Brokenness – See you in Heaven

How can we honor only Jesus? Part 3

“Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” John 12:3

So far in our study of John 12:1-8, we have learned to honor only Jesus by serving Christ out of thanksgiving for what he has done (John 12:1-2a) and by spending time with christ out of joy for his gift of salvation (John 12:2b).

The third way to honor only Jesus is to SACRIFICE FOR CHRIST OUT OF LOVE FOR HIM (John 12:3). What happens next is an amazing expression of love toward Jesus. “Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” (John 12:3). I can picture Mary quietly arising from her couch to walk around the other couches with people reclining on them and reaching down to pour “this pound of very costly oil of spikenard” on Jesus’ feet which were propped up on the couch. The value of this ointment was equivalent to a year’s wages (12:5).

This perfume was very expensive for several reasons. First, because of the large quantity that Mary used. A “pound” was the equivalent of a Roman pound or approximately twelve ounces. Mary had enough anointment to not only anoint His feet, but His entire body. In fact, Matthew and Mark indicate that she also anoints Jesus’ head perhaps to focus on honoring Him (Matthew 26:7; Mark 14:3). John may have reported Mary anointing Jesus’ feet to draw attention to her humility and devotion in contrast to the pride of the Sanhedrin and disciples (cf. John 11:47-53, 57; 13:1-17). ¹ It is likely then that Mary anointed both Jesus’ head and feet.

Secondly, this was costly ointment because of its quality. John reports that it is “pure spikenard” in contrast to ointment which had been diluted. ² A third reason why this perfume was costly is because it was made from the nard plant in East India and imported from there. ³ It is normally shipped in a sealed alabaster jar and would only be broke open for very special occasions. Because this ointment was so expensive, only the wealthy could afford to buy it. It was usually reserved to be given to kings. Mary wanted to give Jesus the best ointment because of her love for Him. Nothing was too good for her Lord.

Do you treasure the Lord Jesus more than your possessions or money? Does your spending of money reflect that Jesus is first in your life? If others looked at how you spend money, would they conclude that you love Jesus more than anyone or anything else?

Mary “anointed the feet of Jesus” with this costly perfume. Normally a Rabbi’s head would be anointed with such perfume. To tend to Jesus’ feet was the task of a lowly house slave or servant. But Mary chooses to anoint His feet as an expression of her humility and devotion to Christ. To use “her hair” to wipe off the excess oil from Jesus’ feet is also significant. “Normally Jewish women never unbound their hair in public, since loose hair was a sign of loose morals.” ⁴But Mary did not seem to care what others thought at this moment. Her heart went out to her Lord and she expressed her feelings of gratitude for Him raising Lazarus from the dead.

Do you love Jesus more than your pride? Or are you more concerned about what others think of you than what Jesus thinks of you? People may think you are a religious fanatic, but what matters is what Jesus thinks about your sacrificial love for Him.

John then informs us that “the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” Mary’s expression of love and gratitude for the Lord filled the entire house with a fragrant aroma. I’m reminded of a Rabbinic saying: “The scent of good oil is diffused from the bed-chamber to the dining-hall while a good name is diffused from one end of the world to the other.” ⁵ This may be John’s way of saying that Mary’s action would be spoken of throughout the world (cf. Matthew 26:13; Mark 14:9). Her devotion and sacrifice for Christ would become a perpetual memorial of world-wide honor.

John leaves out an important detail that Mark’s account includes. Before Mary could anoint Jesus with the pure spikenard, she had to break “the flask” containing it (Mark 14:3). Christian author Watchman Nee equates the flask to our “outer man” or soul which must be broken to release “the inward man” or spirit (2 Corinthians 4:16). ⁶ Our outer man must be broken to allow the inward man containing the fragrance of Christ to be released.

Nee states, “God purposely used this term ‘pure’ in His Word to show that it is truly spiritual. But if the alabaster box is not broken, the pure spikenard will not flow forth. Strange to say, many are still treasuring the alabaster box, thinking that its value exceeds that of the ointment. Many think that their outward man is more precious than their inward man. This becomes the problem in the Church. One will treasure his cleverness, thinking he is quite important; another will treasure his own emotions, esteeming himself to be more advanced than other people. Others highly regard themselves, because they feel they are better than others, their eloquence surpasses that of others, or their quickness of action and exactness of judgment are superior, and so forth.

“However, we are not antique collectors; we are not ‘vase’ admirers; we should be those who desire to smell only the fragrance of the ointment. Without the breaking of the outward, the inward fragrance will not come forth. Hence, not only do we individually have no flowing out, but also the church has no living way. Why then should we hold our inner man to be so precious, especially if the outward only contains the fragrance, instead of releasing the fragrance?

“The Holy Spirit has not ceased working. He makes sure one event after another and one difficulty after another come to us. These disciplinary workings of the Holy Spirit have but one purpose – to break our outward man so that our inward man may come through. Yet here is our difficulty – we fret over trifles, we murmur at small losses, and we complain about insignificant things. The Lord is ever finding and preparing a way in order to use us. Yet when His hand slightly touches us, we begin to feel unhappy – even to the extent of quarreling with God and having a negative attitude. Since the time when we were saved, we have been touched by the Lord many times in various ways – all with the purpose of breaking our outward man. Whether we are conscious of it or not, the aim of the Lord is to break this stubborn vessel called our outward man.

“Nevertheless, the Treasure is in the earthen vessel (2 Cor. 4:7). But if the earthen vessel cannot be broken, who can see the Treasure within? Have we seen what is the final objective of the Lord’s working in our lives? It is to break open this earthen vessel (2 Cor. 4:7), to burst open our alabaster box (Mark 14:3), to crack open our shell (John 12:24). The Lord longs to find a way to bless the world through those who belong to Him. Brokenness is the way of blessing, the way of fragrance, the way of fruitfulness. But, it is also a path sprinkled with ‘blood from our wounds.’ Yes, there is blood from the many wounds we suffer. When we offer ourselves to the Lord for His service, we cannot afford to be lenient and spare ourselves. We must allow the Lord to crack open our outward man utterly so that He may find a way for His working through us.” ⁷

Does our devotion and sacrifice for Christ fill the place we occupy with a fragrant aroma? Does our praise please the Lord? Does our lifestyle honor the Lord (Hebrews 13:15-16) and emit the beautiful fragrance of Jesus (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)? What kind of odor does our devotion to Christ emit? Is it pleasant or unpleasant? Unbearable or refreshing?

We all have reason to live for the Lord. Mary was thankful that Christ raised Lazarus from the dead physically. But Jesus has done even more for us! He has raised each of us who believe in Him from the dead spiritually. He has given us never-ending life and guarantees to resurrect us from the dead in the future (John 11:25-26)! Only Jesus could motivate a person to do what Mary did. What a wonderful Savior we have!

Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for drawing my attention to what honors You! Mary gave to You what was most precious to her as a way of thanking Your for raising her brother from the dead. But it also seems that she wanted to bless You before Your upcoming crucifixion. She seems to understand, at least in part, what you were about to face at the cross, and she wanted to minister to You while You were still with her. Lord, I must admit that my love for You is so pale compared to Your love for me. Nevertheless, I want to express my love to You by giving You what is most precious to me – my family, my dreams, and my time. You are worthy of my very best. As I look back on my life, I can see You at work breaking my outer man to release my inner man containing Your fragrance. I am beginning to understand how much You want to bless this world through my own brokenness. Help me not to resist this process, but to surrender to You so more people can enjoy Your fragrance and be drawn to You. In Your powerful name I pray. Amen.

ENDNOTES:

1. Donald A. Carson, “Current Source Criticism of the Fourth Gospel: Some Methodological Questions.” Journal of Biblical Literature 97 (1978):411-29.

2. While the New King James English translation omits the word “pure,” John does include it (pistikēs) in his Greek text.

3. W.E. Shewell-Cooper, “Spikenard,” in the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. Marrill C. Tenney (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975), 5:502.

4. Dr. Tom Constable, Notes on John, 2015 Edition,pg. 213.

5. William B. Silverman, The Sages Speak: Rabbinic Wisdom and Jewish Values (Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson Inc., 1995), pg. 72.

6. Watchman Nee, The Release of the Spirit, (New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers, 2000) pp. 12-17.

7. Ibid., pp. 14-16.

Multiplying followers of Jesus – Part 2

^“8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ⁹‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’” John 6:8-9

If the Lord is going to multiply disciplers of His grace and truth (Matthew 28:19-20; John 1:14), we must also ASSESS WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE (John 6:8-10). “⁸One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ⁹‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’” (John 6:8-9). Think about it, there were five thousand hungry men on that grassy meadow near the northeastern side of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1, 10). But that is just the men. There were also women and children there (cf. Matthew 14:21). Let’s say there were also five thousand women and ten thousand children there, too. That is twenty thousand people! How much would it cost to feed twenty thousand people?

I checked with McDonalds near where we live and it is $3.49 per person for a Hamburger Happy Meal. To feed twenty thousand people this Happy Meal, it would cost a grand total of $69,800.

But not everyone likes McDonalds, so I checked with Mullets Restaurant near the river. I figured a Wild West Burger with a soda is $14.58 per person. So for twenty thousand people that would be a grand total of $291,600!

Come on now. This is Father’s Day! No burgers for Dad. Jesus is taking everyone to the Outback Steakhouse in the northern part of our city where people go to eat their delicious 8 ounce Victoria’s Filet Mignon Steak with Grilled Shrimp and a Bloomin’ Onion for $42.27 per person! The grand total is $845,400! Where were the disciples going to come up with $845,400!?!

They probably gathered around and pooled all the money they had. Peter had fifty cents, Andrew another seventy-five cents. They were near Phillip’s hometown so he had a cousin in the crowd. He borrowed five dollars from him. When they totaled it all up, they had $8.53, two sandals, and one cell phone. They knew they couldn’t feed twenty thousand people with $8.53, two sandals, and one cell phone.

While the disciples put all their money together to see what they could do, one little boy said, “Hey! I’ve got my lunch here!” While everyone else is thinking this situation is hopeless, this little boy was thinking, “Here, take this. See what Jesus can do with what I have.” Jesus wants to use every Christian in ministry, including you.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.” (John 6:10). This may have been an interesting command to the disciples. “Sit down to eat? Eat what?” the disciples must have been thinking. “We are not going to get very far on this boy’s lunch.” But Jesus has the solution.

Do you realize that your church has every resource you need, to do what God wants you to do right now! Do you believe that? Those resources have already been divided up among each of you. He has given some of it to you… and to you… and to you… and to you. That is why we all need to step back, every now and then, and take an inventory of the resources God has given us and then step forward to do our part.

I don’t know all of you who read these articles, but I would guess some of you are leaders… speakers… handymen or women… organizers… counselors… encouragers… some of you are great at working with children… teenagers… young marrieds… mid-lifers… and seniors. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has gifted you to do your part in carrying on His work here on earth. As believers, we need each other to step up and do our part (cf. I Corinthians 12:1-31). So first, admit you have a need (John 6:1-7) and assess what you already have (John 6:8-10).

When Andrew and the other disciples assessed what they already had, including the boy’s lunch, they knew that their resources alone were not enough. This assessment prompted them to look to Jesus for the solution. Will we do the same when we realize that what we have is not enough to satisfy the needs of all the people around us? It does not matter how gifted and talented we are, we cannot meet the deepest needs of people. Only Jesus can do that. Will we step up and do our part by bringing their needs to Him in prayer?

Prayer: Precious Lord Jesus, every day I see or hear evidence of how broken and wounded people in the world are, including me and those closest to me. As much as I would like to fix all the anger, division, and pain that people are facing, I am not capable of such a task. Because at the root of all this chaos and confusion in the world is a deeper problem that only You can solve. Only You can transform and heal our wounded and wicked hearts. Human governments, activists, and healthcare workers cannot perform this kind of surgery on the human heart. But You my Lord and my God can and You will when we implement Your discipleship process in our lost and broken communities. Right now my Lord, I ask You to heal the brokenness in me that has wounded so many other people in the past. Please show me how I can be a channel of Your healing grace and mercy to others who are reeling in anger and pain. Lead me to those who are prepared to hear and believe Your gospel message, and then be taught to follow You as Your disciple. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

What made David a man after God’s own heart?

“²¹ But You, O God the Lord, deal with me for Your name’s sake; because Your mercy is good, deliver me. ²²For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.” Psalm 109:21-22

The Bible tells us that even though King David was an adulterer and a murderer, God still assessed his life “as a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22). What was it about this man that led God to speak so highly of him? I believe part of the answer is found in Psalm 109.

In return for his love for them, a group of people caused great pain to King David by falsely accusing him (109:2-5, 20-25). Instead of getting even with those who had hurt him, David got honest with God and asked Him to severely judge his accusers (109:4-29).

David prayed, “But You, O God the Lord, deal with me for Your name’s sake; because Your mercy is good, deliver me. (109:21-22). David is asking the Lord to “deal with” him in harmony with His “mercy” for the “sake” of God’s own reputation, not David’s. People might begin to question God’s mercy if He did not “deliver” David from this difficulty. David is more concerned about how the Lord is perceived in this situation than he is about his own welfare.

When people misrepresent us, are we more concerned about ourselves or how others may perceive God? A man after God’s own heart cares about God’s reputation more than his own. He wants to see God’s character exalted among the people, not misconstrued or misrepresented. David was willing to sacrifrice to see God glorified.

A second thing about David that makes him a man after God’s own heart is seen in the next verse. ^“For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me” (109:22). David appeals to his own brokenness and neediness before God as another reason for the Lord to deliver him. A man after God’s own heart is willing to be broken, open, and raw before the Lord.

David was not perfect by any means. But he was very honest and open before the Lord. And God was so impressed with David’s honesty and vulnerability in the Psalms that He refers to him as a man after His own heart.

Are we willing to admit our own brokenness and neediness before the Lord? God already knows our inner condition. We are not hiding anything from Him when we act tough on the outside. He knows where we are hurting and struggling. And He wants to soothe us with His mercy and grace. But for this to happen, we must be willing to face our brokenness and neediness. If you are like me, you may be pretending to have it all together on the outside as a way of protecting yourself. But God wants you to know that His mercy provides a safe and soothing place to begin the healing process. Will you embrace His mercy and let Him heal your brokenness? You won’t regret it.

Prayer: Merciful Father, thank You for showing me what it means to be a man after Your own heart. I want to be that kind of a man. I want to care more about Your reputation than my own. Please forgive me for thinking more of myself when I am misrepresented instead of thinking more of how if effects You. For the sake of Your own reputation, Lord, please have mercy upon me and deliver me from that which dishonors You. Help me to see You as a merciful Father before Whom I can be broken and honest about my own neediness. I have spent much of my life trying to protect myself from more pain. But now I come to you in childlike faith to soothe me and comfort me with Your grace. Being held in Your everlasting arms of mercy takes away all the tension and stress of trying to protect myself. Thank You that I am totally understood and accepted in Your presence because of the Lord Jesus Christ. In His name I thank You. Amen.