Matthew 26.6-13

Let's start off this last section of the book of Matthew by reading our text:

⁶ While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
 ⁸ When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹ “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
 ¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”


What we have here is a contrast between Mary, the woman that poured perfume on Jesus, and the disciples. The contrast is this: Mary realizes what kind of King Jesus is, and the disciples get it wrong. 


It starts off with Jesus at the home of this man, Simon the leper. While they are at dinner, Mary comes in with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. We see in John's account of this passage that the perfume was worth a year's wages. To us, that is like 30,000 dollars!!!! And what does Mary do with the perfume? She breaks the jar and pours it on Jesus.


Jesus must have really stunk to need all that perfume.


That may be what you are thinking, but that is not the symbol that Mary is trying to get across. In the ancient world, they didn't have a concept of germs and so soap had not been invented yet. Because of this, everyone stunk, and that is why perfume and spices were so readily available to try and cover up the smell.


Yet no one needs an ENTIRE bottle of perfume. The only people that need that much perfume and spices are dead people. 


And THAT Is the message that Mary is trying to get across. 


She is the first person that gets it. 


She understands what Jesus has been saying to the disciples all this time....The messiah, the king of the universe, has come to DIE.


That is why she pours the perfume on him, she is recognizing that he is going to die soon, she is preparing him for his burial. 


SHE GETS IT!!!!


Now look at what the disciples say:


 ⁸ When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹ “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”


They miss the point, yet again. 


The woman gets it, the closest men to Jesus don't. 


That is why Jesus responds as he did.


¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”


Mary realized who Jesus is and what kind of King he was going to be. This effected how she worshipped him. 


She sacrificed probably the greatest thing that she had for the sake of worshipping and honoring her king. 


And Jesus is asking the same of you. 


Jesus came to offer himself as a sacrifice for mankind. He came to die. Because of this, he is calling us to give up all that we have to die for others as well. 


Are we going to sacrifice all that we have like Mary, or are we going to look for loop holes and make excuses like the disciples?