If you guys don't know me, my name is Ed, one of the pastors here.
!
Oh, Heavenly Father, Lord, where would we be without you?
Where would we be without you, oh God?
We know that what we're about to do, what we're about to hear, is to hear your very words,
the words of life.
There's so much noise in this world, so much chatter, so much yapping.
We get distracted.
We lose sight of what's most precious, what is the message that we need to hear most.
So we pray by the power of your Holy Spirit, illuminate our hearts and our eyes once again
today, so that we would understand, apply rightly, study rightly, solemnly, seriously.
We'd pay attention to these words of life.
That it would transform us from the inside out.
And that we would be able to offer to you the little, these alabaster jars of our lives
in continual sacrifice and worship of your name.
Help us.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
I invite you to stand if you are able to honor God's reading as we read aloud his word.
Starting from verse 1.
When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples,
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest,
whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.
But they said, Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an
alabaster flask of very expensive ointment.
And she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste?
For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.
But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, Why do you trouble the woman?
For she has done a beautiful thing to me.
For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.
In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.
Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world,
that what she has done will also be told in memory of her.
Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests and said,
What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?
And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.
And from that moment, he sought an opportunity to betray him.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
Please be seated.
In a book on behavioral economics called Priceless,
author William Poundstone has one central thesis.
It's that we, as a human race,
we are remarkably bad about knowing what something is actually worth.
We think we're logical.
We think we're good at numbers.
We think we're rational.
But in the end, we are terrible at knowing what something should actually be priced.
And because of that, we're highly suggestible.
And boy, do companies know that.
For example, we naturally assume that the more expensive something is,
it must be more valuable.
In a blind taste test, participants were presented with two wines
and simply asked,
Which one do you like more, wine A or wine B?
If the prices of the wines were released or revealed to them,
almost always they will consistently rate the more expensive wine as better tasting.
Even if the wines are exactly the same, identical.
They even conduct brain scans.
And they find in their brain that drinking the more expensive wine
links to greater happiness, greater joy.
Even completely arbitrary numbers can throw us off
in thinking about what something is priced or what is valued.
In another study, researchers, they asked participants
to write down the last two digits of their social security number.
And then, after that, they were asked to bid on random household products
like computer products, groceries, clothing.
Again, consistently, almost always,
that those who wrote down those larger numbers
from their social security number
bid much higher than those who had lower numbers.
Almost twice as high.
Their social security number has nothing to do
with the price of these items.
We are that terrible
at determining what something should be worth.
But in the end,
maybe we were just victims of capitalism
and overpay for something.
It's really not that big of a deal.
Just overpay for something here and there.
But there is something,
or rather, someone
whom we cannot afford to mis-evaluate.
And his name is Jesus.
Whether you know it or not,
we have all put a price tag on him.
We have all evaluated who he is
and have appraised what he is worth.
In this passage this morning,
we see two groups of people
who have done just that.
And Matthew, he deliberately sets up this contrast
between the many who get it
egregiously wrong
and the one who gets it
breathtakingly right.
Because evaluation,
your evaluation,
always turns into action,
we must pay attention.
So to follow the example
of this remarkable woman
who sees rightly who Jesus is
and what he is worth,
the main point of my sermon today is
because Jesus is worth everything,
pour out your alabaster jars in worship.
The outline's simple.
Highlight again this contrast.
First, we're going to talk about
a calculated killing.
And as I do that,
we're going to really see
who is behind the calculation.
And secondly,
to see the remarkable woman.
We're going to understand
the uncalculated, quote-unquote,
waste that she offers.
Now that Jesus has finished
the Olivet Discourse,
which is the fifth and final discourse
of the book of Matthew,
we've turned the last corner.
From the birth narratives
to the Sermon of the Mount,
from miraculous miracles
to profound parables,
we've come a long way,
haven't we?
Walking with Jesus week by week
throughout the course
of his life and ministry.
And the word of God
has made us fall in love
with the word of God,
has it not?
Now we have finally arrived
at the concluding scenes of Matthew.
The last few days of Jesus' life
before his tragic death.
For quite a while now,
Jesus has been predicting
his death, right?
But now we see that this prediction
is starting to gain some steam.
It's starting to come to fruition.
By whose efforts, though?
Who is driving this narrative
that ultimately culminates
to Jesus' death?
From one angle,
it's the cunning,
calculating conspiracy of man.
The insidious Jewish leaders,
they hold a secret rendezvous
in the palace of the high priest Caiaphas
to plan the murder of Jesus.
Caiaphas was a high priest,
the highest position
in all of the Jewish nation
at the time,
and he was for a record
18 years straight.
It's far longer than any other
high priest at that time.
I think it goes to show
that Caiaphas,
he knew how to play the game,
how to work the system,
all so that he could stay in power.
Probably by doing shady things like this.
And hypocritical religious leaders,
they hide in the darkness
because they know
that their conduct
cannot stand in the light
of public scrutiny.
But if you followed us
throughout Matthew,
you know that, again,
this conduct is not beneath them.
It is well within their character.
For quite some time now,
they have been itching
at the chance
to remove Jesus from the picture.
Matthew 12, 14,
the Pharisees went out
and plotted against him
how to destroy him.
Matthew 22, 15,
the Pharisees went and plotted
how to entangle him
in his words.
So,
throughout Matthew,
we've seen how they
seethe
with rage
when they see that Jesus
is more respected than him.
And they tremble
with fear
when they see that
his growing following
threatens their place
of power.
So,
Jesus,
he's got to go.
Ah,
but
that's not so easy
when Jesus has won
over the entire nation.
Hence,
what I call
the Jesus problem.
They need to get rid
of somebody
whom the whole nation loves
all while doing it
while making sure
that everybody
still likes them.
It's a tricky problem.
And for a while now,
not a single person
has been able
to offer
a viable solution.
They tried
debating him.
They get
thumped to the curb.
They tried
tricking him
into breaking
their man-made laws.
That only makes
people like them more.
So,
they finally come
to their last resort.
And they decide
to abduct
and murder him.
That's how far
they're willing
to go.
But even that
is tricky
because,
number one,
obviously this is
completely illegal
so they can't do it
in broad daylight.
And number two,
they especially
cannot do it
during the Passover feast.
Why?
Because during
the Passover,
thousands and
thousands of Jews
pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
It's like an intense
pressure cooker.
And if they
kill them,
kill him then.
It's gonna
pop.
And a wild
riot
might break out.
And then you know
what happens?
The Romans
will come after
their heads.
So,
there's no
concrete plan,
no concrete
details,
but they do
agree on one
constraint.
We can't do it
during the feast.
We cannot do it
during the feast.
But as they're
racking their brains,
brainstorming,
trying to figure out
how to solve
the Jesus problem,
they get
an unlikely,
unexpected visitor.
Someone that
none,
unexpected.
And it's a
familiar face.
They've seen
his face before.
It's one of
Jesus'
own
twelve
disciples,
Judas Iscariot.
And he comes
alone without
his teacher,
and he comes
with a surprising
proposition.
He asks the
chief priest,
what will you
give me
if I sell
him out to you?
And consider
that the
Pharisees,
they don't
initiate
any of this.
Judas comes
from his
own heart,
his own
volition,
with no
backstory,
no explanation.
And really,
because of that
lack of
backstory,
much ink
has been
spilt trying
to determine
the exact
motivation of
Judas.
What's exactly
going on in
his head?
Some surmise
that Iscariot
means man
of Kiriath,
Kiriath
being a
city outside
of the
region of
Galilee.
That would
mean that
Judas is
kind of the
lone guy
out,
the odd
man out.
He's always
an odd
man out
of the
group of
Galileans.
Or the
name Iscariot
could link
Judas to a
group of
political
zealots
who wanted
the violent
overthrow of
the Roman
government.
And so
perhaps he
saw that
over the
course of
Jesus'
ministry
that,
hey,
maybe this
guy's not
who I
expected him
to be.
Or really,
and it's
sobering,
it could
simply be a
love of
money that
corrupts him
to the core.
To his
question of
what he can
get,
the Pharisees
appraised
the life of
Jesus,
at 30
silver coins.
Only 30
silver coins.
Normally at
that time,
a piece of
silver would
be a
denarius,
which was
just a
day's
labor or
a day's
wage for
a common
laborer.
So this
is a
month's
wage,
30 pieces
of silver.
Not an
insignificant
sum,
but a
shockingly
low amount
for the
cost of
a man's
life.
What is
a man
worth?
What is
the Son
of God
worth?
I don't
know,
but certainly
more than
this.
When they
appraise his
life at the
measly 30
pieces of
silver,
they
insultingly
devalue who
Jesus is.
In fact,
we read in
Exodus 22,
31,
that Moses
sets the
price of a
slave's
life at
30 silver
shekels.
It's a
clear literary
connection,
right?
30 pieces
of silver
in both
places.
But in
the Old
Testament,
the shekel,
that's their
currency,
it's actually
four times
as much
than a
Daenerys.
So they're
saying Jesus
is worth
a quarter
of a
slave.
But do you
know what's
even worse
than their
evaluation?
It's the
fact that
Judas
takes it.
In doing
so, he
commits the
worst sin
of all of
human history
by betraying
and killing
the Son of
God.
Friends,
it's
honestly easy
to think
about Jesus
or Judas
and other
him.
We who
walked with
Jesus so
long would
never do
such a
thing.
lest you
flippantly
dismiss the
warning of
his life.
Recall that
Judas,
he too
walked and
talked and
laughed and
cried with
Jesus for
years.
For years!
Before he
decided to
commit the
worst thing
ever.
How could
he do
such a
thing?
Because in
the end,
at the
very core
of who he
is,
what he
thought about
Jesus,
all that
Jesus was
to Judas
was a
mere
stepping stone
to get
what he
wanted.
According to
his calculations,
killing Jesus
was worth it.
It was worth
the measly
silver coins
because Jesus
was just a
means to an
end.
Power,
prestige,
possessions,
pleasure,
whatever it
was,
Jesus was a
means to get
these other
things.
And now that
Jesus is no
longer fulfilling
the purpose
that he seeks,
he's more than
willing to
toss Jesus
aside.
Take heed
that you do
not fall into
the same
trap.
We Christians
do not use
Jesus as a
means primarily
to give meaning
to our lives,
to make us
good people,
to reunite us
with loved ones
in heaven,
or to even
escape hell.
Those are not
the primary
things of why
we seek
Jesus.
Don't get me
wrong,
following Jesus
comes with
those benefits,
but those are
not the final
ends that we
seek.
Jesus is
not a
vehicle for
anything other
than the
enjoyment of
his own
perfection.
And if we
approach
Jesus in
that kind
of utilitarian
manner,
if we use
him for
other means,
you will
sell out.
You will
sell out when
the going
gets tough.
When you
don't feel
like you
are getting
the things
that you
expected out
of Jesus,
when you
feel like
following
Jesus just
costs a
little too
much,
just like
Judas,
you will
leave and
you will
pursue other
means to
find that
thing that
you're
searching for.
As Thomas
Merton writes,
if we love
God for
something less
than himself,
we run the
risk of
hating him if
we don't
get what we
hope for.
So is
Jesus the
final goal,
the north
star, the
everything that
you are
searching for?
or is
he a
means to
other
self-serving
idolatrous
ends?
In the
end, at
the heart
of their
sin, both
the priests
and Judas,
they believe
that they're
the ones who
are in
control.
They think
that if
they play
their cards
just right,
then they
can get
their desired
outcome.
But
Matthew
presents this
very, very
differently.
Our
passage doesn't
start with
the Pharisees
first plotting
or Judas
selling out.
Notice that
Matthew begins
with Jesus'
prediction of
his death
in verses
1-2.
Then it
says in
verse 3
that the
Pharisees
scheme
amongst
themselves.
There's no
dualistic
tension.
no cosmic
battle
between
evil
and good.
There's
no wondering
who will
live and
who will
die.
The outcome
has already
been calculated.
But not
primarily by
evil men,
but by
Jesus
himself.
Jesus
will die,
but he
will die
on his
own terms.
How do we
know that?
the timing
of his
death.
This group
of mobsters
disguised as
religious leaders,
they want to
kill Jesus
nine days
later,
after the
Passover,
so that
people go
home and
the tensions
simmer down.
But contrary
to the
priest's plan,
Jesus says
that he
will die
on Passover.
This is
Jesus'
already
fourth
prediction of
his death
in the
book of
Matthew.
But what's
unique about
this one
in particular
is that
he explicitly
links his
death to
Passover,
one of the
most important
holidays in
all of the
Jewish
tradition.
Passover
commemorates
how God
passed over
all the
Jewish homes
and spared
them from
destruction
during their
bondage to
Egypt.
But to all
the Egyptian
homes,
the destroyer
takes the
life of
all of
their
firstborns.
There's
only one
thing that
set these
homes apart.
Just one.
It's not
that the
Israelites
were
smarter,
richer,
stronger,
better looking
or even
more righteous
than the
Egyptians.
They were
every bit
as guilty
and deserving
of damnation.
They could
have been
murderers,
adulterers,
stealers,
liars,
idolaters,
just the
same and
they probably
were.
But what's
the only
difference that
distinguished
that night
from the
houses of
Israel,
the houses
of Egypt?
What's the
one thing?
It's the
blood.
It's the
blood of
the lamb.
The blood
on their
doorposts
was the
only thing
that God
looked for.
A spotless,
pure lamb
was slain so
that they
may live.
So the
timing is
no mere
coincidence.
Don't get
this wrong.
the son
will not
die before,
he will
not die
after,
he will
die on
Passover
to conclusively
declare that
Jesus is
our
Passover
lamb.
The
spotless,
blameless
lamb of
God who
takes away
the sins
of the
world
was slain
so that
sinners like
you and
me can
now have
life.
So the
question is
are you
covered by
the blood?
There is
a day
when the
destroyer
will come
knocking on
your door.
It doesn't
matter what
kind of life
you lived.
It doesn't
matter who
you once
were.
If you
put that
blood on
your doorposts,
if you
believe with
all of your
heart that
the blood
of Christ
will atone
you and
wash you
completely
clean from
all of
your sins,
the wrath
of God
will pass
over you.
Though we
are sinners
by nature
and practice,
praise God
there is no
maybe in
the mercy
and the
grace of
our God.
We sing
this,
that there
is a
fountain
filled with
blood and
sinners who
are plunged
beneath that
flood lose
all of
their guilty
stains.
So if
Jesus is
the Passover
lamb,
then the
chief priests
and Judas,
they vastly
undervalue
what Jesus
is worth.
We've seen
that.
But in
between these
two passages,
we read in
the middle
a rare,
beautiful
example of
someone who
gets it
right,
who knows
what Jesus
is worth.
And you
wouldn't be
able to tell
this from
reading this
passage itself,
but it's
actually not
in strict
chronological
order.
The opening
verses date
Jesus'
prediction very
clearly,
right, you
see in the
passage, to
two days
before the
Passover.
But in
chapter 12
in the
gospel of
John, he
describes this
same account
with this
woman with
the alabaster
flask six
days before
the Passover.
This story
happened even
before Palm
Sunday, which
we covered
what feels
like ages
ago in
March.
Why is
that important?
It shows
how deliberate
Matthew is
inserting this
story.
He's a
master at
color contrast.
Matthew is
drawing attention
to the bright
radiance of
this woman's
uncalculating
devotion by
setting it
against the
dark background,
the dark
hues of
these chief
priests and
Judas'
calculated
scheming.
Let's note
the setting.
Jesus is in
Bethany, the
house of
Simon the
leper, whom
we really
don't know
all that much
about.
apart from
the fact
that no
leper could
ever host
a party like
this, host
Jesus and
his disciples.
We know
that the
Mosaic
Law stipulates
all lepers
to live in
complete
quarantine.
So while
it's not
recorded, I
don't think
it's far
fetched to
assume that
Jesus is the
one who
miraculously
healed this
man,
transforming him
really from
head to
toe.
And really, I
just love that
they're meeting
at his
house.
Once empty,
decrepit house
is now
teeming with
life and
love.
That's the
effect that
Jesus can
have.
While Jesus
is reclining,
a woman
approaches
Jesus and
as it says
in Mark,
breaks the
neck of an
alabaster jar.
in ancient
times,
alabaster
flasks were
typically
designed with
a narrow
opening and
were typically
sealed with a
hardened wax,
all so that
it prevents any
kind of air
exposure.
So that means
to access its
contents, the
neck of the
flask was
typically broken.
There's no
resealing,
there's no
screw caps,
there's no
trying to save
some for later.
Once broken,
this whole
thing, the
whole contents
needed to be
spent at
once.
It's really a
beautiful picture
of an all-or-nothing
endeavor.
The flask is a
grenade of
very expensive
perfume with
exotic scents of
amber, myrrh,
and spice.
Once that pin is
pulled, the
aromatics
immediately
explode, flooding
the room with
its scents.
Amid the
bustle of a
busy room,
especially in a
patriarchal society,
I wonder
perhaps that the
woman was
hardly noticed
that evening,
hardly seen.
They undoubtedly
see her now
while she pours
all of its
contents on
Jesus' head
without
reserving a
single drop.
But then here
come the
dissenters,
right?
Some of the
more pragmatically
minded disciples
take offense
at what this
woman has done.
They object,
what a waste.
This could have
been sold and
given to the
poor.
And while this
might be a
direct rebuke
against this
woman, it
nonetheless is
still an
indirect rebuke
against Jesus
himself.
And in
John's account,
he actually
records the
price, an
estimated price
for this
expensive
ointment.
300 denarii,
or roughly
an entire
years of
the wage
of a
common laborer.
So a
modern equivalent,
let's just use a
round number,
would be
$50,000.
dollars.
A
flask that's
worth a
whole lot
more than
a lot of
our own
cars.
From
$50,000,
just imagine
how many
peanut butter
and jelly
sandwiches you
can make
and hand
out to
the poor.
How many
months of
rent you
could cover,
how many
co-pays for
medical visits
that people
need.
It sounds
holy, but
we know that
from John's
account that
this charge
is led by
money-grubbing
Judas Iscariot,
only really
concerned with
filling up
the money
bag because
he's used to
skimming off
the top for
himself.
So Jesus,
knowing the
heart of
Judas,
sees right
through his
intentions.
But
interestingly,
Matthew doesn't
actually include
this detail
there.
He doesn't
give us an
easy off-ramp.
We have to
wrestle with
their argument
on its own
terms.
And I
don't know
about you,
but honestly,
I can understand
what they're
saying.
For the
past couple
weeks,
I've been
working hard
on the
church budget
that we're
going to
present next
week that
Sean just
mentioned at
our members
meeting.
If you're a
member,
please do
come to
that.
If you
heard next
week that
we are
planning on
buying an
ultra-expensive
men's cologne
for Sean.
That costs
$50,000.
And I
looked this
up.
There's
one called
Paco
Rabanne
Rabanne,
one million
luxe edition
for retail
price of
$57,000.
Notes of
blood
mandarin,
cinnamon,
and masculine
leather.
Apparently,
leather can be
masculine.
And it
comes in a
briefcase with
18 carat
solid gold
crowned with
a 0.3
carat diamond.
And our
plan that
we're going
to present
next week is
to douse
Sean's
head completely
one go
with that
expensive
perfume.
If you
are going to
ask you,
do you
approve of
that budget?
I am
sure that
nearly all
of you would
submit on
slack a
big fat
no.
I would
submit a
big fat
no.
So I
wonder if
I and
how many
of us
would be
among the
dissenters
too.
So why
does Jesus
see this
act not
as a
waste,
but as
a beautiful
thing?
Is
Jesus
dismissing
the needs
of the
poor
here?
Well,
for one,
we can
immediately
ride off
that false
notion that
Jesus does
not care about
the poor.
Throughout
his ministry,
at every
chance that
he got,
he so
compassionately
cared for
the poor
and the
needy.
In just
the last
passage that
Andrew just
preached on,
the faithful
sheep are
known by
their care
for the
poor,
the sick,
the needy,
the imprisoned.
In fact,
when Jesus
says that you
will always
have the
poor with
you,
he's
quoting from
scripture,
he's quoting
from Deuteronomy
15,
11.
And the
rest of
that verse
says,
therefore I
command you
to be
open-handed
toward your
brothers and
toward the
poor and
needy in
your land.
So when
Jesus says
that you
will always
have the
poor with
you,
implicit in
his response
is his
expectation
that we
do prioritize
the needs
of the
poor today.
But Jesus
praises this
woman for
using this
oil not
for the
poor but
on him.
Why?
Because Jesus
knows who
he is.
I'm 100%
positive that
if I knocked
on Sean's
door this
week and
I proposed
this manly
leather cologne
idea asking
that should we
use this?
Should we
spend all this
money to
douse your
head?
He would
very humbly
put an
immediate stop
to this.
God
but Jesus
he lets
it happen
because he
knows who
he is.
C.S.
Lewis once
spoke of
this trilemma
that because
Jesus made
divine claims
there only
are three
options of
who he
could be.
He could
either be
a complete
lunatic,
he could be
an insidious
liar,
or he
could be
who he
says he
is,
the Lord.
And he
knows that
he is the
Lord that
is dying
soon.
Whether she
knew it or
not, this
woman sees
a really
once in a
lifetime,
once in
human history
opportunity.
We couldn't
even do this
if we wanted
to do this,
right?
No other
person after
the time of
Jesus could
have this
very chance.
take the
most important
person in
your life
right now.
Imagine what
they look like,
whether it's
your spouse,
a best friend,
a family
member.
Imagine,
God forbid,
they get this
phone call from
them, and
they say that
it's cancer.
Stage four.
They have one
week to live.
Would anyone
else in the
world take
priority in
that next
week for
you?
So this
short-lived
occasion ought
to take
priority over
all else.
And she
seizes this
opportunity by
breaking her
alabaster jar and
anointing Jesus'
body for
burial.
Typically,
ancient Jews,
they used
perfumes after
a death to
kind of mask
some of the
smells of a
decaying carcass.
But Jesus,
he knows that
he is a dead
man walking,
interprets this
act as a
means to
prepare him for
his crucifixion.
And author
Philip Keller
beautifully
captures this.
The delicious
fragrance ran
down his
shining hair and
thick beard.
It unfolded his
body with
its delightful
aroma.
Even his
tunic and
flowing
undergarments
were drenched
with its
enduring
pungency.
Wherever he
moved, the
perfume would
go with him
into the
Passover,
into the
garden of
Gethsemane,
into the
high priest's
home,
into Herod's
hall,
into Pilate's
praetorium,
into the
crude hands
of those who
cast slots for
his clothing at
the foot of the
cross.
It was a
significant moment
momentous
meaning.
Honestly, I
admit that the
scent could have
worn off quickly.
The biblical
authors don't
comment on this.
But I like to
think that for
the last week of
Jesus' life, that
whoever Jesus
passed by,
whoever Jesus
talked to,
whoever handled
his body,
they smelled
the expression
of this woman's
extravagant,
dedicated love
for him.
Against the
backdrop of
Judas treasuring
30 measly
coins, this
woman refuses to
treasure anything
else above
Jesus.
And she
expresses that
adoration, again,
by this extravagant,
over-the-top
offering with this
alabaster jar.
Even when she
knows that this
perfume will only
last temporarily.
Confession time
for me.
I'm such a
pragmatist that
I sometimes
really hate going
to the
supermarket.
Because when
I'm there, I
inevitably will
walk by the
flower section.
And I'll
look at them
and think to
myself,
gee, these
are nice.
these are
pretty.
They'd make
Christine so
happy.
But these
are $40.
That's like
three Chipotle
bowls.
And they're
going to die
in a week.
If you ever
see me in a
supermarket just
doing this in
front of some
flowers, you
know exactly
what's going
on in my
head.
man.
But when
I'm thinking
and loving
rightly, even
when I know
that these
fleeting flowers
will fade
fast, isn't
it worth it
to make my
wife happy?
That maybe on
a hard day
this week, she
could look at
these flowers and
feel a spark of
joy.
isn't her
happiness
invaluable and
weighty to
me?
That's the
heart of true
love.
Love does not
look for cheap
bargains.
Love does not
try to squeak by
with the bare
minimum.
Love gives the
very best it
can.
In 2 Samuel
24, God
commands David
to build an
altar, to
offer sacrifices,
and a man
generously,
graciously offers
the field and
animals so that
David could do
this all for
free.
But he knows
he can't do
this.
It is not right
for him to do
this.
He will not
offer sacrifices
that cost him
nothing.
What about
you?
Does your
love for Jesus
cost you
something?
Does Jesus
receive the very
best of your
life?
understanding the
heart of love.
This woman
remarkably offers
probably what is
her most valuable
possession as an
expression of her
worship.
But how?
How does she do
this?
Where does she find
the wherewithal to
do this?
It's not a
mystery.
It's because she
does this because
she knows what
Jesus is worth.
For until men
recognize that
they owe
everything to
God, that
they are nourished
by his fatherly
care, that he
is the author of
their every good,
they should seek
nothing beyond
him.
They will never
yield him willing
service.
Nay, unless they
establish their
complete happiness
in him, they
will never give
themselves truly
and sincerely to
him.
It's John
Calvin.
So by way of
reminder, let me
remind you,
brothers and
sisters, who
Jesus is and
how good he has
been to us.
When those
closest, those
who say that
they love
you, they
leave, they
abandon you,
Jesus has
promised you, I
will never leave
you nor forsake
you.
When you're
exhausted and
run ragged by
this world, he
invites you into
his rest and to
carry his easy
yoke.
When you're
overlooked and
invisible, when
people forget who
you are and forget
your name, he
never forgets
your name, he
sees you and
knows you.
When you felt
ashamed and
dirty from your
sins, when you
feel like you
just couldn't
scrub yourself
clean enough, he
scoops to wash
your feet.
When you feel
like you're
damaged goods,
broken, fragile,
good for
nothing, he
declares that he
will never break
a bruised
reed.
When tragedy
strikes and
you're prayerless
in grief, he
isn't.
He intercedes
for you day
and night.
When you
sold him out
yet again,
again and
again, his
response is
never, enough
is enough, I'm
out.
But he speaks
over and over
and over again,
child, you are
forgiven and
loved.
Child, you are
forgiven and
loved.
Child, you are
forgiven and
loved.
And when you
are ashamed of
just how small
your love is for
Jesus, he reminds
you it is not
what you pour out
in your alabaster
jars that
justifies you, but
what Jesus has
poured out in his
blood, in his
sacrifice, that
justifies you.
once we properly
see the
incalculable worth
of Jesus, then
truly from the
very bottom of
our hearts, our
testimonies will
be, Jesus, you
are worthy of it
all.
All that I have
is yours.
All that I want
to do is to
please you, to
serve you.
Even this
pathetic alabaster
jar is not
enough.
Only then can we
be consumed with
this single-minded,
wholehearted obsession.
At times, it can
feel like the
Christian life is
too complicated.
Too many things
we have to do.
We have to pray
more, evangelize
more, read
scripture more,
memorize more,
serve more,
rejoice more,
evangelize more,
worship more,
forgive more,
repent more,
disciple more,
encourage more.
The list goes on
and on and on.
There is a way to
be consumed with
the tasks and the
do's of the
Christian life that
makes you miss out
on the one thing
that defines the
Christian life.
Here, this
definition from
J.C.
Ryle, a zealous
man in religion
is preeminently
a man of one
thing.
He only sees
one thing.
He cares for
one thing.
He lives for
one thing.
He is swallowed
up by one
thing and that
one thing is to
please God.
Whether he lives
or whether he
dies, whether he
is rich or whether
he is poor,
whether he
pleases men or
whether he gives
offense, whether he
is thought wise or
whether he is
thought foolish,
whether he gets
honor or whether
he gets shame,
for all of this,
the zealous man
cares nothing at
all.
He burns for
one thing and
that one thing
is to please God
and to advance
God's glory.
So if others
scoff at us
for the intensity
of our love,
for wasting
poor lives,
let them.
When we waste
our time
studying an
ancient book
written 2,000
years ago,
let them
scoff.
When we waste
our money by
tithing faithfully
to the church,
let them
scoff.
When we waste
our degrees
by serving
overseas,
let them
scoff.
I paraphrase
Pastor Kevin
DeYoung,
but he says
there's a kind
of tame
Christianity
that even the
unbelieving world
would approve
of.
A little
sprinkle of
religion there.
A little
dash of
moralism here.
That's all
good.
Going to
church,
a great
way to
meet friends
and to
feel supported.
Praying to
Jesus?
Sure,
that helps
your mental
health.
A tame
religion makes
sense to
them.
But over
the top,
extravagant,
radical devotion
to Jesus will
never make
sense to
them.
So when you
have the
Judases
rebuke you
for how you
are devoted
endlessly to
Jesus,
then you
know you're
on the
right path.
For even
when the
world rebukes
us,
rejects us,
spurns us,
our precious
and lovely
Jesus will
defend us.
Just as he
defended this
woman.
Not just
defend her,
but he
proclaims that
her story will
be proclaimed
throughout the
whole world.
Yes,
Jesus knows
that he will
die.
He is going
to die in
a very short
time,
but he
doesn't
anticipate
this to
conclude with
a sad
ending,
with just
merely his
death.
He knows
that this
gospel,
this good
news will
go throughout
the entire
world.
It is an
unstoppable
force that
will go to
every people
and language
and tongues.
And when
it does,
this woman's
story will
be proclaimed.
Do you
understand what
an incredible
blessing this
is?
Can you
just imagine
what she
might have
felt after
just being
rebuked
harshly by
the disciples
to hear
this kind
of response
that her
whole story
will be
proclaimed
throughout
the entire
world?
To no
other person
in all the
gospels does
Jesus make
this promise.
promise.
So,
maybe she
didn't ace
her exams.
Maybe she
never got
married and
never had
children and
had the
happily ever
after.
Maybe she
never got
her dream
internship or
job and
never made a
whole lot of
money.
Maybe she
wasn't all
that popular
and didn't
have a lot
of friends.
maybe she
never left
a meaningful
legacy in
any of
those other
areas.
But man,
she got
this one
thing right.
And now
her legacy
is cemented
throughout all
human history.
There will
be a day
and it's
coming soon
where the
musks
and the
bezoses
and the
gates of
this world
will be
irrelevant,
considered a
relic of
the past.
But this
woman's
legacy will
always be
etched on
our minds
and in
our hearts
just like
she is
today,
2,000 years
ago in
East Cambridge,
Massachusetts,
of all
places.
And it
will be
for generation,
for generation
and generation
until Jesus
comes.
So do you
want to
build a
real
legacy?
Do you
want to
be remembered?
As the
kids used
to say,
you only
live once,
right?
You only
have one
shot at
this,
one bullet
in the
chamber.
With this
one shot
then,
live for
Jesus.
Go all
out for
him.
put all
your chips
in the
middle,
hold
nothing
back,
break
the neck
of your
alabaster
jars,
and pour
it out
on him.
Because it
will never
be wasted
on Jesus.
He is
worth it.
So to
conclude,
here are a
couple of
stanzas
from this
poem by
C.T.
Studd.
two little
lines I
heard one
day,
traveling
along
life's
busy
way,
bringing
conviction
to my
heart,
and for
my mind
would not
depart,
only one
life.
will soon
be past,
only what's
done for
Christ will
last.
Oh,
let my
love with
fur burn,
and from
the world
now let me
turn,
living for
thee and
thee alone,
bringing thee
pleasure on
thy throne.
Only one
life,
will soon
be past,
only what's
done for
Christ will
last.
Only
one life,
yes,
only one.
Now let
me say
thy will
be done,
and when
at last
I'll hear
the call,
I know,
I know
I'll say
t'was worth
it all.
Brothers and
sisters,
only one
life,
t'will
soon be
past,
only what's
done for
Christ will
last.
Let's
pray.
So we
offer,
oh God,
the little
of our
lives,
the little
of our
talents and
efforts and
money and
time,
we know
it's not
enough.
It's not
enough.
But we
give it
all.
We surrender
it all to
you as
living
sacrifices,
that you
would be
honored,
that you
would be
glorified,
and you
would be
treasured in
our hearts.
It's in
your name
we pray.
Amen.