Applications from Memorial to Mary #2

Introduction: Review of Mary's Anointing and Previous Applications

0:00 This sermon was preached on Sunday morning, February 19, 1989, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:18 Now may I invite you to turn with me, please, to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14, and follow as I read in your hearing a passage which I trust by now has become quite familiar, but which in becoming familiar I trust does not breed contempt. Mark chapter 14, in our continuing expositions of the Gospel of Mark, we have come to this fascinating incident recorded in verses 3 through 9. And having read Mark's account of this incident, we shall then turn and read John's account of the same incident as found in John 12, verses 1 through 8.

1:11 And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having a flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. But there were some that had indignation among themselves, saying, To what purpose has this waste of the ointment been made? For this ointment might have been sold for above three hundred denarii, the equivalent of a working man's wages for a whole year, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her. But Jesus said, Let her alone.

2:00 Why do you trouble her? She has wrought a good work on me. For you have the poor always with you, And whensoever you will, you can do them good. But me you do not have always.

2:18 She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying. And verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, that also which this woman has done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. And now to John chapter 12 and verse 1.

2:49 Jesus therefore six days before the Passover came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus raised from the dead. And they made him a supper there and Martha served. But Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with him. Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair.

3:19 And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples that should betray him, saith, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? Now this he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the bag took away what was put therein. Jesus therefore said, Permit her to keep it against the day of my burying, for the poor you have always with you, but me.

3:59 You have not always. Now as we have in the singing of the last hymn confessed our need of the Holy Spirit's presence to make the word effectual and to mediate to our hearts the very ministry of Christ in illumination, conviction, bringing us to fresh actings of faith upon Christ. So let us now ask as we pray for the very same graces and blessings of the Spirit in conjunction with the preaching of the Word of God. Let us unite our hearts in prayer.

4:38 Our Father we bow in your holy presence To acknowledge afresh To acknowledge by your grace With all of our hearts That unless you send your spirit upon us We cannot, we will not see What we ought to see from the scriptures we cannot we will not feel their impress upon our consciences upon our affections upon our judgment we cannot we will not believe or obey the light that is given and so as you have promised to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask

5:29 we come and we ask for we have nothing else that we can bring to you but our felt helplessness and your own word of promise. O Lord, fulfill your promise as a loving Father to give your Spirit to those who ask him of you. And this we do ask, pleading that having given your Son and the greatest of all gifts in him, you will with him freely give us the things we now ask of you. Amen.

6:11 Now we come this morning in our study of this section of Mark's Gospel to our third and final consideration of this anointing of our Lord in the house of Simon the leper six days before the Passover feast. In our initial study of the incident, we sought to grasp the basic contents of the record as it stands before us in Mark, bringing in some highlights from the parallel accounts in Matthew 26 and in John chapter 12. And in that initial study, we considered the scene described, the reactions recorded, and the primary lesson contained in the incident,

7:00 a lesson highlighted by our Lord Himself in verse 9 when He said, Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, that which this woman has done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. And the central lesson of the passage then is bound up in this magisterial statement of our Lord, indicating that in the actions of Mary there is that which so accords with the proclamation of the gospel, that wherever the gospel is preached, her deed would be highlighted. And that which is highlighted in her deed is what she saw in Christ and what she felt towards Christ.

7:55 She saw that his predictions about his death were indeed essential to his mission. And recognizing that his death would be a violent death, no doubt would be one that would not allow for the decency of anointing subsequent to death and prior to burial. As an act of faith in the one whom she trusted and loved, she took that precious commodity that was hers to keep or hers to dispense, and dispensed it all upon the Lord Jesus, thereby not only highlighting who it is that is the object of all true saving faith in response to the gospel, namely Jesus Christ crucified,

8:45 but also she indicates that when the eye of faith beholds Him in that light, The heart runs out with non-calculating affection to him, and she then becomes a memorial of that abandonment of heart to the person of Christ that is always the inevitable accompaniment of saving faith. Then having looked at the scene described and the reactions recorded in the primary lesson contained, in our next study we began to consider some of the secondary applications of the passage. And the first of these is what I called last Lord's Day a word of correction concerning several common sins.

9:36 This passage contains a word of correction concerning several common sins And we looked at three of them The sin of hasty, unfounded judgment of the actions of another The sin of which the disciples in general, in Judas in particular, were guilty We looked secondly at the sin of measuring others by ourselves their whole judgment of her actions was wrong because they measured her and what she did by what they saw and felt and not by the standard of what she saw and felt. And then we looked at the sin of calculated religious hypocrisy.

10:25 John tells us that though Judas said the same thing as the disciples he did not say it out of the same perspective. They said it out of ignorance. He said it out of calculated religious hypocrisy. He was wearing a mask, and he was parroting his script. And we see then in Judas this horrible sin of calculated religious hypocrisy.

Instruction: The Perpetual Duty and Privilege of Caring for the Poor

10:53 Now as we return to the passage this morning to consider together two further words of application, let me set before you that we not only see in this passage a word of correction concerning several common sins, but we have also a word of instruction and a word of consolation. First of all, consider then this word of instruction concerning a perpetual duty and privilege of the people of God. I say by way of secondary but evident application, the passage contains a word of instruction concerning a perpetual duty and privilege of the people of God.

11:45 Notice the language of verse 7.

11:50 For you have the poor always with you, and whensoever you will, you can do them good. But me you do not have always. And there is more abbreviated form of the same words as recorded in John chapter 12. Now you remember that these words were spoken by our Lord in his response to the complaint of Judas and the other disciples that Mary's deed was both a wasteful deed and a deed that manifested indifference to the poor.

12:34 And in responding to their misjudgment of her deed, our Lord acknowledges that it was the uniqueness of the present time and circumstances which made Mary's deed not a matter of waste and of indifference to the poor, but a noble, a good deed done upon his person forever to be memorialized. He said, you have the poor always with you. You see, the focus is upon the time. And whensoever, time again, you will, you can do them good,

13:19 but me, you do not have always. He said, if you but understood the uniqueness of the time and of the circumstances, you would not make such a judgment upon Mary. And in the process he makes a statement which does indeed become a word of instruction concerning a perpetual duty and privilege of the people of God, namely, doing good to the poor, particularly the poor within the community of the disciples. Look again carefully at the text. He said, for you have the poor always with you.

14:06 And the key to understanding those words is a consideration of the little Greek preposition metta translated here with. And then there is a construction in its conjunction with another pronoun which could literally be rendered you always have the poor among yourselves or in your company. In other words, as our Lord knows He is about to die, He is in a few days to lay down His life for the sheep as the great shepherd and to secure by His death every single redemptive privilege that any hell-deserving sinner will ever possess.

15:00 He does not envision his death as securing for his people in this age health, wealth, and prosperity. Remember the setting. She's anointed me for my burial. It is the uniqueness of those circumstances that changes her deed from one of waste and indifference to one of nobility.

15:33 And as I die to secure the redemption of my people It will not be a redemption that secures The temporal wealth of my disciples In this present age The poor you have always in your midst And if there were no other text in the Bible necessary to expose the nonsense and the distortion of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel, this text alone would do it. He's on his way to die, and he knows why he's dying. And he does not include as one of the benefits of his death

16:22 the wealth and the material affluence of his people, and therefore he says to these, The poor you have always among you, and whensoever you will, you can do them good. That is, whenever it is in your heart and the means are in your hands, you may minister to their needs. And so from this text and other passages we learn that as long as the church of Christ exists on earth, she will always have within her pale those who fit the classification of the poor.

17:16 Now I know that the word poor is a relative term, and poverty in one set of socioeconomic circumstances is not poverty in another, and I have no desire to come up with some technical, overly refined definition of the poor. Suffice it to say that the poor in every society, in every circumstance, will always be found among Christ's true disciples.

17:50 This is underscored by such passages as 1 Corinthians 1 and James 2 and verse 5 Listen to the Apostle For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God chose the foolish things of the world. God chose the weak things and the base things and the things that are despised did God choose and the things that are not that he might bring to naught the things that are that no flesh should glory before God. And in determining to make up the role of his elect

18:36 from the nobodies of this world James tells us that many of those nobodies are found among the poor. Hear the word of James in James 2 and verse 5. Harkin my beloved brethren. Did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?

19:08 And furthermore, the scriptures make clear that one manifestation of real devotion to our absent Savior is our doing good to his poor ones. Notice how this seems to be implied in the words of our Lord in the Mark 14 passage. For you have the poor always among you And whensoever you will you can do them good But me you have not always I will not always be among you in my physical presence Later on in the upper room discourse

19:55 He would tell them he would be among them In his spiritual presence In the sending of the comforter Both he and the Father will come and take up their permanent dwelling in the hearts and in the community of the people of God. But he says, you don't have me always while I am here, and in these circumstances it was right for Mary to lavish this ointment upon me. Implicit in that is that when I go, then that kind of concern and love will be shown not to me in my physical presence for I will not be among you but to those who are my people the poor ones among you

20:44 and that is no stretching of the truth of scripture though it is but implicit here it is explicit in Matthew chapter 25 For in the familiar words of Matthew 25, beginning with verse 34, we read, In the day of judgment then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat. And I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.

21:28 Naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed?

21:43 you or a thirst and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and take you in or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and come unto you? Lord, we spent our days in the period of your absence. We knew you only in the preaching of the gospel. We know you only by the sight of faith.

22:12 We knew you only by the internal revelation of the Spirit by and with the Word. Lord, we never saw you. We never saw you once after the flesh to look upon you, let alone to feed you, to clothe you, to visit you. And the Lord's answer is this, And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Notice carefully, Inasmuch as you did it unto one of these my brethren.

22:47 Not one of these my creatures.

22:53 One of these my brethren. Those who are part of the family of faith. As we saw in our studies in Mark 3. Who is my mother and my brethren?

23:04 those who hear the word of God and keep it inasmuch as you have done it unto one of these, my brethren, even the least, you did it unto me. You see, our Lord makes clear in these words that devotion to an absent Savior is manifested in deeds of compassion upon His brethren who are seen and are among us. This has been captured beautifully in one of our hymns written by Philip Doddridge.

23:52 fountain of good to own thy love our thankful hearts incline what can we render Lord to thee when all the worlds are thine but thou hast needy brethren here partakers of thy grace whose names thou wilt confess before the father's face And in their accents of distress Thy pleading voice is heard In them thou mayest be clothed And fed and visited and cheered Thy face with reverence and with love

24:38 We in thy poor would see Oh, may we minister to them and in them, Lord, to Thee. That's captured the essence of it. And here, just a few days before His crucifixion, in which our Lord would secure eternal redemption for all of His people, He teaches us by this word of instruction concerning this standing duty and privilege of His people in all ages, that the poor we shall always have among us, and whensoever we will, we can do them good.

25:26 And in doing good to them, we are not attaching something extraneous to our devotion to Christ. we are expressing tangibly and in the only physical way we can our love and attachment to Christ as we minister to his poor so we minister to him in them.

Biblical Evidence for Care for the Poor in the New Testament Church

25:57 Therefore it should not surprise us that when these very men went forth to preach the gospel and under their leadership the church came to birth first at Jerusalem and then extended to Judea and Samaria and the uttermost part of the earth, it should not surprise us to find as a dominant element of vigorous, spirit-filled New Testament life, great sensitivity to the poor among the people of God. Now I've chosen my words carefully. I weighed them purposefully in the study. I say it should not surprise us to see this duty and privilege of voluntary, joyful benevolence to the poor become both a vital and dominant aspect of healthy, spirit-filled New Testament life.

27:04 And its absence used as a strong index of the absence of grace. Now I don't have time to open up all the passages, but I want us to look at just several. First of all, we begin with that moving description of the early days of the church in Jerusalem. when without apostolic mandate, without any kind of a meeting of the leaders to see what should be done for the poor.

27:42 We read in Acts chapter 2 and verse 44 these words, And all that believed were together, and had all things common, And they sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all according as any man had need. Here was this voluntary community of goods, each man looking upon the concerns of another. And when it was necessary to dispossess oneself of a title or of a property in order that that might be converted into money to meet the needs of another, There was no coercion. There was no professional church fundraising group to come in and pull the congregation and assess the potential wealth and at an expense of three or four thousand dollars to help the church meet the needs of its poor.

28:42 No, it was purely a matter of the Holy Spirit working into the texture of that one-souled congregation. The very spirit of the words of the Lord Jesus, the poor you have always among you. And as they are among you as my brethren, in ministering to them you minister to me. And almost reflexively, this is put as one of the dominant elements in the description of the Spirit-filled church at Jerusalem.

29:18 We find in Acts 4 a similar and parallel statement, verse 32. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul. Think of it. a multitude that is swollen now to thousands and they are described as having but one heart and soul and what was the evidence of it?

29:44 Not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own. Not a man went around talking about my this and my that. Oh yes, while he held the title to it, it was legally his, morally and ethically his, but inwardly and spiritually he did not regard it as his own selfish possession. And therefore it's not surprising that we read in verse 34, For neither was there among them any that lacked, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet, and distribution was made unto each according as any had need.

30:32 It doesn't say according as any presented a convincing case of need. No doubt there were some, just as you had hypocrites who wanted the reputation for benevolence without the essence of it. Chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira. No doubt the human heart being what it is, you had some lazy ones who talked a good show about need, but obviously discretion was exercised this is where the apostles ministry came in and it was an apostle who was given a peculiar gift of insight with regard to the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira in conjunction with this very framework but here you see as we see the church in the flush of the outpouring of the spirit on the day of Pentecost

31:20 still throbbing through all of the members This matter of sensitivity and joyful and voluntary response to the poor was a dominant element in church life. And then how can we ever ignore this when two whole chapters in 2 Corinthians are given over to a description of the principles that motivated the apostle and by which he sought to motivate the early churches that he was ministering to in taking up this broad offering for the impoverished saints in Judea who had undergone the ravages both of famine and of persecution. And this was so dominant in apostolic thinking that as we read a few weeks ago,

32:11 we have that unusual statement in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 10. Paul is describing his encounter with the recognized leaders of the church in Jerusalem. And he says, verse 9 of Galatians 2, When they perceived the grace that was given unto me, James and Cephas, that is Peter and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision. So they make this public statement.

32:51 We recognize in this man Paul and his companion Barnabas, true servants of the Lord Jesus, true messengers of the gospel. God has apportioned our primary field of labor here among the circumcision. God has marked them out to take the gospel to the Gentiles. These are not absolutist terms, but general categories.

33:15 And now they have only one exhortation to give to them. As they go forth to the Gentiles, and what is it? Look at verse 10. Only they would that we should remember the poor.

33:30 Which thing I was also zealous to do. Isn't that very interesting? In an epistle in which the doctrine of justification by faith apart from the works of the law is dealt with not in a detached academic way, but with the white hot fire of holy religious conviction. Paul consigning the anathema of God upon anyone who would dilute that gospel.

34:04 Isn't it interesting that in such an epistle, we should have what to my mind is one of the strongest statements on compassion for the poor. in this little incidental side reference. And Paul says, As I am zealous to preserve the integrity of the gospel and use his language which if I used or Pastor Nichols gave you 20th century equivalents when he read this epistle, your faces would have been red and you'd say he's coarse. and this epistle is full of some coarse language.

34:46 Why? Because in defending the doctrine of justification by faith Paul is consumed with zeal. He sees the very nerve centers of saving truth being jeopardized by the Judaizers. He's zealous to preserve the gospel.

35:05 But he is also zealous to remember the poor. No incongruity in the mind of the apostle between burning theological integrity and sensitive, broad-hearted, benevolent compassion. and would to God that in our hearts and in this assembly that zeal for both great concerns will burn with increasing brightness within all of our breasts You see it affected the whole New Testament doctrine of work Just two other texts very quickly

35:55 When the Apostle writes to the Ephesians to give them out of their pagan background with their pagan notions of so many things, he writes to give them a biblical concept of work. What does he say in chapter 4 of Ephesians, verse 28? Let him that stole steal no more But rather let him labor Working with his hands the thing that is good Why? That he may have whereof to meet his own needs And the needs of his family That isn't what he emphasizes here You see this idea that a Christian ought to be so otherworldly that he only plies his trade as much as is necessary

36:43 to eke out either a subsistence living, that is, just enough to pay the bills and fill your belly and keep the rain off your hat and off your back, or others might say, work enough to put away enough for a rainy day and for the kids' education and leave a little inheritance, but it never gets beyond either a subsistence existence for themselves or a little more for their own, Paul says no you are to work with this end in view that you will not only provide for your own needs and be the righteous man who leaves an inheritance to his children's children but you're prepared to work diligently enough that you may have to give not to every charlatan that comes down the road

37:30 and sends you a piece of paper telling you about his needs through the mail Not to every cheery-eyed evangelist over the boob tube that tells you how much he needs your giving if this ministry is to continue.

37:48 No, the text says, give to him who has need, real need. Need that would be perceived in the intimacy of wholesome, vigorous New Testament church life. life in which the people of God have their lives constantly intersecting and are open and transparent one with another indicating again that there would be some among God's people at all times who had need. Need that was not to be attributed to being a sluggard. Need that was not to be attributed to their being irresponsible, but need because God in His wisdom, who apportions a man's

38:34 lot in life, has chosen that not a few of His people, though diligent and working with integrity as we read in Proverbs again and again, better is the poor that walks in His integrity, indicating the two are not exclusive. God will have them among His people, and we to have the perspective that we are willing to put ourselves out that we may have to give to them. Then the final text. I said so dominant is this in New Testament church life that its absence is regarded as an index of the absence of grace.

39:15 That strong language, but no stronger than is warranted by 1 John 3. I read now from 1 John 3 and verse 14 We know we've passed out of death into life Because we love the brethren He that loves not abides in death Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him Hereby know we love because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren when by faith I have embraced a crucified and risen Savior who laid down His life for me

40:00 and I reflect upon the infinite eternal Word becoming flesh and in the integrity of that Godhead joined to humanity He lives, He dies, pours out His life for me When by faith I've laid hold of him, the disposition that moved him to die for me becomes part and parcel of my disposition to his people, the brethren. And if I know his love for me, then I am under obligation, if necessary, to lay down my very life for the brethren. We ought. That's a word of duty.

40:45 Now he argues from the greater to the lesser. Verse 17. But whoso hath the world's goods, not his life, just some goods external to his life, beholds his brother in need, real need, and shuts up his compassion from him, which means he closes down any concern, issuing impractical deeds of mercy and benevolence How does the love of God abide in him? If the love of God in him would move him to give his most precious possession His very life for his brethren How can God's love be in him at all If he won't give some of his shekels to his brethren?

41:30 If he won't give some of his clothes to his brethren? Some of his food from his table to his brethren? If he is indifferent How can the love of God be in him? If in him, it will move him to give his life.

41:44 And if he won't give a crust of bread, surely the love of God is not in him. Well, brethren, let me say in conclusion of this head, while the passage does indeed underscore the fact that there were unique circumstances at Bethany six days before our Lord's arrest, condemnation and crucifixion which fully justified the apparent waste of Mary, it is just as clearly taught in the passage that the standing, the perpetual duty and privilege of the community of the saints is to minister to the needy. And I trust that as a congregation,

42:31 in the language of Paul to the Thessalonians, we may abound yet more and more in this grace. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said, As you abound in wisdom and knowledge, he said, I pray that you may abound in this grace also. Now I know my Bible well enough to know that according to 1 Corinthians 13, it's possible for a man to give all that he possesses and even his life and not have love. I know that.

43:08 I know 1 Corinthians 13. If I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and have not love, it profits me nothing. It is possible even to go to martyrdom without love. But the reverse is not true.

43:25 It is not possible truly to love and not to give or at least long to give if it is not in your power to give at the present. It's possible to give without love, but it is not possible to love and not give. Brethren, let us not love in word only, but in deed and in truth.

Consolation: For Those Suffering Misunderstanding and Reproach

43:52 But then, thirdly and finally, this passage not only sets before us a word of instruction, and sorry, a word of correction concerning some common sins, our study last week, and then our first head this morning, a word of instruction concerning a perpetual duty, but then thirdly, it contains a word of consolation, a word of consolation to those who suffer misunderstanding and reproach because of their devotion to the Lord Jesus and its fruits. knowing a number of you take notes I'll just give the heading again a word of consolation

44:38 to those who suffer misunderstanding and reproach because of their devotion to the Lord Jesus and its fruits look again at Mark chapter 14 and we see in verses 4 and 5 what we had occasion to open up in greater detail several weeks ago that no sooner is Mary's deed perceived by the disciples for what it is, than verse 4 tells us there were some that had indignation. Matthew tells us it was the disciples. John tells us it was Judas in a very focused way who spoke out. And they said, to what purpose has this waste of the ointment been made?

45:27 And they didn't simply say it to one another or to the Lord. For we read at the end of verse 5, And they murmured against her. And when Jesus rebukes them, he had to say, Leave her alone. Back off.

45:41 Bug off. Get off her case. Leave her alone. They were harassing her.

45:48 They were both indignant and they were scolding her would be proper renditions of the two Greek words. they were indignant towards her and they were scolding her now what precisely was the source of this misunderstanding and reproach directed to this woman it was occasioned by her unorthodox but real expressions of devotion to Christ she has done a good work on me but now what was the source of the reproach, the misunderstanding. Well, it came from two sources.

Sources of Misunderstanding: Short-Sighted Disciples and Hypocrites

46:29 Coming from the disciples, it came from true but short-sighted judgmental disciples. And coming from Judas, it came from a calculating religious hypocrite. Now, what's interesting is, both groups, representative groups, said the same words. But in one case, they were the words of short-sighted and judgmental disciples. In the other case, they were the words of a calculating religious hypocrite. Consider these short-sighted judgmental disciples, because they did not see what Mary saw.

47:12 all of his words about going to Jerusalem and dying are true. I believe them, Mary says. I do believe his words that he will go to Jerusalem and it over to the Gentiles shall be crucified. I believe those words.

47:32 And seeing what she saw and feeling what she felt, such devotion to Christ for his mercy to her, Devotion to Christ for his mercy to her brother, who a few days before had been a stinking corpse in his tomb, but now was sitting, eating at a feast with Jesus in Simon's home, for the scripture points out that Lazarus sat at meat with them.

48:01 Mary, seeing what she sees and feeling what she feels, expresses her love to Christ in a way that on the surface of it had all the appearance of waste and prodigality and therefore true disciples true disciples they were not hypocrites true disciples but short-sighted and judgmental they become angry and they begin to scold and harass her now what's the word to us? simply this. Let someone sacrifice things legitimate in themselves, pleasures legitimate

48:47 in themselves, pursuits not evil in themselves, in order to be able to, say, pay, to have their children attend a school where the values of home and church are not undermined, but shape and frame the whole educational process, the subject matter taught, the climate of the classroom, the behavior expected in the interaction between student and teacher, between student and student. Let someone sacrifice vacations, the latest styles in clothes, things perfectly legitimate in themselves. Let it be either tuition payments for Christian

49:37 education or these legitimate things and what often happens. True, but short-sighted disciples who do not see that there is no such thing as neutral education, who do not see that there is no such thing as a neutral example in a teacher, who do not see that there is no neutrality in teaching the values of interpersonal relationships. They are short-sighted. They don't see.

50:13 and they will look upon a brother or sister or a family who for the sake of love to Christ and the stewardship of the children Christ has given are willing to waste their money upon this expensive means of teaching the three R's when they could get it, quote, free from their neighborhood school. I know it's not free, it comes out of our property taxes, I'm fully aware of it.

50:47 But you know what I'm saying? And short-sighted disciples, real disciples, we're not prepared to say that anyone who thinks it a waste to spend thousands of dollars to have an educational framework that is God-centered and Bible-based and Christ-centered and Christ-oriented. We're not prepared to say that that marks someone as unconverted, but surely, surely, it marks them as short-sighted.

51:23 And you may receive their criticism. Let someone so love Christ and the work of His kingdom as to give up many liberties to give not only His tithe, but far beyond that to the work of God. and they may have Christian relatives who see what they do and they say, Look, I know what you make. You've told me.

51:42 You ought to be able to live at a higher standard of living. And when the person is pressed to say, But Dad, Mom, Uncle John, I can't do that. I see the needs in this part of Christ's kingdom and the needs there and hardly a week passes. But in our prayer meeting, we become aware of some other area of the world with need.

52:03 I cannot. I must pour out as much as I can at the feet of my Savior that others will know him, and that those who know him may be better able to serve him. And true but short-sighted disciples will become angry, will carve, will criticize. let another man give up a legitimate God-honoring lucrative career to serve Christ and his church.

52:38 And people say, well, look at all the good you could have done if you stayed on your career track. Look at all the influence you could have had in high circles if only you had done that. What a waste. You've turned your back upon it all.

52:52 you see that's the kind of criticism that can come from true real but short sighted and judgmental disciples and what is to be your comfort your comfort is that Jesus knew her heart and Jesus said in that historical context leave her alone her deed is good Her deed is an expression of her devotion to me And I will memorialize her deed So that wherever the gospel is spoken What she has done will be spoken also And dear child of God This should be your consolation That though the Lord will not step out of heaven and say to that relative that brother sister that fellow church member who says

53:50 What a waste! And is on your back for something that grows out of what you see of Christ and His kingdom and His servants and the advancement of His gospel. and out of love to him you're doing that which appears in their eyes to be wasteful. Don't defend your action.

54:13 Don't waste your time explaining your action until they see what you see and feel what you feel. You're talking in vain.

54:24 A time would come when they would see what Mary saw and feel what she felt and they would be prepared to suffer and die for their Savior.

54:36 You remember that though the Savior won't step out of heaven and do for you what He did for Mary, He's left you a record of what He did for Mary as a preview of what He'll do for you in the last day. When He Himself will remember even the cup of cold water given in His name. and though his people will be surprised when we see you Lord you see the righteous did not answer and say Lord it's so good to have you read off the record I think you forgot one or two that I got in my book what about the time I saw no the Lord says I was sick you did this I was in prison I said Lord wait what would this happen you see the righteous don't keep a checklist of their righteousness

55:21 they're too busy mopping up the remaining sin in their own hearts to go around preening themselves.

55:29 They're too occupied with Christ in whom alone they can keep a peaceful conscience and hold communion with God in Him. They don't go around holding communion, sucking sweetness out of their last good deed. No true child of God does that. That's why in the day of judgment they're shocked and surprised when the Lord begins to rehearse all their good deeds.

The Hypocrite's Anger and Christ's Vindication

55:51 But you see, He will rehearse them. and though it will not be spoken of as a memorial in conjunction with the gospel for gospel days will be over it will be spoken of as a memorial and a vindication before the gathering of all the people of all the ages and nations when they stand before God in the day of judgment and we'll look at a text as we conclude in a moment but I want to notice briefly notice the second source of this criticism a false disciple a calculating religious hypocrite Judas remember John 12 though he said the same words what a waste this might have been sold for 300 Nairai

56:37 and given to the poor John adds this spirit inspired comment this he said not because he cared for the poor but he was a thief and held the bag or more literally the box and he took what was therein Now what can be more condemning for a man with a mask and a script Than to see a guileless, unmasked, unscripted, impromptu expression Of transparent, real devotion to Jesus Christ What can be more irritating Than a religious hypocrite who wears his mask And who parrots his script than to be in the presence of an unmasked face,

57:27 an unmasked heart, in the presence of a woman with no script. What she does is the effusion of faith and love and devotion to the very Jesus that this man is going to betray. No wonder the betrayal occurred soon thereafter. Because this showed up Judas in his own eyes for what he was.

57:57 And when the calculating religious hypocrite joined his voice with the others, or may have even led in the chorus of voices, what did the Lord do? He vindicated the woman before that man as well. And as true but short-sighted judgmental disciples will sometimes be angry and harass a Mary. You can count on it.

58:26 A calculating religious hypocrite will always be angry at and harass a Mary. Because his hypocrisy is set in the boldest relief, there is a shock to his inner spirit as real as if you were to yank a man out of a sauna and throw him into a snowbank. The physiological shock from steam room to snowbank. That's what happened to Judas.

59:01 He's carefully keeping his mask on. Carefully parroting his script. And in all of his calculated hypocrisy, here comes a woman who just gushes with unscripted devotion to Jesus Christ.

59:21 And my friend, if you're real, you won't live long before you will feel something of the pressure of calculating religious hypocrites who likewise will be unmasked and feel the conviction of their own duplicity, of their own mask and script in your presence. And there will be the expressions verbally and perhaps in other ways of their sense of discomfort around you. Well, what are you to do? You're to remember the Lord Jesus and this is the word of consolation.

Paul's Consolation: Judgment Belongs to the Lord

60:03 He commands what He condemns. He defends what Judas is ready to reprimand. He vindicates where Judas is ready to condemn. And I want us to conclude by looking together at 1 Corinthians chapter 4.

60:26 And this is the word of consolation in the passage. It was the word of consolation to the great Apostle Paul. Who finds himself in a horrible situation. a situation in which though he was a true servant of Christ and had all the evident marks of an apostle in this church at Corinth and it becomes very evident in his second letter there are those that were judging him to be something other than what he was and having said that as a servant of Christ he is a steward one entrusted with a message and a ministry from the Lord.

61:13 Verse 3. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged or examined of you or of man's judgment. Yea, I judge not my own self, for I know nothing against myself. I am walking with a good conscience.

61:33 Yet am I not hereby justified, but he that judges me is the Lord. Wherefore, judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, make manifest the counsels of the hearts. Now notice this strange, strange phrase that follows. Then shall each man have his praise from God.

62:02 Well I thought in the day of judgment When the Lord comes There will be a separation of the sheep and goats To some he will say Come you blessed To others he will say Depart you cursed Why is Paul writing Each man will have his praise from God Same word used three times in Ephesians 1 To the praise of his glory To the praise of the glory of his grace Each man shall have his praise from God Is this teaching some universal salvation? No. The each man is in the context of each man who is discharging his God-given stewardship according to the house rules of the householder who has made him a steward.

62:50 He is answerable to none other but the householder. And in the last day, if he has proven faithful, verse 2, moreover it's required in stewards that a man be found faithful, trustworthy. He's been given a trust. He's discharging it according to the will of the house owner.

63:12 And he says, it's a very little thing with me if you Corinthians set yourselves up as my judge. Very little thing with me. I don't lose any sleep if you send me a notice saying that 15 of you got together and judged me to be a phony. If 20 of you got together and judged me to be a charlatan.

63:35 If another 20 got together and judged me to be harsh and overbearing. And another 20 got together and called me a softy and a pansy. He says it's a little thing with me. And what made it a little thing?

63:50 Was he insensitive? Was he a recluse who lived above and beyond the feelings of his fellow men? No, he was a sensitive soul. But what made him blessedly indifferent to their opinions and judgment was this.

64:06 He that judges me is the Lord. And he says, I know that in that day, when he who knows the heart and knows the motives are laid bare, Then shall every man, that is every man who has been a true steward, though judged to be something else by his fellow men, will receive his praise from God and he is willing to wait for it. He said that's why it's a little thing if I be judged of you Because I have brought near the last day When the Lord will come And the Lord will summon his servants before him And if his servants can stand in his presence

64:54 Conscious that they are accepted only in the beloved Their deeds of service and ministry Are no part of the fabric of their acceptance with God that is in Christ and in Christ alone. But standing before Him on the grounds of the accomplished salvation of Christ, there to give an account of the stewardship of their service, He said, in that day, He who knows my heart and reads the motives will in that day confer His praise. and I'm willing to wait for my vindication at that place, even as Mary received it in the house of Simon the leper.

Living with Abandoned Devotion and Future Vindication

65:46 Now, dear people of God, that I say is a wonderful word of consolation. You cannot live in this present life a life of growing Bible-based spirit, raw devotion to Christ, crucified, risen, and exalted. You cannot love Him and serve Him with abandonment and not provoke the anger and the criticism of some nearsighted judgmental disciples and the deeper, more vicious criticism of calculating religious hypocrites. He can't do it.

66:30 I'll never forget A.W. Tozer in one of the last sermons he ever preached at the National Association of Evangelicals conference. And he was talking, and I'll use his language, about these soft-handed preachers with a saintly flush on their cheek, trying to please everyone.

66:51 He said, in trying to please everyone, you'll end up pleasing no one. Quit it, Reverend, quit it. It won't do you any good.

67:02 And I've never forgotten his words. You see, the steward is answerable not to other members of the household, but he's answerable to the house owner who's entrusted him with the stewardship. And dear people of God, whatever your stewardship may be, that of a parent, a husband, a wife, a man or young man or woman in school, on the job, wherever it is, in that sense you have a stewardship to live your life according to the rule of Scripture, out of devotion to Christ that is not calculated, but in a devotion that is abandoned and warm and passionate. And as you do, you will know something of what Mary knew.

67:52 May God grant you the consolation in your eye by faith that she received there with her own ears. I close with Bishop Ryle's brief comments on this passage. Finally let us see in this passage a sweet foretaste of things to come in the day of judgment. Let us believe that the same Jesus who here pleaded the cause of his loving servant when she was blamed will one day plead for all who have been his servants in this world.

68:27 Let us work on remembering his eyes upon us and all that we do is noted in his book. Let us not heed what men say or think of us because of our religion. The praise of Christ at the last day will more than compensate for all we suffer in this world from unkind tongues.

68:56 Leave her alone. She has done what she could. My friend Can you look forward to the day of judgment With joy And confidence If you're not in Christ That day will not bring praise to you But condemnation that will land you In the place of eternal darkness Run to Christ Get to Christ and in Christ be sheltered from the wrath to come. And while He gives you breath out of love for His salvation, live before Him as Mary did with the abandonment of clear-eyed faith

69:44 and unreserved devotion to His person. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for the richness of Your Word. We thank You that it addresses us in all the areas of our need.

70:05 And as we have meditated this morning upon this Word of instruction concerning our perpetual duty to remember the poor, we ask that You will intensify our sensitivity to this duty and give us increasing measures of heart commitment to fulfill it. And then, our God, we thank you for the word of consolation. We thank you that we can expect our Lord Jesus now in heaven to express that disposition of heart to us that while here upon earth he expressed to Mary at Bethany and we pray that you'd fill us with the perspective

70:52 and the commitment of your servant Paul that it is a very little thing if we be judged of men or of men's judgment give us such a fixation upon that coming day that the approbation and smile of our Lord Jesus will in a sense be all that matters make us blessedly indifferent both to men's praise and men's blame and keep us locked in to the will of our Lord Jesus as revealed in the scriptures. May your blessing attend us as we leave this place. May we not quickly shake off the word but may we be given grace to hide it in our hearts.

71:38 We ask through him who loved us and gave himself for us even our Lord Jesus Christ Amen.