Today I have the privilege of speaking to you about Mark 14 and I invite you to turn there in your Bibles. Mark 14 is the longest chapter of the book of Mark. It takes us to the last few days of Jesus’ earthly life.
The chapter begins with the members of the Jewish Sanhedrin looking for some way to arrest Jesus and kill him without stirring up the crowds that are in Jerusalem for Passover. Judas will give them that opportunity later.
But, before the events of Passover week begin, with its betrayals and denials, Mark presents us a story of one follower’s extravagant love for and devotion to Jesus. It is a model for us, showing us what love for Jesus should look like. It is why I titled this message as “Extravagant Love”.
The setting for the story is the little village of Bethany on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. (3) Jesus and his disciples spent the nights there after days of confrontations in the city of Jerusalem. Bethany was the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
A man named Simon the Leper held a dinner for Jesus and his disciples. Simon would have been healed from his disease, or otherwise could not have been in such a gathering. Maybe Jesus healed him previously and the dinner was in his honor.
To the surprise of the men, a woman entered the room. Mark does not name her, but John’s account tells us it was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha.
Mary’s entrance into the room where the men were gathered around the table was practically walking into the lion’s den. It was inappropriate in that culture for a woman to come into such a gathering of men except to serve them food and drink. As soon as the men realized she was not carrying a picture of wine or a platter of food, they would have begun to sit up and watch her, maybe even say: “what is she doing here?”.
Mary knew this and knew the men would not approve. But, she went anyway because she thought only of Jesus, not of the opinion of others. She was compelled to go because of her love for Jesus and devotion to him.
Imagine the shock of the men when Mary held up a beautiful alabaster flask. It was probably translucent white with artistic carvings on it. It was valuable and undoubtedly contained something valuable.
In fact, it contained pure nard, an expensive, perfumed, ointment that came all the way from India. It was worth around a year’s wages. It may have been a family heirloom or an investment.
Their eyes would go wide as she broke the top off of the flask. Mary was all in with her love for Jesus. She was not going to just pour a drop on him and then put the top back on the flask. No, she intended from the beginning to use the whole thing.
As Mary poured the contents of the flask on Jesus’ head, the room was filled with the fragrance of pure nard. Mary continued pouring until the flask was completely empty. It probably held 12 ounces or more.
The ointment ran down Jesus’ hair and dripped down even to his feet. The men must have looked on in shocked silence for a few minutes as the enormity of her sacrifice for Jesus became apparent.
You know, most of us are practical. We count the cost of things and we order our activities and expenses according to our priorities. The disciples were practical too. They complained. They scolded her! They said the flask should have been sold and the money given to the poor. They said it was wasted! (4)
I suspect they were not that concerned about the poor. Judas certainly had ulterior motives. But I think the others might have been embarrassed or ashamed. While they had the unique privilege of being with Jesus all day every day, they bickered about who was he greatest, they tried to exclude others from getting close to Jesus.
But here is this woman who is not even supposed to be there, who was not one of the inner circle, but who came to Jesus with no motive other than to express her love for him and to honor him, even at the expense of her own humiliation.
Notice also that Jesus did not join the complaining chorus. He received this extravagant gesture of love and honored the woman who gave it. He jumped to her defense, interrupting the scolding, and saying: “leave her alone”. (6)
Jesus also said that Mary had done a beautiful thing to him. His time was short and Mary had done what she could by preparing his body for burial in advance. (8)Mary seemed to understand what the disciples did not, that Jesus was going to die soon and they would likely not have time to prepare his body for burial when it happened.
Jesus was not minimizing the needs of the poor. He always advocated for the poor. But he was saying he would not be with them much longer and acts of love and devotion were completely appropriate. (7)
Jesus even said that what Mary did would be told everywhere the gospel is preached in the whole world. What an honor! That prophecy has been fulfilled thousands of time and it is fulfilled here today.
What Jesus said here is not new. God has always expected his people to love him extravagantly. The book of Deuteronomy records Moses giving the law to the Israelites again as they are about to enter the Promised Land. Moses said “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
Jesus called this the great and first commandment. (Matthew 22:38) In other words, the first and greatest thing believers should do is love the Lord extravagantly, with every part of their being and everything they have.
If you love Jesus extravagantly, you might go somewhere you have not been comfortable before. Certainly, you might go to the mission field at home or abroad, or into full time ministry. But, maybe you just go and serve in Jesus’ church. Or maybe you develop a regular habit of praying and reading your Bible every day. Or, you give to his church sacrificially.
Let’s commit ourselves today to loving Jesus extravagantly.
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