Extravagant Love | John 12:1-10

INTRODUCTION

Jesus came to Bethany six days before the Passover. This is the last Sabbath and the next Friday Jesus is going to die. He is six days away from the thorns and the nails. Six days away from the spear. Six days away from the sin-bearing. This is when we encounter an event of love demonstrated extravagantly.

John 12:1-10

¹Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ²Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. ³Then Mary took about a pint 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.

⁴But 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.” ⁶He 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. ⁸You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

⁹Meanwhile 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. ¹⁰So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, ¹¹for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

John 12:2

Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

When Jesus came to Bethany, they made Him a supper there. That’s the prolonged evening meal around a U-shaped table at which you recline.

Matthew 26 and Mark 14 tell us it happened at the house of a man named Simon, the ex-leper who also lived in Bethany. This meal was in honour of the Lord Jesus Christ, by two people who have experienced personally His creative power.

Martha is serving. Earlier when Jesus came to their home in Luke 10; Mary sat at His feet but Martha served. Remember, this is the same Martha and Mary whose brother was dead and Jesus raised him up, Jn. 11.

What is notable here is the Service of Martha.

Love For God Will Result In Serving Others

Service can be an unpopular idea in today’s culture where people are very self-oriented. Many do acts of service in exchange for social media, people’s good opinion or another type of award. This is not the discipline of service is all about.

The spiritual discipline of service means choosing to do something for someone else (often in secret) without expecting anything else in return. Service involves seeing a need and meeting that need without expecting thanks or any type of reciprocity. Service is a way of learning to value others and cultivate a heart of compassion.

Jesus is the ultimate example of a servant.

Philippians 2:6-8

⁶Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

⁷rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant

being made in human likeness.

⁸And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Mark 10:45

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

The night before he died, Jesus performed the lowly task of a servant and washed his disciples’ feet (John 13). Out of his heart of love and compassion, Jesus served. He calls his followers to do the same.

Galatians 5:13

Serve one another humbly in love. We’re all called to be servants, servants of the Lord and servants of each other.

The service of Mary is costly. It needs time, effort, a heart to clean with others are celebrating in their party dress. Friends, we are called to serve. I thank God for the many who serve God at City Harvest. Their time and sacrifice is a costly service.

Why are they doing this? Not to draw more attention to themselves, but to draw more attention to Christ who deserves all our attention, to the saviour who deserves all of our love.

John 12:3-5

³Then Mary took about a pint 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. ⁴But 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.”

How is it that Mary would have in her possession an alabaster jar of cost nard worth a year’s salary? Saving is a hallmark of God’s people in general. Mary had saved one year’s salary.

Effective Financial Stewardship Is Part Of Our Spiritual Growth.

Live Below Our Needs.

Proverbs 21:20

The wise store up choice food and olive oil,

But fools gulp theirs down.

The wise store up So, in their homes are stores of choice food and oil. The fool lives right up to his income. Everything that comes in goes out.

Proverbs 6:5-8

⁶Go to the ant, you sluggard;

consider its ways and be wise!

⁷It has no commander,

no overseer or ruler,

⁸yet it stores its provisions in summer

and gathers its food at harvest.

The ants harvest along with mankind, the seed in order to keep them in the winter. They have never had a financial management class. God just has given them the wisdom.

Proverbs 22:3

The prudent see danger and take refuge,

but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

We are not to foresee every possible calamity, but we are to take caution against those things that can be anticipated. We are to plan our finances, plan for our needs ahead, plan budget.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

¹¹and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, ¹²so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

The wise woman of proverbs 31

Proverbs 31:25

she can laugh at the days to come.

She is not threatened by the future. Why?

Proverbs 31:21

When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

She knows that occasionally it snows in the holy land. She is not taking precaution for an earthquake that comes unexpectantly. But for the occasional snowstorm, she has a big scarlet jacket for her family. So, she is not afraid.

Work With Your Hands

Have A Savings Plan

2 Corinthians 12:14

After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

There is an exhortation to save.

However, Jesus can demand all that we have. Jesus has the rights over all that we have. Jesus told the rich young fool, “Go sell all your processions to the poor.” Jesus did this to this man to deal with his love for money. The widow gave all that she had. But Lazarus did not give everything, he gave half is possessions to the poor; Luke 19.

Be Generous To God.

We are to save but we have to be generous to God.

We do not bring our leftovers to God.

He is not the God of 10% he is the God of 100%.

He is concerned about how you spend your money, about your loans.

Our Giving Is To Be Proportionate.

Deuteronomy 16:17

Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.

1 Corinthians 16:2

On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

Acts 11:29

The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea.

Our Giving Is A Matter Of The Heart.

Love Is The Motivation For Giving.

It is love that should drive it all. Indeed, it is worthless to do anything without love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-4

¹If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have’ love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

It is all about love. Love explains the generosity of the faithful.

Effective Financial Stewardship Is Part Of Our Spiritual Growth.

John 12:3

Then Mary took about a pint 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.

She is behind the scenes at first and now all of the sudden she smashes the alabaster jar and opens it. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark have pouring it out on his head, and his feet as well. She then wipes his feet with her hair in self-forgetful, irrepressible love and devotion. This was a radical thing for a woman to do in the presence of men, and used her hair to wipe His feet. This is shocking and in complete disregard for Jewish rules for women not to loosen their hair in the presence of men.

This is love that knows no limits. It’s generous. She gave everything of value that she could lay her hands on. There must have been stunned silence in the home.

What is our response to the Saviour?

The Mary Option: The Lord Deserves Everything.

Mary’s example is an example to us of self-abasing, Christ-exalting worship.

God Loves Demonstrative Worship.

Use your bodies, raise your hands, bow your head, give in joyful abundance.

Worship is costly:  The service of Martha is costly. The sacrificial giving of Mary is costly.

John 12:4-6

⁴But 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.” ⁶He 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.

We see Mary’s action of devotion versus Judas’ deception.

They are contrasting figures. Here the two extremes, the two opposite responses. Mary pours on Jesus such a precious gift; for Judas it is a waste.

What in fact were Judas’s motives?

What was Judas thinking when he betrayed Jesus?

Having heard from Jesus and having being privileged to witness the miracles of Jesus and the evidence of his life and testimony, Judas was blinded. He was one among his disciples.

Jeremiah 17:9

The heart is deceitful above all things

and beyond cure.

Who can understand it?

The Ultimate Cause Of This Betrayal Is God’s Sovereign Plan.

Jesus’ death on the cross is not just an accident. The cutting short of Jesus’ life, a young life full of promise is not a plan B that God made the best of in a bad situation. It was part of God’s sovereign plan of our redemption, planned before the foundation of the world

Revelation 13:8

…the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

In John 13, on Thursday, Jesus is in the upper room, on Thursday. He instituted the Lord’s supper and washed the feet of the disciples as a display of his love and self-sacrifice.

John 13:10-11

¹⁰Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

John 13:18

“I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’ (Ps. 41:9)

Here is God’s word already disclosing the betrayal of the Saviour.

In terms of this deep structure of typology, David said this. Ps. 41 is a psalm of David.

David had experienced a same kind of betrayal. David had his Judas, Ahithophel. He was one of King David’s most trust advisors. His confidant. Ahithophel had even eaten meals with David, they had broken bread together. They had sworn friendship together. Yet Ahithophel in the end turned against David. He who had broken bread with him had lifted his heel against him. Ahithophel betrayed David as he helped advise the rebellion under Absalom, the son of David. Well, Ahithophel finally saw the error of his ways and committed suicide.

When we turn to the NT we discover the same thing happening with David’s greater son, Jesus. Jesus is betrayed by Judas. He was one among the twelve. He saw Jesus’s miracles and hear his teaching from start to finish. Judas shared in the Lord’s supper where Jesus gave them the very emblems of the self-giving love in the bread given and the cup poured, nevertheless even when Jesus is washing Judas’ feet, Judas was planning to betray the Saviour.

In Mark 14, at the last Supper, Jesus is reclining at the table:

Mark 14:18-21

¹⁸While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

¹⁹They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”

²⁰“It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. ²¹The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

It is possible to be that close to Jesus and still not have our lives transformed by Jesus.

It is possible to know all the scripture and still not bring our hearts brought into conformity to the truth that we know. I could be a Judas. According to Jesus, even if it is unfolding of God’s eternal sovereign plan, we are still responsible for our actions.

The Gospels also mention not only the ultimate causality of the eternal God in his plan and the more immediate causality of Satan.

John 13:27

As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

Judas Gave Way To Satan.

Judas Loved Money.

When Mary took a pint of pure nard and poured it on Jesus’ feet, Judas objected.

John 12:6

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.

Judas Was In Love With This World And With Himself.  He was not all that concerned about the poor, but that made a good explanation. He was all about money.

Matthew 26:14-16

¹⁴Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests ¹⁵and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Judas looks at an act of extravagant love and he dismisses it as a waste. So he goes out and says, “I don’t think Jesus is worth that.” What is he worth? He betrays the Saviour for 30 pieces of silver. 30 pieces of silver is exactly the price tag that the OT sets as the minimum cash value for a human life (Ex. 21:32)

You see, for Judas, Jesus is just another man. That is what Judas is in affect saying by his agreement. Not the Lord of life, the Lord of glory who deserves everything.

The Judas Option: Jesus Is Just Another Man.

Mark 14:6-9

⁶“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. ⁹Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

It is a matter of worth. Who is worthy of the perfume? Who is worthy of all of our substance?

Finally, where did Mary get this idea for such passionate, self-forgetful, costly extravagant worship? The inspiration for this comes from Luke 7.

The details what Mary does is what an anonymous woman did much earlier in Jesus’ ministry. This woman is actually described as a sinful woman, which means she had a bad testimony. She committed all the socially unacceptable sins. She comes to Jesus and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears. The host of the party where this was taking place was disgusted by it. He thought to himself, “Why would Jesus allow this? He must not be a prophet. If he had any idea what kind of woman this is that is doing this to him, he would withdraw from it.” Jesus does not withdraw from her devotion. This woman is only responding as she does because she who has been forgiven much loves much and that is what Jesus said.

Mary’s Motivation:

Mary is thankful that Jesus raised her brother from the grave..

She is thankful that with the resurrection of Lazarus comes the promise of eternal life for all.

But Mary sees in that earlier woman’s worship and her experience of forgiveness.

Mary also sees Jesus as the Lamb of God going to be slain. Preparing for his burial.

She who has been forgiven much, loves much; so she can do nothing less than what the other woman had done; giving to the Saviour everything, self-abasing attention even to his feet, because she loves the feet that will bear the nail prints for her sin.

Reflection Questions:

• How does Mary’s extravagant act of devotion challenge our own understanding of worship? Is our worship demonstrative?
• Are there areas in our life where we have been more like Judas, valuing material possessions over the worship of Jesus?
• In what ways can we cultivate a heart of selfless service and generosity, following the examples of Mary and Jesus?
• Reflect on your own financial stewardship. Are you living below your means and generously giving to God’s work?
• How can you deepen your love for Jesus, recognizing the depth of his sacrifice and grace?

CONCLUSION

Mary’s act of extravagant love challenges us to re-evaluate our worship and devotion to Jesus. Let us not be like Judas, who valued material possessions over the worship of Christ. Instead, may we follow Mary’s example of selfless service and generosity, pouring out our lives in worship to the one who gave everything for us.

LIFE APPLICATION

• Cultivate a heart of selfless service and generosity in your daily life.
• Practice financial stewardship. Live below your means and give generously to God’s work.
• Continually evaluate your priorities and values, ensuring that Christ remains at the centre of your life and worship.