Extravagant Worship

John 12:1-8

One of the places Annie and I visited last year on our visit to the Republic of Ireland was Muckross House in Killarney. This is a beautiful estate located on the peninsula between Muckross Lake and Lough Leane, two of the Killarney lakes. The house, really a mansion, was completed in 1843 by the Herbert family who made their initial fortune in copper mines. They were among the social elite and the highlight of their social status was having the honor of hosting Queen Victoria of England on her visit to Ireland. This eight day visit of the Queen was planned well in advance and the Herberts were honored by having her stay with them for two days of her visit. So the year before her visit they went to great expense to renovate and refurbish their home and estate, giving the Queen and her entourage their own set of private apartments. Elaborate buffet tables and other furniture, tapestries, handwoven draperies made in Paris, mirrors, Persian carpets, silverware, musical instruments, linen, china and servants uniforms, were all purchased for the occasion. All of this for a two day visit.

This was an extravagant gift given to the Queen. Why did they do this? I will come back to that later.

In A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, Barbara Tuchman writes of Enguerrand VII de Coucy, a French nobleman and son-in-law of King Edward III of England. In his will he left donations to 21 churches and chapels, the most magnificent of which was to Ste. Trinité. He ordered for the monastery “a notable silver cross weighing forty Paris marks (about 23 pounds), a silver censer, two cruets for water and wine for use in the Divine service, a silver ewer for washing the hands of the priest, a fine and notable silver-gilt chalice of fitting weight and workmanship for such a monastery, four pairs of ornaments for the priest, deacon, and sub-deacon, of which three shall be for ordinary use and the fourth for the solemnities of important holy days.” His donations to the 21 churches and chapels amounts to about $2,000,000 in today’s value.

This was an extravagant bequest. Why did Coucy do this? I will come back to this later as well.

In the text for today we find another extravagant gift. Perfume, about a liter of perfume costing the equivalent of a year’s wages, was poured over the feet of Jesus by a woman named Mary.

The setting for this story is at the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus. There are three stories in the gospels about this family. The first is found in Luke’s gospel.  (Luke 10:38–42)
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

This is a good story for getting a picture of the character of Mary. She had a contemplative nature. While Martha worked, she reflected and prayed. It is easy to see why Martha was upset with her. Mary was devoted to Jesus and never left his side. To leave the room meant she would miss what Jesus was saying and she was not willing to lose one sentence, one word. She could not get enough of Jesus.

A year later Mary’s brother Lazarus was sick and she and her sister Martha sent word to Jesus asking him to come. This is the story of how the funeral of Lazarus was transformed into a celebration. I am sure you remember the story. Jesus received word that Lazarus was ill. He delayed in coming and by the time he arrived, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Jesus called for him to come out of the tomb and out walked Lazarus.

Frederick Buechner, in writing about Lazarus, points out that in interviews with those who have been pronounced clinically dead and then are resuscitated, they tell of seeing a figure of light waiting for them on the other side and are reluctant to come back to this world. Buechner writes: “when Lazarus opened his eyes to see the figure of Jesus standing there in the daylight beside him, he couldn’t for the life of him tell which side he was on.”

That was certainly a dramatic moment. Literally, a life-changing moment – not just for Lazarus but for Mary and Martha as well.

Some time later, Jesus was once again at their home, just before he headed into Jerusalem with the triumphant parade we celebrate on Palm Sunday, one week before he would be crucified. Jesus knew what Lazarus, Mary, and Martha did not know. This would be his last time eating in their home. The men were eating at the table, probably Jesus, his disciples, and Lazarus. Martha, as would be expected, was serving them their meal. Where was Mary? Martha looked around in exasperation. Why was Mary never there when she needed help? As Martha was looking, Mary came into the room carrying an alabaster jar of nard, an expensive perfume.

What is nard? Nard comes from a plant in northern India, spikenard. The best spikenard was imported from India in sealed alabaster jars, which were opened only on very special occasions.

Why did Mary anoint his feet? A good host made sure the feet of his guests were washed since they had been walking on dusty roads. A good host also provided a bit of oil for the face and hands of his guests. In a hot, dry climate, this was considered good for the body. If the guest was generous, there might be a bit of perfume mixed in the oil. Although we do not know the bathing habits of Palestine in the time of Jesus, one of the benefits of perfume was to cover up for body odor.

If you came into my house and I washed your feet, it would be very strange. This is not something we do in our cultures. But Mary did what was normal in her culture. What made her action extraordinary is that her gift went far beyond what was normal. She washed the feet of Jesus and anointed him. If she had wanted to honor him as a guest she might have put a bit of perfume in some oil to give it a pleasant odor. Her action was extravagant because she poured out undiluted perfume on the feet of Jesus. She poured out a whole jar of nard. John says she put it on his feet. Mark and Matthew say she put it on his head. She poured out so much perfume that the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. She went so much further than what was expected, that Jesus said in the account in Mark and Matthew, (Mark 14:9)
I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

This is a different circumstance than the woman in Luke 7 who washed the feet of Jesus, the passage Elliot preached from last week. In that case, the woman was unnamed, In this case we know the woman was Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus. In Luke 7 a “sinful” woman, probably a prostitute, anointed the feet of Jesus. In John 12, Mary is a pious woman who anoints the feet of Jesus as an act of devotion. In Luke 7 the woman entered the home of a Pharisee to wash the feet of Jesus. In John 12 Jesus is a guest in Mary’s home. In Luke 7 Jesus told the woman her sins were forgiven. In John 12 Jesus praised Mary for her act of devotion.

These are two different stories, two different circumstances, but each story reveals an extravagant gift given to Jesus. Each story is an extravagant act of worship. What qualifies as an extravagant act of worship?

First, it has to be something extraordinary. Giving 10% of your income to God is supposed to be normal for Christians. It is not supposed to be out of the ordinary. But when Jesus called the tax collector Zacchaeus to come down from the tree and announced he would eat with him, Zacchaeus made what would be considered an extravagant act of worship. (Luke 19:8)
Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus talked about another extravagant act of worship when he praised the woman in the Temple who put two copper coins, worth less than one penny, into the Treasury box. (Mark 12:43–44)
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

This was also an extraordinary gift. An extravagant act of worship involves giving something far more than would normally be expected.

Second, an extravagant act of worship is given without any strings attached. This gets at the motive for the gift. What was Mary looking for in return for her gift to Jesus? This brings me back to the extravagant gifts I mentioned at the beginning of the sermon.

When the Herbert family spent an enormous amount of money to renovate and refurbish their home for the two-day visit of Queen Victoria, what motivated them to do this? As we were told when we visited Muckross House, in addition to the social honor, the family was expecting to receive a title from the Queen in appreciation for her visit with them. This would give them the income of a much larger piece of property, which they needed to maintain their estate. The family was counting on this and spent their money to make sure the Queen would be pleased with her stay.

The stay was wonderful and all seemed well. But then, when she returned to England, her husband, Prince Albert, became ill and died and she went into mourning. The detail of awarding the Herbert family a title disappeared from her thoughts and the Herberts were forced to sell Muckross to settle their debts.

The Herberts may have given an extravagant gift to the Queen, but it was self-motivated. It was a calculated business decision. It was given so that something more valuable would be given to them.

What about the bequests of Enguerrand VII de Coucy? It certainly was an extravagant gift to the churches and chapels, but why did he make those bequests? The Catholic Church benefitted in those years and in the years since then with the teaching that generous gifts to the church enabled people to ease their way into heaven. In Barbara Tuchman’s book, A Distant Mirror, there are examples of people who lived decadent lives and then tried to make things up at the end by donating a castle to a monastery or nunnery.

Were these extravagant gifts extravagant acts of worship? They were given to the church and presumably to God. But these gifts were given so they might receive something of more worth in return. They were not acts of worship; they were business transactions, investments for the future. “I’ll give you this so you will give me something more valuable in return.”

From time to time we receive a note in the offering baskets saying the money given was “seed money”. This is a teaching that says they if you give something to God, he will give you back much more. So, over the years we have received seed money, seed jewelry, and even seed clothes. Once again, this is not worship, this is business. I will do this so you will give me that.

What made Mary’s gift of perfume and the gift of the “sinful woman” in Luke 7 so extraordinary is that they both gave without any thought of receiving something back. They gave out of gratitude and out of devotion.

Why is the gift given? That is the critical question. It is in the heart that we see if an extravagant gift is an act of worship or something else.

Are we called to make extravagant acts of worship? Given that Jesus praised Mary so highly for her act of devotion, shouldn’t we try to do the same? How about this: Go home this week, empty your bank accounts, collect all the cash you have stashed away, and bring it next week and put it in the offering baskets. That would be extravagant, wouldn’t it? But would it be an extravagant act of worship? I doubt it. An extravagant act of worship comes from the heart, not from a preacher’s instructions.

I also think it is a mistake to take this example too literally. If we limit what Mary did to money and possessions, we will miss out on the action of her heart. She loved Jesus. She was grateful for what he did for her brother, grateful that Jesus had given her back her brother. She loved Jesus and made an extravagant gesture. But how can we do that? Jesus is not coming to eat at our house or apartment.

An extravagant act of worship gives something that is far more than expected, out of the ordinary. It is something that is given with no strings attached. Nothing is expected in return. And it is given from the heart.

Let me give you some examples of what I believe are extravagant acts of worship.

Being faithful in marriage and loving your spouse when your spouse does not love you back, does not satisfy your needs – that is an extravagant act of worship.

I know a man whose wife divorced him. He turned down promotions and jobs that would have given him more money and a more secure position in order to stay in the same town as his ex-wife and sons. He sacrificed his career for his sons so he could continue to be a dad to them. That is an extravagant act of worship.

I know a woman who forgave the drunk driver who drove onto the sidewalk, killing her nine year old son. That is an extravagant act of worship.

People who leave their family, friends, culture, and financial prospects so they can share the gospel of Jesus with others in the world make an extravagant act of worship.

Robertson McQuilkin was president of Columbia Bible College and Seminary in South Carolina in the US. His wife began to suffer from Alzheimers and in 1990, at the peak of his career, he resigned to become the full-time care giver for his wife. This was an extravagant act of worship.

You may ask at this point, “These examples are all about caring for others. How are they acts of worship of Jesus?” I remind you of what Jesus taught in Matthew 25 in the parable of the sheep and goats. He praised the righteous for their care of him and then the righteous asked: (Matthew 25:37–40)
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

When we put other people before ourselves, consider their needs as more important than ours, then we care for Jesus. We begin to be agents of extravagant worship.

In the accounts Mark, Matthew, and John write of Mary’s extravagant act of worship, not everyone thought it was so wonderful. In Mark’s account he says some of those present were indignant. Matthew records that the disciples were indignant. Here in John, he writes that Judas objected.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”

How much do you earn in a year? Imagine someone taking that amount of money, spending it on perfume, and then pouring it out on someone’s feet. The precious perfume spills on the ground. A pool of perfume lies on the ground where it will be swept up and thrown on the street. One full year of income. Wouldn’t you consider it a waste of money?

If I saw someone do this, I would say it was impulsive, irresponsible, poor stewardship, and unclear thinking. Anyone who acted like this would not be my choice for church treasurer. If this person came to me a few weeks later and said they did not have enough money to pay rent, I would ask them to explain why they acted so crazily by throwing away so much money.

Mark and Matthew indicate that the disciples thought this was an irresponsible act. John adds the detail that Judas had personal reasons for objecting to this waste:
6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Judas had other motives for objecting to Mary’s action, but if I had been there, I would have joined the disciples who were critical of what Mary did. I imagine as well that Martha probably had some critical things to say. She was much more responsible than Mary. Martha saw all that money disappearing and wondered how this would affect the things she needed to buy to run the household. The disciples and perhaps Martha were critical, but Jesus praised Mary for what I call an extravagant act of worship.

Extravagant acts of worship do not make sense. When Robertson McQuilkin resigned to take care of his wife, people were stunned. Some argued that he was doing so much good as the president of the seminary that he should continue that and hire nurses to take care of his wife. His decision was much admired but there were some who questioned his decision.

Why forgive someone who has betrayed you? Why forgive someone who has hurt you deeply? Why forgive someone who has humiliated you? Why sacrifice your career for the sake of your family? Why love someone who does not love you back? Why give money to the church when you could use those funds for yourself?

Paul urges us in Philippians 2:3–5
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Jesus is the model for us. As he sacrificed himself for others, we are to do the same. His obedience to the Father in going to the cross to die for us was an extravagant act of worship. We are called to follow his example.

Judas looked at the money purse and made that his focus. Mary looked at Jesus and made him her focus. The truth is that we are more likely to think like Judas than we are to think like Mary. We want to hold on to our rights, our self-respect, protect our image, make sure we are well taken care of. This is our nature. But when we give the Holy Spirit the freedom to work in our lives, we are moved to step beyond our own self-interests and consider the needs of others. Then we are in the place where we can offer extravagant acts of worship.

Let me share one more extravagant act of worship. It comes from a book written by Becky Pipert and titled: Out of the Saltshaker and into the World. The story took place in the 1970s when hippies began coming to Jesus and the conventional church did not know how to relate to these hippie followers of Jesus.
Bill was brilliant, and looked like he was always pondering the esoteric. His hair was always mussy, and in the entire time I knew him, I never once saw him wear a pair of shoes. Rain, sleet, or snow, Bill was always barefoot. While he was attending college, he had become a Christian. At this time, a well-dressed, middle-class church across the street from the campus wanted to develop more of a ministry to the students. They were not sure how to go about it, but they tried to make them feel welcome. One day Bill decided to worship there. He walked into this church wearing his blue jeans, T-shirt and of course no shoes. People looked a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything. So Bill began walking down the aisle looking for a seat. The church was quite crowded that Sunday, so as he got down to the front pew and realized there were no seats, he just squatted on the carpet—perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, but perhaps unnerving for a church congregation. The tension in the air became so thick one could slice it.
Suddenly an elderly man began walking down the aisle toward the boy. Was he going to scold Bill? My friends who saw him approaching said they thought, “You can’t blame him. He’d never guess Bill is a Christian. And his world is too distant from Bill’s to understand. You can’t blame him for what he’s going to do.”
As the man kept walking slowly down the aisle, the church became utterly silent, all eyes were focused on him, you could not hear anyone breathe. When the man reached Bill, with some difficulty he lowered himself and sat down next to him on the carpet. He and Bill worshiped together on the floor that Sunday. I was told there was not a dry eye in the congregation.

Extravagant acts of worship become possible when Jesus is our focus. Because of how he is working in our heart, we are moved to consider how we can serve him. We stop thinking only of ourselves. We begin to see the needs of others around us and the compassion Jesus had for others becomes the compassion we feel. The impulse comes and we step outside of what we normally do and we make an extravagant gift. We may give our money and possessions. We may give our pride. We may give our pain. We may give the prospect of earning a big salary. We give in a way that doesn’t make sense to the world around us and we are blessed because we are able to make this gift. We don’t give to get anything back; we simply give from our heart.

And then the world observes an incredible act of extravagant worship.