Extravagant Love and Intensifying Hatred - John 12:1-11

1:27Jesus, therefore, six days before the power. Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made him a supper there, and Martha was serving. But Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, who was intending to betray him, said, Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred deneri and given to the poor people? Now he said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. Therefore Jesus said, Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. The large crowd of the Jews then learned that he was there, and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead. But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews were going astray and were believing in him.

2:55What trajectory are you on? What direction is your life heading? Are you growing in love of Christ, or are you growing in a hatred of him? Maybe you wouldn't really phrase it in such strong terms, but are you maturing in devotion to your Lord, to the Lord, or are you growing in opposition to him? Well, we have before us in our text this morning an example of pure devotion, or certainly on one that's maturing in that direction. We also have in our text this morning pure hatred.

3:45Two different kinds of people. Look at the setting. Let's just look at this event where it takes place. We'll just start walking through it. Verse 1, Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made him a supper there, and Martha was serving. But Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. So the time? Six days before the Passover. So if Passover began on Thursday evening, then Jesus came to Bethany the previous Friday.

4:27And it seems that the meal was not on Friday evening. But the meal would have been on Saturday evening on the Sabbath, or right there at the conclusion of the Sabbath. Look down at verse 12. Because look at what happens. On the next day, the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of the palm trees and went out to meet him and began to shout, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. So this is his grand entry.

4:55Came in on Sabbath. I mean, he came in on Sunday, right after. So it appears the next day, verse 12, gives us a time marker that this meal took place on Saturday. The word for supper here, translated here in some translations, it's translated as dinner, and it could be a meal for any time of day. But usually this word is often associated with the evening meal. So the time could very well be Saturday evening at the conclusion of the Sabbath.

5:38So that's the time. The place, John tells us it's in Bethany. Mark 14 tells us that it was at the house of a man, Simon the leper. And it is interesting. There is a An issue of sequence here. How does John, is this event in John chapter 12 something different? Is this a separate anointing than what took place in Mark 14? Because in John chapter 12, it says six days before the Passover. In Mark 14, it says two days away, or it seems to appear that two days away this anointing event took place. But as you look more carefully at Mark, it appears, and you can turn there, and I'll just read this to you. If you want, you can turn there. If not, and just listen. But in Mark 14:1, we read these words. Now the Passover and unleavened bread were two days away. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize him by stealth and kill him. For they were saying, not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people. So there is, Mark opens up saying, okay, there's this event taking place.

7:06Two days away, the scribes are seeking how to seize him, how to kill him. And then Mark doesn't use his usual connection, saying, okay, then immediately this took place, but he uses a different expression. And he says, while he was at Bethany in the home of Simon the leper. And then He goes into this event of this anointing. And he gets to the end in verse 10. He says, Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray him. They were glad when they heard this and promised to give him money, and he began seeking how to betray him at an opportune time. So, what I believe what's happening here, and many critics have said, okay, see, we don't have reconciliation between the time frame. Well, I think we do very much. I think what Mark is doing is saying, Let me tell you how this coalition of trapping Jesus came about. And he says, two days before they had ramped it up. And then in verse 3, he says, now let me tell you why.

8:13Let me tell you how they got Judas on their side. And he goes through this event and he tells him. So I would take it that these two are the same events. Now, the other option, and some have proposed that there were actually three anointings, one anointing in Luke chapter 7, which is clearly not related to this. Then there is the anointing in Mark 14, or Mark, or John 12, six days before the feast, and in Mark 14, two days before the feast. I don't think that there's three. It's fine if you want to go there. But I think just in Mark, and I remember preaching. Preaching through this and thinking through this, and certainly have given more thought to it now. I think what Mark is doing is going back and saying, Let me recount to you how Judas went over and crossed the line and joined the hunt for Jesus and would play a major role in handing him over. So the place is, but certainly all that's just bring that to your attention to reconcile those.

9:31There isn't a contradiction. It's certainly harmonized very well in a number, in a couple of options. John calls attention to the place being in Bethany, Bethany. And it's in Bethany, closely connected with the family of Martha. And the occasion, and it may even be if this is Simon the leper, then it may be that there could be a relationship of some sort between Martha and Simon the Leper. Maybe that's why you see Martha show up so much. Or maybe it's just another place. It doesn't say that it's in the house of Lazarus, but certainly it could be.

10:17Well, that's the place in Bethany. And that's all Mark really wants to bring to our attention. The occasion. It's a supper in Jesus' honor. And if this supper event takes place on Saturday night, it may very well have been part of a Havdalah service, or how do I say that? Effi. And I got it. Hav de la. I'm trying to say it like the Jewish pronunciation, not the Texan. Hav de la. Hav de la ceremony. And this, it's evident that this ceremony had been going back at least 2,000 years. But what it is, it's a ritual ceremony that even is practiced today that happens at the conclusion of the Sabbath. The very word means separation or distinction. It's the word in Genesis 1:4 that God saw the light and it was good, and God separated the light from the darkness, made a distinction. Same is true with the waters. He separated the water from the waters. Same is true in Leviticus 10, 10. He made a distinction between the holy and the profane and expected people to do the same. And he certainly made a distinction in the days of the week. And he says in Leviticus 20, 26, he says, thus you are to be mine, for I am the Lord, I am holy, and I have set you apart from the peoples of the earth. So he makes a distinction between people. So the idea is separation. Distinction. And this ceremony marks the end of the Sabbath. So Friday night would mark the beginning. There's usually a meal associated with the beginning of the Sabbath, and there is this Havdalah ceremony that takes place at the end. And there are three main elements, or three blessings, I should say, that are expressed during this ritual. One is over the wine, and one is a passing around of sweet-smelling spices that everyone is to sniff, and then light. So you have wine, spices, and light.

12:46And one writer who practices this ritual today said it like this: The whole purpose is to say goodbye to the Sabbath. It's that little distinction of time that marks the difference between the Sabbath and the common days. And it says, one of the purposes for this little ceremony is to say goodbye to the Sabbath. But the hope of the sweetness and the holiness will remain with us during the week. So then we make a blessing over the wine, which is a symbol of joy. And then we sniff the spices around. We send around the spices.

13:30And then we use light to display the distinction between light and darkness. Well, the timing seems to be, just from John's Gospel, seems to be right about this time of the separation between Sabbath and the conclusion of the Sabbath. In some places, the ritual would be in conjunction with synagogue services, and that might explain why there is such a large crowd of Jews that show up in verse 9, that there is much going on here. Now, John doesn't express that, so we must be careful of reading too much into that. But the one element that is very prominent in this passage is the nice-smelling perfume.

14:25And so it is very possible that this ritual of saying goodbye to the Sabbath and the passing around of the spices, if it was indeed practiced, it would certainly be more accentuated by what Mary did and the perfume which fills the house and is certainly going to be upon Jesus and remain upon him through his next week. But John here is calling attention to this moment, this place, this time, and this event. And it is certainly a supper in Christ's honor, and there is certainly a display of extravagant love that really just blows the mind.

15:27And it's where God wants all of us to go. In fact, this is what we're becoming if you're a follower of Christ. You're learning more and more to delight in Him. But it's in this context, as we make our way through, that we will see an act of beautiful devotion and two acts of aggressive opposition. So let's keep going. First of all, the extravagant love. I can turn this on. Extravagant love. Look at verse 3. Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Obviously, Mary here has a very high view of Christ, and she shows us where a high view of Christ takes his followers.

16:32And there are four elements of this extravagant love that she embodied, that she displayed here on this occasion. And I want us to just real briefly look at these four so that we will not be hesitant to love Jesus in the same way. First of all, I think it's evident that extravagant love arises from a grateful heart. Extravagant love comes from a grateful heart. It can't be manufactured from any other place. And the last time we looked at Mary, we saw Mary was back in chapter 11 and verse 32. It says, Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw him and fell at his feet, saying, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And she's weeping. And really, the word there is, she's wailing. She is weeping and wailing as one without hope. So the last time we see her, her words are few and her faith is weak. And Jesus did something for her. He did something wonderful for her and in her.

17:47He not only gave back her brother, but he also revealed himself to her in such a powerful way. And no doubt. Mary was awed by the event. She was overjoyed by the event. And she was very grateful. And what had happened in those moments is Mary was taken to a new level of appreciation and gratitude for Christ. Second thing, extravagant love gives generously. It gives generously. You can see the extent of Mary's gratitude. It was displayed by her extravagant giving. Notice, John says, a pound of very costly perfume. This is some very expensive stuff.

18:55In fact, Judas is going to say, well, we could have sold it for 300 denarii. When you boil it all down, it really comes down to about a full year's wages. Very extravagant, very extravagant giving. You see, she was not hesitant to do much for Christ. And you know why? Because she knew he had done much for her. You see, you and I will never going to do very much for Christ until we realize how much he has done for us. Extravagant. Love comes out of a grateful heart, and it knows no boundaries in giving, because that's what love does.

19:41You cannot be extravagant in your love for God until you realize His extravagant love for you. We love because He first loved us. And let His love of you sink in, as it did with Mary. And out of a heart that truly receives, truly believes, there will be growth and maturity in love, and out of that will come extravagant expressions of that love. But it's almost automatic because that's what happens when you love someone. So, extravagant love arises from a grateful heart, it gives generously, and third, it humbles self.

20:35Look at what she does. She took the pound of very costly perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. Now, this display is very unusual, especially in that culture at that time. This was a very self-depreciating. Act. But this is what love does. She is not giving thought to her status. It's all about Jesus in her mind. And she is displaying a gratitude. She's expressing her love for him. And she is not considering herself. She is not mindful of herself.

21:24It's not about her at all. You see, and as you mature in your love for Christ, self will get smaller and smaller. Fourth, I want to say about extravagant love. It's not ashamed. It's not ashamed. It's not ashamed to be noticed. Love is not ashamed to identify with those it loves. Look back at verse 3. She wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Keep in mind, this is Jesus' last Sabbath before the crucifixion. You talk about, you want some aromatic spices filling the room? She does it. Wow, does she do it? The whole house. Nothing needs to be passed here.

22:33The Father gave this moment to his son, and what a beautiful moment it was. And it forever inscribed what pure devotion involves. It forever inscribed where a high view of Scripture takes us. I mean, a high view of Christ takes us. Pure devotion. So extravagant love, it arises from a grateful heart, it gives generously, it humbles self, and it is not ashamed. That's Mary in our passage. That's where the Spirit of God is taking the disciples of Christ. We are to be maturing in this direction.

23:31Contrary to that, John gives us two examples of those whose hatred is intensifying. And that's Judas and the chief priests. So he goes on to show us what intensifying hostility towards Christ looks like. And the first example is born out of a love for money, and the second is born out of a love of self-promotion. And you'll see where these seeds, where these dispositions of the heart take these individuals. And John wants us to see these so that this will not be the trajectory of our hearts, but that we will be on a trajectory like that of Mary. Look at verse 4.

24:24But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples who was intending to betray him, said, Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and given to poor people? Now, if I had to boil down what Judas's bondage is, obviously there's a lot of others, a love of self, but certainly here, here is a guy who loves money, and I call it miserly bondage. This guy is in a state of miserly bondage. If we've seen a high view of Christ with Jesus, we see a cheap view of Christ in Judas, a very cheap view of Christ.

25:04I don't know if this has ever happened to you before, but have you ever been sitting around a table and having, enjoying a nice meal, and then have somebody just open their mouth and just belch? I know we don't belch in Texas, but that has happened to me in the course of my tenure on the earth. Someone opened their mouth and. You're like, well, what was that from, you know? And then sometimes other people join in the chorus. Like, that's funny, you know.

25:38It doesn't happen in my household. You'd probably see a little mushroom cloud right over my house. Those of you from Los Alamos get that, right? But, but that's basically what happens here. I mean, it's like a, you talk about ruining the moment. You talk about, you know, just opening your mouth and, you know, right? And we talk about ruining a dinner. Well, that's exactly what Judas does here. I mean, he opens his mouth and, you know, I mean, there's this beautiful moment. I mean, it's beautiful, this incredible supper. You know, he has this perfume, this extravagant display of love. And I was like, you know, he just spews out this breath of hell. I mean, it's a picture. It's like, and what does he say? Jesus is not worth this.

26:35That's what that belch sounded like. You got this incredible, incredible, high view of Christ that has filled the whole house. And then all of a sudden, Jesus isn't worth that. That's exactly what he's saying. Changes the tone in the whole house. There's a greater good in this room. Than Jesus. It's like a sour note in a beautiful melody. Judas just belches out this foul view of Christ. He isn't worth all of this. And that's what happens when today, when many people see a display of pure devotion, it's hard for them to take in. And you hear that belch.

27:39He isn't worth this. You see, a popular thought today is: a little religion is good, right? It's good. Get a little religion in your life. Go to church. Clean up your act a little bit. That's good. That's good for, but don't get too carried away, right? You see, pouring out one's life is often despised by onlookers. It doesn't make sense, and they're quick to find fault. It's because a worldly soul cannot comprehend love's extravagance. And that's what we're called to do: be extravagant in our love for Christ.

28:23I look at John's parenthetical comment there in verse 6. He unmasks this pretension. Now, He said this, Judas, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief and he had the money box. He used to pilfer what was into it. So Judas had a pretty good gig going. And think about what he's saying. It's not even about the poor. Since Jesus isn't worth all of this, there's a greater good in this room. And what is that greater good? It's the money in the box that I can reach in and get the greater good is me. That's what's coming out of him.

29:03There are many Judas out there, and they belittle pure devotion. And notice how he belittles it. He doesn't belittle it by denouncing it, but he belittles it on the pretense that something better could have been done. You see that? It's very sly. Let me tell you something. He seems to be very concerned about the poor, but he's not. John makes that clear. Listen, some of the greatest evils on earth have been propagated on a pretended love for the poor, as is this day.

29:44And Judas's belch, if you call it that, is basically just advocating that neglecting Christ out of a pretense for the poor or advanced. Nobler good. That's what he's doing. See, Judas deemed Jesus of literal worth. You can see it right here in this passage. He's not worth that. Of course, we're not going to be surprised when 30 pieces of silver, how cheaply he sold Jesus' life out. And this, too, is an extreme display on the last Sabbath that our Lord enjoyed here on earth as before he went to the cross.

30:48He experienced the extravagant love of Mary and the belittling condescension of a Judas. See, Judas really didn't love Jesus at all. He loved money. He lived his life in this miserly bondage. And what a cruel bondage it is. And what a powerful bondage it is. If you ever want to know where the love of money can take you, look at Judas. It is profound. It is almost too difficult to believe. That anything can be that strong, and yet here it is. Listen, very few people saw what Judas saw, or heard the things that Judas heard, touched the things that he did, he touched, experienced the things that he experienced. I mean, this guy saw, touched, felt. He was an instrument of God's goodness to his people. He saw the miracles, he participated, he put his hands on people, watched them healed.

32:04And yet, that didn't shake him loose of this miserly bondage. He is an example of the truth in Jesus' words in Matthew 6:24: No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Man was made with one throne in his life, not two. You either let God occupy that throne or something else will. And eventually, whether it be God or money, there's going to come a collision.

32:54This is what happened with Judas, and he could not serve the two. So he chose his greater love, and it compelled him to do the unthinkable. Don't ever underestimate the power of the love of money in your own life. And it isn't, it's not a matter of how much you or how little you have, it's about the love that you attach to it. Listen, it is a miserable bondage as I just think about Judas. I am overwhelmed with what he saw and what he heard. And it seems like this love for money and all of its tentacles and everything that it touches and all that rolled into it, it seems to have disabled his natural affections. It disabled him. It rendered him inoperative in spiritual fidelity. It just seems like he became this brute creature.

34:19I mean, it disabled his affections. It triumphed over his conscience. And that's a pretty big triumph considering. What he had seen, what he had heard, and just the friendships. It triumphed over the friendships that he had. I mean, think about it. He was one of the 12. I mean, these were his comrades. To betray Christ was to betray them all. This love for money trumped that, or his friendships, his fellowships, his salvation. You just go on and on. And this one theme just rose.

35:01He loved money, loved himself, and despised anything that would get in the way. And somewhere he realized he wasn't going to make it. The Jesus gig wasn't going to turn out the way he thought it was going to turn out. And so he thought he'd cash in when he could. You know, a good anecdote for miserly bondage is extravagant giving. Look at Mary. Extravagant giving to the cause of Christ. Listen, come out of this bondage. Come out of every vestige of a love for money. Be a generous, extravagant people who are grateful for what God has done.

35:51And do not be ashamed and do not hesitate to yield to Him extravagance. This area. Well, look at Jesus' defense of Mary. Verse 7. Jesus, therefore, therefore, Jesus said, Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not, but you do not always have me. Curious word, that she may keep it as if she had more, perhaps, one idea, other, or let her keep it, let her keep the credit for doing this, don't mar this moment. But certainly, whatever Jesus means there, it's clear that Jesus is affirming the suitability of what she had done. What she has done is good, and you're not going to take this away from her. Leave her alone.

37:02You can think about this. Jesus probably smelled the perfume the following day, right? Perfume was on him as he rides into Jerusalem. And I would bet that he was, he could smell that throughout the week, that as he approached Jerusalem, he could smell, he could remember that last fateful Sabbath. Before the cross. And I'm sure it encouraged the Son. I'm sure that it reminded him of what he was doing and why he was going to the cross. Every once in a while, that smell would come back.

37:53I think it reminded him that redeemed humanity is a beautiful sight, and that is what he set himself to do. And I think the Lord gave him this moment. I don't have time to go into the issues of the verse 8, but I can certainly say this: what Jesus is saying is: use the time and resources that you have while you can. Use the time and the resources you have to honor Jesus while you can. The window of opportunity will quickly be closed. We live in a fallen world. There will always be poor among us, but Jesus was saying, Look, you only have me a little while.

38:42Seize the moment. Glorify God with the strength that you have while you can. Well, I need to move on. Second example of intensifying hatred. Is found in verses 9 through 11. Let me read those. The large crowd of the Jews then learned that he was there, and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead. But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. So, this second category of those growing in their hatred, growing in their hostility, are the chief priests. Are the chief priests? And you remember, they are an example of what I would call the bondage of professional jealousy, the professional jealousy. They're jealous because Jesus is outdoing them. And listen, this isn't just something that we deal with in professional levels. It's certainly, you know, one homeschool mom can get jealous for another homeschool mom. I mean, it goes through, or one mom, another, get the homeschool. You know, you can just get parents. You can get employees. This applies to a broad spectrum of people, but it certainly here is in a religious sense. They are very, and in a professional sense, jealous of Christ.

40:28Remember, in verse 11, Verse 56, they were asking, Would he come to the feast at all? And the answer here is, yes, he is coming to the feast. And then look back at verse 2. What do you see there? You see, Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. And what a picture of resurrection. Here's a physical resurrection that's taken place. Now, this individual is sitting at the table with Christ, enjoying fellowship with Christ, supping with Christ. You see a physical picture of a spiritual reality that here God raised someone from the dead and then enjoys fellowship with him. And that's what he does on a spiritual level. Christ came, then he raises the dead. He calls people into a new relationship with God. And that becomes fellowship, a basis of fellowship. God wants fellowship with you.

41:21And so for some, that was just curious. They were there. I wanted to see Lazarus. I want to really see this guy. I mean, and then there are others. It wasn't just a curious object. It was a threat. Look at verse 10. But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also. And what did Lazarus ever do to them? Nothing, right? But what Lazarus, by his very existence, he was a living testimony that mocked their doctrine that there is no resurrection. Remember the Sadducees and largely these chief priests are. Sadducees, they believe there is no resurrection. Now, here's this guy who's raised from the dead. He's a living mockery of their doctrine. So there's a professional jealousy there. There's a problem with Lazarus right there. But second, there's a real threat here in verse 11. They want him dead because, on account of him, many of the Jews are going away and were believing in Jesus. Not only was Lazarus a living testimony that mocked their doctrine, Lazarus was a living invitation to come and follow the Messiah.

42:36And this they could not stand. And many were. And what John's language here seems to be genuinely going after him. And so what do you do? You kill him. Kill him. We hate Jesus. And here's one that testifies to Jesus. We hate him too. He threatened. His very existence threatened their sovereignty, threatened their position. See, these people, they loved themselves. They loved themselves. Lazarus was a threat, and murder was a better option. Now, think about that. Okay, let's kill an innocent man. He hadn't done anything. He's been raised from the dead. Let's kill him.

43:30They're more at peace with that. And these are the religious leaders. Something bad is wrong. And I'll tell you what is bad wrong is they love themselves. And just a few observations we can make. Some people are simply determined not to believe. And no amount of evidence is going to convince them. That's these chief priests. Another observation is understanding that matured evil is never satisfied until every vestige of Christ is gone. That's what maturing evil does. Intensifying hatred until every vestige of Christ is gone. And the third, this is how evil grows. A love of self sets us on a trajectory of murdering.

44:34I mean, it's a trajectory that you don't want to be on, obviously. And the best anecdote I can say this is: just rejoice when Jesus's name is honored, even when it doesn't involve you. I'd love to say more. Well, we've looked at extravagant love, which may Mary, who just exhibits a high view of Christ. Then we saw two examples of intensifying hostility. Judas, who reflects a cheap view of Christ. The chief priests, who exhibit a jealous view of Christ.

45:20And contrast that with Mary. I mean, boy, she certainly abolished both, right? She loved Jesus more than material wealth. She loved Jesus more than her own reputation. And that's what it means to say, Jesus, to all, I give, I follow you. I love you. That's what it means. And at some point, we have to come out of these. Love of money, materialism, love for self-promotion. We have to come out of these if we're going to be purely devoted to Jesus.

46:06Good news in all this is, well, Lazarus' resurrection, coupled with what's going to happen in the next few chapters of Jesus' resurrection, reveals the certainty of our own resurrection. And before there is a physical resurrection, there Has to be a spiritual resurrection. And the whole reason why these words are being shared with you today, in God's providence, He is communicating the gospel to you so that you will come to Him. It's an invitation for you to come. Put your faith in Him. And if you've walked with Him many years, put more faith into Him. Grow. Ask Him to mature. Give Him a desire. Ask Him to give you a desire to love Him with such extravagance. Repent of those things. Every vestige that is evidence of a love of self or a love of money or a love of anything.

47:19Lose yourself in this extravagant love of Christ. That's the life that's worth living. That's the abundant life. Therein you will find satisfaction for your soul, as Mary did. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we just thank you that you love humanity, that you love us, that you delighted in redeeming humanity and taking what had been fallen and marred and broken and destroyed. Seeing great potential, and you set yourself to work in our lives. And, Father, we just thank you for your son, and it's beyond our capacity. We recognize and we confess we cannot love your son like this unless you do something in us, and that is what we invite you to do this morning. We've seen your word, we've seen the truth, we see the better way, and we ask you to bring it about in our lives. In Jesus' name, amen.