Mary of Bethany: A Model of Worship | Mark 14:1-9 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Series)

You know, there's an interesting passage in the book of Hebrews chapter 12, which is not our text, but I just wanna remind you of this verse where we're told to offer up to the Lord acceptable worship, for we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. You're part of that kingdom if you're in Christ. You're you're experiencing a taste of that in this very room, that while everything around us is shaking, you've been adopted and you have inherited a kingdom that cannot be moved. You're part of a program, a cause, a hope that can never be taken from you. I just love to know that I have a future that is secure, and so do you if Christ Jesus is your master.

And if he's not your master today, my hope is that after you hear about him, you would not wait a moment before you bend the knee and give yourself to him. And believer, if you do know him, but maybe your heart has grown cold over the past few days or weeks, my prayers that this passage that we will study will warm it again, and you will find yourself at his feet. So turn with me to Mark chapter 14, and our main focus is gonna be the first nine verses, but I wanna read the first 11 verses just to have a wider understanding of what is taking place here. Mark 14 beginning in verse one. And here's what the word of God says.

It was now two days before the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread, And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people. And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, why was this ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. And they scolded her.

But Jesus said, leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you and whenever you want you can do good for them. But you will not always have me.

She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly I say to you wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her. Then Judas Iscariot, who is one of the 12, went to the chief priest in order to betray him to them. And when they had heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money, and he sought an opportunity to betray him.

Lord, I'm fully convinced that unless you help take these truths and these insights and wrap them in your power, The effect of what this message is intended to produce in our lives will not be accomplished. So I ask you with complete dependency in the presence of your people, with your people, we ask you. Touch our hearts. You've designed this truth. You have preserved this testimony to do that.

And so we pray that you would assist the delivery of this word with the grace that would minister to the innermost parts of who we are. This is our heart cry together. And so, Lord, whatever weakness is on this platform, may you cover it with your power, and may we experience that power together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

In the plain reading of this passage, we see here that Mary's beautiful act of devotion and you're not told it's Mary here, but you're gonna find out it is Mary. That this display and this demonstration of love being lavished upon Christ is surrounded by two other text that are meant to describe the plot to destroy the Lord Jesus Christ. Did you catch that? Look again at verse one and two. I won't read it, but just your eyes can catch it.

We read here about how the chief and the scribes, the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest them. And then we go into Mary giving her heart over to the Lord. And then at the end of that scene, you look at verse 10 and what do you read? Then Judas Iscariot, who is one of the 12, visited the chief priest to plan to betray him. This is not accidental.

This is intentional. And what you have here is Mark trying to highlight this woman's exemplary type of devotion by surrounding it with this tragic disloyalty and deception on the part of the chief leaders and Judas. And this is one example among many, which is a useful reminder for us that not all biblical authors were strictly bound to adhering to this chronological timeline of describing events. Mark here and and other other authors from time to time will actually organize their accounts thematically. And when they try to convey a theme or wanna try to teach a lesson with a theme, they will even go to the point of putting the order of things in different places.

And why that's important is this is an ancient practice and this is something that you and I have to understand because people will kinda look at the gospels and say, well, this contradicts that. And and it's not it's not a contradiction. It's because back then, there was this kind of habit of writing in a way in which they weren't strictly adhering to this kind of timeline of events. And more importantly, this is the Holy Spirit inspiring this for us. And so what you have here, just in the overview of the text, is you have the structure of the scripture here highlighting and contrasting true devotion with terrible disloyalty.

And if the structure of the scripture can speak to us in itself, how much more the substance of it? And so you and I have to pull our chairs in a little deeper because we're gonna prepare to feast on what it is that the Holy Spirit wants to say between these verses. And so let's look at verse one and two again. We read here that in these two verses in the introductory part of this chapter, that the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him. They've reached a boiling point.

Enough is enough. He's embarrassed us enough. He's winning too many people already. We have to come up with a plan to destroy this Jesus of Nazareth. And this came after the Lord concluded his teachings about the end of the world and his triumphant return to the earth.

He's wrapping up and he already has already. And we find him now dining at the house, being hosted by some of his followers. And the person who owned this house was Simon the leper. He's an interesting character that we can't spend too much time on. Obviously, he's not a leper at this point.

He must have been healed because a leper can't host people at his house. But here he is with Christ, the one who changed his life, surely. And others who we're gonna find out are in the presence of Jesus as well. And when you read these verses, you almost get the impression, it's a false impression that while Christ is being treated and loved and adored and honored, he's unknowingly being plotted against by his enemies. And that is not the case at all.

Christ is not absent minded of what's taking place behind the scenes. And the only way that you can capture that truth is when you go to Matthew's parallel account of the same teaching. So go to Matthew 26, and I want you to look at the first few verses for you to see the full picture here of what's taking place with Christ. So let me remind you as you're turning there that in the first two verses of Mark, we're told by the narrator that there's a plot against Christ and then the scene shifts to the Lord who is reclining at table with those who were not his enemies, but his allies. But look what Matthew says in the first verses of Matthew 26.

When Jesus had finished all these sayings pause. What sayings? The sayings that you and I have been studying from Mark 13, all the discourse about the last days. It's the same here in Matthew 26. When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, you know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. Do you see it? What does Matthew add? He adds the fact that Jesus was completely aware of what the chief priests and the elders and the scribes were planning against him. He was fully acquainted with their plans.

And this is what we're supposed to get from this. Because even before the chief priests gathered look at that word in verse three of Matthew 26. Then the chief priests so they didn't even have they didn't come together yet to talk about it. They didn't even have the chance to scheme it. And yet in verse one and two, Christ already reveals to his own disciples, I know what's coming, and I'm telling you what's coming.

To your great comfort and mine, nothing takes our God by surprise. Nothing. Even before a plan is conceptualized, Jesus Christ knows every step in it. Every ingredient of it, Christ is fully aware, and that should instill a rock solid confidence in your soul. That should cause you to be able to go to bed sweetly and soundly every single night.

Because there is no accident. There is no doctor report. There is no sudden persecution. Absolutely nothing catches him by surprise. And if you hold the hand of him who knows every single one of your tomorrows, the more you mature in that truth, the more you're aware of that, the more you allow your heart to believe it, the less you'll be caught off guard as you travel through this life.

But there's more to rest in even in this truth. Because notice what the chief priests and the elders and the scribes decided to do in terms of the timing of arresting Jesus and killing him. It's in Mark, but if you're there in Matthew, it's also there. Look at Matthew 26 verse five. But they said what did they say?

Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people. So this was so important to them. As they're planning now to finally pull the trigger and and get a hold of this Jesus of Nazareth, They decided that we can't do this during the Passover. There's no way. There will be public outrage if we apprehend them and put them on trial.

And so let's wait till everybody goes home, the city gets quiet once more, and we can do this with greater stealth. And what's interesting here is that when you read the gospels and if you study the gospel, then you understand what? That Jesus Christ was crucified during the feast. And that it was made a public affair. Thousands of eyes were there to behold this tragedy.

Telling us what? That God overturned the plans of his enemies. They wanted to do it after the feast, but God ensured providentially that it would happen during the feast. Do you know why? Because no matter what the enemies of Christ hoped for, it was already planned and prepared that the son of God would fulfill what the Old Testament pronounced and pointed to that the lamb of God would take away the sins of the world.

And the lamb of God was to be slain when all those other lambs were slain to show these things are futile. The one who is suspended between heaven and earth, he is the lamb of God. And he's the only one who can take away the sin of the world. So what do I make of this then? Here's what you make of it.

Not only does God know what will take place, but he also ensures that his plan will take place. You can't lose, Christian, if this God is your God. And we see Christ here even in these verses given to us in form of narration, giving you and I the hope to trust that he's in control. He is in control. But this whole thing is not primarily about Jesus proving his ability to deal with his rivals.

We're not talking about one single plan here. There is another plan in this story. Not from an enemy, but from a lover of Christ. Not from a foe, but a friend. And it's this woman that we read about briefly.

She appears on the scene in our original text in Mark chapter 14. I want you to look at verse three again once more. And while he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. John tells us in John chapter 12 verse three that this woman was no other than Mary of Bethany. And this is not the first time that the Lord Jesus interacted with Mary of Bethany or her siblings.

There is a total of three accounts in the gospels where Jesus with Mary providing us profound truths in their relationship with one another. And it is no different here. We read here of a familiar scene if you grew up in the church that this woman, she comes and she provides something for Christ, this perfume. And though there is difference here between the gospel accounts, there is one thing that Matthew, Mark, and John agree on. And that is how expensive this ointment was.

Look again at verse five and you get an idea of what kind of value we're dealing with here. For this ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. So you're talking about the wages of a commoner salary, bottled up in that one flask. And something compels Mary of Bethany who knew Jesus. This is the last time she's gonna interact with Jesus.

But something moved her soul in this public sphere, though in a home, many people packed in that place, to break open this flask and to anoint Jesus with it. The question is why? What moved her to do this? And Jesus gives you the answer. It's in verse eight.

And if you understand what Christ is saying here, you will realize how remarkable this woman was. It says here, she has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burial. Do do you see this? Christ, knowing her heart, tells those who criticize her, you don't understand what's taking place here.

This woman is anointing me with the revelation that I'm gonna die. This woman, and knowing that I'm going to be buried, wants to pay tribute to me before I die. This is what Mary is operating with. This this knowledge that something's gonna happen to my master. And though I won't be able to see him again, I will do what I can to lavish my loyalty and my praise and my adoration even before others.

So you know what that tells me about Mary? Mary heard what Jesus said. Things that he told his disciples over and over again, but she got it and they didn't. How many times did Jesus had to explain to his disciples, I'm going to be betrayed, I'm going to be arrested, I'm going to be tortured, I'm going to be put to death, I'm going to resurrect. And they're staring at him like, hey, who's the greatest among us actually?

That's what we're really concerned about. And yet, you have this woman who who wasn't part of the three year seminary like these disciples were, and she had more insight than them. Oh, you think somebody just because somebody has letters beside their name in theology, they have more spiritual insight? Not necessarily so. I see a Mary who had more knowledge and understanding of the purpose of Christ than those who spend every day with him.

So she really listened and she really registered. He he's going to die. And so at the right time, she prepares a sacrifice. She pours out on him in preparation for his burial something from her own heart. But you know what makes this even more astounding to me?

Go to John chapter 12 and you'll see it. It's worth it if you turn there. Because when you go to John chapter 12, you'll see something similar, but there's something about the surrounding context that adds a depth to this woman's devotion. John 12 verse three. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus.

So here we're told that she was at his feet. Earlier, we heard that she anointed his head and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. So what's insightful about that? Oh, you can have a whole sermon just on verse three.

What comes before John chapter 12? John chapter 11. What happens in John chapter 11? Lazarus dies. Lazarus is Mary's brother.

And Mary and Martha reach out to Christ and ask him. They beckon him. Please make way here because this illness that we see our brother suffering with, it's not gonna end well unless you arrive here. Jesus, loving them, we're told in John 11 verse five, waited an extra two days. You think Jesus doesn't love you because he's keeping you waiting.

And yet we read there that Jesus loved them so he had them waiting. He arrives on the scene and he uses this moment for the glory of God to raise him from the dead to demonstrate the truth that he is the resurrection and the life. And then you go into John chapter 12 where Mary performs this act of devotion. Here's my question to you. Why didn't Mary of Bethany use her ointment to anoint her brother for burial?

Have you ever thought about that? Why why was that ointment preserved in John chapter 12 when in John chapter 11 her brother died, clearly a brother that she loved deeply enough to have Christ come, enough to believe for healing, enough to intercede for him? Why was that ointment still intact? You would think that she would lavish that on her brother. Instead, we're told that she kept it for Christ.

That's the language there of John 12 verse seven. Depending on your translation, Jesus in defending Mary says, this was kept for my burial. Can I tell you why? Because as much as Mary loved Lazarus, she loved Jesus more. That's what we're seeing here.

As much as she adored her brother, the memories with her sibling, her heart was committed to Christ more. And this is the quality of worship that the Lord deserves. This is the kind of thing that he demands. Listen. Your supreme affection, that it would be poured out on Christ above anyone or anything else.

Do you think that's true of you, my friend? Is that true of you? Can you say that sitting at the the pinnacle of your passion is the person of Jesus Christ? She broke the flask. She didn't put a drop here and a and a drop there.

She broke the neck of it. Communicating what? I have no intention of taking anything back. I'm not reserving an ounce of it. I'm gonna give it all to him.

I'm not sharing this with anybody else. And she pours it out all in Christ. And what's amazing here is John can't help. You think that he's writing this in his humanity. No.

The spirit insight incited him to do it caused him to write about it that when Mary performed this act, when she let go of that perfume, the fragrance filled the whole room. I wonder as John wrote this in his gospel account that he can remember the scent. But there's a lesson there that this kind of extravagant worship rarely goes unnoticed. When somebody has determined in their heart that Christ will be above every everyone and everything, In a sense, there's a fragrance that is carried with that kind of devotion. Some will love that fragrance, others like those disciples in the room will hate it, and that's true in your life and mine.

That kind of consecration to Christ will woo people, will move people, will convict people, and others, it will cause them to give another reason to despise you. But the extent of Mary's adoring allegiance to Christ doesn't even end there. If you thought it ends there, it doesn't. Because we're told here from John's perspective that when she anointed the feet of Jesus, she took her hair and dried his feet with it. Ladies, you can imagine what that would do to your hair.

She couldn't care less. She could have used any other instrument. She could have used anything to dry his feet. But at the feet of Jesus, she takes her hair and dampens his feet. And that doesn't make much sense to you and I until you read Paul's commentary about a woman's hair in first Corinthians eleven fifteen.

And we're told there that one of the unique adorning works of God for the for the woman we believe that there is male and female here, by the way, and only male and female. That one of the unique adorning works of God to make a woman distinct in her features is that he has crowned her with the glory of her hair. Connect that with what Mary is doing. What do you have? You have a woman who lays her glory at the feet of Jesus.

What is she communicating there? Lord, not only in the preservation of this bottle, even in light of recent events, do I wanna tell you that you mean more to me than anyone else, but I'm here now with my hair to tell you that you mean more to me than me. You mean more to me than me. If if I have to surrender my glory at your feet, then so be it. Let it stay at your feet.

You know, there are some people, they they they won't serve God unless they get some glory out of it. They won't confess it, but down deep inside that's how they feel. Here's a woman who died to her glory and surrendered it at the feet of Christ. Take it. Take the ointment that I could have used on anybody else and take the very thing that I could boast in and take it for yourself as well.

You're starting to get what's happening here. Right? Because here's let me tell you where we're ending. Jesus said wherever the gospel is preached, what she has done will also be told in memory of her. That is fascinating as a commemoration.

Can you think about this? Wherever the gospel is heralded, this woman's act of worship will be tagged with it. So here's where we're heading. Mary is quickly developing into a model of worship. So this woman here, she's at his feet, but it doesn't end there.

You come back to Mark 14, please. Look at verse four. Your heart is moved by this, I hope. My heart's been moved by this. But not everybody feels the same way.

Look at verse four. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, why was this ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. How in the world could anyone scold this scene? How can anyone feel the liberty?

Even if you internalized it? How could you even be visited by such emotions and thoughts at this splendid display of surrender? It's not surprising until you look at John's account of it. I know you're flipping back and forth, but this is what the Bible makes you do. I'm sorry.

When when you go to John, only John tells us who's the instigator of this complaining. Can you guess who it is among the 12? John 12 verse five, but Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, he was about to betray him said, why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor? So we're told by John, it's Judas who spoke out, and and when you come back to Mark and you see it in Matthew, it says some of the disciples.

So how do we connect this? It's very easy. Judas started it and then the others followed. Complaining is contagious. Yeah?

And it takes a very spiritual man, a very discerning individual in the presence of a murmurer to not be contaminated by it. So Judas speaks out and unfortunately, many of the disciples at this time did not have that level of spiritual strength and so they joined in and they're chiding. You know, that's why I'm very careful listening to people who criticize those who serve God. Especially without evidence, I'm very very slow to take what they have to say into consideration. Because Judas here seems to be righteous in his criticism.

Right? This could have been sold for the poor. The guy embezzled the money. The guy was a thief. You know what's so tricky about Judas?

You and I studied about the bible enough to know and that's become even a public term to describe somebody who's a betrayer or traitor. Right? He's a Judas. She's a Judas. The disciples didn't feel that way about Judas until after the fact.

In fact, when Jesus says, one of you is gonna betray me, what did the disciples say? Is it I Lord? Is it I? Judas wasn't suspicious. You know, if you think, oh, yeah.

If I was there and I heard Jesus say that, I would lean over to Andrew and say, it was Judas. It's been Judas all along. I knew it. No. They had no idea.

Isn't that scary? You can have a Judas in the midst and not even know it really? Wow. So here's Judas criticizing this wonderful worshiper. He convinces others about the criticism.

Hey, listen. Be careful what other people say, especially about people who serve God. And what I find here so amazing is that Jesus comes into her defense. Look at verse six. But Jesus said but Jesus said, leave her alone.

Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. So you could just imagine the scene, right? You have Christ reclining, you have Mary anointing his head and at some point anointing his feet and she's there with her hair drying his feet. Judas is standing with the disciples behind him saying, look at this.

We could have done something for the poor. What a waste. And some of the disciples says, yeah. Lord, come on. This is just this is a little too extreme.

And Jesus said, leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. Don't expect carnal people to understand worship. Don't expect people who have never experienced Christ like Mary who had a revelation of Christ to understand why you come to church once a week, more than once a week, especially a church that has service at 1PM.

How inconvenient. Don't expect everybody to understand it. Don't ever don't expect people to appreciate it. There are some people who don't, Who see what Judas saw in this moment. A waste.

This is a waste. This is a waste of life. This is a waste of your weekend. This is a waste of your money. And Christ speaks up for her.

But this is not about the world criticizing a worshiper. This is supposedly disciples criticizing a worshiper, which grants us further instruction. There might be some who might not even understand the value of what you do for the Lord, but who cares? Who cares if people are not impressed with the ministry that you're a part of? Who cares if people praise you for the ministry that you're working in?

Do Do you notice what Jesus said here? She has done a beautiful thing to me. It wasn't beautiful to Judas and the crowd, but it was beautiful to Christ. Isn't that enough for you to stay motivated to serve him? He thinks it's beautiful.

He's the one who loves it. He's the one who's moved by it. That should be enough for you to get up another day and give him your heart once more to serve him in the capacity that you're in. She has done a beautiful thing to me. And listen, let's not just make this about others maybe criticizing or judging us.

Be careful, believer, of looking at other people and how they serve the Lord and judging them or failing to appreciate them or encourage them. You know, there's a verse that came to mind when I looked at this part. It's in Romans 14. Romans 14 deals with believers in the same church church that may not agree on certain things, that may not worship in the same way. You have some who have tasted of the grace of God, and so what?

They can go to the meat market and buy meat that has been sacrificed to idols. And you would think that those those would be the less spiritual ones. No. Paul calls them the strong ones because your strength is determined by your understanding of God's grace more than anything else. And so you had some who were like, he's king, he's lord.

What are what are these things? We pray over it, we give thanks for it, and it's done. It's dealt with. Let let's go let's go grab a steak or two. And then you had weak believers.

Weak believers who maybe had that background of worshiping in these temples and so they they stayed away from those kind of meats. And more than that, you had some believers who didn't consider one day more holy than the others and yet others who had more strict adherence to certain feasts and days. And so Paul here is is coaching this church. And what he's concerned about primarily, for the strong not to take advantage of their liberties to make the weak stumble, but also for those who are weak not to judge those who are strong and vice versa. Listen to this verse in Romans 14 verse four.

Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls, and he will be upheld for the Lord is able to make him stand. And later on he kinda echoes it but he says, listen, if you're gonna judge another, realize we're all gonna stand before the judgment seat of God. Meaning, don't get so preoccupied about judging and nitpicking and and try evaluate somebody's motives. You have enough to worry about yourself.

You have to stand before God and give an account for your life. But notice what he says here in verse four. He says, why are you passing a judgment on another servant? You're not his master. You can't confidently determine that person's motive.

You can't confidently say whether they are this or that. Yes. There's fruit that we have to be aware of, but this is deeper than that. This is nitpicking and this is, this is projecting what you think is right should be right for everybody. And what you think is wrong should be wrong for everybody.

There's a whole stream in, in the evangelical world that are operating that kind of logic. Nothing black and white in the bible but if you have that in your home and if you do this with your family, then you're less spiritual than this person who doesn't have that in their home and doesn't do that. Who are you to judge another servant. And then notice what he says later. He says, it is before his own master that he stands or falls.

And he will be upheld for the Lord is able to make him stand. That means many things. Here's my favorite thing that it means. Your criticism won't make him fall. His master is gonna uphold him if he is true.

That brings me comfort. I don't know about you. That brings me great joy. That what men inside or outside might say, that will not determine me standing on my feet to serve my master. He's the one that determines.

He's the one that hires me and he's the one who fires me. Saying why why is that important and how is that connected? Notice that when you go back to Mark chapter 14 and this woman who's being scolded, she doesn't say one word. Jesus defends her the whole time. Listen, you serve God long enough, Satan won't let you do it without discouraging you, putting fear in you.

Listen very closely to this, you have to understand that the one who makes you stand or fall is your master, not any man. And there are times in which, like, Paul, where he defended his apostleship for the sake of the gospel, and there are other times where you have to be like Mary and what? Stay quiet and let Christ defend you. I've had people tell me over the years, you know, so and so said this, I heard this, da da da da da da da da, maybe you should task him, you should clarify. I can't just run around and clarify to everybody everything that they hear or say.

I can't do that. Christ doesn't ask that of me and that's no way to live in my service to Christ. Christ, this is a preview, one day will be the one who makes a plea for me. He's the one who will speak up for me. He can speak up for me in this life, surely one day he will speak up for me in the life to come.

So let me stay busy serving the Lord, worshiping him, and Christ will deal with the rest. Be free today in your worship. We come back to our main text in verse seven. For you always have the poor with you and whenever you want, you can do good for them, but you will not always have me. What's Jesus saying here?

Jesus is not saying that we shouldn't take care of the poor, but this is a good word for those who are so overly caught up in social attempts to vindicate or to deal with people and help them. That's important, but Jesus here prioritizes worship. And from that worship, everything else flows. But in context, what he's saying here is you guys are obviously not seeing or seizing the opportunity at hand. I'm going to die in a couple of moments here.

You're not doing what she's doing. You're supposedly concerned for the poor. The poor will always be there. I will not always be here. Do you guys are you guys seeing what's happening here?

She clearly does. And so this is an indirect way of challenging their lack of ability to understand the moment, The prophetic significance of what's about to transpire. Verse eight has rescued me early in my Christian walk about my service to the Lord. And I hope that if it's not registered yet in your life, that this would be the defining moment. Look what Jesus says in verse eight.

She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burial. That little phrase, she has done what she could, has healed me 10,000 times over, has comforted me beyond what you can imagine. See, Christ doesn't measure the strength of our devotion the way you and I might. He looks at your means and he takes into consideration your motives.

So it's not about amount. It's not about the breadth. It's not about the public opinion. It's about your means as an individual and your motives behind what you do. Isn't that freeing?

You know what's so encouraging about this phrase, she has done what she could. Remember, this is found in Matthew and this is found in John. Matthew and John do not include that phrase, only Mark. What is the main theme of the gospel of Mark? You can say it out loud if you know it.

Jesus being what? The perfect servant of God. Is it any coincidence that this phrase is found here in a book that is focused on Jesus serving God perfectly, yes, as our fulfillment for righteousness, but also as our example in service, that this phrase, she has done what she could, is here. I'm talking to the heart that eagerly wants to serve the Lord and make an impact for the kingdom and wants to see as many people touched for his glory. And you may feel limited.

You may feel like you don't have the resources or the platform or the gifting. Remember what Jesus said about Mary. She has done what she could, and it is beautiful to me. It's beautiful to me. May not be impressive to others.

It might be even criticized by others. Who cares? When Christ is the one who says, she's done what she could, and it's wonderful in my eyes. She has done what she could. And then he says this astounding thing in verse nine.

And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of of her. Many wonderful things were done in the presence of Christ, towards Christ, in response to Christ. But this is a unique tribute that Jesus gives to this woman. It's being fulfilled now in one way that we are speaking of her. We're reflecting the memory of her.

But for Christ to verbalize this commemoration, to say, as the gospel is spread across the globe, so also what she has done will be told in memory of her. In other words, Jesus wants the world to know this woman. Jesus wants her memory to be considered, to be discussed, to be studied. And in wrestling with this thinking, what is it about what this woman has done for Christ to to esteem her in such a way? To make her a monument in some sense, not to be worshiped, but to be considered.

And I believe that the fact that the gospel is included with this testimony is meant to demonstrate the following. That as you hear the gospel, you would also have a strong example of the appropriate response to the gospel. Mary is a model of worship. Makes sense, does it not? That oil that she could have put on her brother or anybody else is for you.

My glory is yours. That was her response to what? Knowing that Jesus was going to die. What's your response? What's your heart towards him?

That's the point. Because what Christ said about her, he expects of you and I. The beautiful thing that she has done is something that he expects from his people as a bouquet of devotion to him. Man and woman. This isn't just a sentimental thing that women are prone to.

This is what he expects of all his disciples in the way that you can show it. Here's where I end. You know what's so amazing about Mary of Bethany? She's mentioned three times in the gospel accounts. One time in Luke chapter 10, another time in John chapter 11, and lastly in John chapter 12 or in Mark chapter 14, Matthew 26.

If you study carefully, you know what you'll discover about Mary of Bethany? That at some point and every time she is mentioned, she is found at the feet of Jesus. So in Luke 10, when Martha is hosting Jesus, typical Middle Eastern woman running around trying to feed everybody, Mary, we're told, was found at the feet of Jesus listening to his word. John 11, Jesus arrives to Bethany, news gets to Mary, Mary runs to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit tells us that she fell at his feet. So what did she do the first time?

She was listening to his word. What did she do at the second time? She was praying at his feet. And what do you find in the last time? Worship.

Listening, praying, worshiping. Where? At the lowest possible point. Years ago, I wrote a poem about Mary because this insight just moved me to my core. I haven't shared it in years.

I haven't even read it myself in years, but I thought this would be an appropriate time to end this message. This poem is called At His Feet. Find me at his feet, receiving his words divine. Though troubles may surround me, my peace is in the vine. Find me at his feet, though service demands my day.

I gaze upon his beauty, lest my heart drifts astray. Find me at his feet as sorrows blanket my soul. To him, I give my pain, to him who's in control. Find me at his feet as tears mask my face. Confusion has paid a visit, yet my anchor is his grace.

Find me at his feet with the revelation of his death, my ointment poured out in full, and with it, my every breath. Find me at his feet, longing for the one above. Though voices may attack me, they are muted by his love. Find me at his feet, my glory relinquish there. For in the posture of surrender, his scent becomes my share.

Find me at his feet, drawn by the fragrance of grace, for every other pleasure in life falls short of his embrace. Find me at his feet through joy or in dismay. In every season of my life, at his feet is where I stay. Pray with me. If the praise team can come up, please.

Thank you. Believer, are you at his feet today, or did you pick yourself up and go somewhere else? I encourage you to find yourself back at his feet, knowing fellowship with him, knowing intimacy with him. Maybe you need to rediscover the joy of that place, and this is your time to communicate with the Lord and ask him to revive your longing for him. Themselves at the feet of the Lord only in bad times.

Other people find them at good times, and they don't know how to bring their troubles or their concerns to him. Mary teaches us to stay there no matter what. If you're not a Christian in this place, Jesus invites you to know a love that is incomparable, a love that will have you so content in your relationship with him that whatever Christ ask of you, you can give it up without hesitation. Before I even pray, I'm I'm not gonna even pray right now. I'm gonna allow you to pray, spend time with the Lord.

In a minute or so, the team will lead us in song, but I ask you to pull out that bottle of perfume and pour it out on him for he is worthy.