Drama at Simon's Dinner. John 12:1-8

To wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall annoyed him and consecrate him that he may serve me as priest. You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them and anointed them. As you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests and their anointing. She'll admit them to a Perpetual priesthood throughout their Generations.

Second reading is from Isaiah chapter 3 verses 15 through 24. What do you mean by crushing? My People by grinding? The face of the poor declares? The Lord God of hosts. The Lord said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk without stretched. Necks tinkling with their feet before the Lord, will strike with a scab, the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will lay bare their secret Parts. In that day. The Lord will take the headbands and the crescents dependence, the bracelets in the scars, the headdresses, the armless, the sashes, and the perfume boxes in the amulets, the Signet rings and nose rings, the festival robes, the mantles, the cloaks and the backs of mirrors, the linen. Garments, the turbines and the veils. Set of perfume. There will be rottenness and instead of a bell to rope and instead of well set hair baldness and instead of Rich, a skirt of sackcloth and branding instead of beauty.

The third reading is from John 17 verses 13 through 19. But now, I am coming to you in these things. I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the word world has hated them because they are not off the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world just as I am not of the world sanctify, your word is truth as you sent me into the world. So I have sent them into the world and for their sake, I consecrate myself that they also may be Sanctified in truth.

What a morning. I want you to just put your hands over like this and say, Bless you bless you Gary bless you, Tom for what your goes through in this, in the mornings that we're here because and employs. Who Richard, who has to change things on a dime and you know, okay, come up with something now. and so, Shane is working and try to get into our worship. And I worship is such the blessing to the Lord. And so we're going to keep praying because things that shouldn't be happening happen. We get popped off of a screen window. Something goes wrong thing. It just so many things can happen that are just crazy. And so we I think the people that are serving in this capacity, but I think we should always remember. It's Satan is attacking during the worship and that's where he wants to attack because if we can't feel the presence of God. And we really don't know he's with us and we're not practicing it in the hole. It's just a whole circle of stuff, and we know that there's a lot of You know it does we live in a world where there's just a lot of demonic activity. So Lord. I just thank you very much that you are worship. Do Pastor Richards. Leading Us in that beautiful, amazing, grace? The spirit was restored and he's become prominent and Lord. We have.

We know that you're here.

And look for those that are struggling right now to know.

For there to drop them in your Holy Spirit or anybody else seeing us online. Wrap them in your Holy Spirit, Lord.

Wrap them. Love them. Let him know how much you value them. Lord. Your Source, Lord, in all things.

Whatever we've gone to this morning, Lord, you can make that up by just pouring out your spirit on us.

Amen, please stay seated for the gospel. The castle coming out of John. It says, six days before the Passover Jesus. Therefore came to Bethany. We're Lazarus raised from the dead. So they give a dinner from their Martha, served and Lazarus, was one of them was one of those reclining at the table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive, ointment made from Pure and hard and annoying to the feet of Jesus. And wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples he who was about to betray them said, Why was this appointment not sold for $300? Each and give it to the poor? You said that's not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and having charge of the money biggie used to help himself to what was put into it. And Jesus said, leave her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor, you have always with you, but you do not always have me. This is the word of the Lord.

dislike this wonderful series were, we're kind of Walking With Jesus up to this moment and the cross and he's coming down from

coming down through Israel, and he's not far now from Jerusalem where he will sacrifice himself.

This is an interesting story.

See if I can.

I think it's is it on? You can say, okay because It's just a few verses, but it has a lot of drama in it. And so, we have drama coaches. We have Joanna. We have Richard. They see, they can see how stories Plata's, drama. And this one has about three to four accident. I am not that well forces, and how you would do that, but I can see how these it's almost like John is setting up something for us. So we could, like, visually see it in our minds and an kind of follow the action and kind of relate to the, the characters in this story.

Even though I scold it drama at Simon's, you didn't hear the word Simon at all. There are two other references to this story and that Jesus wasn't Bethany. But this dinner that was taking place was at Simon the lepers house. Theologians have United. These three stories and Mark went to Matthew. And this one in John to kind of make it one because the the Does facts of the story. What has been written about? It are so closely aligned? There seems to be another anointing story in Galilee. That's not quite related to this. But this one is the one that Dolph that's got two of the synoptics in John's gospel that actually say this is this is the same story. They all happen at the same time. This Story begins to take place right after the Pharisees are plotting to kill Jesus. So Jesus has come down. He's been he's been talking. He's been healing has been Miracles. He's got a crowd following him and now he is finding himself at this dinner at Simon's house. 6 days before the Passover. I want to go see this really quickly with your Jesus came to Bethany Lazarus where Lazarus was raised from the dead. John is the only one that has the Lazarus raising Jesus raised from off the top of my head Lazarus and please help me. If if you can add to this, the Widow's son, the Widow of Nahum son, and the young girl, all of those were raised from the dead. and, The to the Widow's son and the young girl. They were raised like one while. She had just died and the Widow's son was going into a burial tomb and so there was a question because these weren't days that they had been dead. A, whether or not these were just a resuscitation issue that Jesus had kind of just resuscitated them. But Lazarus was in the Tomb for 4 days and there is no resuscitation for that long. And so, therefore Lazarus became the problem for the for the Jewish leaders. Not the other two. They could dismiss those Miracles but they couldn't dismiss Lazarus. It's a Lazarus was was a testimony to Jesus and the power that Jesus had, which is what they wanted to deny is that he was the Messiah. He was God, who he said, he was all the time as they were hiding this from anybody, but they're they're, they're seeing Lazarus is the plot to kill. Jesus also, including a plot to kill Lazarus, cuz they want that testimony gone and out of the public eye for a while. Now. This is basically is a celebrity. Now, we want to see a guy that was dead and the walking around. So this is a dinner. That Jesus is coming to. And they have. So we have

this dinner for Martha serves which is wonderful. Martha's, one of the guests and we know Martha is going to serve. She's going to want to serve man can't get her out of the kitchen. Wasn't that the first test Eiseman? You do a little bit too much Martha, you put a little bit too much energy into things that are kind of quite what I really would like that to be and so Martha serving now and and you have to wonder if so, why is Martha serving? In Simon's home. White. Why? Is she serving in Simon's home with Simon, have a wife food or family? That was served. And so we have to kind of put together a thought, some feel oceans, think that, whatever Simon news doesn't have a wife and would make perfect sense. If you can understand him as a leper.

So, the cast at this drama. Is Jesus is the main character that we have supporting character was? We have a Simon, the leper, we have Martha. We have Lazarus. We have married, we have Judas. So we will look at this as a play. This is the cat that is good. Thea assembled for this drama that John's writing about. Don't talk for a minute about Simon the leper. Simon, the leper should be more accurately portrayed assignment, the former leper. Now you all know that correct because you've been around the block and you know that lepers, you're not going to want to be around a highly contagious. In fact, I was thinking about this when I was remembering, I was at my college. My first year in college. I was at a small College in Wisconsin and Maya had a I had a I don't know why I had the craziest teachers at a chemistry teacher. The lecture halls in in the college. I was at 4 they were they were a flat classroom and then the teachers were elevated on a diet that it did anybody have electric all like that wasn't up but it was flat and the teachers were elevated and so you kind of sad looking up at you. You're you're Prost and I have one chemistry teacher he would walk back and forth to dialysis and he'd get right to the edge and he would do one of these things right at the edge, you know, and you like and they walk backwards. The other Edge and need to. I didn't learn a thing in that class. I was just wondering when he was going to top. I was waiting for it the whole time and then did this other class does botany class. I was taking a had, a professor was quite old and he said, a desk up in the middle of the Dyers and the desk was just a flat top, four legs. And so, you could see him, you can see his legs sitting there. And I felt that was like your main View and he always wears shorts in Wisconsin, but his legs were all service. So I'm sitting there and botany class looking at this gentleman with also, his legs. No way. Is anybody want to go to a dinner with a leper? There's not going to have it. In fact, I don't know much about Nate either custody, which goes to show if you have kind of a left with congestion. Close up. Close up. So anyway.

So Simon was healed by Jesus its conclusion. That most everybody reads. His story comes to his, that Simon was a man who was healed of his leprosy and leprosy such a horrible disease. You lose your family. You lose your home to lose your belongings. Should go out. You smell your your Decay. You're basically rotting from the outside in And so, it's not something that people want to be around. And here's this man. Now, having a big dinner so we know he's been healed. And so Jesus has basically been fighting and fighting noses, the plot to kill him knows that you know, the people that are coming to abduct want to see saw any does signs and they want to see more, you know, this just shallow and is that he's preaching to it. He's frustrated. I was going to go to dinner. And there's a, there's a guy just really wants to see him because he's been healed. He has his life back, and there's a Lazarus really wants to see him because he has his life back, and there's Martha who just loves them all. So because she gave he gave her brother back. Now, the 12 are there. And in some cases with a bunch of friends. This is like a a moment and Oasis in in in just a horrible desert of Affliction and he just sits there and it just I can imagine just enjoying it and smiling and having just a wonderful time with his friends. Just just such as such an awesome thing and then marry does something unusual.

Mary takes a pound of expensive, ointment made from Pure nard and anointed the fees. The feet of Jesus in wipe his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

All right. Okay, Mary. What's up? What's up with that with the hair? Right? That's what you're thinking. I had to spend a half a day thinking about why the hair thing and looking it up. But nothing, nothing kind of satisfied. Me about what I was reading until I say, I took myself in control and I said, okay, marry, you're a woman think this through You know how women act think out? Why you think would would be going on here? so, I did some research and

Women were all over our here, aren't we? I'm in, when I was in college. I spent $50 to get my haircut $50. When you don't have any money downtown Chicago, just to get my haircut. So it could look like a mass of unkempt hair and that's what it how many people relate to this. How many people relate to spending way more money than you should to make sure your hair is the color of the right, cut the right everything. It's kind of crazy. But that's who we are with our hair, our hair and this is been through history. I actually watched the video of this woman giving how to put your hair in style that they used to wear in ancient Greece. Okay, but the point is, it was very elaborate what she was doing. Then she went into Victorian style. Wow, they were really elaborate. And then if you're anywhere in the 60s, with a labret, look at our wedding pictures, right? Elaborate hair. Hair is a Crown of Glory for a woman. That's why if it when it turns gray. We have crisis. We don't know what to do with our color. We change it to we keep it. Should we you know, what color would look best on us. We end up going through a lot. If we start to lose hair, I do feel sorry for women. We knew someone personally that had our fascia and yeah, it's it's devastating. It's a devastating problem because women have an identity with their hair, at least. Maybe not so much today. Maybe in the newer Generations as it's not a big deal, but historically, if you look at a lot of other things have been written, It's about hair.

Why was Mary so interested in anointing Jesus?

I told began to think about what would move us. To go to an extraordinary act extraordinary to anoint, your guess that was kind of commonplace. So to create a, a beautiful fragrance, you take rather than putting your essential oil and letting a diffuse like we have these diffusers now, they used to actually anoint, the people that came, you know, with oil on their head. They wouldn't want them in that created a fragrance for everybody. That was there an Indian. It just fills the room with fragrance.

Mary didn't know it has had do. And some of the other ones, there is an anointing of the head. But this particular one grabbed me because his anointing of his feet. Anointing your gas with oil wasn't a big deal. But Mary used and oil. It was a spikenard. If you've translated the word nard from to the group, if you translate the Greek that was used for this particular, passage the word Nara, for specifically, to spikenard spikenard comes out of India. And it's a, it's an essential oil. That is that is used by Kings. We find it in Song of Songs one. That's what the oil was. It was a spikenard. That wasn't she was annoying her beloved with, and we know he was Royal. And so Mary had a very, very expensive alabaster jar, which you would have thought she would have used on her brother Lazarus. So it must have been a newer purchase. And if it was about a 2-month leg between the time that he raised Lazarus in this particular dinner. So, Mary bought this expensive nard to kind of replace the ones that she had used to anoint his body. And then for some reason felt so strongly that she had to go get it.

Can you imagine being in the presence of Jesus?

And just seen yourself as Who You Are.

I've often talked about that one moment where I was in a retreat and I was praying by myself and I had this vision. Where I saw the Beating Heart of Jesus on the cross. And I could hear the Holy Spirit say, Go into that. I,

I was just standing there. Go go into that heart. And I was like, I was small and I was walking through this heart, out of the biologist. I know it would be like his bloody was horrible. But on the other side it was greeted by Jesus sitting with him when he goes. I want to take you to my father.

And I was walking towards the throne. I became so aware. Of who I really was. In the Sin and everything in my life, the shallowness, their apocracy. It just, it just all the sandwiches just thrown in front of my face. It was so hard. For me to continue into that. Certain I had, I actually, I actually stopped it. I couldn't bear the shame of what was happening.

Even though I had been covered by the blood of Jesus. I couldn't accept. How? And why perfectly? Wonderful. God could love me.

Sometimes the holy spirit moves Us in such a way that we do extraordinary things. And I think in the presence of Jesus will become. We become overwhelmed by who he is, and who we are in relationship with him.

As it was for a woman to take oil. And spread it over his feet. This feed head walk through dumb head walk through dirt mud, whatever had human waste.

And to take the crown of her glory.

And to wipe off that. But the Dawn was more precious to her.

A dumbass on his feet were more precious than what was she considered to be? Her glory.

It's the precious and moving moment of Mary standing in front of the Lord of Lord, the king of kings. Showing her rightful place in the Kingdom. Hit me up. I'd been the blood had not yet been said, the lamb had not yet been slain, and she knew who she was married. The sensitive one, the one who would want to sit at Jesus's feet? The one who wanted to? No and no, and no, and no in coming closer and closer and closer to him. Being in constant. Awareness that he is Lord. He is God. And he sitting at her table. And her brother is a proof of it is sitting right there, Mary. Who, who was so attuned. Jesus.

Realized. This is God. What, what can I buy do to show? Who I am in relationship to him? So to me, it made sense. Cast down all of her. Glory.

Replaced it at his feet. She showed him who she was.

The anointing. The anointing Jesus said was for his burial but anointing has has many more understanding when we hear about. We heard about Moses anointing Aaron. He said I'm going to anoint you. As you as you anointed. He said. And anoint them. He's telling Aaron to anoint them. As you've anointed the father. They may serve me as priests and their anointing, God is saying this to Moses. Anoint them smart and wise as United. Their father, Aaron that he may serve me as priests show. Admit them to a Perpetual priesthood. Jesus Mary anointed Jesus to a Perpetual priesthood because in Hebrews He holds the priesthood permanently Paul writes because he continues forever. Consequently. He is able to save to the uttermost. Anyone who draws near to God through him since he's always he always lives to make intercession for them. So she's annoying him as God. She's anointing him as the priest, who will sacrifice himself for the sins of the world. She's anointing him so that he can save to outermost anyone who approaches him, and that's her. Jesus. She is Us in true, understanding of who we are in front of almighty, God. She's us. Sending the best. And throwing it at his feet.

When Susan ready, Isaiah reading? It was about God being angry at the Hebrew women for their haughtiness.

I saw the Lord will strike with a scab Isaiah, right? The heads of the daughters of Zion. He will lay bare their secret Parts. Heads are covered. The glory of the woman is covered because it belongs only to the husband. Instead of well-set hair and all the other accoutrements that Isaiah talks about baldness. Instead of a ritual of a skirt of safflower branding, instead of beauty. Got himself identifies. A woman's hair is part of her. Identity and part of her glory.

So Mary let down her glory. Use her glory to wipe his feet. but it reminded me of the Revelation verse where the Were those that were sitting on the throne? The elders, the 24 Elders, worshipped him and they cast their crowns Before, the Throne saying, worthy. Are you? Our Lord. And God to receive glory and honor and power for you, created all things? And by your will they existed and were created? Mary. Shows us today who we are. And who Jesus is. Because the perfume that was released is us the perfume. Paul writes, he says, but we are the aroma of Christ when we were in the right relationship with him.

We are the Roma among those are being saved, but among those that are perishing for stench. We're a stench.

So as we go to Christ, fully aware of who we are and what he has done for us. We are the aroma, the perfume of our surrender, literally permeates. Every where we are when we go to a classroom here, when we're out on the street, in the grocery store, in a family home and a family dinner in a neighbor's dinner. We are the aroma of Christ.

In that same. Drama. All of a sudden Judas raises his voice.

Not because he cared about the poor. John Wright's. But because he was a thief. And having charge of the money begging used to help himself and that sums up Judas completely. He was always, helping himself was about him was about what he wanted, how we wanted to do with how we wanted to live his life, how he wanted all things to be how in fact, he wanted Christ to be, he wanted us to be a certain way than like the Jesus was doing. So I had to go change things. He helped himself the contrast between someone who was so surrender to Christ. And someone who all we could do was help themselves. It is a contrast between one type of a disciple and another between a disciple that knows their true position and who God really is and a disciple who just plays the game. You just attention Church talks Christian. He's in acts like that front of others, but really they're just helping themselves. It's helpful to go to church. It's helpful to act this way. It's helpful to use these words. There's no sincerity. There's no depth of discipleship.

Until we have a contrast. Now in this drama. It's at Simon's house. Josh is a poo poo. You going to be like are you going to be the kind of disciple, like, Mary who gives it all up to the Lord and serve him even though you don't want to or you going to be like, Judas who's always helping himself. I'll serve cuz that probably looked at my resume because that might not look at my resume and it was so hard. It's a beautiful contrast, get it, makes us so aware of how, how are we doing? Jesus enters now into the conversation. The first time into the leaver.

He makes a decision to show us the way to go leave her so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor, you always have with you, but you not always have me. You see Jesus was a hundred percent focus and what it was going to cost him. To save us how easy it would have been for him to just click his fingers and say, you know, I could have done with that plot. I think I do move to another one.

But he knew that he was going to the cross, and he knew that that was his father's will for him. And this is the second time, he affirms Mary publicly first time, Martha Martha. Mary's got the better way of thinking and now hear, Judas Judas. Let her do this.

When Susan, read the verse where Jesus said in John and 17 races, I consecrate myself. So that they may know the truth.

Part of the anointed was also his consecration for his burial. He was consecrating setting self aside.

An object for the use of the father. He was consecrated. Anointed consecrated and moving towards the cross.

Knowing that his death and Resurrection was going to free us all. These passages will lead us to one question that we need to think about this next week.

Kind of disciple.

Jesus, are you?

Is there room for you to surrender another crown?

Is there self searching? It might need to go on. Because time is short. I think you agree with me. What's coming back? I pray that our lifetime. I want to see him and I want all those. I love to see him. My time is growing short. I don't have that many more years on Earth.

I'm kind of a disciple. Do we want to be? One like Mary would like to discuss one that gets to see Jesus for who he really is and for who we are really or one. That's just helping themselves. This is what God is calling us to think about calling us to reflect on. We all want to be that one where he says, welcome home. Good. And faithful servant the spray.

We are covered by the blood of Jesus. As far as the East is from the West. I shouldn't have been covered now. Gone.

So, what more do you want out of this week? Could Fest.

Why are you calling us now or to a deeper relationship with you? Show us Lord the past.

Delaying down the things we want to do to help ourselves.

So that we may have more of you.

To be that Aroma that permeates Lord. Wherever we go.

What a joy. It is Lord to serve you. But it's never forget that bored. Is the aches and pains of Life emotional? physical spiritual Mental, they come and they wear a saddle or may, we always be willing to be made willing to serve you? And I pray all this. Lorde. Because I pray, we will see your return.

Amen. And Hallelujah.