Sermon Manuscript: Were You There? The Woman at Bethany

Text: Matthew 26:1-13

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I know it is true, for it is the only reason my wife would have ever married me! Have you ever been with a friend and looked at something such as a piece of art or a landscape that impacted you both in very different ways? You might have said something like, "that piece of art transcends the renaissance period and encapsulates the political climate of that entire millenium." I do not know what that means, but you might have said it. Or more likely, "That picture is beautiful." To which your friend responds, "that is the ugliest thing I have ever seen." You both have the same input, but it affects you in dramatically different ways.

The Lenten series we are starting today is entitled, "Were You There? People in the last days of Jesus' life." We want to do some character studies and see what motivated each of them to either remain faithful or at odds with Jesus' mission. We also want to see how God used them to bring about His ultimate purpose of redemption which is Jesus' death and resurrection. If you haven't already, I again encourage you to pick-up a Lenten study that contains daily readings and questions to be used in your personal study or with a group.

In order to fully appreciate this narrative, we need some background. The gospel writer has been building up to these two-plus chapters for the past twenty-five. Here we see the climactic scenes where everything is going to be known and resolved. Matthew has been trying to paint Jesus as the Messiah, and here he will prove it. The chapter begins after Jesus' fourth major discourse, ie. sermon, contained in the gospel of Matthew. It is the well-known passage of taking care of the least among you that leads us into the scene where Jesus says to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two days away - and the Son of man will be handed over to be crucified." That is the thesis statement that we will be working from for the next seven weeks of lent. As strange as it may sound, you cannot have Christianity without the Cross and you do not have the Cross without these events. So let's not hurry past the Cross, as morbid as that might seem, for in that event holds the key to knowing God's love and care for us.

So Jesus begins with a statement of fact, "as you know" . And it is a fact that his disciples knew two things. They knew that the Passover was starting in two days. Every Jewish person would have known this. It would be like me saying, Christmas is in two days. Everyone above the age of 2 years old would "know" this. Jesus goes on to say that this will be the time he will be handed over to be crucified. Now you could make a case that the disciples could not have "known" this fact. Why wouldn't they have tried to stop him? Peter did in Matthew 16 and was quickly chastised by Jesus. Jesus said, get behind me Satan. Or they would have not followed him because it surely meant they too were in grave danger? But remember what Thomas said in John 11 after Jesus decided to go and help Lazarus in Judea where they were plotting to stone him. Thomas said, "Let us all go, that we may die with him." No I contend that the disciples knew full well Jesus' fate. How could they not? From Matthew's 16 chapter forward, Jesus is talking openly about what will take place. They might not have wanted to know or believe, but I believe that they had to have knowledge of this taking place.

And so the canvas is prepared. The thesis laid out. How will it come about? Who will play a part? Who will be the heros and heroines and who will be the villians? It does not take long to begin answering those questions. First the snare must be set. And the religious establishment takes care of this quickly. The chief priests and elders met along with the High Priest Caiaphas. They had had enough of Jesus gaining in popularity at their expense. They had suffered great shame at the hands of Jesus and their leadership was not only called into question, it was attacked time and again. Brood of Vipers Jesus called them. Their throats are open graves he directed at them. Not only was it direct attacks, but he had much greater power than any of them. He healed the masses, taught to the multitudes, and amassed a legion of followers who were ready to make him whatever he wanted to be: prophet, king, messiah. Here was the best thing that ever happened to God's chosen people, and they could not see beyond their own egos, authority, and power. God's will had gotten lost in the pursuit of their own. He must be eliminated. Jesus must be dealt with once and for all. But not during the festival time. No, that would be too dangerous for his followers might decide to take matters into their own hands. Soon, but when it would be expeditious.

Those closest to Jesus, called disciples or mathetes in Greek which meant pupil or learner, were not immune from this inward looking self-centeredness. The story goes on to say that a woman showed up at the house of Simon the Leper in Bethany. She took out an alabaster jar filled with an expensive perfume. She anoints Jesus from head to toe in their utter disbelief. The text says they were indignant that not only would this woman have violated Jesus in this manner, but more importantly "wasted" this precious asset. The word "waste" here can be defined as "destroyed". In their eyes there was absolutely no good that came from pouring it upon Jesus in such a fashion. It wasn't that there were "better" alternatives, it was that this was not an alternative at all. Sure, they saw people who could be helped. They saw a worldly kingdom that could be enhanced. They saw an asset that could be monetized and used for something more worthwhile, including themselves I assume. I can't totally fault the disicples in this case, but they surely missed the bigger picture.

And then there was "a" woman. She is not named nor mentioned again after this episode. This woman was the only one who got the bigger picture. Jesus said that in two days he would be crucified. Since that was so, he needed to be prepared for burial. No matter the personal cost either of resources or of ego, she was bound and determined to prepare Jesus for his impending death. Of all the people listed in this part of the story, she is the least likely to have gotten the message. Her status as a woman put her at a distinct disadvantage from a social, educational, economic or religious perspective. And yet, when presented with the same knowledge as the rest of the group, her actions showed her true understanding that the others sorely lacked. And she must have been a bit taken aback when the disciples began to chastise her actions. Jesus spoke up and said that wherever the gospel is preached, this woman's actions will be remembered.

Her legacy wasn't who she knew, or who she was related to, or what qualifications she had. No, her legacy, that we remember and give thanks for today is solely related to her actions. We also remember the Sanhedrin, who plotted against Jesus because of selfish ambition. Likewise, we remember the disciples who did not value Jesus' personal needs above that of a bottle of perfume. All of these had the same knowledge of Jesus, but all three responded differently. Just like my initial example of two persons looking at a work of art. We see the same thing, but respond to it very differently. Our eyes may see, head may know, but it is our heart that formulates a response.

So what happens between our head and our heart? What filters are in place that makes each of us respond differently to the gospel message of Christ? I don't have enough time for an exhaustive run down of factors, but in my experience there are a few that keep popping up.

Our upbringing is a determinant in how we process God's truth. In addition to physical traits, we get many other lifelong traits. How we were brought up creates a filter that all things get processed through. If our parents went to church, guess what, we are more likely to attend church. If they were generous givers, guess what, we are more likely to give generously. Sometimes, the most difficult decisions in life are to leave a family tradition or viewpoint behind.

Those who we hang around influence our response. The people that we are with day after day tend to rub off on us. The confluence of ideas and actions that surround us shapes a filter from which all other bits of information must be processed.

Our self-interests influence how we respond. Our dreams, our goals, as well as our fears also form part of the filter that we process information through. We see over and over again, particularly in this story, that it is difficult to get past our self-interests. They have a tendency to control how we respond and how willing we are to change our life. There was a question submitted for our And The Survey Says sermon series that wanted to know why it is easier to accept Christ earlier in life than later. It is because we have less to lose earlier on. After living for a while, we have a lot of stuff in our life that makes it difficult to let go of. That is one reason why, in my opinion, the woman was the only one who really got Jesus in this story. She was the least likely and had the least amount to lose.

NLT Mark 8:35 If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life.

Let me boil it all down. We are all presented with the gospel message. Just like in our passage this morning. And how we respond is the most important thing in our life (hyperbole meant). It is a matter of life and death for our current life and the eternal life to come. Where are we in this picture this morning? Were you there? Are we the religious leaders who have so much to lose that they refuse to accept what god has for them because it means giving up too much? Or are we the disciples who have hung around Christ for years, have all the knowledge in the world, and yet still refuse to act upon it. Rather, we are waiting for the best time or the better deal to come along. May we all be like the woman, the unamed woman, lets call her everywoman and man, who is presented with the gospel truth and acts upon it with great fervor and abandon.

Maybe it is time, this lent, for us to clean our filters out and see what God might have in store for us?

NLT Mark 8:35 If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life.