WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.600 Let's bow our heads in prayer. 00:00:03.760 --> 00:00:13.720 Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would move deeply in our lives as we spend time reading your Word, pondering it. 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:22.820 And we ask, Lord, that you not only help us to ponder the Word, but we ask that you would do this small but important miracle, a miracle that you delight to do. 00:00:22.820 --> 00:00:33.920 That you, Father, would make our hearts open and receptive so that your Word would enter into our heart and speak to us at the deepest level of who we are. 00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:39.960 And we ask that you would do this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen. 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:41.700 Please be seated. 00:00:45.859 --> 00:00:50.280 We're going to talk today about betrayal and beauty. 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:53.480 Beauty. Betrayal and beauty. 00:00:55.460 --> 00:01:02.219 Probably every, I don't mean to insult you, but probably every single one of us here has betrayed somebody or something. 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:06.060 And probably every single one of us has been betrayed. 00:01:06.960 --> 00:01:16.299 And if you're like most people, most of us can think of the, are more likely to think of the times that others have betrayed us than of the times that we have betrayed others. 00:01:16.500 --> 00:01:18.099 That's just the way we human beings are. 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:22.459 Some of us have betrayed people and it's a big problem. 00:01:22.599 --> 00:01:25.599 In either case, it can be a great problem in our lives. 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:29.640 At the same time, beauty is an interesting thing. 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:32.379 We love beauty when we see it. 00:01:33.119 --> 00:01:37.579 But I think in particular, and this would be, this would go across social classes. 00:01:37.579 --> 00:01:46.560 If you were to go to the Tim Hortons, if you were to go to a Starbucks or a Bridgehead, if you were to go to different bars, everything from a more dive bar to a very expensive one. 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:50.700 And you ask people, I think most people would say that they would like to live a beautiful life. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:53.900 They would like to live a beautiful life. 00:01:54.700 --> 00:01:56.480 Not just a life, but a beautiful life. 00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:00.840 Well, the Bible text today talks about both of these things. 00:02:01.079 --> 00:02:06.060 And so if you would turn with me to Mark chapter 14, because we're preaching through the book of Mark. 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:07.520 We're going to look at that. 00:02:08.020 --> 00:02:12.180 Now, just before we start reading it, and you might have noticed it when I was reading to you. 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:17.000 It sort of seems like a weird, like, you know, they're talking about the chief priest doing this. 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:19.759 And all of a sudden, they're talking about something completely different. 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:22.479 And then they're talking about something else. 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:25.020 And it seems like a bit of a whiplash type of thing. 00:02:25.539 --> 00:02:27.800 So here, just to time out a little tiny bit. 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:31.259 I don't normally, I haven't talked about this throughout, I think, so far. 00:02:31.740 --> 00:02:35.020 It's a bit of a grammar nerd bit, okay? 00:02:35.460 --> 00:02:41.539 But one of the literary things that Mark likes to do, which I've not commented on before, is make sandwiches. 00:02:42.620 --> 00:02:45.780 He regularly writes in a sandwich type of form. 00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:52.979 And so, you know, just like you have bread, bread, and in the middle, I don't know, smoked meat, pastrami, you know, cheese, or whatever. 00:02:53.640 --> 00:02:56.599 Often what Mark does, and I've just not commented on it. 00:02:56.719 --> 00:02:59.080 It's affected how I've interpreted it, but I've not said it. 00:02:59.340 --> 00:03:01.039 Is he has one thing, a piece of bread. 00:03:01.580 --> 00:03:05.620 And then, like, eight or nine or ten or twenty verses later, he has the second piece of bread. 00:03:05.780 --> 00:03:08.819 And everything in between it is sort of like the meat. 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:11.920 So the two breads are very, very similar, and then there's the meat. 00:03:12.539 --> 00:03:13.520 It makes a sandwich. 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:15.500 And that's actually what's going on here. 00:03:15.500 --> 00:03:18.500 It begins with him, a very, very classic thing. 00:03:18.599 --> 00:03:23.199 And often, then, the truth is communicated at a sort of an unconscious level through the story. 00:03:23.860 --> 00:03:25.620 We have a plot to betray Jesus. 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:32.580 And then in verses 10 and 11, another, the story continues with the plot to kill Jesus. 00:03:32.580 --> 00:03:43.180 And in between, well, in between, as they would say at a fancy restaurant, you have a very, what would be the best way to put it? 00:03:43.300 --> 00:03:47.040 It's a complex and interesting filling. 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:50.900 Not just a slice of American cheese. 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:52.159 So let's look. 00:03:52.219 --> 00:03:55.799 Remember I said we're going to talk about beauty and betrayal, and it begins with betrayal. 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:59.299 And we're going to use it, I'm going to today use the thing as if it's a play. 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:04.419 Or as if I've written a script for a Netflix special or an Amazon Prime special. 00:04:04.419 --> 00:04:10.319 So scene one, plotting the murder of an inconvenient Jew. 00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:15.259 Scene one, plotting the murder of an inconvenient Jew. 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:17.519 And it's verses one and two. 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:19.159 Here's what it says. 00:04:19.160 --> 00:04:23.860 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 00:04:24.520 --> 00:04:33.380 And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 00:04:34.260 --> 00:04:40.240 For, they said, not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people. 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:45.500 And the population of Jerusalem at the time, this is one of the three major festivals. 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:47.220 People came. 00:04:47.420 --> 00:04:49.579 It would have been, you know, just like Muslims today. 00:04:49.819 --> 00:04:53.180 They're sort of obligated that once in their life they would go to Mecca. 00:04:54.860 --> 00:04:59.620 Most, many Jewish people in those days, they would travel from the farthest point of the empire 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:03.839 because they would want at least once to be in Jerusalem for a feast like this. 00:05:03.879 --> 00:05:08.079 So the population swole, was very, very, very large. 00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:12.000 Now here we see the beginning of the betrayal. 00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:14.319 The chief priests and the scribes. 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:15.439 How to maybe put that? 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:23.040 It would be as if you folks discovered that me and Daniel Avitan and Steve Griffin 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:30.019 and some of the other local clergy and our council were all plotting the murder of Jason. 00:05:34.339 --> 00:05:36.600 It's like it's a shocking thing what they're doing. 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:38.100 It's a profound betrayal. 00:05:38.300 --> 00:05:42.879 You folks would say, one moment, George is the one who's supposed to be able to understand the Bible. 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:45.040 He has a very, very specific role. 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:50.360 You know, his role is to lead us, to help us to understand God better, to understand Jesus better, 00:05:50.459 --> 00:05:52.219 to learn how to live a holy life. 00:05:52.579 --> 00:05:54.159 How could it would be? 00:05:54.259 --> 00:05:55.300 I mean, it's sort of funny. 00:05:55.399 --> 00:06:00.759 If we found out that Biden or Hillary Clinton or Trump had conspired to kill somebody, 00:06:00.819 --> 00:06:02.839 we'd go, well, politics. 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:04.879 I mean, we wouldn't do that. 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:07.739 We'd be furious, depending on our political leanings about it. 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:09.259 And of course, they should go to jail. 00:06:09.859 --> 00:06:12.899 But it's a very different type of thing. 00:06:12.979 --> 00:06:15.879 Or if we found out the mafia was trying to conspire to kill somebody, 00:06:16.379 --> 00:06:20.899 this is a profound betrayal of the whole reason of their existence 00:06:20.899 --> 00:06:25.259 and the sacred vows and their training that they would take. 00:06:25.259 --> 00:06:27.039 And it's very interesting. 00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:29.800 They're not concerned with it being immoral. 00:06:30.259 --> 00:06:32.639 They're not concerned with it being unjust. 00:06:33.159 --> 00:06:35.180 They aren't seeking a public inquiry. 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:38.300 They aren't making sure that justice is done. 00:06:38.599 --> 00:06:42.060 The problem is that Jesus is an inconvenient Jew. 00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:44.439 He's inconvenient to their ambition. 00:06:45.159 --> 00:06:49.819 He's inconvenient to their pride and their sense of self-importance. 00:06:50.219 --> 00:06:51.860 He's an inconvenient Jew. 00:06:51.860 --> 00:06:56.740 And they don't bother themselves for a moment about anything other than 00:06:56.740 --> 00:06:59.720 whether the crowd reacts in a bad way. 00:07:00.020 --> 00:07:01.460 That's all that bothers them. 00:07:03.400 --> 00:07:04.960 It's all that bothers them. 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:08.040 It's a profound act of betrayal. 00:07:09.900 --> 00:07:13.500 And now we see how the story suddenly switches. 00:07:13.860 --> 00:07:14.500 And now that you... 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:16.100 If you go back and you look... 00:07:16.100 --> 00:07:19.300 If you go and you look, you'll see that Mark has done this actually quite a few times. 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:20.800 He just likes it as a technique. 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:26.400 And it's a very subtle type of way of communicating and putting contrasting ideas together. 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:28.100 And all of a sudden it switches. 00:07:28.259 --> 00:07:30.280 We're now in this complex filling. 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:33.060 We come to scene two. 00:07:33.660 --> 00:07:34.580 Scene two. 00:07:35.060 --> 00:07:37.900 The unnamed woman's action. 00:07:38.220 --> 00:07:38.780 Scene two. 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:40.600 The unnamed woman's action. 00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:41.800 Verse three. 00:07:42.740 --> 00:07:44.800 And while Jesus was at Bethany... 00:07:45.400 --> 00:07:46.660 And Bethany is... 00:07:46.660 --> 00:07:49.939 When we last saw Jesus, he was in the Mount of Olives. 00:07:49.939 --> 00:07:54.259 Bethany is on the side of the Mount of Olives, about three kilometers away from Jerusalem. 00:07:54.899 --> 00:07:58.360 So while, verse three, he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 00:07:59.300 --> 00:08:01.219 as he was reclining at table, 00:08:02.079 --> 00:08:08.420 a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment, of pure nard, very costly. 00:08:08.420 --> 00:08:19.120 And she broke the flask and poured it, the content, the pure nard, all over Jesus's head. 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:25.720 Now, just, you know, recline at table, that's just the way they would have had a meal. 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:30.160 So it would be as if, I don't know, somebody from our congregation invited some of us over for a meal. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:34.180 And we're all around the dining room table or whatever. 00:08:34.920 --> 00:08:39.759 And then all of a sudden, this unnamed woman comes in and goes up to one of us. 00:08:40.259 --> 00:08:45.620 And by breaking the jar, it means that she doesn't sort of just pour a little tiny bit on and saves the rest. 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:50.259 She ruins the jar, pours everything over Jesus's head. 00:08:50.259 --> 00:08:54.639 So you could well imagine the shock of the rest of us. 00:08:55.700 --> 00:08:58.460 You know, maybe, you know, if you're all coming over to my house, you'd think, 00:08:58.539 --> 00:09:00.000 what, does this happen to George all the time? 00:09:00.100 --> 00:09:03.419 Some unnamed woman comes in off the street and pours stuff all over his head. 00:09:03.460 --> 00:09:04.740 Like, what's going on? 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:07.279 It would be a very surprising type of thing. 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:16.879 Now, we need to pause here about one thing which is going to get in the way of us understanding and interpreting the story. 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:22.000 Because we have a deep cultural yuck about this. 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:25.080 We don't like strong smells. 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:35.320 If you have a co-worker who puts on way too much cologne or way too much perfume, you all talk about it. 00:09:35.939 --> 00:09:41.139 You talk about being in the elevator and how much you hated being in the elevator because this person, I don't know, 00:09:41.220 --> 00:09:45.120 they'd say, you know, they must have just poured the cologne all over them, poured the perfume all over them. 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:46.940 We don't like this culturally. 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:48.879 Now, here's the thing. 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:56.039 We have to be careful that our cultural, that we don't become ethnocentric and think that our culture is right about this. 00:09:56.120 --> 00:09:58.679 The Bible's silent on whether or not you have strong smells. 00:09:59.460 --> 00:10:02.379 And especially back then when they wouldn't have had baths very often, 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:05.399 they would have all been smelling pretty strong most of the time. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:09.500 And so a different type of strong smell might have been actually very, very welcome. 00:10:09.500 --> 00:10:17.000 We can say about other cultures that that culture's wrong because they practice female circumcision and we don't. 00:10:17.419 --> 00:10:20.259 That's making a very good and important moral distinction. 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:25.100 We might say that this culture is bad because they oppress their citizens and we don't. 00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:29.139 And that's a completely valid way, I think, to judge different cultures on moral things. 00:10:29.559 --> 00:10:33.139 But you can't judge cultures because they like strong smells and we don't. 00:10:33.139 --> 00:10:36.000 That's just our taste. 00:10:36.340 --> 00:10:37.720 And it's not a way to judge them. 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:44.639 So we need to put to death for a second that we find this a yuck situation, that we would hate it. 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:47.139 We would be... 00:10:47.139 --> 00:10:49.379 In fact, actually, I was thinking about it. 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:52.139 You know, in some ways... 00:10:52.139 --> 00:10:58.620 Like, in our culture, if that happened to us, we could charge the person with assault. 00:11:00.539 --> 00:11:00.939 Right? 00:11:02.340 --> 00:11:04.080 So what's going on? 00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:08.240 How does this fit and how do people react and, like, what happens? 00:11:08.299 --> 00:11:09.519 So we come to scene three. 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:15.399 Scene three, judged tellingly by the guests. 00:11:15.580 --> 00:11:19.659 Or better still, judged tellingly by some of the guests. 00:11:19.980 --> 00:11:21.559 Those are verses four and five. 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:22.159 What does it say? 00:11:22.619 --> 00:11:23.199 Verse four. 00:11:24.179 --> 00:11:27.099 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, 00:11:28.199 --> 00:11:30.699 Why was the ointment wasted like that? 00:11:32.259 --> 00:11:34.399 Why was the ointment wasted like that? 00:11:34.659 --> 00:11:40.619 For this ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. 00:11:41.319 --> 00:11:42.559 And they scolded her. 00:11:43.219 --> 00:11:47.199 Now, if you're wondering, 300 denarii would probably be... 00:11:47.199 --> 00:11:49.159 Depends a little bit about how you like to do the math. 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:54.939 But probably somewhere between 13 and 14 months of the average working wage of a Canadian. 00:11:55.500 --> 00:12:00.579 Denarii was sort of the average wage for an average working person in Israel at the time. 00:12:00.580 --> 00:12:14.259 So if you took whatever the average working, average income is for a Canadian worker and how much they'd make in 13 or 14 months, that's the value of the ointment that they put, that this woman has put over Jesus. 00:12:14.259 --> 00:12:22.679 And the other thing about it is this, that the language communicates their displeasure. 00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:28.239 But in the original language, indignant is actually mild. 00:12:28.359 --> 00:12:30.959 Like you should think of somebody who's really indignant. 00:12:31.179 --> 00:12:37.679 Like really almost shaking, red-faced, nostrils flaring, indignant. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:39.779 And they speak out of that. 00:12:40.039 --> 00:12:41.559 They're so angry. 00:12:41.719 --> 00:12:42.379 They're shaking. 00:12:42.539 --> 00:12:43.419 Their face is red. 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:44.839 Their nostrils are flaring. 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:51.720 And it's in that context that they scold her and tell her off for what she's done. 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:54.960 And they don't tell her off because he smells too much. 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:59.240 They tell her off because, well, she's come in. 00:12:59.540 --> 00:13:00.820 She's ruined the party. 00:13:00.920 --> 00:13:01.940 She's interrupted them. 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:05.000 As I said, in our culture, she could probably be charged with assault. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:07.379 And they say it's a waste. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:09.799 The money could have been given to the poor. 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:16.879 And actually, if you think about it for a second, other than the fact that, you know, this person in our culture could, in theory, be charged with assault. 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:18.279 Just take that aside. 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:20.240 Most of us would agree with them. 00:13:21.720 --> 00:13:25.019 Like most of us would say, you know, like that really is a waste. 00:13:25.820 --> 00:13:34.039 Like, you know, like doesn't it make way more sense that she just opened it up a little bit, pour a tiny bit on Jesus' head after asking permission and then giving the rest to the poor? 00:13:34.039 --> 00:13:35.599 Like, wouldn't that be a better sacrifice? 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:41.579 Like, it is a waste for many of us in our culture. 00:13:41.699 --> 00:13:44.740 And it would be hard to answer the trump card of it's going to help the poor. 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:52.919 So the question is, will Jesus, like surely Jesus is going to say, you know, you shouldn't have done that. 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:54.480 He's going to side with helping the poor. 00:13:54.599 --> 00:14:00.759 I mean, you just expect Jesus automatically to be against waste and automatically to be in favor of the poor. 00:14:01.339 --> 00:14:02.659 So how does Jesus react? 00:14:02.659 --> 00:14:06.120 Well, that's scene four, the judgment of Jesus. 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:07.939 Scene four, the judgment of Jesus. 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:10.279 If you look at it, it's verses six to eight. 00:14:10.860 --> 00:14:12.259 And here's what Jesus says. 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:15.500 But notice, first of all, but Jesus said. 00:14:16.259 --> 00:14:22.139 Now, but, if you're a very slow and careful reader, you'll know that but's an important word. 00:14:22.779 --> 00:14:24.980 And it's even more so in the original language. 00:14:25.100 --> 00:14:26.379 It's a contrast word. 00:14:26.379 --> 00:14:32.740 As soon as you see the word but, you know that Jesus is actually going to go in a very different direction than the guests who are harsh. 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:34.620 Very, very different direction. 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:35.899 So what does he say? 00:14:36.019 --> 00:14:36.980 But Jesus said. 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:38.059 Now, listen to this. 00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:39.679 Leave her alone. 00:14:41.100 --> 00:14:41.939 Leave her alone. 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:42.480 Leave her alone. 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:44.500 Even more telling. 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:48.059 Why do you trouble her? 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:52.179 Like, I don't know what was going on with her. 00:14:52.279 --> 00:15:09.580 But you can, you know, if one of us did something and the people, some of the onlookers react with nostril flaring, red-faced, shaking indignation and harsh language and the other guests are just silent there, we would probably get very deeply red and embarrassed. 00:15:09.580 --> 00:15:12.920 Deeply red-faced and embarrassed. 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:15.720 And so Jesus says, leave her alone. 00:15:16.420 --> 00:15:17.620 Why do you trouble her? 00:15:17.860 --> 00:15:18.680 And then look at this. 00:15:19.340 --> 00:15:23.980 She has done a beautiful thing to me. 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:28.160 That's his evaluation. 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:32.720 She has done a beautiful thing to me. 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:38.540 And then he says this thing which has troubled many people when they hear it. 00:15:38.779 --> 00:15:40.519 And I'll explain why it shouldn't trouble you. 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:44.420 For you always have the poor with you. 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:48.160 And whenever you want, you can do good for them. 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:51.639 But you will not always have me. 00:15:52.660 --> 00:15:55.920 You will not always have me. 00:15:55.919 --> 00:16:12.360 What Jesus is doing here, it's not obvious in the English, is if you go back later on and you read Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse 11, Jesus is alluding to or quoting Deuteronomy 15 and 11. 00:16:13.199 --> 00:16:18.240 And Deuteronomy 15, 11 has that very line, the poor you will always have with you. 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:25.919 But the context of that is, therefore, we have, it's not that we should work to eradicate poverty. 00:16:26.180 --> 00:16:28.720 In a sense, the text would say you'll never eradicate poverty. 00:16:28.820 --> 00:16:30.500 We should work to try to reduce poverty. 00:16:31.799 --> 00:16:41.840 But it's in a sense a perennial, ongoing concern that God's people should have to be concerned for the poor. 00:16:42.620 --> 00:16:43.680 It's just ongoing. 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:49.739 Like, don't think, okay, this year we can, you know, we can collect for St. Joe's and next year we can collect for St. Joe's. 00:16:49.779 --> 00:16:56.719 But I've had a vision that in 2020, 2025, we won't have to collect for St. Joe's because there'll be no poor people. 00:16:56.819 --> 00:16:57.120 No. 00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:01.459 Until Jesus comes back, they're going to be poor people. 00:17:03.739 --> 00:17:08.200 And we have an obligation to have a concern for them, a heart for them, to do what we can. 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:16.080 So Jesus here, what he's saying is, in fact, actually, there's a little bit of a dig there. 00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:18.200 Look at that, look at the words again. 00:17:18.819 --> 00:17:22.680 For you always have the poor with you whenever you want, whenever you want. 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:25.860 He's speaking to the indignant people, although he's also speaking to us. 00:17:26.340 --> 00:17:29.340 You can do good for them, but you will not always have me. 00:17:29.339 --> 00:17:37.319 You know, one of the things about life, like, if you want to raise more money, go to generous people. 00:17:39.980 --> 00:17:41.399 Like, this is counterintuitive. 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:46.720 If you want to raise money for a worthy thing, the first people you should approach are the people who already give generously. 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:48.459 Why? 00:17:48.579 --> 00:17:50.339 Because generous people will give money. 00:17:51.299 --> 00:17:52.439 Ungenerous people don't. 00:17:53.399 --> 00:17:56.220 If you think about it for a second, on one level it sort of sounds counterintuitive. 00:17:56.220 --> 00:18:01.799 You know, you see somebody and you find out they're giving $10,000 or $12,000 or $15,000 a year away to charity. 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:03.019 And you want to raise a bit more money. 00:18:03.100 --> 00:18:07.460 And you think, well, they're already giving $12,000 away in charity or $15,000. 00:18:07.660 --> 00:18:09.480 I can't really ask them for another $1,000. 00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:16.539 But you're much more likely to get that $1,000 from somebody like that than from somebody who gives Zippo to anything. 00:18:19.120 --> 00:18:20.799 So, in a sense, there's a bit of a dig. 00:18:21.100 --> 00:18:24.420 Like, it's as if Jesus is saying to them, like, I'm sure you're doing lots for the poor. 00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:26.019 Ha, ha, ha, ha. 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:26.980 Ha, ha, ha. 00:18:27.740 --> 00:18:34.420 You see, ungenerous people will always judge generous people for wasting money. 00:18:38.740 --> 00:18:42.940 I'm not trying to boast, and I know I'm not the most generous person here, 00:18:43.019 --> 00:18:47.940 but I'm sure that if I was to tell people in coffee shops how much I give away every year, they'd be scandalized. 00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:52.180 And they'd actually probably think less of me, not more. 00:18:54.700 --> 00:19:02.279 Because an ungenerous heart will always judge generosity harshly. 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:08.700 So, Jesus here isn't against waste, and he isn't against helping the poor. 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:13.420 In fact, he's reminding us that we have an obligation to do things to help the poor. 00:19:13.420 --> 00:19:16.740 But what about this idea of waste? 00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:20.560 I'm going to tell a story that doesn't show me in a very good light. 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:27.819 This is a, I don't know, just this past summer or spring or something like that, 00:19:27.879 --> 00:19:30.200 there was a street person who used to come to the church sometimes, 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:33.919 and he asked me if I'd take him out for lunch. 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:37.880 And I said, yes, I would take him out for lunch. 00:19:38.380 --> 00:19:40.940 And we was at a time, and I asked him to meet me at the Bible House. 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:46.759 And he comes to the Bible House, and I said, well, I thought we'd go to McDonald's. 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:51.920 And I said, but you know, maybe not McDonald's, maybe Harvey's, 00:19:53.420 --> 00:19:56.800 which is a bit more expensive than McDonald's. 00:19:57.740 --> 00:20:00.820 And he said to me, no, I'd like to go to this place. 00:20:01.660 --> 00:20:03.180 And it was another place on Elkin Street. 00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:06.220 He said they have really, I know they have these really, really, 00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:08.120 really wonderful milkshakes that I love. 00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:10.640 And they had this other, I can't remember what the other dish was, 00:20:10.820 --> 00:20:11.900 that I love. 00:20:11.940 --> 00:20:13.500 I've only had it once, and I really love it. 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:14.200 I'd like to go there. 00:20:14.900 --> 00:20:18.360 Now, I know that that other place is going to cost me somewhere 00:20:18.360 --> 00:20:20.120 between two to three times more money. 00:20:21.620 --> 00:20:24.220 And here's the part that's not very flattering about me. 00:20:24.299 --> 00:20:26.160 Inwardly, I said, how dare you? 00:20:28.019 --> 00:20:28.900 You don't want me. 00:20:30.180 --> 00:20:31.500 You already have no money. 00:20:31.500 --> 00:20:35.119 I offer to take you to McDonald's, even Harvey's. 00:20:35.259 --> 00:20:38.240 And you want to go somewhere two or three times more expensive? 00:20:39.420 --> 00:20:42.039 And that shows my hard heart. 00:20:43.700 --> 00:20:48.819 But then, probably in heaven I'll find out that one of you were praying for me 00:20:48.819 --> 00:20:49.420 right then. 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:55.079 Because it was as if God spoke to me, and he said to me, 00:20:55.460 --> 00:20:56.859 and I'm going to use this as, fine, 00:20:56.859 --> 00:20:59.859 and Victor, who many of you know, was at the 8 o'clock service. 00:20:59.939 --> 00:21:01.079 I used him as the example. 00:21:01.740 --> 00:21:05.359 If Victor came to meet me, and some of you know Victor, 00:21:05.619 --> 00:21:08.439 would I suggest, Victor, I'm going to take you out for lunch? 00:21:08.519 --> 00:21:09.779 Let's go to McDonald's. 00:21:13.379 --> 00:21:14.719 That just wouldn't happen. 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:18.900 And the more of those of you who know Victor know, 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:22.120 he had a big smile when I used him as an example this morning. 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:25.400 But I wouldn't even think of inviting Victor to McDonald's. 00:21:26.360 --> 00:21:29.980 Like, in fact, actually, I'd even worry that that place that was two or three times 00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:33.860 more expensive, that I should maybe be inviting Victor to somewhere better than that. 00:21:33.859 --> 00:21:37.879 And I wouldn't even, I would have just, I'd just automatically, 00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:38.879 and why is this? 00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:39.819 Why is it? 00:21:40.479 --> 00:21:44.919 Why is it that I wouldn't hesitate about spending three times more money on Victor 00:21:44.919 --> 00:21:45.979 than I would on the street person? 00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:49.319 Because I value Victor more than the street person. 00:21:50.919 --> 00:21:57.139 My generosity reflects the value I put on the person. 00:21:58.379 --> 00:22:01.599 And brothers and sisters, it is an offense to the poor. 00:22:03.859 --> 00:22:05.059 To undervalue them. 00:22:06.979 --> 00:22:09.839 It is not a sin to be poor. 00:22:12.059 --> 00:22:16.259 And it is not a sign of superiority to be rich. 00:22:16.959 --> 00:22:18.299 In the eyes of God. 00:22:20.379 --> 00:22:21.639 What's going on here? 00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:24.000 This woman valued Jesus. 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:29.279 The ungenerous hearts of the other people, 00:22:29.959 --> 00:22:31.579 and they didn't, they were ungenerous, 00:22:31.639 --> 00:22:33.000 and they also didn't value Jesus. 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:33.940 The fact of the matter is, 00:22:34.380 --> 00:22:37.700 they probably would have been bothered if she'd put a little tiny bit of oil on his head. 00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:39.279 They might have had some other type of thing, 00:22:39.380 --> 00:22:39.880 because they didn't. 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:42.160 She valued Jesus. 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:48.960 And we see there about everything about how he says he's so special in that, 00:22:49.059 --> 00:22:51.640 that there's something great about this man 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:58.259 that would be hard to believe and understand on the outside of Christ. 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:05.960 But within, just as I realized that I was convicted of sin about how I valued differently, 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:09.500 I should value that street person just as much as Victor. 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:12.059 But Jesus is vastly greater. 00:23:12.779 --> 00:23:15.099 And he's worth extravagant generosity. 00:23:15.099 --> 00:23:28.379 Jesus then makes a prophecy. 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:32.039 Jesus then makes a prophecy. 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:34.559 Scene 5, the prophecy of Jesus. 00:23:34.879 --> 00:23:35.719 Verse 9. 00:23:35.720 --> 00:23:41.339 Sorry, Rebecca, verse 8, just for a second if I didn't read it. 00:23:42.100 --> 00:23:43.180 You can always do good for them. 00:23:43.259 --> 00:23:44.539 She has done what she could. 00:23:44.600 --> 00:23:45.019 Verse 8. 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:48.400 She has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 00:23:48.600 --> 00:23:49.839 And we'll return to that in a moment. 00:23:49.940 --> 00:23:51.440 That was the end of that last scene. 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:52.819 Scene 4. 00:23:53.240 --> 00:23:54.839 She has done what she could. 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:57.660 She has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 00:23:57.839 --> 00:23:58.860 Scene 5. 00:23:59.559 --> 00:24:00.779 The prophecy of Jesus. 00:24:00.779 --> 00:24:04.899 And truly, those of you who are familiar with the old King James Version, 00:24:05.220 --> 00:24:06.899 that would be translated as verily. 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:09.519 Verily I say to you, 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:14.200 wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, 00:24:14.639 --> 00:24:18.579 what she has done will be told in memory of her. 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:26.759 Now, 2,000 years later, I'm reading it to you. 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:31.740 That prophecy has come true. 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:35.019 People remember her. 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:36.680 The unnamed woman. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:39.980 Now, some of you might be, throughout this, 00:24:40.039 --> 00:24:42.960 some of you might be sort of a bit antsy with the whole story. 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:45.480 Because you're probably thinking, 00:24:45.579 --> 00:24:47.720 maybe you've read some Bible commentaries, 00:24:47.879 --> 00:24:49.680 maybe you've heard some YouTube videos, 00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:51.440 or seen some TikTok videos. 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:54.160 And you're thinking to yourself, 00:24:54.279 --> 00:24:57.000 George, you haven't actually been straightforward 00:24:57.000 --> 00:24:59.220 and upfront with us about this story. 00:24:59.840 --> 00:25:02.640 And because you haven't been upfront with us about this story, 00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:05.539 you can't go ahead and say that this prophecy is true. 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:08.640 And that's because some of you might know 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:11.420 that there's five sort of similar types of stories 00:25:11.420 --> 00:25:13.660 in the four ancient biographies of Jesus. 00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:19.060 And there's a story which, in some cases, 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:24.279 it's tears and washing the person's feet. 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:28.600 In another case, there's a story of oil on Jesus' feet 00:25:28.600 --> 00:25:30.180 and wiping them with the hair. 00:25:30.320 --> 00:25:31.560 And then you have this on the head. 00:25:32.340 --> 00:25:35.820 And, George, don't you know that most Bible scholars say 00:25:35.820 --> 00:25:38.840 that, yeah, Luke puts his story, 00:25:39.040 --> 00:25:41.960 and it's with tears on the feet. 00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:45.700 And John puts his story, you know, 00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:48.400 and it's on the head, and it's oil. 00:25:48.600 --> 00:25:50.559 And then Mark and Matthew have this story. 00:25:51.120 --> 00:25:53.700 And, George, don't you know that most scholars say 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:56.200 that there's actually, they don't, you know, 00:25:56.360 --> 00:25:59.000 that you can't actually figure out what really happened 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:02.579 because these biographies, they all differ. 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:04.559 And the fact of the matter is, George, 00:26:04.579 --> 00:26:06.579 that the biographies don't really care 00:26:06.579 --> 00:26:07.960 about what happened in history, 00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:10.160 that these guys are just writing, like, 00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:12.060 these theological memoirs, 00:26:12.060 --> 00:26:14.000 and they have these theological concerns, 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:15.820 and they're not concerned with history, 00:26:15.820 --> 00:26:18.620 and you're talking about this as if it all happened. 00:26:19.180 --> 00:26:21.700 And, George, you're not being really fair to the congregation 00:26:21.700 --> 00:26:23.600 because you've hidden that from them. 00:26:23.640 --> 00:26:24.820 Well, now I haven't, have I? 00:26:24.840 --> 00:26:25.420 I've told you. 00:26:25.640 --> 00:26:27.360 Some of you might be familiar with this. 00:26:29.120 --> 00:26:31.500 Now, I know not all faithful Christians 00:26:31.500 --> 00:26:32.860 respond to this the same way, 00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:34.679 but I think to my mind that there's actually 00:26:34.679 --> 00:26:38.479 a very, very, very important issue here with this. 00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:42.679 And it's an important issue which I'm going to talk about 00:26:42.679 --> 00:26:44.879 when I go with the very last scene, 00:26:44.959 --> 00:26:46.419 which is going to happen right after that. 00:26:47.719 --> 00:26:49.240 And the issue is, 00:26:50.399 --> 00:26:52.479 like, the thing about the Christian faith 00:26:52.479 --> 00:26:55.079 is the Christian faith is radically different 00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:58.399 than all of the other faiths that exist in the world, 00:26:58.400 --> 00:27:02.340 including the bespoke faiths that most people in Canada would have, 00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:03.420 bits and pieces of things 00:27:03.420 --> 00:27:05.660 that they've sewn together for themselves. 00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:08.660 Like, people can be a Buddhist 00:27:08.660 --> 00:27:10.160 regardless as to whether or not 00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:13.220 any of the things in Gautama Buddha's life actually happened. 00:27:13.380 --> 00:27:14.980 People can be Muslims, 00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:17.400 and they make no particular claims to history 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:18.940 or anything like that, or miracles. 00:27:19.660 --> 00:27:21.780 It's just a series of revelations 00:27:21.780 --> 00:27:23.580 that came through an angel, 00:27:24.100 --> 00:27:26.240 ultimately from Allah to Muhammad, 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:27.700 the servant of Allah. 00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:29.279 And it's the same thing 00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:31.100 with most of the teachings of Hinduism. 00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:32.920 They're all ethical principles 00:27:32.920 --> 00:27:35.440 and ways of life 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:37.180 and dietary rules 00:27:37.180 --> 00:27:38.500 and other types of practices. 00:27:39.880 --> 00:27:42.720 But Christianity, historic Christianity, 00:27:43.019 --> 00:27:45.779 asserts that these things actually happened 00:27:45.779 --> 00:27:47.480 and that they're actually true. 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:51.100 And so when scholars and others say 00:27:51.100 --> 00:27:54.660 that there must have been one sort of thing that happened, 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:56.840 but Luke wanted to put it this way, 00:27:56.839 --> 00:27:58.379 and it's very, very different 00:27:58.379 --> 00:28:00.319 than the way that John wanted to tell it. 00:28:00.379 --> 00:28:01.899 It's different than the way Mark told it, 00:28:01.919 --> 00:28:03.159 and we can't really know what happened. 00:28:03.639 --> 00:28:06.480 So here's the shocking answer to those things. 00:28:07.579 --> 00:28:08.839 You know what they've just said? 00:28:09.299 --> 00:28:11.399 You know how much evidence is for what they've said? 00:28:15.059 --> 00:28:15.419 Zero. 00:28:18.059 --> 00:28:18.939 Zero evidence. 00:28:18.940 --> 00:28:21.460 I'm not making it up. 00:28:22.600 --> 00:28:23.740 It's just a claim. 00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:26.620 That's all I've done. 00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:27.320 It's just a claim. 00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:32.799 You know, it's a tiny little bit like 00:28:32.799 --> 00:28:34.600 using fantasy football 00:28:34.600 --> 00:28:36.420 to say that that's more real 00:28:36.420 --> 00:28:38.160 than what actually happened in the football game. 00:28:38.500 --> 00:28:40.840 Now I'm being a bit cutting, I suppose. 00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:43.159 The fact of the matter is, 00:28:43.220 --> 00:28:44.799 is if you look at the four biographies, 00:28:44.879 --> 00:28:46.240 there's a very simple explanation. 00:28:46.379 --> 00:28:47.619 There were three different events. 00:28:48.439 --> 00:28:50.159 One of the events involved tears, 00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:53.639 one of the events involved Jesus' feet with oil, 00:28:53.699 --> 00:28:55.899 and one of them involved oil on Jesus' head. 00:28:56.619 --> 00:28:58.379 I mean, there's no contradiction 00:28:58.379 --> 00:28:59.699 between any of those. 00:29:00.500 --> 00:29:02.799 It's actually the straightforward, obvious way 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:03.699 just to read the text. 00:29:03.879 --> 00:29:06.000 Something like this happened three different times. 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:09.460 But the principle of defending it 00:29:09.460 --> 00:29:10.839 is actually very important, 00:29:11.079 --> 00:29:13.240 and we'll see why when we look at the next thing, 00:29:13.420 --> 00:29:15.680 which is the last scene, scene six. 00:29:16.539 --> 00:29:18.380 The murderous plotting, 00:29:19.500 --> 00:29:23.019 the success and subversion. 00:29:24.180 --> 00:29:28.079 Murderous plotting, success and subversion. 00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:29.880 It's verses 10 and 11. 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:32.640 Look what happens in the final scene, scene six. 00:29:33.500 --> 00:29:35.740 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the 12, 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:40.579 went to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them. 00:29:41.319 --> 00:29:43.859 And when they heard it, they were glad. 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:46.099 They were filled with joy. 00:29:46.539 --> 00:29:48.859 And they promised to give Judas money. 00:29:49.559 --> 00:29:54.779 And Judas sought an opportunity to betray Jesus. 00:29:56.500 --> 00:30:00.680 Now, on one hand, there's great success. 00:30:00.680 --> 00:30:07.480 Judas, an insider, one of the insiders, 00:30:07.740 --> 00:30:10.620 who knows Jesus' routine, who hangs out with him, 00:30:10.980 --> 00:30:13.720 he's now going to be able to give information 00:30:13.720 --> 00:30:15.400 to the chief priests and the scribes 00:30:15.400 --> 00:30:18.420 so that they can find an appropriate place and time 00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:19.420 to capture Jesus. 00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:22.480 And, you know, this is back before there were photographs 00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:23.740 and stuff like that. 00:30:23.740 --> 00:30:27.839 So, you know, it might be that not everybody would recognize Jesus 00:30:27.839 --> 00:30:28.960 if they saw him. 00:30:29.400 --> 00:30:31.599 And so, but Judas will recognize Jesus. 00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:34.279 Judas would recognize him whether it's late at night 00:30:34.279 --> 00:30:36.059 and it's dark or whether it's broad daylight. 00:30:36.180 --> 00:30:39.359 So they have somebody who can guaranteed pick out Jesus 00:30:39.359 --> 00:30:41.460 and guaranteed get them a time 00:30:41.460 --> 00:30:42.480 when they're going to be able to come. 00:30:42.839 --> 00:30:45.099 And it gives them great joy. 00:30:45.099 --> 00:30:48.559 And here we want to have a bit of an aside and a pause. 00:30:49.119 --> 00:30:50.240 Look again at this. 00:30:50.299 --> 00:30:51.199 It's very interesting. 00:30:51.379 --> 00:30:54.219 He says, verse 11, 00:30:54.439 --> 00:30:55.959 And when they heard it, they were glad 00:30:55.959 --> 00:30:57.679 and promised to give him money. 00:30:58.219 --> 00:31:01.039 When they heard it, they were filled with joy. 00:31:03.079 --> 00:31:09.879 There's a very, very popular home organization method 00:31:09.880 --> 00:31:13.520 which flows out of a philosophy of life 00:31:13.520 --> 00:31:16.500 that says that you pick things 00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:18.360 on whether or not it gives you joy. 00:31:22.840 --> 00:31:24.900 Now, there's obviously some truth to that 00:31:24.900 --> 00:31:27.840 if it's just to talk about whether it's this sock or that sock, 00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:29.260 this kid's painting or that. 00:31:30.140 --> 00:31:33.280 But it's actually connected in a very subtle way 00:31:33.280 --> 00:31:37.740 to a wider worldview about how you make decisions. 00:31:37.740 --> 00:31:40.940 And what we can see here 00:31:40.940 --> 00:31:43.779 is that if you follow that methodology, 00:31:44.279 --> 00:31:48.220 you will end up murdering an inconvenient Jew. 00:31:51.700 --> 00:31:54.920 It cannot bear the weight of decision-making 00:31:54.920 --> 00:31:58.519 because it ignores the fact that there is a part within us 00:31:58.519 --> 00:32:03.720 that values a person like Victor over a street person 00:32:03.720 --> 00:32:10.380 that doesn't actually work against my self-importance, 00:32:10.920 --> 00:32:14.079 my rivalry, my aggression, 00:32:15.360 --> 00:32:17.539 my not caring for others. 00:32:19.880 --> 00:32:23.019 They're happy that they found a way 00:32:23.019 --> 00:32:27.279 to murder an innocent and inconvenient Jew. 00:32:27.279 --> 00:32:33.899 But there's also a profound subversion 00:32:33.899 --> 00:32:38.500 in the moment of their high fives, 00:32:38.839 --> 00:32:42.160 fist pumps, little dances, 00:32:42.920 --> 00:32:44.819 mic drops, all of that stuff. 00:32:45.879 --> 00:32:50.899 The sovereign God has subverted their plans 00:32:50.899 --> 00:32:53.279 and his will is being done. 00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:56.119 What's Judas going to do? 00:32:57.379 --> 00:32:59.160 Judas is going to lead them 00:32:59.160 --> 00:33:02.319 in their arrogance and in their pride 00:33:02.319 --> 00:33:05.859 to having Jesus captured during the Passover. 00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:08.579 And they're going to get away 00:33:08.579 --> 00:33:10.319 without having any type of riot. 00:33:11.480 --> 00:33:12.379 But what they, 00:33:12.940 --> 00:33:15.160 thinking they're so smart and powerful, 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:17.480 using all of their evil, 00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:20.120 they are going to, in effect, 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:22.960 work so that the Lord's will, 00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:26.120 that the true and greater Passover lamb 00:33:26.120 --> 00:33:29.200 who would save people from every people group 00:33:29.200 --> 00:33:30.779 from a true and greater doom 00:33:30.779 --> 00:33:33.980 by his truer and greater sacrifice 00:33:33.980 --> 00:33:35.799 would be obvious to all. 00:33:36.460 --> 00:33:38.740 They end up having Jesus killed 00:33:38.740 --> 00:33:40.599 at a time not by stealth 00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:42.799 where it could be just in some little 00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:44.299 far-off type of place 00:33:44.299 --> 00:33:45.339 and nobody would even know 00:33:45.339 --> 00:33:46.259 whatever happened to him 00:33:46.259 --> 00:33:47.220 and whether he was dead 00:33:47.220 --> 00:33:48.279 or had gone traveling. 00:33:48.819 --> 00:33:50.379 They would end up at a time 00:33:50.379 --> 00:33:52.140 when the city had swollen 00:33:52.140 --> 00:33:54.400 to ten times its normal size. 00:33:54.539 --> 00:33:56.099 When the city was completely 00:33:56.099 --> 00:33:57.460 and utterly jam-packed, 00:33:57.700 --> 00:33:58.640 he would be killed 00:33:58.640 --> 00:33:59.920 at the same time 00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:01.839 as the Passover feast is going on. 00:34:02.039 --> 00:34:02.940 He would be killed 00:34:02.940 --> 00:34:04.940 in an unbelievably public way. 00:34:05.420 --> 00:34:07.119 And because there were so many people, 00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:08.920 it would be unbelievably public 00:34:08.920 --> 00:34:10.780 that the grave was empty. 00:34:10.780 --> 00:34:18.960 God subverted their success 00:34:18.960 --> 00:34:20.300 and their evil. 00:34:21.380 --> 00:34:22.880 His will was done. 00:34:23.960 --> 00:34:26.480 And they created the association 00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:29.400 that the early Christians 00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:31.040 and now us could understand. 00:34:31.460 --> 00:34:32.840 The Passover lamb, by the way, 00:34:32.880 --> 00:34:34.280 is a lamb that sacrificed 00:34:34.280 --> 00:34:36.280 as part of what God did 00:34:36.280 --> 00:34:37.500 to deliver the people 00:34:37.500 --> 00:34:39.620 from slavery and bondage 00:34:39.620 --> 00:34:41.900 in Egypt into freedom. 00:34:42.640 --> 00:34:44.580 And they've created the association 00:34:44.580 --> 00:34:46.620 that Jesus is the truer 00:34:46.620 --> 00:34:48.920 and greater Passover lamb 00:34:48.920 --> 00:34:51.660 and he is saving people 00:34:51.660 --> 00:34:52.920 from every people group 00:34:52.920 --> 00:34:54.660 from a truer and greater doom 00:34:54.660 --> 00:34:58.240 by his truer and greater sacrifice. 00:34:58.239 --> 00:35:03.539 The other thing about this, 00:35:04.059 --> 00:35:05.219 and this is where history 00:35:05.219 --> 00:35:06.159 is so important, 00:35:07.239 --> 00:35:08.859 why do you pray? 00:35:12.799 --> 00:35:15.519 You know, it's very common. 00:35:16.779 --> 00:35:18.259 Polls say that even a certain number 00:35:18.259 --> 00:35:20.019 of percentage of atheists pray, 00:35:20.619 --> 00:35:21.659 agnostics pray, 00:35:22.739 --> 00:35:23.579 Hindus pray, 00:35:23.899 --> 00:35:24.699 Muslims pray, 00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:25.599 Buddhists pray, 00:35:25.779 --> 00:35:26.659 people with bespoke 00:35:26.659 --> 00:35:27.859 spiritualities pray, 00:35:27.860 --> 00:35:28.780 Christians pray. 00:35:30.140 --> 00:35:31.780 But only prayer makes sense 00:35:31.780 --> 00:35:33.079 in the Christian context. 00:35:35.240 --> 00:35:36.700 You see, in prayer, 00:35:36.920 --> 00:35:37.579 what we're doing 00:35:37.579 --> 00:35:39.200 is we're talking to God 00:35:39.200 --> 00:35:40.579 and asking God 00:35:40.579 --> 00:35:42.519 to do things in our world 00:35:42.519 --> 00:35:43.720 of time and space. 00:35:44.460 --> 00:35:45.780 And whether he manages 00:35:45.780 --> 00:35:47.480 the safety of the drive 00:35:47.480 --> 00:35:50.000 through providence 00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:51.740 or some type of miracle, 00:35:52.360 --> 00:35:53.920 the intervention of an angel 00:35:53.920 --> 00:35:54.880 which we don't see, 00:35:54.960 --> 00:35:56.460 when we pray for a loved one 00:35:56.460 --> 00:35:57.300 and whether or not 00:35:57.300 --> 00:35:58.160 that they get better 00:35:58.160 --> 00:35:58.900 and whether it is 00:35:58.900 --> 00:36:00.080 through the working of medicine 00:36:00.080 --> 00:36:01.580 or maybe some type 00:36:01.580 --> 00:36:02.480 of divine healing 00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:03.600 which we're not aware of, 00:36:03.940 --> 00:36:06.120 we pray that God 00:36:06.120 --> 00:36:06.980 will do things 00:36:06.980 --> 00:36:07.860 in the real world 00:36:07.860 --> 00:36:08.720 whether it is through 00:36:08.720 --> 00:36:09.920 providence or miracle. 00:36:11.080 --> 00:36:12.980 And that only makes sense 00:36:12.980 --> 00:36:14.080 in the Christian worldview. 00:36:14.079 --> 00:36:15.079 prayer is ridiculous. 00:36:15.079 --> 00:36:21.639 If nothing in the New Testament 00:36:21.639 --> 00:36:22.299 happened, 00:36:23.599 --> 00:36:25.659 prayer is ridiculous. 00:36:27.799 --> 00:36:29.420 We should all just learn 00:36:29.420 --> 00:36:29.980 to meditate 00:36:29.980 --> 00:36:32.340 and worry about our own soul. 00:36:34.340 --> 00:36:35.779 Develop mindfulness 00:36:35.779 --> 00:36:37.319 so that we can be 00:36:37.319 --> 00:36:39.460 observing our feelings 00:36:39.460 --> 00:36:41.079 and impressions going by 00:36:41.079 --> 00:36:41.920 as if we're somehow 00:36:41.920 --> 00:36:42.960 separate from them. 00:36:47.099 --> 00:36:47.900 See, that's why 00:36:47.900 --> 00:36:48.659 it's worth fighting 00:36:48.659 --> 00:36:49.760 over the historicity 00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:50.940 of things in the New Testament. 00:36:53.780 --> 00:36:54.880 But just in closing, 00:36:55.019 --> 00:36:56.320 we'd all like a beautiful life. 00:36:59.840 --> 00:37:01.740 The woman is made right 00:37:01.740 --> 00:37:02.260 with God 00:37:02.260 --> 00:37:03.260 not because she'd done 00:37:03.260 --> 00:37:04.960 an act of extravagant devotion. 00:37:06.820 --> 00:37:08.360 Her salvation depends 00:37:08.360 --> 00:37:09.740 on that Passover lamb, 00:37:09.900 --> 00:37:11.660 Jesus himself being slain. 00:37:13.860 --> 00:37:14.900 Her blood 00:37:14.900 --> 00:37:17.200 covers her 00:37:17.200 --> 00:37:19.300 and her faith in him 00:37:19.300 --> 00:37:21.440 is what 00:37:21.440 --> 00:37:22.720 delivers her 00:37:22.720 --> 00:37:23.519 from that truer 00:37:23.519 --> 00:37:24.420 and greater doom 00:37:24.420 --> 00:37:25.740 by this great salvation. 00:37:27.180 --> 00:37:28.620 But she is the model 00:37:28.620 --> 00:37:29.740 of discipleship. 00:37:31.320 --> 00:37:32.079 You see, friends, 00:37:32.079 --> 00:37:39.179 people will always say 00:37:39.179 --> 00:37:39.940 you're too devout 00:37:39.940 --> 00:37:41.159 and you're too generous 00:37:41.159 --> 00:37:42.639 and we need to learn 00:37:42.639 --> 00:37:43.759 to not listen to them. 00:37:50.900 --> 00:37:52.239 There's always pressures 00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:53.299 to be ungenerous 00:37:53.299 --> 00:37:55.079 and nobody ever has enough money 00:37:55.079 --> 00:37:55.860 to be generous. 00:37:56.239 --> 00:37:57.480 You need to choose generosity. 00:37:57.480 --> 00:38:00.900 And there's always 00:38:00.900 --> 00:38:01.519 good reasons 00:38:01.519 --> 00:38:02.900 not to have faith in Christ. 00:38:04.480 --> 00:38:05.179 And if you were 00:38:05.179 --> 00:38:06.019 to ask your friends, 00:38:06.119 --> 00:38:07.059 they'd all give you ten. 00:38:08.820 --> 00:38:10.380 But the fact of the matter is 00:38:10.380 --> 00:38:11.340 he is that one 00:38:11.340 --> 00:38:11.980 who redeems. 00:38:12.500 --> 00:38:13.679 He did conquer death. 00:38:15.340 --> 00:38:16.980 And so acts of faith, 00:38:17.119 --> 00:38:18.079 extravagant faith 00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:19.460 and extravagant generosity 00:38:19.460 --> 00:38:20.440 for Christ 00:38:20.440 --> 00:38:22.440 are always worth it. 00:38:23.400 --> 00:38:24.900 And in some very way, 00:38:25.179 --> 00:38:26.820 in some very profound way, 00:38:26.820 --> 00:38:28.140 we see here 00:38:28.140 --> 00:38:28.920 in this story 00:38:28.920 --> 00:38:30.440 what is the end 00:38:30.440 --> 00:38:31.140 of the story 00:38:31.140 --> 00:38:32.160 for those of us 00:38:32.160 --> 00:38:32.840 who are in Christ. 00:38:35.800 --> 00:38:36.900 We do what we can 00:38:36.900 --> 00:38:37.539 for Christ. 00:38:38.900 --> 00:38:40.039 I don't make enough money 00:38:40.039 --> 00:38:40.500 to give away 00:38:40.500 --> 00:38:41.340 a million dollars, 00:38:41.860 --> 00:38:42.720 but I have enough money 00:38:42.720 --> 00:38:43.640 to give away a lot. 00:38:47.920 --> 00:38:48.539 And I, 00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:49.780 my faith is never 00:38:49.780 --> 00:38:50.800 as good as it should be 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:51.500 and I hope that 00:38:51.500 --> 00:38:52.380 my faith will grow, 00:38:52.539 --> 00:38:53.360 but I will do 00:38:53.360 --> 00:38:53.880 what I can 00:38:53.880 --> 00:38:54.620 and I will pray 00:38:54.620 --> 00:38:55.180 that I will grow 00:38:55.180 --> 00:38:55.880 in my faith. 00:38:56.820 --> 00:38:58.720 And Jesus will say 00:38:58.720 --> 00:38:59.160 to me, 00:38:59.340 --> 00:39:00.360 you did what you could 00:39:00.360 --> 00:39:03.600 and what you did 00:39:03.600 --> 00:39:04.039 for me 00:39:04.039 --> 00:39:05.800 was a beautiful thing. 00:39:06.900 --> 00:39:07.800 What you did 00:39:07.800 --> 00:39:08.240 for me 00:39:08.240 --> 00:39:10.200 was a beautiful thing. 00:39:11.140 --> 00:39:12.400 And in Christ, 00:39:12.920 --> 00:39:14.460 that is the final word 00:39:14.460 --> 00:39:15.039 about you. 00:39:16.039 --> 00:39:17.620 A beautiful thing, 00:39:18.039 --> 00:39:19.519 a beautiful life. 00:39:19.519 --> 00:39:21.759 I invite you to stand. 00:39:31.920 --> 00:39:32.340 You know, 00:39:32.380 --> 00:39:32.800 once again, 00:39:32.900 --> 00:39:34.039 if you feel pressure 00:39:34.039 --> 00:39:34.759 in your heart, 00:39:34.960 --> 00:39:35.780 it's a pressure 00:39:35.780 --> 00:39:36.860 maybe for those of us 00:39:36.860 --> 00:39:37.539 who are in Christ 00:39:37.539 --> 00:39:38.900 to realize, 00:39:39.019 --> 00:39:39.079 you know, 00:39:39.079 --> 00:39:40.099 I could be more generous 00:39:40.099 --> 00:39:41.019 and I need, 00:39:41.119 --> 00:39:41.980 my faith can grow 00:39:41.980 --> 00:39:43.340 and thank you, 00:39:43.440 --> 00:39:43.599 Lord, 00:39:43.719 --> 00:39:44.739 that you accept me 00:39:44.739 --> 00:39:45.360 where I am 00:39:45.360 --> 00:39:46.199 and you call me 00:39:46.199 --> 00:39:47.280 into greater depths 00:39:47.280 --> 00:39:47.820 of faith 00:39:47.820 --> 00:39:48.660 and greater depths 00:39:48.660 --> 00:39:49.420 of generosity. 00:39:50.680 --> 00:39:52.000 And we can all 00:39:52.000 --> 00:39:52.740 feel challenged 00:39:52.740 --> 00:39:53.640 to stop listening 00:39:53.640 --> 00:39:54.780 to those who say, 00:39:54.920 --> 00:39:56.400 don't be so generous. 00:39:57.400 --> 00:39:57.620 You know, 00:39:58.040 --> 00:39:59.500 a $1.50 top up 00:39:59.500 --> 00:40:00.120 at the cash 00:40:00.120 --> 00:40:00.720 is all you need 00:40:00.720 --> 00:40:01.560 to give to the poor. 00:40:01.559 --> 00:40:05.420 And for those of you 00:40:05.420 --> 00:40:06.820 who are outside of Christ 00:40:06.820 --> 00:40:08.199 and you feel that pressure 00:40:08.199 --> 00:40:09.679 because you desire 00:40:09.679 --> 00:40:10.420 a beautiful life, 00:40:10.480 --> 00:40:11.119 there is no more 00:40:11.119 --> 00:40:11.980 beautiful life 00:40:11.980 --> 00:40:13.099 than a life lived 00:40:13.099 --> 00:40:15.000 in knowing Jesus 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:15.840 and obeying him. 00:40:16.480 --> 00:40:17.460 And you should just 00:40:17.460 --> 00:40:18.480 follow that pressure 00:40:18.480 --> 00:40:19.039 right now 00:40:19.039 --> 00:40:19.420 and say, 00:40:19.519 --> 00:40:19.799 Jesus, 00:40:20.019 --> 00:40:20.279 come, 00:40:20.440 --> 00:40:21.699 I give myself to you. 00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:22.539 So let's pray. 00:40:24.019 --> 00:40:24.480 Father, 00:40:24.559 --> 00:40:25.259 we ask that, 00:40:25.259 --> 00:40:29.739 we ask that this story, 00:40:29.940 --> 00:40:30.659 that this word, 00:40:30.659 --> 00:40:32.019 this gospel word 00:40:32.019 --> 00:40:33.099 that would go deep 00:40:33.099 --> 00:40:33.599 within us 00:40:33.599 --> 00:40:34.799 and it will form us, 00:40:35.219 --> 00:40:37.539 that it will be 00:40:37.539 --> 00:40:38.079 the word 00:40:38.079 --> 00:40:40.500 that we won't listen 00:40:40.500 --> 00:40:41.299 as much 00:40:41.299 --> 00:40:41.960 to all of these 00:40:41.960 --> 00:40:42.739 other things 00:40:42.739 --> 00:40:43.859 about holding back 00:40:43.859 --> 00:40:45.299 and doing other things, 00:40:45.440 --> 00:40:46.219 but that this will be 00:40:46.219 --> 00:40:47.199 the word that forms 00:40:47.199 --> 00:40:48.359 us at a very deep level. 00:40:49.159 --> 00:40:49.819 We thank you, 00:40:49.940 --> 00:40:50.079 Lord, 00:40:50.179 --> 00:40:51.420 that on one hand 00:40:51.420 --> 00:40:52.159 you put within us 00:40:52.159 --> 00:40:52.980 a desire to have 00:40:52.980 --> 00:40:53.779 a beautiful life 00:40:53.779 --> 00:40:55.299 and that your word 00:40:55.299 --> 00:40:56.399 provides the way 00:40:56.399 --> 00:40:57.059 for us to have 00:40:57.059 --> 00:40:58.219 a life of true beauty. 00:40:58.219 --> 00:41:00.480 We ask these things 00:41:00.480 --> 00:41:01.659 in the name of Jesus, 00:41:01.819 --> 00:41:02.859 your son and our savior. 00:41:03.659 --> 00:41:04.000 Amen. 00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:04.139 Amen. 00:41:05.099 --> 00:41:05.500 We're going to... 00:41:05.500 --> 00:41:06.880 And we're Totally 00:41:06.880 --> 00:41:09.199 and we're in the name of Jesus, 00:41:09.199 --> 00:41:24.280 and we're 00:41:28.800 --> 00:41:28.900 in the name of Jesus, 00:41:29.280 --> 00:41:30.300 our defense website,