciple”—it’s a shaming.

Just like our temptation to be experts in everything, especially knowing the depths and motives of another…can quickly turn into critical discipleship.

Critical discipleship often takes the moral high ground--(8-9)

There is a story of Charles Spurgeon. Someone became vocally critical that Spurgeon traveled by a train instead of by horse; they said that he could be saving the Lord’s money.

Spurgeon, never lacking with replied: “The brother may be concerned about saving the Lord’s money, I’m concerned about saving the Lord’s servant.”

In other words: Don’t criticize motives.

Critical discipleship jumps quickly to judge, does not get to to know the person or heart....

2) Christ-less discipleship

Christ-less discipleship is when a person is in very close proximity to Christ and his people—but don’t have Christ (Jn 6:66)

They appear to follow Jesus, but don’t

Or the Jesus they do believe in, is one of their own imagination, not biblical

Judas is the main example of that

What motived Judas to betray?

Hard to nail down a single one: jealously, disappointment with Jesus (one too many rebukes??)—some even think Judas may have ben trying to force Jesus to fight and be that kind of Messiah-liberator

We are also aware that Judas had a greed problem (cf. Jn 12:6)

But a few words may give a peek into his heart:

(V15) What will you give me?

—What’s in in for me?

That’s when our discipleship is rotting from the inside

We may call it a consumer mentality: What do I get (instead of what do I give)

The path to Christ-less discipleship I start seeing myself at the center—and my needs, desires, my wants become supreme....and I miss Jesus for who he is

Sum: Christ-less discipleship does not see Jesus for who he truly is: Lord, King, Son of God,

Worthy of worship

DISCIPLESHIP AT ITS BEST (10-13)

First, what an amazing picture of Jesus—never succumbs to peer pressure, he steps in to defend the disciple whose heart is in the right place

The Sacrifice:

1) It was costly (Mark 14:5—said it could have been sold for a years wages)

There is a contrast with Mary and Judas; Judas betrays Jesus for what would be about a half a years wages—Mary’s sacrifice would have been about a years wages

Judas is moved by what he can get; She is moved by what she can give

2) It was beautiful (v10-11)

Mary takes this luxury item, and pours it all out lavishly on the Lord Jesus. Jesus says one thing: It’s beautiful

(lit. good work—same Gk words in Mt 5:15—shine your light so that others see your good works and glorify your father in heaven)

Jesus connects her sacrifice to his redemptive work—(any sacrifice that a disciple make is going to be grounded in Jesus’s redemptive work)

The main point is that Jesus is worthy of the best we can offer him

3) It was lasting

The Holy Spirit has this recorded—millions of people have read of this costly devotion

There is likely a foreshadowing of the Great Commission

Have you thought about what the alternative story—the jar remains on the shelf

Apply: Brothers and sisters-we can be tempted to keep our “jar on the shelf” life for ourselves. Withhold our generosity

Spend our lives for the temporal and things not lasting

Not using our gifts, talents, time for the Lord.

*Everything is from his, to him, through him (Rom 11:36)

--Some people can receive a lot from God—but never give or sacrifice much of anything…they keep the jar on the shelf.

**Don’t keep your jar on the shelf!

This offer An Encouragement for the Discouraged Disciples:

If you serve Jesus with your life—it can be easy to get discouraged. I personally know what it’s like to have waves of discouragement come over me, many times during the day.

Sum: This will also give encouragement to disciples who may wonder if their sacrificial living for Jesus is worth it.

Remember, this is a major sacrifice “very expensive”

**Yet even little sacrifices, over a long period of time, add up

—It’s the many hours of volunteering, year after year in your area of gifting and ministry

—It’s the faithful giving of tithes and offerings, year after year, decade after decade

—The hours you invest in discipling relationships, cultivating friendship,

—The many invitations you extend to your lost friend, neighbors to come to Church, the hours spent in gospel hospitality

—The call to serve Christ, giving your lives to the gospel service of reaching the unreached

**IF your sacrifice is by faith, and for Jesus….if it’s costly, beautiful, and lasting…it’s worth it

Apply: We may wonder why Mary did this? Obviously the Lord led her.

Maybe the luxury item was a source of stress and worry?

Maybe it was a functional idol to her?

We don’t know—but we do know one thing:

She saw Jesus as worthy of such devotion—discipleship at its best

COSTLY DEVOTION (1-5)

If we think that the sacrifice of Mary—that her costly devotion is the main point, we miss the point.

Context: This is the Passion Narrative in Mathew. the whole plot is moving forward to Calvary.

—When it comes to costly devotion, we never look to ourselves first (or any disciple) we look first to Christ

We look to the cross at the display of God’s love

That’s what motivated and propelled the apostles:

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 ESV

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Apply: As we move forward in two weeks with the Sermon on the Mount, we will dig deeper into discipleship over the next several months

But we need to first ask the motivation question—What motives you to be a disciple?

*That’s where 2 Cor 5 comes in.

It gives us the purest picture of what should drive our discipleship

It answers two fundamental question for believers

Who loves you?

Who do you live for?

Who loves you?

Deep Discipleship will only happen if our identity is secure in Christ Jesus.

“The love of Christ controls us

Galatians 2:20 ESV

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

What should motivate us is always the costly devotion of Jesus—the Cross

Who do you live for?

Conclusion:

The source and supply for our costly devotion must be the cross, and nothing less than the cross

The cross has to be what motives, drives us, compels us, captivates us.

We will not go deep in our discipleship unless we first learn what it means to delight in Christ crucified.