Monday of Holy Week: John 12:1-11, NIV "Mary"

John 12:1-11 (NIV)

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to 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 pint[a] 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.

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.

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,[c] but you will not always have me.”

9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

Let’s begin today by asking, “Who was Mary?”

First, she was the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She was known as Mary of Bethany. Tradition has often been confusing in regards to whether this same Mary of Bethany was in fact Mary Magdalene or the Mary mentioned by Luke in as a “sinner”, a reference that often has invited the status of being a prostitute historically. In the Medieval Times, Pope Gregory the Great described Mary the sinner, Mary of Bethany, and Mary Magdalene as one in the same while the Eastern Orthodox Church has continued to assert that they are three unique individuals, all with stories to tell!

In spite of the confusion as to who she was, there is much we learn from Mary of Bethany.

We can learn much about her as we discuss what it means to worship God… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… Yahweh, not just out of convenience or on Sunday mornings, but in a life that attributes “worth-ship” to God… that kind of worship that is all day everyday in which we worship God in every waking hour in some shape, form, or format. After all, worship can simply be define as giving our worth to God because he alone is worthy of our praise.

Today, Mary teaches us that true worship of God is:

1. Costly

Mary’s perfume came from India and cost 300 denarii in her time. A denarius is about one day’s worth of work. So 300 would be nearly a year’s worth of income. Even if Mary and Martha and Lazarus were from a wealthy family, this was still a very pricey gift! It cost something for Mary to worship Jesus.

Mary’s sacrifice brings to mind a story of King David in the Old Testament. He and the people of Israel were being punished by God for David’s arrogance in taking a census, relying on his own strength instead of God’s. To regain God’s favor, David wanted to make an offering, but he needed a certain threshing floor upon which to give it. The owner, Araunah, tried to donate it to the King. But David would have none of it. He said to Araunah, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24, 1 Chronicles 21:24).

God appreciates worship that costs us something. What is valuable to you? Your time? Your money? Your talents or abilities? Your energy or strength? Your influence?

True worship costs us something. It may cost you your time, getting up a little earlier to be with God, or staying up a little later to read his word. It may cost you some money, as God leads you to give to various causes. That’s what it cost Mary, a sizable amount of money. Yet, the cost is always worth it, for Mary, for David, and for you and me. After all, Jesus paid a great cost for us. Nothing is too good for him! True worship is costly, and it’s also...

2. Mary also teaches us that worship should be Active

By this I mean it’s going to involve your whole being. Mary anointed Jesus’ feet. The normal custom was to anoint the head of the guest of honor. In fact, the other three gospels record a woman anointing Jesus’ head. Perhaps that was this same Mary; we don’t know for sure. Maybe she anointed both head and feet. Anointing someone’s head showed great honor. Taking the role of a servant and cleaning and then even anointing someone’s feet – well, that showed great love, great devotion, great worship! Mary took action. She put feet to her faith. Her worship was active.

There are times when God will call you to active worship. It may be a prayer walk around the campus here. It may be sitting with someone, or making a dessert, or sending a card, or assisting as an usher at the Mission service, all for the glory of God. You say, “Pastor, I thought that was ministry, not worship.” There’s a fine line between the two, when you do ministry with the right motivation, to honor God. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” We don’t have to make sacrifices to God as they did in David’s day, because we are the sacrifice!

Mary teaches us that true worship is costly; it’s active; and it’s ...

3. Personal.

It’s between us and God. This was Mary’s way of showing love to Jesus. Martha’s was serving, as she always was. She worshiped through her service. Mary gave through her devotion. Each worshiped in her own personal way.

Our worship may not be someone else’s worship. God may speak to our hearts in a whole different way than our neighbor or our spouse. We have to find our own connection to God, our own way of honoring him for what he has done for you.

One person in this story was very close to Jesus in a physical sense, but very far in a relational sense. Judas looked good on the outside, but was corrupt on the inside, opening himself up to be used as a tool of the devil’s. And that brings us to our last quality of true worship. Unfortunately, sometimes it will be...

4. Judged

Judas judged Mary, stating she could have spent that money on the poor. John notes that Judas was a thief, and didn’t care one iota about the poor. The sad part is, Judas could have been closer to Jesus than anyone. He saw all the miracles. He heard all the sermons. He was in church every time the doors were open. Yet, he missed out on true worship. Instead, he concentrated on judging others’ worship. And yet, Jesus refused to allow anyone to steal Mary’s worship, commenting that perhaps without knowing it, Mary was helping prepare his body for death. Unbeknownst to this dinner party, in less than a week, Jesus would go to the cross!

Sometimes people will judge our worship. Back to King David, for example: his wife Michael judged his dance before the Ark of the Covenant as it returned to Jerusalem. David danced passionately before the Lord; it was an act of reckless worship, in a different way spending lavishly to show his love for God. Michael told him he had made a fool out of himself. His reply? “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes” (2 Samuel 6:22). David, like Mary in today’s story, had decided to abandon himself in worship, regardless of the effect on his reputation. After all, as scripture says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Sometimes in life, we have to decide, “Am I going to care more about what God thinks or what people think?” Peter and the other disciples were forced into this question, and Peter replied for them all and said, "We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29). What are you going to do when someone says, “You tithe? Do you know what you could be doing with all that money!” Or someone questions your going to Bible study or church? If it hasn’t happened yet, it will.

Worship God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Today, like Mary, live your life for an audience of one.