Message

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Thank God for disclosing to us the kingdom of heaven, which is like treasure hidden in a field. May we keep the value and preciousness of the kingdom of heaven in our hearts through constant seeking and commitment to it. Now we want to prepare for EBC through the study on Matthew 26 and 27. As we study these passages for four weeks, may we understand the meaning of Jesus’ suffering better and thus prepare for our EBC. In today’s passage Jesus was anointed by a woman at Bethany. She poured her very expensive perfume on Jesus’ head. This event is written between the chief priests’ evil plan to arrest and kill Jesus and Judah’s cooperating with them to sell Jesus. Thus the woman’s pure, sacrificial and loving heart shines amid the darkness of evil men. It excellently teaches us how we should love Jesus. First, the religious leaders’ plotting to kill Jesus (1-5). Look at verse 1. “When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples.” Jesus had finished all five discourses of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel as he finished Olivet discourse. Now what does he say to his disciples? Look at verse 2. “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” The Passover was the great feast in Jewish history that commemorated God’s liberating the Israelites from the bondage of Pharaoh, which last 430 years. It was God’s mighty act of deliverance. It was estimated that there were in the city Jerusalem for that Passover some two and three-quarter million people, coming from all over the world for the Passover celebration. And the number of the lambs slain was 256,500. The feast would last seven days. As this special occasion was coming soon, Jesus said to his disciples that the Passover was two days away and would be handed over to be crucified. In saying this Jesus associated himself as a Passover lamb. Humanly speaking it was a sad and tragic story to be slaughtered like an animal. Yet, it would be the fulfillment of God’s purpose for man’s salvation through Jesus’ obedience to it. Jesus was following God’s purpose and plan being conscious of his forthcoming crucifixion. Then what were the religious leaders doing? Look at verses 3 and 4. “Then the chief priests and het elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him.” They devised an evil plot. They were cunning and murderous, not knowing what they were doing. In their ignorance they were doing what was against God’s will for them. They continually said, “But not during the Feast or there may be a riot among the people.” Their plan was thorough. But their plan would not work as they had expected. Jesus would be arrested and killed on the day of the beginning of the Feast according to God’s plan. Here we should know that God’s plan overrides human plot. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” We don’t need to be afraid of wicked human plots and schemes to destroy us. Rather we should follow God’s plan and purpose in obedience to him. God’s will and purpose will succeed in the end, while any human plan against the will of God is frustrated. Second, a woman’s pouring her perfume on Jesus (6-16). Look at verse 6. “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the leper…” Bethany was on the east slope of the Mount Olives, about 3 km away from Jerusalem. Jesus was in the home of Simon the Leper at Bethany. Simon must have received Jesus’ grace of healing from leprosy and invited him to the dinner out of thanks for his grace. Then how does the story unfold at the dinner table? Look at verse 7. “A woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.” She probably was not an invited guest. Anyway she was there and did something unexpected and unusual. She approached Jesus with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head. How embarrassing it must have been to Jesus and surprising to all the people there! Until then many had come to Jesus and gone. Most of them came to Jesus to receive his grace or get something from him. But this woman came to pour on Jesus her perfume which was very expensive. We know that Jesus received a water baptism ceremony by John. That was a part of God’s plan. Here, Jesus received perfume ceremony, unplanned and unnoticed. Matthew wrote that the perfume in the alabaster jar was very expensive. It must have been her life-time saving for her marriage. The perfume was the most precious thing in her life. It was like her treasure. Without calculation she poured it out on Jesus. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “…Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So in pouring her perfume on Jesus, she poured out her heart on Jesus. Why did she do this? Firstly, it was her expression of thanks to Jesus for his grace. Whether she was a sinful woman in Luke 7 or Mary in John 12, she had received Jesus’ grace of forgiveness of sins and a new life. In the past sin and evil spirit tormented her soul and she did not know what to do. Many people seemed to care for her. Yet, no one truly cared for her soul. But Jesus did care for her personally, forgiving all her sins and enabling her to live a new life with a new life direction in him. Jesus did for her what no one in the world could do. There are many people who have received the grace of Jesus but forget it and act as if they received nothing from Jesus. However, as for her she could not forget the wonderful grace of Jesus and had to express her deep gratitude for his grace. Secondly, it was her act of love for Jesus, which was true. This act of love showed that her love relationship with Jesus was beautifully built up since she received the grace of Jesus. Many believers think that believing in Jesus is to receive salvation through him and that’s all, and that’s what they need. They are interested in Jesus’ salvation and many human blessings, but not the Saviour Jesus himself. However, as for the woman, since she received Jesus’ grace of salvation through his forgiveness of her sins, her love relationship with Jesus was most important. As we studied, God delivered the Israelites from the slavery in Egypt. They were to enter the Promised Land. However, while Moses was on the Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, the Israelites sinned against God, making an idol in the shape of a calf and regarding the golden calf as their gods who brought them out of Egypt. Because of their terrible sin, God said to Moses, “I will not go with you,” although he allowed the people to go up with an angel to the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It seemed that they were saved from the slavery in Egypt but now lost God. At this Moses could see that their future destiny and God’s honour were at stake, although they had come out of the land of slavery through God’s mighty power. So he pleaded with God until God said, “My Presence will go with you.” To Moses God himself and his Presence was everything. Moses truly loved God. In the passage when the woman poured her perfume on Jesus, her love relationship with Jesus was true and sound. Also, her act of pouring her whole perfume on Jesus all at once showed that her love for Jesus was both true but affluent. She loved Jesus so much that she did not spare anything. She gave extravagantly and lavishly. It was because she found the right object of love and worship. In the past her heart was wandering when she did not know on whom she had to pour out her heart. She had been full of shame and guilt when she gave her heart to wrong ones. Now when she found the right one to whom she could give her whole heart, she did it willingly and happily. She knew that Jesus was most precious in her life, and worthy of her wholehearted love and worship. Although she poured out her whole heart to Jesus, still she felt that what she did to Jesus was too little compared to his much love for her. Here we are reminded of the love of God. Paul said in Romans 8:29, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” In this part we saw that when she poured her very expensive perfume on Jesus, it was her expression of her thanks and love for Jesus. When she did so, her life was right and sound and safe. And her soul was truly happy and satisfied. In our Christian life thanks and love relationship with Jesus is most significant. Thankful and loving heart should be expressed. Thanks and love that are not expressed can dwindle and die. But when they are expressed sincerely, our thanks and love are true and our thankful and loving heart grows and multiplies. In that our relationship with Jesus is right and sound and safe. As for us, our perfume can be our money, time, youth or other precious things we have. Faithful Bible study and sincere testimony writing, regularly worship, serving one soul wholeheartedly, small amount yet hearty offering, having early morning time with the Lord, constant prayer for God’s work, study with faith for God’s glory, etc., can be the expression of our love for Jesus. May our love for Jesus be affluent until we can give to him unsparingly. Third, the disciples’ indignation and Jesus’ praise for her. Look at verse 8. “When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked.” Matthew wrote that they were disciples. Although they were disciples, the eyes of their hearts were blind to see the world of love, the love of the woman for Jesus and the love of God. They had no love relationship with Jesus. So to them, the perfume she had poured on Jesus was a waste. Their way of thinking seemed to be economical and productive. They said, “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” What they said was probably right and even appealing to many people. But we should know what’s wrong with them. Look at verse 10. “Aware of this, Jesus said to them…” Matthew made it clear that Jesus was aware of what they had said. Jesus said, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” The atmosphere was that she became the object of criticism and ridicule because of what she had done to Jesus. At this Jesus protected her and said very clearly, “She has a done a beautiful thing to me.” According to Jesus, what she did was not a waste, but a beautiful thing. Here we see what is truly beautiful. It is not a beautiful appearance, but a beautiful heart. Her heart of love was beautiful. Her sacrificially and devotedly loving Jesus was beautiful. Jesus went on to say, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” Jesus did not say that helping the poor was wrong. Jesus was looking into their hearts’ motive. They were not really concerned about the poor. Jesus told them that they would not always have him, which meant he would die soon. Then he said, “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for my burial.” We are not sure whether she knew the death of Jesus approaching just two days away. Even if she had not known it, her heart was linked with that of Jesus. Jesus accepted her act as if she had known his upcoming death and prepared beforehand for his burial. This showed that the centre of her life was Jesus. When Jesus is the centre of our life, whatever we do it can be a timely work for Jesus. Even what is done unconsciously can be the very thing Jesus wants. Although there is no verbal communication, there can be heart to heart communication. What she did was the outcome of her heart to heart relationship with Jesus. As we saw, the disciples’ problem was no love for Jesus. They did not know what was going on in Jesus’ life, even though Jesus had told them again and again about his coming death on the cross, even just before, “The Passover is two days away and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Jesus was not the centre of their lives. When Jesus is not the focus in his people, what they do is not a right thing to him, even helping the poor with a large amount of money. It is not pleasing to him at all. Human good work apart from Jesus is just piling up one’s own righteous acts, which are like filthy rags before the holy God (Isa 64:6). Things done in Jesus’ name are truly pure and beautiful and acceptable in God’s sight. Helping even the least of his brothers in Jesus’ name is pleasing to him. Matthew wrote, “Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven…when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Mt 6:1-4) Christians are not those who do philanthropic work but those who do the good work and all things in Jesus’ name, having Jesus in their centre of their lives. This work is acceptable to God. All work apart from Jesus is pointless and in vain. But any work done in Jesus is meaningful and will not be in vain. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth; wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Wow! She did not expect any reward when she poured her perfume on Jesus. But Jesus rewarded her beyond anyone’s imagination, in the greatest way. Elizabeth Taylor died last Wednesday at the age of 79. Her beauty the world praised was scintillating and sparkling in a sense. It lasted one generation and was gone. The beauty of women in this world has always been like that. It is amazing that the beauty of this nameless woman would last throughout the generations and be told in memory of her. Her act of love is praiseworthy and an exemplary one for all those who truly want to love Jesus. Look at verses 14,15. “Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priest and asked, ‘What are you wiling to give me if I hand him over to you?’” Here we see that this disciple, one of the Twelve, was the main one among those disciples who were indignant at the woman. He seemed to care for the poor. But when he had no love for Jesus, he would soon betray him. So John said clearly that this disciple, Judas Iscariot objected the woman, even rebuking her harshly (Jn 12:4). John’s insight was right. The disciple went to the chief priest and asked, “What are you wiling to give me if I hand him over to you?” He quickly turned to sell Jesus for some amount of money. What betrayal! So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. This amount was the price of a slave accidently gored to death by an ox. Exodus 21:32 says, “If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull must be stoned.” This money was a trivial amount. This may reflect the insignificance of Jesus in Judah’s mind. From then on Judah watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Those who have no love of Jesus can be such a person as Judah. Thank God for the beautiful love-act of the woman, who poured her very expensive perfume on Jesus. May God help us to consider our love relationship with Jesus most important and express our love for him personally and be affluent in this love relationship.

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