Matthew 21 begins the last week of Jesus' life with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we celebrate it as Palm Sunday. In the rest of that chapter and in chapters 22-25 we have the record of how Jesus spends the last week of His life teaching the people and His disciples.
Jesus knows He is going to die, this is the last week of His life. How do you think that effected what He taught during that last 7 days of His life? I would say that it had a great impact on what He taught, in fact so much so that I would consider these teachings to be some of the most important things He taught His disciples. As a consequence, we should pay close attention to these teachings in the 21st century.
In Matthew chapter 26, the events that will end His life begining to unfold. The chief priests and the elders begin to work out the details of how they might kill Jesus. Judas becomes involved in that process and agrees to take them to Jesus in the garden so they can arrest Him.
What do you think might have brought Judas to such a tragic decision for the path he would take at this time in his life? Is Judas just an innocent bystander that is suddenly possessed by Satan, moving along a path chosen by another? Or has Judas chosen his own path, motivated by selfishness and greed? I want to propose to you that the Scriptures clearly show us Judas' downfall. He was captured by the pull of money.
If we look very closely we will discover that the thing that will drive Judas to plot with the chief priests and elders is the very thing that Paul wants us to remember about our stand in Christ. Remember Paul's words in...
1 Corinthians 15:58
my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
(NIV) "...because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
(NASB) "...knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."
In the NT, the Greek word used here for toil or labor is used to denote not so much the actual exertion which a man makes, (Isn't that what we are always worried about when we think about our labor in the Lord? We want to make sure we are so busy but by being so busy we often overlook the more important things we should be doing in our labor for the Lord.) but this Greek word is all about the weariness which one experiences from that exertion. It designates that which we as Christians ought to render to the Lord as labor in the Christian ministry. (CWS-NT, g2873)
In light of the proof and power of the resurrection of Jesus Paul wants the church to understand that the weariness which one experiences from their labor in the Lord will not be in vain. There is a reward, there is justice, there is satisfaction, rest and peace at the end of the road. As we take our stand for Christ, letting nothing move us, and always giving ourselves fully, we can be assured of this reward. During His ministry here on earth Jesus was always giving us vivid pictures of the truths of the Gospel message. There is a beautiful illustration of this particular truth in three of the Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, and John. I want us to take a look at Matthew's account of the woman who anointed Jesus during the last week of His life here on earth. It is found in...
Matthew 26:6-13 (NIV)
[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.”
The word Jesus used in verse 10, "Why are you bothering this woman?", is the same word Paul used when he said, "you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Mary was bothered by the disciples for her actions of love toward Christ. This Greek word for labor which is used here to note the disciples bothering Mary, comes from a word that means "to strike. Beating, wailing, grief with beating the breast" (CWS-NT, g2875) This is not just a simple teasing or mild harassment. This is something that would cause a great deal of stress to Mary. Can you imagine how she feels? She has come to do a wonderful thing for Jesus, and instead of support from friends she is given this grief. One of the gospel authors identifies the main antagonist as Judas. Jesus comes to her aid, assuring her that her extravagant love was not unnoticed or done in vain. In fact it had a very important prophetic quality to it.
After the anointing is over, Judas goes out to glean money for the betrayal of Jesus. Judas' obsession with money drove him to jealousy. He is jealous of Mary who was extravagant in her love by anointing Jesus.
What would cause one to Steal or rob God and another to give all? I propose to you that it is because of different understandings of the reality of the importance of knowing that the work of the Lord is not in Vain. You see if I truly believe that God is going to supply all of my needs and reward me in the future, then I have no need to hang on to this worlds goods.
That jealousy would bring Mary stress from the disciples, but affirmation from Jesus. Judas leaves the room to go out to sell the betrayal of Jesus to the only people he knows will pay him for that betrayal; the religious leaders who hate Jesus with an extreme passion. They pay Judas the price for a slave, and he goes out to finalize the betrayal of Jesus. But Judas is not the focus of this story except as a warning to all of us who would hold to tightly to this world's goods. I think the words of Malachi are appropriate here.
Malachi 3:8-10 (NIV)
[8] “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings.
[9] You are under a curse—the whole nation of
you—because you are robbing me.
[10] Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
Judas did not accept this Biblical promise. His greed and desire for money so overwhelmed his life that, not only was he unwilling to contribute any of his own resources, he was jealous of Mary who gave everything to Christ in extravagant love. His greed so consumed his life that he was willing to sell Jesus for the price of a slave. Judas stands as a warning to all of us today. To hold on to tightly to this worlds goods, robs us of the blessings that God wants to pour out on us. This is all about what Paul wanted the Corinthians to know about our labor in the Lord not being in vain. You see Judas shows us that the labor we give for ourselves will eventual be in vain. As it often does, the Gospel message of Jesus Christ brings us face to face with the living God in the 21st century. What will we do with our earthly resources? Like Mary, will we give them in extravagant love for Christ? Or will we, in the name of self gratification, hold on tightly to that which we cannot keep?
But this story has a more important character than Judas, it is a woman named Mary. But who was this Mary? How did she know Jesus? She was Mary the sister of Lazarus and Martha, so she had a close relationship with Jesus. In fact the life of Mary and her sister Martha, and their brother Lazarus were very close to Jesus. When Lazarus had died Jesus rushed to the tomb and called the dead Lazarus to life again. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were firm supporters of Jesus' ministry. This is what brought her to this intimate moment where she sets aside all reserve and chooses to do the work of the Lord in spite of the impediments that might confront her.
Mary's labor was done in spite of what other people thought of her. Her labor was a labor of love. But even more important than that, it had a prophetic quality to it. This action of Mary was a labor that pointed to the death and burial of Jesus. Jesus had talked to Martha about resurrection and we know by Mary's actions here that she also understood that Jesus was going to have to die so He could be resurrected from the dead.
John 11:21-27 (NIV)
[21] “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
[22] But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
[23] Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
[24] Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
[25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
[26] and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
[27] “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
How did she feel when she walked into the room? How do you feel when you are about to do the work of the Lord? How did she feel when she was confronted with her wasteful extravagance? How do you feel when the world is telling you that you don't fit in? You see a meal with friends is not exactly the time one would come in and anoint someone for their burial. The actions of Christ through His Christians, the labor we do for the Lord, do not easily fit in this world.
What did she expect to get out of this act, what was her motive? God's purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us — and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask of very costly oil and poured it on Jesus head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, there were some who said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “wherever this gospel is preached what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did — not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him? (Chambers, A Life of Pure and Holy
Sacrifice)
What's the point? How does her experience relate to you and I today as we consider Paul's words, "You know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Mary had no idea how she would be accepted in that room that day, but she didn't care. Her love for Christ overcame all of the fear and intimidation she would face in that room. Even the ridicule that came at her as she anointed Jesus did not deter her, she knew this action of love was not in vain. She anointed Jesus for his death. That is what we do in our labor for the Lord, we anoint Him for His death. To do the work of the Lord is to love Him extravagantly. Not just financially, I only used that illustration because it came out of the text. It is a valid illustration but our labor in the Lord must come out of the extravagant love that we show Him in all areas of our lives. Because He came out of the grave our extravagant love for Him will be rewarded in kind. We take communion together this morning to remember that Jesus died on a cross, was buried, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. He showed us extravagant love and our love for Him is seen in our extravagance for Him on this earth.
Chambers, Oswald, My Utmost for His Highest (HIGH). Cedar Rapids: Laridian, 2000.
CWS-NT - AMG Complete Word Study Dictionary - New Testament (CWS_NT). Cedar Rapids: Laridian Electronic Publishing, 2007.
NIV - The Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV). Cedar Rapids: Laridian, 2003.