Morning Message Text: John 12: 1-8
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.
3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,
5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. ”
6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.
8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Morning Message:
The process! What does it mean to use a process in the way we live out our faith? Process is: A systematic series of actions directed to some end. I found an example of this in my daily devotions. The scripture it is based on is 2 Samuel 6:17, “So they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.” We often hear people say, “The end justifies the means.” In other words, it’s okay to do something dishonorable, if necessary, in order to achieve something honorable. But that is not a biblical perspective. God is as concerned about the process as much as the product. Early in King David’s career, he learned this lesson the hard way. He was moving the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, but he failed to follow God’s instructions on how to transport the Ark. A man died as a result, and the Ark’s movement was delayed for three months. There is a lesson there: God cares about how we serve Him as much as he cares about what we accomplish. For example, not only are we to speak the truth, but we are also to speak the truth “in love.” (Ephesians 4:15). We are to defend the faith with “gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3: 15). Do God’s work today—yes! But do it God’s way, and He will bless and honor it.
I believe that all Christians, deep down, want to know how to serve their Savior. In your Lenten devotional two weeks ago, there was a devotion entitled “Way.” I know that everyone read it, but listen to it again. The scripture is John 14: 5-7. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Henri J. M. Nouwen added this, “I do not want to be blind to the loving gestures that come from your hands, nor deaf to the caring words that come from your mouth. I want to see you as you walk with me and hear you as you speak to me.
The devotion continues: If someone tells us something we have trouble believing, or that surprises us, we might say, “No way!” In today’s vernacular they might positively respond, “Way!” The pathway to Lent leads us to remember that our Way is a person—Jesus: the Way. The Lenten Way is a walk to the heart of the Father in the person of his Son. “I am the way, the truth and the life.” The Way to the Father’s heart is Jesus.
The words of this scripture text were spoken the night of Jesus’ betrayal. Jesus did not make the night about himself. He made it about his disciples. Knowing the terrible, tragic events that lay before him, and the confusion and fear the disciples would know the next two days, Jesus gestured to God’s love. He spoke it and walked with his disciples, even when they could not see the Way. Jesus does the same for us today. What does Jesus mean when he says that he is the Way? There is so much meaning and direction in this one verse, these simple but powerful words of our Savior. He is the one and only way to God, the only way that our sins can be forgiven, and we can be changed and made acceptable to God. But there is something else that sticks out to me today: He is the way that we are supposed to live our Christian lives. It goes back to that old saying, “What would Jesus do?” Let me just add to that. What did Jesus do, and what did Jesus say to do? If we examine these ideas, we find the process.
Let us look at the scripture in John chapter 12 with fresh eyes to discover the process. Martha is serving because, as we have learned, this is her gift and the way she expresses her love of God and others. Lazarus was reclining at the table like we men like to do while the poor women are slaving around us. Just kidding guys! This was just the custom back then. And, give poor Lazarus a bit of a break here, he had already died once and spent four days in a tomb. Mary once again is doing what is in her heart. Remember Jesus once said, “Mary has chosen the better part.” In the Hebrew culture, to sit at someone’s feet means to learn from that person. The idiom describes submitting to another’s teaching, authority, and ways of life. Wait! Let me say that again, Submitting to another’s teaching, authority, and ways of life. Do you know what that is? The Christian process.
Mary showed her love for Jesus by positioning herself at his feet other times as well. We learn to worship Jesus with a sensitive heart when we follow Mary’s example of spending time at his feet. Real, fruitful ministry will follow. But wait, there is more. Mary was also generous. She took the most honored part of her body (her hair) and used it to clean the lowliest and dirtiest part of Jesus’ body (his feet). Think about this. Mary’s own brother had died, but instead of using her costly perfume for his burial, she had been saving it “for the day of [Jesus’] burial.” What a picture of worship and sacrificial devotion! She lavished her most precious possession on her Savior, showing her complete submission and love for him. I honestly wonder how many Christians today are truly seeking to serve God the way that He wants them to. A long, long time ago I had this burning urge in my heart. I kept asking God, do you have more that you want me to do? I wanted the answer right then. God gave me the process. I wonder today if there are others out there seeking what God has for them. My advice to you: Follow the process and God will take care of the rest.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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