The Caution To The Steward: Diving Deeper
See Jesus
A Waste... or Worship?
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.
John 12:3
A little known fact about the Gospel of John is that half of the Gospel is dedicated to 6 days of Jesus life. I think about that each time I open the book of John, of all the stories, of all the miracles, of all the parables, of all the wisdom and revelation that Jesus would have shared throughout his life and specifically while ministering with the disciples, John spends half of his Gospel on the last week or so of Jesus life...
Do you think this story about Mary anointing Jesus at Bethany is important in the history of heaven and earth?!
WOW this story is so important, too important for us to dismiss as an inconsequential observation of John. In the opinion of John, the one who Jesus loved, the one Jesus entrusted his mother's care to upon his death, the one who may have been Jesus closest human friend, this story was worthy of eternal telling. All generations would know of this story of extravagance.
This celebratory gathering would have been to celebrate the raising of Lazarus. Joy, amazement, wonder, awe, LIFE!! Where there had been death and stench, there was now, miraculously, new life. Full. Complete. Life.
Ironically Jesus would be crucified and dead by the next week.
Custom for a feast like this would be to wash the feet of a guest with water and then to dab sparingly the head of the guest with oil or perfume.
Custom was also that the most lowly slave was appointed to do the job that Mary took upon herself.
Mary did two things in this act that need exposure. First, she used a lavish gift worth over a years wages to "wash" Jesus feet. This was an extreme gift. This offering was certainly worth more than everything else that Mary possessed. Mary used this valuable perfume to wash Jesus feet. She did not see the most expensive possession as worthy for Jesus head. She washed his feet with it.
Second, she let her hair down. This act defied Jewish tradition and behaviour for a woman in public. Not only did she let her hair down, she then wiped Jesus feet with her hair. She saw her glory as only worthy of wiping her Lord's feet. Remarkable. Humble. Worship.
This was the third time that we are told Mary was at Jesus feet: 1) She learned there. Luke 10:39. 2) She surrendered there. John 11:32. 3) She worshiped and anointed Jesus. John 12:3.
THE HOUSE WAS FILLED WITH THE FRAGRANCE OF THE OIL
I want my house to smell like this...I want our church to smell like this...
Of course this is too much for Judas, what an absolute waste he says. Judas claims that this may have been stewarded to much more meaningful purposes... purposes that Jesus actually taught. Give to the poor. Judas' words are right but his heart is STONE COLD. So his words are wrong and ring hollow and empty.
Poor (without wealth) Mary shows us the most famous and proper way to steward wealth and valuable possessions. With a heart of love, devotion, and worship, she spends everything she possesses in worship of Jesus.
May we see from Mary what it means to be frugal and prudent with God's provision...
She knew it already belonged to Jesus... 🤯
Jesus told Judas,
Let her alone; it was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of My burial.
John 12:7
Mary didn't know Jesus was being crucified and buried within a week, but Mary did know that she was stewarding a very precious perfume for Jesus.
Great stewarding glorifies Jesus. Great stewarding worships Jesus.
Thank you Jesus for the things you are asking us to steward for you and your glory and worship, what a humbling honour for us. Thank you.
-Pastor Kevin
Know Jesus
This week, you can dive deeper into the message through one or all of the following:
Breathe deep the fragrance of Mary's offering... John 12:1-5. What prompted this kind of extravagant gesture? ASK the Lord "How does this apply to my life? Our relationship?"... Then, consider sharing something you have discovered with someone else.
Listen and worship along with "My Jesus, I love Thee"
Consider the prayer prompts given in your time with God this week.
Discovery Bible Study
TO BEGIN
Pray and ask Holy Spirit to teach you about God from His word.
Next, read the verse a couple of times.
Now, ask these questions:
What does this tell me about God/Jesus?
What does this tell me about people?
How can I respond to what I just read?
When you’re done asking these questions, it’s a great idea to pray and thank God for teaching you more about who He is and who you are!
Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is a way for anyone, anywhere to read God's word! You can dive deeper into this week's message by doing a DBS one any one or all of these scriptures. DBS is a great tool to use for your own devotions, as a bible study with friends, or as an evangelism tool!
John 12:1-5
“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 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. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”
John 12:1-5
Listen to ‘My Jesus I Love Thee’
Prayer Prompts
Pray for an outbreak of worship in our church family!
Pray that we would grow strong in the revelation of stewarding God's rich provision!
Pray that for there to be an influx of souls into God's Kingdom!
Share Jesus
You can share this week's podcast, email, or blog post. Check out volunteer opportunities to get involved in the work of sharing Jesus in our church family and community.
Current Volunteer Opporunities
Saturday, December 10th, 6:30 pm: Christmas Parade. Our church has once again been invited to join the Kipling Christmas Parade! We are so excited for this opportunity to be the light in our community. We are looking for a team of volunteers to decorate the float on December 10th, as well as carolers for the float in the evening. If you would like to be part of the float decorating team, please contact Pastor Merodee at pastormerodee@kiplingchurch.com. If you would like to be part of the carolers, please contact Pastor Nicole at pastornicole@kiplingchurch.com.
Pastor Charla is looking for volunteers for the Christmas season Kid's church schedule. This schedule will be one Sunday commitments rather than a four week rotation. You can sign up to help by contacting Pastor Charla at pastorcharla@kiplingchurch.com.
