NOVEMBER 15, 2015
ANOINTED FOR BURIAL
INTRODUCTION:
1. Matthew tells us that when Jesus finished His discourse about Jerusalem’s destruction, His own second advent and the Day of Judgment, He then began to speak about His betrayal and death, which was now only two days away. (Matt. 26:1)
2. He said to them, “Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.” (Matt. 26:2)
3. Even as He spoke these things, the chief priests and scribes and elders were assembled in the palace of the high priest plotting His death. (Matt. 26:3, 4)
4. Thus, while He was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, there came in a woman unexpectedly who anointed Him for burial. Only He and the woman knew what she had come to do, and most likely only He knew the higher purpose for what she did, i.e. anointing Him for His burial.
I. THE PLOT OF THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES AGAINST CHRIST. (VERSES 1, 2)
A. AN INSTANCE OF THE GREAT WICKEDNESS OF CHRIST’S ENEMIES.
1. How vengeful they were in their plotting. They sought not to banish Him, or to put Him into prison, for to silence Him or to stop His progress was not enough. They must take revenge on Him for all He had done.
2. How subtle they were to avoid publicity. “Not on the feast-day.” Not when the people are gathered together. Notice, this precaution was not taken lest they should disturb their devotions. No, they did it “lest there should be an uproar.” They feared that the people might come to His rescue, and they would become endangered.
B. AN INSTANCE OF EVIL MEN WITH EVIL DESIGNS WORKING THE PURPOSE OF GOD.
1. The feast of the Passover was now at hand, and at the feast Christ must be crucified.
2. This so that His death and suffering might be the more public, and that all Israel, even those of the dispersion, who came from all parts to the feast might witness it.
3. This so that the Anti-type might answer to the Type. “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” It is He Who has brought us out of the house of bondage.
II. THE ANOINTING OF CHRIST’S HEAD AT BETHANY TWO DAYS BEFORE HIS DEATH. (VERSES 3-9)
A. THE KINDNESS THAT WAS SHOWN TO CHRIST BY HIS FRIENDS. (VERSE 3)
1. Although Israel as a whole was not gathered to Christ, and particularly the leadership at Jerusalem rejected Him, there were some friends in and about the city who loved Him, and were eager to demonstrate their love in kind actions.
2. One such friend invited Him to come to his home for a meal. This kind invitation was accepted by our Lord, and even though the time of His death was drawing near, He sat and conversed freely with this man, his family, and guests. (Verse 3)
3. Another dear friend was so kind as to anoint His head with very precious ointment as He sat at the table.
4. This was an extraordinary show of respect paid by this good woman who thought nothing too good or costly to bestow upon Christ. She could not have known that she was fulfilling Scripture in this act. “When the King sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the sweet smell thereof.” (Song of Sol. 1:12)
a) Christ is not only our Beloved to whom we show our affection, He is also our Sovereign to whom we give our allegiance.
b) He poured our His soul unto death. Let us therefore pour out our all upon Him. Notice, she break the box. There was not a drop that was not poured on Christ’s head.
B. THE OBJECTION THAT WAS RAISED BY SOME WHO WERE PRESENT. (VERSES 4, 5)
1. They thought it a waste of the ointment. Because they could not have found it in their hearts to go to such expense to honor Christ, they condemned the actions of this dear woman as being wasteful. (Verse 4)
2. They pretended it might have been sold, and given to the poor. (Verse 5)
a) This was exactly how Judas Iscariot had disguised his wicked motives a few days before when Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with a pound of very costly ointment of spikenard. (See John 12:3-6)
b) In this case their criticism simply revealed that this woman’s high regard for Christ was not shared by them. We are not to imagine that they would actually have given the money to the poor, only that they considered helping the poor as being more needful than showing honor to Christ.
c) Many who gather with the Lord’s church do not sense their same debt of love to Christ for what He has done for His people. They, therefore, cannot enter into such sacrifice as Christians see as reasonable. (Rom. 12:1)
C. THE HIGHER PURPOSE WHICH CHRIST ATTRIBUTED TO THIS SELFLESS ACT EVEN ABOVE THAT WHICH THE WOMAN INTENDED. (VERSES 6-8)
1. Probably, she intended no more than to show the great honor that she had for Him.
a) This she would do publicly, before all of this company. She could not have known how the others might view her actions. Whatever others might say, she was not ashamed to publicly avow her love for Christ.
b) This was done so as to complete His entertainment.
2. But, Christ received it, and owned it as an act of love to Him, and as a first priority. (Verses 6, 7)
a) He rebuked those who condemned her actions. “Let her alone, why trouble ye her?”
b) He received her kindness and was honored by her sacrifice. “She hath wrought a good work on me.”
c) He agreed with her sense of priority, which was a condemnation of those who would have preferred that the poor be helped. “The poor ye have with you always…but me ye have not always.”
d) Christ must always be our first love, and His service our first priority.
3. Christ made of it a great act of faith. (Verse 8)
a) It was as if she understood that she was performing this funeral rite in preparation for His death and burial.
b) Christ accepted this as part of the customary preparations which those condemned to die would make in advance.
c) Strange, His head was not anointed when He rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, but is now anointed for His death. He is now about to go into a far country to receive His Kingdom.
D. THE HIGH PRAISE WHICH CHRIST PREDICTS THIS WONDERFUL ACTION SHALL RECEIVE FROM THE CHURCH THROUGHOUT ALL AGES. (VERSE 9)
1. Virtue is its own reward, and the honor which attends well-doing is sufficient to offset any reproach that it receives from men.
2. The apostle wrote of the faithful who though they endured awful trials and suffering, yet obtained a good report. (Heb. 11:36-39)
3. This good woman was thus repaid her box of precious ointment many times over. Her good name is honored still, which is better than precious ointment.
III. THE BETRAYAL OF CHRIST BY JUDAS, HIS ENEMY DISGUISED AS HIS FAMILIAR FRIEND. (VERSES 10, 11)
A. THIS DISGUISED ENEMY CONTRACTED WITH CHRIST’S OPEN ENEMIES TO BETRAY HIM. (VERSE 10)
1. He is said to be “one of the twelve,” one of the family, intimate with Christ. He called him “mine own familiar friend.” (Psa. 41:9)
2. He went to the chief priest to offer his service to them who plotted to kill Christ.
3. He proposed to them that he would betray Christ to them by giving them notice when and where they might find Him, and seize Him without causing an uproar among the people.
B. THE CONTRACT WAS HAPPILY AGREED UPON BETWEEN JUDAS AND CHRIST’S ENEMIES. (VERSE 11)
1. When they heard his proposal they were glad. (Verse 11a)
2. They would compensate Judas for his services. “And they promised to give him money.” (Verse 11b)
3. Judas now must deliver on his contract. “And he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.” (Verse 11c)
CONCLUSION:
1. The woman who loved Christ more than earthly treasures, and preferred His honor to costly ointment is memorialized in every place where the Gospel is preached. She who honored Christ is known, and herself honored by the church.
2. Then there is Judas, who sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver; the same Judas who protested when Mary poured her costly ointment on Jesus’ feet, offering the same alternative as these objectors did. (John 12:4, 5) His name is memorialized as well, but his name lives on in infamy. John tells us that Judas wanted the money for himself. (John 12:6) He would betray Christ for the price of a slave.
3. Of these two memorable characters, there’s no question as to which one we would wish to be identified.
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