Extravagant Devotion

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 8 JUNE 2025 AM – MR GARETH McINTYRE

JOHN 12 VERSES 1 TO 8

EXTRAVAGANT DEVOTION 

The story is told of an young Indian lady who whilst reading a Gideon bible came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. One time as she sat in a church service she expressed her love and devotion to the Lord by placing her gold ring into the collection plate. This gold ring was one of her most cherished possessions because it was the first ever gift she received from her late husband. But now that she was saved the Lord had become so precious to her that she wanted to present her gold ring as an offering to him. Just like Mary in today’s scripture reading she performed a beautiful deed. How honouring it is to the Lord when we freely respond to him with totally committed hearts. The monetary worth of our gift or the excellence of our service is not of primary importance but it is the giving of ourselves without reservation that causes the Lord to say “you have wrought a good work on me.” John chapter 12 shows us a grateful, thankful expression of love for Jesus by Mary of Bethany. Her extravagant devotion.

Martha in the kitchen, serving with her hands;
Occupied for Jesus, with her pots and pans.
Loving Him, yet fevered, burdened to the brim.
Careful, troubled Martha, occupied for Him.

Mary on the footstool, eyes upon her Lord;
Occupied with Jesus, drinking in His Word.
This the one thing needful, all else strangely dim;
Loving, resting Mary, occupied with Him.

So may we, like Mary, choose the better part;
Resting in His presence – hands and feet and heart;
Drinking in His wisdom, strengthened with His grace;
Waiting for the summons, eyes upon His face.

When it comes, we’re ready – spirit, will, and nerve;
Mary’s heart to worship, Martha’s hands to serve;
This the rightful order, as our lamps we trim –
Occupied with Jesus, then occupied for Him!

That’s the order the Lord would have us to serve. We please the Lord most when we sit at his feet to worship and to love him and to learn and to listen before we stand in his presence to serve. Mary’s extravagant devotion. In its context John 12 is Jesus’ final week of his earthly ministry. In less than one week the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God would be put to death. He was going to be betrayed by someone close to him – that was Judas. He was going to be denied by his friend – that was Peter. He was going to be forsaken by all. He was going to be arrested in the garden of Gethsemane as he agonised and sweated those great drops of blood. We could call it the place of supplication. He would be brought before the Jewish religious leaders. There he would be falsely accused. There he would be ridiculed, beaten and spat upon. From there he would be taken to the Praetorium, the Roman Governor’s Jerusalem palace. We could call it the place of accusation. There he would stand before a sinful wretch of man, an earthly judge, Pontius Pilate. There the Lord Jesus, the judge of all the earth would be released into the hands of wicked men. He would be scourged and led to that place called Calvary, the place of crucifixion. Where the sinless, spotless Son of God would bleed and willingly die upon the middle tree. Before all this could take place, in the midst of all his sorrows the lovely Lord Jesus and his disciples were invited by his friends to a thanksgiving supper at a home in Bethany. We could call it the place of devotion.

Our reading does not tell us whom this home belongs to. Matthew 26 tells us this home belongs to Simon the leper. Obviously he was no longer a leper, he had been healed by the Lord Jesus. Also present in verse 2 was Mary, her sister Martha and their brother Lazarus who Jesus had raised from the dead. Picture the scene this morning - it was a godly home, where Christ was loved and honoured and always welcome – “there they made him a supper”. The supper was made for the Lord. Everyone present partook of the supper but Jesus was the main focus, he was centre of attention, the special guest in this home. Everything revolved around the Lord. If you ask yourself honestly is Christ the centre of your home. Is your home the place where Christ is honoured? Is your home a place where Christ is always welcome? Is the Lord Jesus the focus of your home? “The greatest hypocrites are those who are Christians everywhere else except for their own home.” This home was also a grateful home. It was arranged to give thanks. Mary and Martha were so thankful for what Christ had done in their lives but especially for raising their brother from the dead. Lazarus himself was obviously thankful, he was dead and now alive. He was reclining with Jesus at the table. Simon is no longer a leper, he is cured, he is healed. He has everything to be thankful for. If we are saved we have so much to be thankful for. We can look back to a time like Lazarus, a time when we were dead. Not dead physically but dead spiritually. Dead in our sin the bible says. Lost, without hope. But Christ came and he gave us life. We can look back to a time like Simon the leper, when we had a disease that no money, no medicine of this world could cure the disease of sin. That only the blood of Christ can remedy. Just as Mary and Martha cried and pleaded to the Lord over their brother Lazarus, maybe some of us have spent years pleading to the Lord over the soul of a loved one. You can rejoice that your prayers have been answered and they have been saved by the grace of God. This was a genuine home.

We see Martha the worker. She was working so hard for her master, serving the meal. We see Lazarus the witness. He had no recorded words ever spoken but his miraculous life testified to the power of God. I want to consider Mary the worshipper. See her extravagant devotion. Every time you read of Mary of Bethany you will find her in her favourite place – at the feet of Jesus. Luke 10 finds her sitting at his feet. John 11 she is falling at his feet. Here in John 12 she is found bowing at the Saviour’s feet. In the last week before Christ’s crucifixion, as the chief priests looked for an excuse to arrest Christ, as Judas Iscariot looks for a convenient time to betray Jesus, Mary of Bethany looks for her perfect opportunity to show her love and devotion to Christ. In verse 3 we read she took a “pound of ointment of spikenard”. Very costly ointment. She anointed the feet of Jesus. Matthew and Mark tells us she poured the oil over his head and it ran down over his body in preparation for his death, burial and resurrection. Every drop she poured out for her Saviour. But then something happened. It is so common – she was criticised. It was not constructive criticism. Whenever she poured out her love, her devotion, her worship on the Lord, the critics appeared as they often do. Whenever she showed her grateful, sacrificial love we are told there was indignation. But then the Lord steps forward into her defence as he always does – “let her alone. Why trouble ye her. She hath wrought a good work on me.”

Notice the murmuring about Mary’s devotion – verses 4 and 5. These are the first recorded words of Judas Iscariot. Normally he lingered quietly in the shadows but this act of love really ruffled his feathers and rattled his cage. Judas was a fake, a fraud, a false disciple. He knew Christ intimately but he did not know Christ by faith. He was never truly saved. He was one of the 12, professed to be one of the Lord’s greatest friends, he followed Christ for 3½ years. He heard the words of Christ. He witnessed the miracles of Christ. He was even involved in the work of Christ. He did not love Christ. He murmured about Mary’s devotion because the love of money ruled his heart. And while Mary’s heart was filled with love, Judas’ heart was filled with covetousness. He was blinded by his sin and his love for the things of this world.

The story is told of a young man who came from a very wealthy family. He believed that when he finished college his father would buy him the car of his choice. He spent months talking about cars and looking at them with his father. A week before his graduation this father and his son found what appeared to be the perfect car. On the morning of his graduation he quickly rushed down the stairs fully expecting to look out the window and see his car in the driveway but instead his father reached him a copy of the bible. The son was so mad that he threw the bible on the floor. He stormed out of the house and he was never reconciled and he remained estranged until the day his father died. Sometime later as he was going through his father’s things he noticed the bible his father had given him years earlier. He brushed off the dust and he opened it and to his surprise and utter horror he found a cheque between the pages of scripture. This cheque was dated the day of his graduation with the exact amount to buy the car that he and his father had chosen. God’s greatest gifts are still found in the pages of scripture but sometimes we allow greed and many other sins to destroy us and divert our attention elsewhere. Judas’ love of money destroyed him and it diverted his attention elsewhere. You cannot love God and love your possessions. He argued that this spikenard should have been sold and the money given to the poor. The truth is he wanted the money. He wanted it for himself because he was a thief. And he had a bag and he was the treasurer of the group. In fact Mark 14 the criticizers described this pouring of the ointment as a waste. Isn’t that what the world thinks of Christian worship, devotion, service and sacrifice? People think that missionaries are a waste of time, church is a waste of time, gospel missions are a waste of time. A life dedicated to the service of God is a waste of time. George Whitefield said “Oh for a thousand lives to be spent in the service of Christ the King.” But then he added “however we must remember we only get one life.” When Mary broke her alabaster box of ointment and poured it over the head of her Saviour, not one drop of that ointment was wasted. And anything you do for the Lord, in a genuine act of love and devotion is never a waste, no matter what the criticizers will say. Whenever you step out for the Lord you can be sure that criticism will soon appear. Whenever Mary broke her alabaster box of ointment and poured it out the finger was pointed. Tempers were raised and it was not too long before others joined in in the criticism. Judas started it, he was the source and it soon spread. Matthew 26 verse 8 “but when the disciples saw it they had indignation saying ‘to what purpose was this waste?’”  Criticism is so contagious. Whenever someone starts it up it spreads like wildfire. More often that not the source is a shallow believer or a non-believer looking to find fault for faults sake. The greater your devotion to God the greater the criticism you will probably receive. Mary of Bethany reacted with such Christlikeness. She never even defended herself. She never uttered a word. She turned a blind eye. And kept on worshipping the Lord. When Mary was reviled she reviled not again. When the accusations and abuse were hurled at her she turned her eyes upon Jesus, she looked full on his wonderful face and the things of the earth and the criticisms grew strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

The measure of Mary’s devotion – verse 3. Spikenard was a liquid perfume of great value, probably imported from India. It was very expensive. It was the best that money could buy. Judas being the business man he was, knew the exact value of it – verse 5. 300 pence was a full years wage for an average working man. We do not know how Mary came to possess this ointment but we can assume that this was all she had. Her humble life savings. She poured it out in one act of love. True love knows no limits. True love counts no cost. There was a great personal cost in Mary’s sacrifice. Without a single thought, she gave her all. She did not look to see how little she could give the Lord, she looked to see how much she could give the Lord. Reminds us of 1 Samuel 24 David goes to purchase a field that would be used to offer sacrifices and then eventually the temple would be built there. The man who owned the field was going to give it to David for nothing because David was king and it was for God. David said “I will not offer to my Lord that which cost me nothing.” It is precious in the sight of the Lord when he receives from his children costly, devoted sacrificial worship. Without a cost it is not a sacrifice at all. It costs nothing to be a Christian. Salvation is free. The bible says “come without money and without price”. But it costs us everything to be a Christian. Has it cost you anything lately to be a Christian? Has it cost you anything in term of time, talents, treasures? Would you inconvenience yourself to be available in God’s service? Mary’s good work could be measured by cost but also in terms of commitment. Mark tells us she broke the alabaster box and poured it out. In breaking this box it was no longer useable. Mary went the whole way. This was total commitment. She burnt her bridges, no going back. She smashed open that box of ointment. She could truthfully sing with all of her heart “Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to thee.”

The motive for Mary’s devotion. Mary poured out her ointment not to please others. Not to impress others. Not to climb a ladder. Not to get a clap on the back. Mary poured out her ointment because of her love for the Lord. Love was Mary’s chief motivation. It was love that moved her to break her box. 

A man on one occasion was a tyrant of a husband. He insisted on his wife doing absolutely everything for him. He made her rise early in the morning to prepare his breakfast. He was very demanding in her care of the house. He required her to keep a strict accounting of all the money she spent on groceries and clothing for the children. This man died and she later married another man who was the complete opposite. He was loving, tender, kind and unselfish. One day as she was going through her first husband’s things she found a list of all the things he had required her to do. To her amazement she realised she was still doing all the same things for her second husband yet he didn’t make her do it. She was doing it because she loved him. The Lord didn’t make Mary break her alabaster box. She did it because she wanted to do it. Mary broke her alabaster box and served her Lord not out of duty. She served him out of love. The Lord Jesus knew Mary’s heart and said “let her alone she hath wrought a good work on me.” Not only was her motive love for the Lord, she had an eye on the glory of Christ. Verse 7 “against the day of my burying hath she kept this.” She kept it for the Lord. She had been saving it up. She grasped something the disciples failed to grasp. Mary realised that the Lord was soon to die, that Calvary was coming soon. While the disciples were too concerned and preoccupied about who was the greatest, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening carefully. Remember when the Lord told his disciples that his death was approaching they said “no we will not let it happen, we will die with you.” But Mary believed by faith that the Lord would die, be buried and one day rise again and she wanted to do something for him while he was still alive. While she still had the opportunity. After Jesus was dead and buried some women came to the tomb to anoint his body but it was too late. The Lord had risen from the tomb. “It is alright to bring flowers to a funeral but would it not be better to bring them when the person is still alive.” Mary of Bethany alone had the privilege of anointing his body. There is a time coming for each of us when it will be too late to break our alabaster box for Jesus. It is only now that we have the opportunity to give our all to Jesus.

By and by when I look on His face,
Beautiful face, thorn-shadowed face;
By and by when I look on His face,
I’ll wish I had given Him more
More, so much more —
More of my love than I e’er gave before.
By and by when I look on His face,
I’ll wish I had given Him more.

The manner of Mary’s devotion. Mary was not called to be a missionary, a preacher of the gospel, a minister. She would not travel the globe with the gospel but the testimony of Jesus Christ is found in Mark 14 verse 8 “She hath done what that she could.” Mary did all that was in her power to do. Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10 “whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might.” How often we can look around us and admire the gifts of others, the abilities of others, the opportunities of others. You could drive yourself mad feeling so inferior and thinking what we can do. We just need to do what God has told us all to do – to do what that we can. Instead of having a concern for what we cannot do, concentrate on what we can do because that is all God has ever asked us to do, to do what they can. Mary was a humble lady who served the Lord and worshipped him in the home amongst her friends and family. Maybe she couldn’t cook and that is why she left it up to Martha. Maybe Mary was a fine example to all that watched on in the home. Our families should be our first and greatest mission field, a place where we gather around the feet of Jesus. D L Moody “we might never be great, we might never be known outside our family and circle of friends but we may like Mary do all we can.”

The memory of Mary’s devotion – Matthew 26 verse 13 “Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.”  Mary’s good work would never be forgotten. There were no pictures taken in this Bethany home, no news reporters or video cameras but 2000 years later the grateful act of this humble Christian woman is recorded in many languages and known all over the globe. “The achievements and titles of many kings and emperors are forgotten as if they were written in the sand. But the memory of Mary’s good work lives on because the pathway to lasting honour is to honour Christ.” Mary gave what she could while Judas took what he could. Mary blessed her Lord while Judas betrayed the Lord.  Mary loved the Lord, Judas used the Lord. Mary did a beautiful thing, Judas did a terrible thing. Mary served the Saviour, Judas sold the Saviour. Mary is forever remembered for her devotion, Judas is forever remembered for his awful betrayal. Everywhere the Lord went after leaving that Bethany home the fragrance of Mary’s ointment went with him. As the Lord hung on the cross of Calvary and paid the price for our sins and the price of Mary’s sin, I often wonder did the smell of Mary’s worship bring comfort to his heart? I wonder is the Christian life you and I live before a lost world around us bring a sweet smelling fragrance that makes Christ smell of healing to others? I wonder will the testimony we leave behind have a lasting fragrance that endures for generations? You can leave behind money but it will be spent. You can leave behind property but it will one day ruin. You can leave behind a business but it will one day cease. If you leave behind a godly testimony it will have a lasting fragrance for generations.

In Yorkshire in the 1800’s there was 2 sons born into a family named Taylor. The older one set out to make a name for himself by entering parliament and gaining public prestige. The younger son chose to give his life to Jesus Christ. He recalled “I remember well as an unreserved consecration I put myself, my life, my friends, my all upon the altar. I felt I was in the presence of God entering into a covenant with the Almighty.” With that commitment Hudson Taylor turned his face to China and obscurity. As a result he is known and honoured on every continent as a faithful missionary and the founder of the China Inland Mission. For the other son there is no lasting monument, he is known simply as the brother of Hudson Taylor.  You might ask yourself is everyone that yields their life in devotion to Jesus Christ remembered like Hudson Taylor? No, but regardless of your recognition here on earth, every dedicated believer will be one day be rewarded by God and that will be a remembrance without equal. Every believer is exhorted in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.“ There is only one life, will soon be passed and it is only what is done for Jesus that will last. I am sure after the Saviour died Mary longed to be reunited with him again one day. I am sure there was not one day that went past that Mary didn’t pause to think about the Lord and ponder those times she spent in his presence, the one who died to save her. Long ago that day came when Mary died and she left this world behind. She entered heaven and the presence of God. I could only imagine her as she comes face to face with her Saviour, I am sure she fell again to her favourite place, at the feet of Jesus. The bible tells us Mary died having done what she could – I wonder if that could be said of us?