Discover

Focus: The goal of the gospel is to make sinners those who would satisfy God’s heart. For Him to gain this, we can respond to His love by loving Him and pouring out all we are and all we have on this precious One.

I. Read Matthew 26:1-2. According to these verses, what does Jesus say will happen on the day of the Passover?

Matt. 26:1-2 And when Jesus finished all these words, He said to His disciples, ²You know that after two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man is being delivered up to be crucified.

II. Through the Lord’s words, Mary received the revelation of His death. Read Matthew 26:6-9 and the same passage in Mark 14:3-5:

Matt. 26:6-9 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷A woman came to Him, having an alabaster flask of ointment of great value, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table. ⁸But when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? ⁹For this could have been sold for much and given to the poor.

Mark 14:3-5 And while He was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He reclined at table, a woman came, having an alabaster flask of ointment, of very costly pure nard, and she broke the alabaster flask and poured it over His head. ⁴But there were some who were indignantly commenting among themselves: Why has this waste of the ointment been made? ⁵For this ointment could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they were infuriated with her.

A. What was Mary’s response to this revelation?
B. The denarius was the chief silver coin of the Romans, and one denarius was good pay for a day’s labor. This means that the alabaster flask that Mary poured out, worth 300 denarii, was about a year’s worth of income.
C. Mary didn’t come from a wealthy household. Despite that, she poured out this precious ointment on the Lord. What motivated her to do this?

III. Read the disciples’ response in Matthew 26:8-9 and Mark 14:4-5 again:

Matt. 26:8-9 But when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? ⁹For this could have been sold for much and given to the poor. 

Mark 14:4-5 But there were some who were indignantly commenting among themselves: Why has this waste of the ointment been made? ⁵For this ointment could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they were infuriated with her.

A. How did the other disciples respond to Mary’s actions? What words stand out that describe how the disciples felt?
B. Look up the definition of the word “waste.” Why did the disciples have this view of Mary’s offering?
C. The disciples thought what Mary did was too much and that she gave the Lord more than He was due. They did not see the Lord’s worth and believed it was better to do a good work to sell the ointment and give to the poor. However, in approving of Mary’s noble deed, the Lord reveals that what matters to Him first is not our being busy with work for Him but our caring for His satisfaction in love (S.S. 4:9-10).

S.S. 4:9-10 You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride; / You have ravished my heart with one glance of your eyes, / With one strand of your necklace. ¹⁰How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! / How much better is your love than wine, / And the fragrance of your ointments / Than all spices!

IV. Read the Lord’s response in Matthew 26:10-13 and Mark 14:6-8.

Matt. 26:10-13 But Jesus, knowing it, said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a noble deed to Me. ¹¹For the poor you have with you always, but you do not always have Me. ¹²For in pouring out this ointment on My body, she has done it for My burial. ¹³Truly I say to you, Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be told as a memorial of her.

Mark 14:6-8 But Jesus said, Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a noble deed on Me. ⁷For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you do not always have Me. ⁸She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.

A. What did the Lord Jesus think of Mary’s pouring out on Him?
B. According to the record in Mark 14, what would have happened if Mary had hesitated and delayed pouring out the ointment on Jesus for a few days?
C. Mary grasped the opportunity to pour upon the Lord the best that she had. Because of this, later on, she had no reason to regret what she had “wasted” upon the Lord for His burial. The Lord said of Mary that “She has done what she could,” showing that Mary had poured out her all, without reserve, on the Lord as her priceless treasure. Read the Amplified Version of Ephesians 5:16. How do these verses relate to Mary’s noble deed?

Eph. 5:16 (AMP) Making the very most of your time [...recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.

D. The Lord desires that Mary’s response would be our response to the gospel (Matt. 26:13)! On the one hand, the gospel meets our need to satisfy us sinners as we gain the Lord by believing and receiving Him as our salvation. On the other hand, we also want the Lord to be satisfied as we consecrate and “waste” ourselves upon Him (cf. Psa. 110:3)! Our consecration is not that we’d work so much for the Lord, but to love Him, allowing God to work in us as we fully give ourselves to Him.

Psa. 110:3 Your people will offer themselves willingly / In the day of Your warfare, / In the splendor of their consecration. / Your young men will be to You / Like the dew from the womb of the dawn.

Apply

I. Mary loved the Lord deeply. What will cause us to love Him today in such a way? Is your love for the Lord fresh and deepening in these days? See 1 John 4:19; 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 2:4-5a.

1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.

2 Cor. 11:2 For I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

Rev. 2:4-5 But I have one thing against you, that you have left your first love. ^5aRemember therefore where you have fallen from and repent and do the first works;

II. Read 2 Cor. 5:14-15, Rom. 12:1. What is the motivating factor for our giving ourselves to the Lord in both of these verses? How does each verse express the result of our experience of this motivating factor?

2 Cor. 5:14-15 For the love of Christ constrains us because we have judged this, that One died for all, therefore all died; ¹⁵And He died for all that those who live may no longer live to themselves but to Him who died for them and has been raised.

Rom. 12:1 I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

III. The Lord Jesus should be the most valuable treasure to us (2 Cor. 4:7). When we see His supreme preciousness like Paul did in Phil. 3:4-8, we are joyfully willing to set aside other things that may have been dear to us but were hindering us from enjoying Him. What are some practical ways that we can “pour out” upon the Lord today? Eph. 5:16 and Matt. 6:6 are some examples.

2 Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us.

Phil. 3:4-8 Though I myself have something to be confident of in the flesh as well. If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I more: ⁵Circumcised the eighth day; of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶As to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness which is in the law, become blameless. ⁷But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. ⁸But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ.

Eph. 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Matt. 6:6 But you, when you pray, enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

Verses

Matt. 26:1-2 And when Jesus finished all these words, He said to His disciples, ²You know that after two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man is being delivered up to be crucified.

Matt. 26:6-9 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷A woman came to Him, having an alabaster flask of ointment of great value, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table. ⁸But when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? ⁹For this could have been sold for much and given to the poor.

Mark 14:3-5 And while He was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He reclined at table, a woman came, having an alabaster flask of ointment, of very costly pure nard, and she broke the alabaster flask and poured it over His head. ⁴But there were some who were indignantly commenting among themselves: Why has this waste of the ointment been made? ⁵For this ointment could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they were infuriated with her.

S.S. 4:9-10 You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride; / You have ravished my heart with one glance of your eyes, / With one strand of your necklace. ¹⁰How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! / How much better is your love than wine, / And the fragrance of your ointments / Than all spices!

Matt. 26:10-13 But Jesus, knowing it, said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a noble deed to Me. ¹¹For the poor you have with you always, but you do not always have Me. ¹²For in pouring out this ointment on My body, she has done it for My burial. ¹³Truly I say to you, Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be told as a memorial of her.

Mark 14:6-8 But Jesus said, Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a noble deed on Me. ⁷For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you do not always have Me. ⁸She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.

Eph. 5:16 (AMP) Making the very most of your time […recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.

Psa. 110:3 Your people will offer themselves willingly / In the day of Your warfare, / In the splendor of their consecration. / Your young men will be to You / Like the dew from the womb of the dawn.

1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.

2 Cor. 11:2 For I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

Rev. 2:4-5 But I have one thing against you, that you have left your first love. ^5aRemember therefore where you have fallen from and repent and do the first works;

2 Cor. 5:14-15 For the love of Christ constrains us because we have judged this, that One died for all, therefore all died; ¹⁵And He died for all that those who live may no longer live to themselves but to Him who died for them and has been raised.

Rom. 12:1 I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

2 Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us.

Phil. 3:4-8 Though I myself have something to be confident of in the flesh as well. If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I more: ⁵Circumcised the eighth day; of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶As to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness which is in the law, become blameless. ⁷But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. ⁸But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ.

Eph. 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Matt. 6:6 But you, when you pray, enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.